How was the fit? I've held off buying this hitch due to some reports that the holes didn't line up properly and needed redrilling or grinding.

 

I had an Ecohitch installed on my Bolt a few months ago. I can't tell you how difficult the install was because I had the Torklift guys do it. Since they did the work themselves I assume that any fitment issues would have been reported back to the manufacturing team...

 

Adding a hitch is something I've pondered. Primarily to act as a psudeo pickup truck bed when needed.

This is a mightyfold 8' X 4' utility trailer, DIY modified with gates
(Weight of Trailer – 260 lbs. Max Load Capacity – 920 lbs. Gross Axle Weight Rating – 1180 lbs.):

back view:

torn down and folded up:

What is the Bolt's towing capacity? Any thoughts on this idea?

 

What is the Bolt's towing capacity? Any thoughts on this idea?

My Prius is rated to tow nothing, and here's what I'm told is 1800 lbs in a very similar trailer.

...and a photo where you can barely see my EVSE hanging above the motorcycle.

My concern stems from reports of fitment issues...
Also, a potential issue with 3rd party installers is that unless you have a solid relationship with them, then their best interest is served by saving time and getting you out the door and your money in the till.

I don't mind tinkering to get something to work if it was super cheap, but these Torklift hitches are twice the price of other hitches. There is no excuse when you pay a premium. I had no issue installing my Torklift hitch, but that was on a Prius.

Your point about a company rushing a job is true for most transactions, which is one of the reasons I prefer to do things myself. In this case I don't think there is much at risk for an improvised install, as hitches are usually just 4 bolts and possibly cutting a little plastic away. If the bolts are in and snug, the hitch and the rest of the car should be ready to go.

It's the oil change shops that I don't trust. Stripped oil pans, cross threaded drain bolts, missing crush washers, plastic cover to the drain thrown away, etc, etc. I know a manager of a lube shop, and it's standard practice to deny all damage claims.

 

Rated towing capacity - None.

That said, I'll add a hitch for occasional light towing like that.

I have one each 4x4 and 4x8 trailers. The little one is only 150 lbs. I doubt towing that around town will hurt anything.

 

My concern stems from reports of fitment issues reported on this forum by several members - even on "updated" hitches: http://www.chevybolt.org/forum/221346-post138.html
I'd really like a bolt-on product to bolt on.

Also, a potential issue with 3rd party installers is that unless you have a solid relationship with them, then their best interest is served by saving time and getting you out the door and your money in the till. If that means grinding out holes or using advanced installation techniques like a BFH - cest la vie. I could end up with bent/mis-aligned parts, missing rust inhibitor (paint or powder coating) due to grinding/hammering, or damaged mount points as in the @brownian example above.

 

Also, a potential issue with 3rd party installers is that unless you have a solid relationship with them, then their best interest is served by saving time and getting you out the door and your money in the till. If that means grinding out holes or using advanced installation techniques like a BFH - cest la vie.

Oh Man. I went to U-Haul for a 'professional' installation of the hitch on the new '99 Outback. The 'hitch install specialist' was stoned to the point of slurred speech and too fat to get off his stool without panting. And just plain stupid. First step was he set his impact wrench to the wrong direction and instantly snapped off one of the two studs for the rear tailpipe bracket. It went downhill from there.

Last step was he disappeared and after waiting too long I found him wandering all over the shop facility, the big regional trailer/truck overhaul site. He said the reason he was gone so long was because he couldn't find a 2 inch ball anywhere no matter who he asked. I pointed out there was one, he had put it on his workbench behind the car when he started the project.

The biggest trailer rental company in the world has no balls?????

True story. Caveat Emptor.

 

Not to sidetrack the thread but as for Uhaul being the place to get hitches.... years ago when I bought a honda element, the uhaul place told me they could get a hitch in stock for me in a few days. So two weeks later, calling and asking where it is and no one knowing anything, I ordered online from etrailer. I installed it at home just fine. About 6 months later I got a call from.... uhaul with my hitch on hand.

As for the Bolt, manual says no towing, but I'm sure you *could* if you wanted to. Caveat emptor.

 

I was looking at the Transfer 3 website and Küat says clearly, "the Transfer 3 cannot be used on Class 1 hitches". eTrailer also says the Transfer 3 is compatible with Class 2-3, but not Class 1.

I assume this is because of the weight of the rack (20lbs more than Transfer 2), the extra bike, and the leverage of having a third bike farther from the car/hitch.

How has it been working for you, since you've had it longer? Worried about bending or breaking anything?

 

I also had a Curt hitch receiver installed. There were warnings about not having more than two bikes in a carrier for the hitch. Even with two hybrid bikes, I wouldn't dare carry more. When I hit the bumps, there is tremendous pressure on the hitch from the up/down motion.
With more than two bikes, you may end up with bikes on the road, causing a lot of grief. I don't think there is a lot of strength where the hitch carrier is attached to the body. Good luck!

 

I also had a Curt hitch installed. There were warnings about not having more than two bikes in a carrier for the hitch. Even with two hybrid bikes, I wouldn't dare carry more. When I hit the bumps, there is tremendous pressure on the hitch from the up/down motion.
With more than three bikes, you may end up with bikes on the road, causing a lot of grief. I don't think there is a lot of strength where the hitch carrier is attached to the body. Good luck!

This is exactly my worry. The OP had a different hitch (Torklift) and a picture holding three bikes on rack.

The Curt seems to have the least support of the three hitches I know about (Curt, Torklift, and Draw-Tite). I believe I read that some of the first Curt only were rated for 100lbs, instead of the more standard 200lbs rating for Class 1.

Does the OP have more time/experience hauling three bikes?

Can anyone comment on the quality/strength of the different hitches?

TIA

 

Greetings from a new member here.

Just about to install a Torklift hitch on the 2018 Bolt I reluctantly obtained as replacement for our Volt (turns out my spine is 10 years too old for 57" entry height and squatty Volt doors, even after I've withered down to 6'1.5").

The Torklift "Invisi-Hitch" we put on the Volt has been just dandy but there was a bit too much Googling involved with installing it due to the unmentioned hidden clips attaching the sides of the rear fascia to the quarterpanels (easy to damage paint).

Question for those who've undone the rear fascia on the Bolt: are similar hidden clips of fear and loathing to be found on the fascia sides of the Bolt? Thanks for any insight.

 

The Bolt fascia is attached with push-pin style fasteners. I only needed to remove two rear ones. None from the sides. They were very simple to remove. Look at them carefully, IIRC it should be obvious how.

 

There is a class 2 (2") hitch rated at 2000/200 lbs for the Bolt: https://torkliftcentral.com/2017-chevy-bolt-ecohitch?p=1

I have no idea how good it is. The installation is a little different than most others: instead of bolting to the underside of the vehicle, it mounts on the same studs that hold the rear bumper, between the bumper assembly and the car chassis. I have no idea whether that's better or not. There's a video on that page showing how it's installed on a Bolt.

 

Torklift "Ecohitch" installed on 2018 Bolt. Nicely made (as w/old hitch on Volt), perfect fit, pleasingly rigid w/loaded bike rack hanging off back of car. No weird bouncy-bouncy; resonance should not be an issue. Per stud size of compression-oriented collision bumper, towing probably not a good idea; all initial pull on trailer will go through just the two lower studs due to offset receiver and consequent moment effect (which geometry is necessarily part of the no-drilling plan).

Confuses the **** out of the back-up warning system when bikes are on, of course. It eventually goes mute. Bonus feature: bikes on the rack look positively psychedelic through the mathematically-corrected view of the reversing camera.

[Torklift instructions are nearly perfect. We found that lifting the outer corners of the fascia while doing the straight pull backward suggested by instructions got us past "it seems stuck." Be sure to locate all fasteners mentioned in instructions; missing one could result in a mess as the amount of force required to pop off the fascia could easily mask resistance and snapping of plastic.]

 

Per stud size of compression-oriented collision bumper, towing probably not a good idea; all initial pull on trailer will go through just the two lower studs due to offset receiver and consequent moment effect (which geometry is necessarily part of the no-drilling plan).

Without having seen the studs, I'm guessing that the limiting factor would be the screw threads. Was there enough stud length to screw on a second set of nuts? That would probably increase the safety margin.

It's not an issue for me personally, but it might be of interest to someone else.

 

Per California's remark, that does look like a good choice if you actually want to tow. And still no drill.

"Draw-Tite Sportframe Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class I - 1-1/4"

Given the Bolt's general characteristics it seems reasonable to think that a 1.25" hitch will do fine for the kind of towing one might do. And 1.25" weighs a lot less.

Our old Volt's hitch was 1.25" and a bit more floppy with bikes on than this latest iteration. If you're OK w/the weight, 2" might be worth consideration.

 

Per California's remark, that does look like a good choice if you actually want to tow. And still no drill.

"Draw-Tite Sportframe Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class I - 1-1/4"

Given the Bolt's general characteristics it seems reasonable to think that a 1.25" hitch will do fine for the kind of towing one might do. And 1.25" weighs a lot less.

In another thread, I commented on the Draw-Tite 24956. Works well for my needs. I only tow 4 miles to the launch ramp, max speed 45-50mph. Very solid setup for towing light loads.

 

That's a pretty sleek setup. Even better w/ all-electric jet ski!

Come to think of it, charging a jet ski from an EV's bigger battery might one day be a thing.

All-electric personal watercraft launch for quieter lake journeys

 

Thanks! The worst part about this setup is having to go back to a gas station... aaarrrgghhhh!

 

Shorten those chains bro! Let's not start any fires, please.

 

Seconded. Down the hill from you on the flatlands and we're choking on smoke here.

I've read two stories about the origin of the Carr fire (Redding), it was caused by a trailer safety chain dragging, or I think more credible, that an auto towed by an RV had a flat tire that ground down to the bare metal wheel. In either case, sparks were thrown into roadside brush starting fires for a considerable distance.


This is only early August. Expect more fires until fire season peaks in October. We live in a new reality now.

 

YOU might be in "the wastelands" of Arizona, but other parts of Arizona DO burn. Thank you for being responsible!

 

UPS just dropped off my drawtite hitch today. I had to buy a hitch and a carry basket to get fuel home for our mower. I'm not about to carry diesel cans in my car. I'm 100% sure someone in town will be laughing at me in an electric car with 10 gals of fuel in jerry cans. Maybe I should label the cans "Spare electrons" or something goofy.

 

Yup. You will look foolish. I know I did.

https://endless-sphere.com/forums/download/file.php?id=190926

That is why we got rid of our gas mower, and replaced it with an 80 volt electric.

 

Hahaha that would be hilarious. Just ordered that hitch last night after waiting for the price to drop again, gets here Monday!

 

Another Draw-tite 24956

I just finished installing the Draw-Tite hitch, pretty easy installation. I only dropped the hitch on my head twice trying to get it into place haha. I did a test fit with my new Thule Vertex bike rack and our two road bikes and it seems very solid. I'll have to wait til Hurricane Lane gets out of here to go for a real test run.

 

Anybody try the EcoHitch yet on a 2019 Bolt? Took delivery of my Bolt yesterday and am ready to order one. Spoke with TorkLift this morning and they said they'd wave the restocking fee if it doesn't fit due to 2019 changes. So I placed the order.

 

I'd be pretty shocked if it didn't fit. I have the EcoHitch on my 2017 Bolt and I'm very happy with it. I actually drove down to their store in Kent WA and let them install it for me.

 

EcoHitch installed about 2 months ago to a 2018 went on perfectly.

The workmanship on the Torklift stuff has been nice, over the vast two samples I've seen. Solid materials as well-- metal seems a notch heavier than what intuition might say was OK (in fact, weight-weenies might object).

 

Got my new EcoHitch yesterday and installed it on the 2019 no problem. A couple tricky spots for a first timer but generally went smooth:

Prying off the wheel guards was just slightly tricky.

Pulling the bumper off definitely took more force than I expected. Watch the video. It shows them lifting up a bit as the pull it off. That helped.

I got everything back together and then realized the electric cable was hanging between the bumper panel and the aluminum bumper cross bar. Barely could squeeze it up as it needs to be on the back side of the aluminum cross bar.

Cut out worked perfect.

 

adding one post to this thread so maybe it won't keep showing up in my new posts. sorry for the inconvenience.

 

So...for a clutzy noob...I like the Eco size and look, but is it really that much harder to install than the Draw Tite? The online video for the Eco makes it look easy, but I fear I will get bumper off and never get it on right again...

Want to carry about 100 pounds of bikes with minimal bounce...

Maybe, maybe, one day I will get a motorcycle trailer and tow my Electric motorcycle. But that would be pushing it

 

Has anybody put a Kuat N.V. 2.0 on a Bolt? I know the Sherpa 2.0 fits nicely and looks great on the Bolt, but the NV is much bigger...I wonder if it would be too wide?

Looking at the NV over the Sherpa as my electric bike is 50 pounds (and the one I want to get one day is 58). The Sherpa is only rated at 2 bikes of 40 pounds each...though I ride with my brother and his bike is like 19 pounds...so if the Sherpa holds 80 pounds total, I’m good...but I don’t think it works that way...

Thx

 

Consider a Thule T2 Classic. The rack itself weighs 50 lbs and can carry 2 bikes at 60 lbs each.

 

I subscribe to the Wally World/ Ebay school of choice and without names to drop have proceeded thusly

 

Are there long term reviews for carrying 3 bikes with an Eco Hitch? I'm going to get a Kuat Transfer 3 to carry my bike and two youth bikes

 

I have an ecohitch and a four bike carrier. Works great, have had no issues.