I have a Curt hitch that looks and works great. I was told the tongue weight was 600lb.

Good luck in your research.

 

I have the U-Haul one. I think they use several different ones, including the Curt. Mine is a Draw-Tite. Tore the U-Haul sticker off, and underneath was a Draw-Tite sticker. It is not a shin buster, in fact quite the opposite, it's really under there. I think from the holes to the bumper is approaching 6". I have a bike rack and a platform that I use on the hitch, and for both, I had to be real careful on my choices as there is not enough clearance for some of them, and I didn't want to use an extender.

Anyway, the tongue weight on all of them is well above that of the car. The car's tongue weight is 200 lbs. Has nothing to do with the hitch. It's the load the car frame can take.

 

Agree with pcray1231. The limiting number for tongue weight is the 200# limit in the Subaru manual.

I think UHaul, Hidden, and DrawTite are the same.

 

Read my review here: http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums...g/forums/104-gen-4-2010-2014/169601-select-hitch-install-example-gen-4-obw.html

Cequent makes all of these 'brands', and they swear to me that they all come off the same assembly line. Some are labeled to have higher ratings than others and will either have a 3 yr or lifetime warranty (brand differentiation to justify the price), but they all exceed the Subaru use ratings by a wide margin. Go with the cheapest.

Living with the 4-5" setback of the receiver may give you issues with some bike racks. I bought an extension and modified it (got to get some pix up and finish that thread) to correct for this.

 

I have the DrawTite on my '13. I use it for the occasional UHaul for college trips with my kids, and for a Thule bike rack. I'm going to mount the bike rack today or tomorrow for the next college trip and will take some pictures so you can see the clearances.

 

I have Torklift - it looks and works great.
Unlike Cequent hitches, there's no requirement to use stabilizer strap with bike racks etc.

 

As KansasMatthew and Fibber state, the U-Haul, Hidden, Reese, and Draw-Tite hitches are all exactly identical (aside from stickers) and made by the same company: Cequent. They used to be separate companies, but Cequent bought them all and homogenized the design. I have a Hidden Hitch from eTrailer and it uses all the Reese and Draw-Tite accessories perfectly.

If you can get a better price installed on any of these go for it (assuming the installation procedure is the same). They are more than likely going to drill holes in the frame rails to feed the hardware up to the mounting holes. Go to the eTrailer web site and look up the Outback installation video. If you are OK with this then I'd go with the cheapest installed option.

 

I have Curt, works good as it should, but if I would be putting one on now I would put Torklift, to me it looks so much nicer, more hidden and closer to the bumper than Curt I have now...

 

I believe ERROR is in error. While Curt insists on the use of a stabilizer strap when using a bike rack, Cequent products do not.

 

Cannot find any forklift dealer nearby to do the installations... looks like I will be looking at one of the Cequent's hitch. Since there are identical, I will be going with the cheapest installer (U-Haul)....
Do you think I need an extension for a 4 or 5 bikes rack? Anyone here with this hitch and have a bike rack that do not need an extension? What rack is it?

 

You can usually find dimensions on-line if you download the bike rack manual. It should show the distance from the hole in the hitch where it locks in the receiver and the bumper clearance. Then you csn measure for yourself. I have a Thuke Vertex and it fits fine, no extension needed, on my '13 with a DrawTite.

 

Same here, Draw-Tite hitch (installed by U-Haul), Thule Vertex rack, no issues.

I could see bike racks having an issue. But I didn't have a problem there. That said, I put the hitch on first, then went to a bike shop for the rack. Asked them to secure it to the car to check compatibility before I handed them my credit card.

My main issue was with a hitch mounted platform/cargo tray, or whatever you want to call it. They vary a lot with their arm length. E-trailer has a pretty good measurement on every one they sell, they measure from the pin to the front edge of the tray. They also have video's which show fit on different vehicles, but beware of those, as every hitch is different, and mine sits farther back than their stock outback.

I wanted something that was close to the bumper, but not too close to worry about hitting. Those trays have a lever thing going on, so with the same load on the tray, if it sits further back, it's effectively a higher tongue weight.

 

Be careful with how you distriibute your weight. I have seen more receiver hitches damaged by bike racks than trailers. Your average 5-bike rack extends about 3.5 feet back, which creates a LOT of leverage. Your rack might weight 40 pounds, and then five bikes may be another 125 pounds. That seems like only 165 pounds, but remember all that leverage! Also,bikes and racks tend to bounce a bit, which further increases the forces on your hitch and car.

Your tongue weight limit is 200 pounds no matter which hitch you put on your Outback.

A lot of companies are recommending tethers now, because they help to stop some of the bouncing forces. A "hitch silencer: is a good idea, too... they help to keep the bike rack from moving in the receiver, which also would increase bounce. Many hitches come with silencers now.

Curt does not recommend a tether because their hithces are weaker, but rather because it is just a good idea. Reducing bounce will decrease the forces on your bike carrier, hitch, and car.

 

Be careful with how you distriibute your weight. I have seen more receiver hitches damaged by bike racks than trailers. Your average 5-bike rack extends about 3.5 feet back, which creates a LOT of leverage. Your rack might weight 40 pounds, and then five bikes may be another 125 pounds. That seems like only 165 pounds, but remember all that leverage! Also,bikes and racks tend to bounce a bit, which further increases the forces on your hitch and car.

Your tongue weight limit is 200 pounds no matter which hitch you put on your Outback.

wow, that's very close to 200 tongue wt. limit. I may end up installing the hitch on my 2007 toyota SIenna. That car has a max tongue wt limit of 350lbs and I believe the CEquent's hitches are rated at 300-350 lbs... They are also cheaper than Outback hitched(installed).
Something to think abt. have to weight my bikes tonight!(they are all heavier mountain bikes(adt and kids bikes).

 

Yeah - the 200 lb limit was why I went with the 1.25" Torklift - no reason to have a 2" since most things I use (bike racks, cargo haulers) all ship as 1.25" with a 2" adapter.

And if you want simply the finest hitch bike rack made, you can't beat the 1UP. I picked up one last year and is just amazing in all respects.

1UPUSA.com :: Home

 

And if you want simply the finest hitch bike rack made, you can't beat the 1UP. I picked up one last year and is just amazing in all respects.

1UPUSA.com :: Home

That looks like a great bike rack. If I had not purchased a nice, new Yakima rack a few years ago, I think I would have preferred that one.:29:

 

Finally got a chance for some pix a couple minutes ago.

I have a Vertex, 2-bike hitch rack. I don't remember the exact model number, though.

With the DrawTite on a '13, this is about what you can expect (no extensions):

 

Got some quote a while back on hitch (2") for 2010 outback.

Curt (3500 lbs Max wt) = $252 installed
U-Haul (4000 lbs Max) = $215 installed
Hidden ( 4000 lbs Max wet) = $242 installed

where did you get those prices? everything i needed for the hidden hitch cost me about $249 from etrailer.com. it was NOT fun putting it on...

 

The U-Haul price is from their website. You have to pick their location near you to install....
The other two ( hidden and curt ) prices are from calling local (suburban chicago)truck trailer shop.

Base on memory, I notice the installation ranges from $30 to $50..... but these local shop hitch prices are like $30 cheaper than anyplace I can find online.....I think of the three, the Max difference in order online vs local store installed prices are only $20..... kind of no brainer to let them do the install...

Note: all of them drill thru' the frame rail ....not removing the bumper way of installation.

 

I would go with Curt, but I am biased because I always went to Haas' Cafe years ago.

Chip

 

If you really want to use the Outback, you could put two bikes on the roof and the rest on a hitch rack. I know... More money! I have two of the Subaru/Yakima fork mount roof racks and I really like them.

 

I have the Curt on my Sienna, and put a Reese on the OBW.

On the OBW: I liked that the crossbar on the Reese sits closer to the axle than the Curt. Plus no need to drill new holes, and the attachment points are further spaced along the frame. The Curt just didn't seem as well thought out with regards to stress distribution on the frame.

The huge unknown in all of this is exactly what the limits might be on the OBW, as the factory never published numbers on THIS type of aftermarket installation!

The downside of the Cequent hitches, of course, is how far set back the receiver is. My Allen hitch physically fits, but when I mounted a bicycle I found that the handlebars were too close to the glass for comfort. So check it loaded, and not just that it will mount up.

 

Just wanted to share mine for those who are thinking of getting a Curt. I decided to go with Curt mainly for it's beefy look. I've seen the square like hitches like U-Haul , Hidden Hitch etc. in person and I'm definitely not a fan of that look.

Did the install in about an 1hr and a 1/2 pretty easy.

I was afraid it was going to sit super low from the bumper but it's only just a little over a inch on gap from the edge of the bumper and less than an inch towards the inside as you can see in the pictures.

An anti rattle pin is a must for your accessories.

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Just wanted to share mine for those who are thinking of getting a Curt. I decided to go with Curt mainly for it's beefy look. I've seen the square like hitches like U-Haul , Hidden Hitch etc. in person and I'm definitely not a fan of that look.

The Torklift was definitely a no go because I prefer the hitch to show on the OB for that manly, rugged and insanely tough look. :11:

Did the install in about an 1hr and a 1/2 pretty easy.

I was afraid it was going to sit super low from the bumper but it's only just a little over a inch on gap from the edge of the bumper and less than an inch towards the inside as you can see in the pictures.

An anti rattle pin is a must for your accessories.

Does the Reese / DrawTite anti rattle pin work on the Curt, or did you go with another solution?

The advantage of the Cequent hitch is the fact that they dominate the market and their accessories are carried at WalMart / Meijer / Lowes / etc. It doesn't make them the best, but it does make them the "standard".

 

Anti-rattle pins are simply treaded bolts with a nut placed in the hollow section so that you can 'pull' the two components together. They are pretty much universal, and if you don't need the locking feature, you can make you own as I did. I embedded a nut in a block of epoxy (one side of the nut against the edge of the block) and then glued this inside the accessory. Use a hardened bolt to go thru the assembly and tighten the two components together. Finish it with a lockwasher and Nyloc nut on the outside. Get fancy and drill a hole in the end for a clip. $3 in parts and a little fun labor to make several of these at once.

I even tapered the end of one bolt to take an end lock left over from an old Yakama kit.

While WalMart does sell Cequent accessories, I ended up at U-Haul as they stock the longer drawbars (don't believe these were made by Cequent even though most of their hitches are).

 

I have a Torklift and could not be happier.

 

I spent the afternoon getting the Hidden Hitch installed. The hitch holes were off and it took a lot of effort to get everything lined up. The thru hole for one of the heat shield bolts couldn't be used. I hope my experience with this hitch is atypical.

 

It depends on what you want it to look like. I hate the curt hitch. Couldn't be uglier or hang down farther in my opinion. Everyone will like something different but I hate the hitch. Unfortunately, once installed it's not returnable. No matter what you install, ask for actual photos on previous installs. I should have waited for the torque lift.
I really hate the huge gap, otherwise it's a very strong product, just ugly.

 

Curt hasn't made one specifically for the 5thgen and because the rear bumper profile is now shorter on the 2015 OB the gap will look even bigger.

I took pictures and measured this and brought it up here and in the 5thgen hitch thread. I bet if you measured yours like I did it would be greater than 5 inches on gap.

Its barely 1 inch gap on the 4thgen so it looks pretty snug up against the bumper with plenty of ground clearance.

 

I had a change of heart and ditched the Curt, Torklift FTW

 

What was wrong with the Curt? Just the profile of it? The Torklift looks nice but is it worth the extra $100?