[redcdale]

If you're considering that, it's not just the two major components touching eachother but the fasteners in contact with the parts as well. It would be pretty tough to completely isolate three two parts.

Good point- the fasteners could be an issue as well, but it seems the majority of the contact is the surface area between the crash bar/bumper reinforcement (not sure what that part is actually called?) and the hitch. Hopefully isolating the major parts would prevent the bulk of the corrosion.

 

[Fivedoor]

I installed an EcoHitch from Torklift on my Bolt about a year ago, and it has been great. However, I ran across a post on another site where a Tesla Model S owner had an Ecohitch for 3 years, and after getting rear ended, the rear bumper was disassembled and he found out that the hitch and body of the car were corroding badly, due to galvanic corrosion (dissimilar metals touching, causing greatly accelerated corrosion). The Model S has an aluminum body and the hitch is made of steel. In 3 years, there appeared to be holes forming in the aluminum body of the Model S.

Do we need to be concerned about this issue with our hitches? I'm pretty sure the Bolt's unibody is steel, so that shouldn't be an issue, but the "crash bar" behind the bumper cover is made of aluminum (from what I recall), and it's definitely in contact with the steel hitch. I don't recall any sort of spacer between the steel and aluminum, so I'm considering taking everything apart again and making some sort of spacer, maybe out of thick plastic, to keep the two metals apart. Any thoughts/opinions on this?

Interesting.

Others may wish to emulate me on this... I only have the hitch installed when I plan on pulling a trailer. It only takes 15 min to remove or install after the first time. Initial installation took longer due to cutting the opening for the hitch and getting the bolts installed with that cool wire doohicky, but it is really simple to remove and install now. I took mine off when not in use to improve efficiency since there is no need to carry the extra weight if I am not planning on pulling a trailer, but apparently it may also prevent corrosion issues.

Keith

 

[James Alfred]

Got my hitch installed today by my son. I have a small trailer I use to get supplies from our local Lowe’s store for wood working and gardening projects that keep me busy. Had one on my Volt when we traded it in on our new 2020 Bolt. Somewhere on this site we found a nice pdf schematic posted which made the wiring for the trailer lights a whole lot easier.

 

[NortonCommando]

I hate to be a downer...but if the manual states that the Bolt is 'not designed nor intended to tow a trailer', would doing so potentially void any future drivetrain warranty claims?

From the 'Drivetrain's' perspective, what's the difference from having your 'deuce and a half' wife and 3 members of her 'Large' family in the back seat,, compared to towing a small Harbor Freight trailer with a riding mower on it?

I guess if there ever was a warranty claim, you'd have to swear "That hitch only had a bike rack on it".

 

[PLP]

From the 'Drivetrain's' perspective, what's the difference from having your 'deuce and a half' wife and 3 members of her 'Large' family in the back seat,, compared to towing a small Harbor Freight trailer with a riding mower on it?

I guess if there ever was a warranty claim, you'd have to swear "That hitch only had a bike rack on it".

Well, I could stretch it further - fast and hard driving vs gently pulling a trailer.

However, personally I would suspect it has more to do with certification for towing (tests) than really with powertrain problems.
I am almost certain powertrain will be fine. Not quite sure about the frame though. On the other hand, having a bike rack and putting 3 or 4 bikes (each say 30 lb, which is about right for mountain bike), the total weight on the hitch is gonna be close to 150 lb. If you add the lever effect from the distance where the bikes are sitting to the location of potential ball, you will see the "ball" weight may easily exceed 200 lb, which is about 2000 lb trailer.
And that is only static load, not to think of any bumps...

Yes, frame pulling force is different then, but the concept is almost same.

 

[Jerry Duke]

Thinking about adding a hitch myself and would be interested in the PDF you mention.
Does the hitch drag at any time in normal driving?

Got my hitch installed today by my son. I have a small trailer I use to get supplies from our local Lowe’s store for wood working and gardening projects that keep me busy. Had one on my Volt when we traded it in on our new 2020 Bolt. Somewhere on this site we found a nice pdf schematic posted which made the wiring for the trailer lights a whole lot easier. View attachment 28709 View attachment 28710 View attachment 28711 View attachment 28712

 

[Sean Nelson]

Does the hitch drag at any time in normal driving?

The structure of my Torklift hitch is almost entirely contained within the rear bumper fascia, only the 2" receiver sticks out. It's hard for me to imagine that causing any significant drag on its own, and indeed I didn't notice any change in my efficiency numbers after I had it installed.

 

[Jerry Duke]

Sorry, I was talking about the hitch dragging the ground. Sometimes going up a driveway hitches on other cars would touch the pavement.

 

[NortonCommando]

Sorry, I was talking about the hitch dragging the ground. Sometimes going up a driveway hitches on other cars would touch the pavement.

This could be described as an angle to compare various cars with hitches.

Place a yard stick at the aft end of a rear tire. Stand back and sight the stick to the base of the hitch looking from the side of the car.
Measure that angle with your 'angle app'. There's your number.

Side note: I tore up the 'pan' mount on my Volt hitch by hitting a ~1" step from a driveway to street.
It also bent the hitch receiver to a down angle.
It was always a weak hitch kit and required a 'safety strap' at the top of the bike mount to the leading edge of the hatch.

I'm hoping the Draw-Tite is better with a bike rack. I like the diagonal brace compared to the EcoHitch.
Placing order soon!

 

[phuber]

Actually, the Bolt makes a pretty good towing vehicle. It has plenty of power and the regen feature reduces use of brakes. The Bolt also weight 4,000 lbs (2 tons) which is 500 lbs more than a 2015 CRV which serves as our other vehicle. Only drawback is not having all wheel drive on the Bolt. I pull an aluminum 5'x8' trailer with no issues. Hope this helps.

 

[PLP]

Sorry, I was talking about the hitch dragging the ground. Sometimes going up a driveway hitches on other cars would touch the pavement.

I cannot imagine a situation where you could scrape ground with the hitch. It is very unlikely to contact road. Unless you are talking about a very steep driveway.

 

[NortonCommando]

.. The Bolt also weight 4,000 lbs ....

Just to nit pik,,, 500 lbs worth...
Everything I read says ~3500 lbs.

 

[Sean Nelson]

Sorry, I was talking about the hitch dragging the ground. Sometimes going up a driveway hitches on other cars would touch the pavement.

Ah, OK. Well I've never dragged my Torklift hitch, but of course the answer depends entirely on the angle and length of the driveway involved. I have a "ramp" that goes up from the lane to the level of my garage floor that's fairly steep, but it's only about 6 feet long so the car never gets to the full ramp angle.

 

[jostafew]

If you're considering that, it's not just the two major components touching eachother but the fasteners in contact with the parts as well. It would be pretty tough to completely isolate three two parts.

Might be smart to just keep an eye on things until we confirm this is an actual problem on the Bolt as well, it's an easy enough area to access.

Interesting finding though, I'll take a look at my car in the spring when I rotate back into my summer tires.

I had a look at the rear undercarriage this fall when I rotated in my winners again. Everything looks great under there, no signs of corrosion on either the Bolt or the receiver. This is after 2 summers and a Vancouver winter (going into winter no. 2). Granted our winters are comparatively mild, but the car made a dozen trips up to the ski hills and they do salt the roads around here in the winter cold stretches, so if there was going to be a nasty corrosion problem I feel like there would be some sign of it by now. Time will tell, but I'm less concerned.