Amy gave me a Yakima Quickback trunk mounted bike rack for Christmas. I was very impressed with the features and quality. She picked a good one. I tried it out on my car and while it fit properly and carried my bike nicely, it was time consuming to put on. We decided together to return it and go with a hitch mounted bike rack to speed things up. But first I need a trailer hitch.
Subaru Imprezas are rated for a class I hitch (200 lb tongue weight with 2000 lb towing capacity) with a 5/4″ receiver. I researched on NASIOC.com (North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club) and by calling a local hitch company. I found enough info to do the job myself (or at least with Dad’s help).
I purchased a 5/4″ trailer hitch from eTrailer.com mainly to carry a hitch mounted bike rack. I paid $134 with shipping rather than having the local company do it for $295 + tax ($205 for the hitch, $15 for shipping, and $75 to install). This particular hitch is a Draw-Tite 24710. It came with all the mounting hardware and instructions. The fit was perfect and installation took about an hour and a half. As with most installs if we were to do it again it would have taken half the time. Here is what we learned:
- The nuts holding the tow loops are welded on (we broke one nut free from its weld)
- It was really handy to have a large socket set with an even larger breaker bar
- The hardest part was the passenger side bolt that also held on the carbon canister. It was a bit difficult to get to.
As you can see from the photos, the receiver is hardly noticeable. Now I am ready to pick a hitch mounted bike rack. I have my eye on this one from 1Up. Not your traditional setup, but it is the highest rated rack on MTBR. I’ll let you know how it goes.
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| Subaru Impreza Outback – Hitch Installation |