[triboybolt]

I purchased the rear hitch which is advertised on the myChevrolet site (CURT) to install on the rear of my Bolt. The instructions says that cutting out some of the plastic at the bottom is necessary.

https://accessories.chevrolet.com/p...ociated-accessories-19355746?categoryId=12001

1 - Curious to know if anyone on this forum has DIY'ed this project and can offer any advice before I attempt to do this.

2 - Curious to know what the impact will be on efficiency since it adds something like 20 or 30 lbs.

 

[Fivedoor]

I purchased the rear hitch which is advertised on the myChevrolet site (CURT) to install on the rear of my Bolt. The instructions says that cutting out some of the plastic at the bottom is necessary.

https://accessories.chevrolet.com/p...ociated-accessories-19355746?categoryId=12001

1 - Curious to know if anyone on this forum has DIY'ed this project and can offer any advice before I attempt to do this.

2 - Curious to know what the impact will be on efficiency since it adds something like 20 or 30 lbs.

I wish you had asked before purchasing the Curt hitch, the DrawTite hitch after initial installation takes about 5 min to remove or install, so I only have it installed when I am going to use it so it does not impact my day to day efficiency, and is rated for 2000 / 200 lbs. I think the Curt you need to remove the rear bumper cover and it is pretty much "install it and leave it alone".

Good luck,

Keith

 

[ai4px]

I used a pair of tinsnips to cut the necessary plastic just as listed in the directions. No difference in efficiency noted, except when pulling trailer (grin). You'll need a draw bar with RISE because that hitch is only about 9" off the ground.

 

[martinknutson]

I purchased the rear hitch which is advertised on the myChevrolet site (CURT) to install on the rear of my Bolt. The instructions says that cutting out some of the plastic at the bottom is necessary.

https://accessories.chevrolet.com/p...ociated-accessories-19355746?categoryId=12001

1 - Curious to know if anyone on this forum has DIY'ed this project and can offer any advice before I attempt to do this.

2 - Curious to know what the impact will be on efficiency since it adds something like 20 or 30 lbs.

I installed the draw-tite hitch.


Any mileage loss I experienced was in the noise.


I did have to cut a notch in the ABS at the bottom. I marked it with blue painters tape and roughed it out with a small saw. Once that was done, I cut the actual lines using a box knife with a new blade. Because the ABS is fairly thick, and the blade on the box knife gets somewhat thick, you need to have the space in the middle roughed out enough to let you bend the kerf open for the next layer of knife cut. Otherwise the blade binds in the fine kerf of the first cut. The whole process, once the notch is marked took 10 minutes.

 

[GregBrew]

I installed the draw-tite hitch.


Any mileage loss I experienced was in the noise.


I did have to cut a notch in the ABS at the bottom. I marked it with blue painters tape and roughed it out with a small saw. Once that was done, I cut the actual lines using a box knife with a new blade. Because the ABS is fairly thick, and the blade on the box knife gets somewhat thick, you need to have the space in the middle roughed out enough to let you bend the kerf open for the next layer of knife cut. Otherwise the blade binds in the fine kerf of the first cut. The whole process, once the notch is marked took 10 minutes.

I also opted for the Draw-tite, because of improved specs and easier installation. I just cut the rectangular slot with a box cutter with a new blade. Drew the rectangle with a sharpie. Single pass. Pushed the blade through the ABS from both edges to the back line. Scored and snapped off the remaining cut. Took about 90 seconds. Easy peasy. I didn't notice any range reduction.

 

[p7wang]

Anyone willing to post some installation pics? If I can do this myself, I guess it would be better than getting the GM version installed for probably $200-300 and getting $100 off with the GM credit.

Chevrolet Accessories

accessories.chevrolet.com

 

[p7wang]

Oh, found some on YT.

 

[2019EVLT]

There are many Bolt installation stories with photos (including mine) in the reviews on etrailer.com. And quite a bit of discussion in this thread on this site: (69) Hitches for non-bicycle use.. towing trailers. | Chevy Bolt EV Forum

 

[p7wang]

U-Haul Equipment specifications: 4' x 8' Cargo Trailer

Lightweight and easy to tow.

www.uhaul.com

Must have 1-7/8" or, 2" hitch ball (2,000 lbs. minimum)

Hm... guess the hitch ball is too small to tow this U-Haul trailer.

 

[2019EVLT]

Not sure what you mean. The "hitch" that you install on the car has a "receiver" - a "female" square tube that holds a removable male square tube, to which the hitch ball is attached. The receiver on the Curt & the Draw-Tite hitch is a 1 1/4 inch x 1 1/4 inch square tube. The other common size is a 2" receiver tube. You can attach a 1 7/8 or a 2" ball to either receiver. I have a 2" ball on my Draw-Tite hitch. A 2" receiver is capable of carrying more weight than a 1 1/4" receiver, but only if the hitch itself - and the car attachment - is equally strong. They are known as a Class-I vs Class-II hitch.

 

[p7wang]

Not sure what you mean. The "hitch" that you install on the car has a "receiver" - a "female" square tube that holds a removable male square tube, to which the hitch ball is attached. The receiver on the Curt & the Draw-Tite hitch is a 1 1/4 inch x 1 1/4 inch square tube. The other common size is a 2" receiver tube. You can attach a 1 7/8 or a 2" ball to either receiver. I have a 2" ball on my Draw-Tite hitch. A 2" receiver is capable of carrying more weight than a 1 1/4" receiver, but only if the hitch itself - and the car attachment - is equally strong. They are known as a Class-I vs Class-II hitch.

Ah... ok. Had a hitch on a previous vehicle but never studied too much into all the terms. I miss being able to rent a trailer for $15 from U-Haul for moving furniture.

So the GM store hitch is a no go... better to get a Draw-Tite or just go to U-Haul and get it installed there. Wow, U-Haul quite is $434 installed with hitch, receiver, ball, pin, & wiring. My old Subaru receiver, ball, and pin were in the garage, so I did not trade it in. That'll save me a few dollars.

 

[2019EVLT]

Yes, same here. I had the receiver, ball, & pin from my previous car. So I just had to buy the Draw-Tite hitch and install it on the Bolt. Rigging the lights was much more involved & time-consuming for me than installing the hitch.

 

[Sean Nelson]

Are the 100- and 110-lb hitches cheaper than the 200-lb ones? I'm a little mystified as to why someone would choose a lighter-duty hitch when the heavier duty ones are readily available...

 

[p7wang]

Are the 100- and 110-lb hitches cheaper than the 200-lb ones? I'm a little mystified as to why someone would choose a lighter-duty hitch when the heavier duty ones are readily available...

The 100 lb are from GM. The 200 lb are after market. I guess it depends on your application and whether you know about the 200 lb. In a free market system, there are educated choices and uneducated choices.

Same thing happens with solar. Rooftop solar sales will gladly sell you solar systems with LCOE of 7 cents (25 cents with battery) and tell you that electricity prices will climb 15% yearly and you should thank him/her for saving you money... meanwhile utilities can get the same capacity installed with LCOE of 1 cents and 3 cents with battery and would prefer to buy power from you at fuel-only rates.

 

[2019EVLT]

I chose a 1 1/4 hitch mainly because that's what I already had on my previous car, and I had the receiver & ball from that car sitting around unused. I tow a relatively light load and have no use for a larger hitch. Except... I am interested in putting a bicycle carrier on the hitch, and I've read that 2" receivers are less prone to wobble with a bicycle carrier than are 1 1/4" receivers - which seems like a common sense truth to me.

 

[GregBrew]

I turned in my 2017 with a 1.25" Draw-Tite, and am going with the EcoHitch 2" on my 2021. Two e-bikes of the "lighter" variety (50 lbs each) took my rack to it's limits, and I had to do some shenanigans to stop it from bouncing more than my liking. It's fine for a couple of "standard" bikes.

The 2" variety didn't exist in early 2018, which is why I did the Draw-Tite 1.25" at that time. In addition to another 50% tongue-weight capacity, a 2" receiver will give me more options for racks, too.

Any recommendations for a 2"-compatible rack that can handle 200 lbs of bikes?

 

[XJ12]

on my 2021

what???

 

[GregBrew]

what???

I did a straight buyback of my 2017 Premier for $41k. I then bought a 2021 Premier for $29k. I turned in the old one and got a new one in 63 minutes total at the dealership. Absolute insanity...

GM was very good to me.

Simpson Chevrolet (Irvine, CA) has at least two dozen 2021 Bolts on their lot as of Sunday, April 18th. Probably three-quarters of them are LTs. My salesperson (Randy) was working with two of us at the dealership that morning, and had four buybacks in process at the time.

 

[Sean Nelson]

I turned in my 2017 with a 1.25" Draw-Tite, and am going with the EcoHitch 2" on my 2021.... The 2" variety didn't exist in early 2018...

I had my 2" Eco Hitch installed at the TorkLift shop in Kent WA on Jan 19, 2018.