I'm in the process of looking for a small camper. Very small. Something like a "Little Guy". Total weight is around 900 Lbs., and tongue weight is about 100 Lbs. I may end up buying something a little bigger but my goal is to stay under about 1400 Lbs. So, I don't have a hitch yet. I find plenty of them out there for my 2016 Outback. My question is what size receiver should I go with? 1-1/4" or 2"? I can put a 2" ball on either and either is capable of towing a lite trailer like that. My gut says go with the 2" receiver but what would be a disadvantage? Ground clearance under it perhaps?
Tow Hitch 2016 Outback 2.5
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Get the 2". If you are going aftermarket instead of OEM, there isn't really any advantage of 1.25". Don't pay too much attention to hitch ratings unless they are less than the towing capacity of the OB (which some are). If they are greater than what the OB can handle, that's a bonus, but you are still limited to the max rating of the OB. The 2" will handle a lot more accessories, and many accessories have adapters that let them fit a 2" receiver anyway.
I have a 15 Outback 2.5 and tow a 2012 Little Guy silver shadow. Total trailer weight of a loaded trailer is 1350lbs with a 145lbs tongue. Tows fine, tires wear out quicker.
I have the 2" ecohitch, I decided on that because there are more 2" accessories you can get if you decide. The little guy I got was a 7 pin which is what I wanted because I was going to put a battery charge line in the Outback to charge the trailer when in motion, seems to work well, just make sure the charge line is on a solenoid so power is cut off when the ignition is turned off, also got a kill switch so I can turn it on/off when I want.
Some parts I got
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00B81772Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0002Q80GS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I have the 2" ecohitch, I decided on that because there are more 2" accessories you can get if you decide. The little guy I got was a 7 pin which is what I wanted because I was going to put a battery charge line in the Outback to charge the trailer when in motion, seems to work well, just make sure the charge line is on a solenoid so power is cut off when the ignition is turned off, also got a kill switch so I can turn it on/off when I want.
Some parts I got
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00B81772Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0002Q80GS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I keep thinking about adding a 7-pin to pull a buddy's trailer ( lights only, but has a 7-pin connector). How/where did you attach yours?
That's some great info, thanks. Do you have trailer brakes on the Little Guy? If not, how hard is it to stop?
My 7pin attached to one of the brackets in the amazon link I posted. I am against drills holes in the car if I don't have to so the bracket worked out well
No trailer brakes on the little guy, 1350lbs is not that bad, rule of thumb is if your close to 3000lbs you should get trailer brakes.
Happy teardrop camping if you end up going that route!
No trailer brakes on the little guy, 1350lbs is not that bad, rule of thumb is if your close to 3000lbs you should get trailer brakes.
Happy teardrop camping if you end up going that route!
Clamped/bolted to the hitch.
I have heard of some folks that cut holes in the rear bumper, then attached the connector to a plate clamped on the back side of the vinyl.
I had considered using some sort of easily removable setup - pull my 4-flat out of the trunk, connect it to the back of the 4-7 converter, then snap the 4-7 converter onto the hitch frame. Because my friend's trailer doesn't have brakes, lights only, I wouldn't need much else. The 1 problem with that, is that the 4-7 converter needs a separately attached ground wire that connects to the frame. That sort of gets in the way of that idea unless I can come up with a quick-connect solution for that ground.
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