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OEM trailer hitch measurement question

9K views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  Dantrax 
#1 ·
Hello,

I am getting a new Outback (2018 2.5i Premium) and I am considering the OEM trailer hitch to use with a bike rack and occasionally a cargo tray. I already have the accessories and they are 1.25" so should work with the OEM trailer hitch.
However, in some other posts about trailer hitches, someone was saying that the OEM hitch will not work will some bike racks, and the Thule bike rack that Subaru is selling had to be modified to fit the OEM hitch.

Could someone with the OEM trailer hitch post some measurements, so that I could figure out whether it would work with the accessories that I already have?

I am interested in the following measurements:
1. distance from the center of the hole to the end (really front) of the receiver tube
2. overall length of the receiver tube
3. is there a tab in the receiver tube that limits how far you can insert the accessory?

The image shows which measurements I am interested in.

Thanks!
 

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#2 ·
Hello,

I am getting a new Outback (2018 2.5i Premium) and I am considering the OEM trailer hitch to use with a bike rack and occasionally a cargo tray. I already have the accessories and they are 1.25" so should work with the OEM trailer hitch.
However, in some other posts about trailer hitches, someone was saying that the OEM hitch will not work will some bike racks, and the Thule bike rack that Subaru is selling had to be modified to fit the OEM hitch.

Could someone with the OEM trailer hitch post some measurements, so that I could figure out whether it would work with the accessories that I already have?

I am interested in the following measurements:
1. distance from the center of the whole to the end (really front) of the receiver tube
2. overall length of the receiver tube
3. is there a tab in the receiver tube that limits how far you can insert the accessory?

The image shows which measurements I am interested in.

Thanks!
2017 Outback specs, options, colors, prices, photos, and more
The measurements would be the same as depicted in the [hitch related] images there.
You can open the hitch related images in an image editor that shows pixel location (x/y). You can "measure" the width of the 1.25" opening in pixels, and extrapolate approximate values for the external dimensions.
 
#3 ·
The measurements would be the same as depicted in the [hitch related] images there.
You can open the hitch related images in an image editor that shows pixel location (x/y). You can "measure" the width of the 1.25" opening in pixels, and extrapolate approximate values for the external dimensions.
Thanks for the suggestion. I will definitely try this technique. It might not be very precise and it is kind of hard to see how long the hitch receiver tube is in the image, but it's better than nothing.
Thanks!
 
#6 ·
Hello,



I am getting a new Outback (2018 2.5i Premium) and I am considering the OEM trailer hitch to use with a bike rack and occasionally a cargo tray. I already have the accessories and they are 1.25" so should work with the OEM trailer hitch.

However, in some other posts about trailer hitches, someone was saying that the OEM hitch will not work will some bike racks, and the Thule bike rack that Subaru is selling had to be modified to fit the OEM hitch.



Could someone with the OEM trailer hitch post some measurements, so that I could figure out whether it would work with the accessories that I already have?



I am interested in the following measurements:

1. distance from the center of the whole to the end (really front) of the receiver tube

2. overall length of the receiver tube

3. is there a tab in the receiver tube that limits how far you can insert the accessory?



The image shows which measurements I am interested in.



Thanks!


Got you covered.....
1. Distance from center to front of receiver is 1 inch
2. Overall length of receiver tube is 6 inches
3. No limit on how far you can insert.... you should be able to go in about 7 inches then hit the spare tire well.
Also depending on what accessories you have you can drill extra holes in the hitch mount... I drill one at 3 inches and another at 5 inches.

Bumper Yellow Auto part Automotive exterior Vehicle

Bumper Auto part Automotive exterior

Yellow Personal protective equipment Glasses Gun Video camera



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#7 ·
Got you covered.....
1. Distance from center to front of receiver is 1 inch
2. Overall length of receiver tube is 6 inches
3. No limit on how far you can insert.... you should be able to go in about 7 inches then hit the spare tire well.
Also depending on what accessories you have you can drill extra holes in the hitch mount... I drill one at 3 inches and another at 5 inches.

View attachment 365649
View attachment 365657
View attachment 365665


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thank you so much!!
 
#9 ·
In addition to the OEM trailer hitch, is there a specific wiring harness also required for connecting a trailer to the Outback? I ask because 11 years ago I installed an OEM hitch on a Toyota RAV4 that required a pretty extensive wiring harness for trailer lighting since the vehicle's LED tail light wiring wasn't adequate for tapping into. Not for the faint of heart, I had to run this harness from the fuse panel under the dash back to the trailer hitch. There's no mention of anything like this when ordering a Subaru OEM hitch from a dealer.
 
#10 ·
I am pretty sure the OEM hitch comes with the wiring harness.

The OB harness has a connector in the cargo area behind a side panel. The towing harness plugs into that, then you route the 4-pin trailer connector either through the bottom of the floor and attach it to the hitch (the OEM way), or you tuck it all into the trunk and pull it out through the rear hatch when you need it (the other way).
 
#12 ·
They're saying the Outback Touring has a bumper under guard or something so one of the OEM hitches won't work on the Touring model. What OEM part # trailer hitch will fit in a 2018 Outback Touring? Has anyone had a problem putting the OEM hitch on their car?
 
#13 ·
I have a 2018 3.6R Touring, and cut a deal when I bought the car to have the dealer install the OEM 1.25" hitch. No issue at all with the installation, but if you follow the instructions for the OEM wiring harness (and the guy who did the install did), there's quite a bit of internal disassembly required.

As far as I know, the part number was L101SAL013. If you look around, there's are installation instructions for this part, it may have had an alternative part number on it, but can't remember. The online parts dealers will get you the right hitch, or a dealer certainly can.

I specifically asked the dealer to NOT install the wiring harness, as I don't plan on towing (the hitch is for a bike rack) and didn't want the wire hanging below the car, so I was annoyed that they did. But they did a really nice job with the harness, enclosing the wires in a flexible plastic tube to protect it, so I'm not sure whether I will just leave it like that, or ask that they undo the external routing and just leave the harness in the spare tire well. I'm just concerned something will catch the wires one day and tear the harness out, or it will get damaged during the winter by snow/ice.
 
#14 ·
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