That was his math for his effective load by the time he subtracts the weight of the rack
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Best hitch rack for 2021 MYLR to hold my e-bikes and current weight limit?
- Thread starter cbo111
- Start date
Two different versions of the manual perhaps? Go with whatever is current.
Tesla also updated the towing capacity for the 20” wheels/tires at one point.
kishkaru
Member
I think the confusion comes from the fact that Tesla's own Hitch rack says it's 120 lb max for the Model X/Y factory hitch:
Well if that is the correct value for the Y factory hitch that makes it impossible to carry two e bikes without changing the hitch. I recommend the Torklift Stealth Ecohitch which is rated for up to 210 lbs load 12” out from the hitch. That’s why I had it installed on my Model 3.
Tongue weight rating is not the same thing as vertical hitch load rating. The physics is very different.
I dont get that but Im not expert on trailering. All I tow is mainly a 4x8 harbor freight with bikes and/or kayaks.
This is from etrailer : The vertical load limit is the amount of weight pushing down on the ball. On a regular hitch it's called tongue weight.
All this means is when towing a trailer you want 10-15% of the load on the ball, to stabilize the trailer. Any less and the trailer will start doing the sine wave down the freeway. This 10-15% load is reacted by the mounting bolts which hold the hitch onto the frame of the vehicle.
No differently than a bike rack weight also pulling down on those same mounting bolts. Maybe for the case of bike rack install they are adding in the distance from the receiver hitch, and assuming you could load up a triple bike rack or something 10' off the back of the car ?
This is from etrailer : The vertical load limit is the amount of weight pushing down on the ball. On a regular hitch it's called tongue weight.
All this means is when towing a trailer you want 10-15% of the load on the ball, to stabilize the trailer. Any less and the trailer will start doing the sine wave down the freeway. This 10-15% load is reacted by the mounting bolts which hold the hitch onto the frame of the vehicle.
No differently than a bike rack weight also pulling down on those same mounting bolts. Maybe for the case of bike rack install they are adding in the distance from the receiver hitch, and assuming you could load up a triple bike rack or something 10' off the back of the car ?
kishkaru
Member
(Not trying to offend anyone here, but the physics of pulling trailers vs hitch-mounted bike racks is very different. After all, this thread is about hitch-mounted bike racks, and not about pulling trailers 
)
When you are towing, your ball/trailer weight is directly at the hitch mount point, or within 1 ft of it. Thus the "normal" tongue weight when towing a trailer is the 350 lb rating for MY.
On a bike rack, the weight is 3-4 ft from the hitch mount point, and due to the cantilever forces (the torque applied by the beam lever), the weight is multiplied by 2-4x easily. So the tongue weight rating drops dramatically and is cut by 1/2 to 1/4 the "normal" tongue weight for towing. For MY, this means 120-160 lb tongue weight max. Add to that the fact that bikes (especially heavy e-bikes) bounce around on bumps on freeways, and all that bouncing adds yet even higher torque forces via the beam lever when is then multiplied.
Good diagram/discussion thread of the forces here.
tl;dr: A 200 lb weight 3 feet past the tongue/hitch is going to translate to much more than 200 lb at the tongue/hitch.
) When you are towing, your ball/trailer weight is directly at the hitch mount point, or within 1 ft of it. Thus the "normal" tongue weight when towing a trailer is the 350 lb rating for MY.
On a bike rack, the weight is 3-4 ft from the hitch mount point, and due to the cantilever forces (the torque applied by the beam lever), the weight is multiplied by 2-4x easily. So the tongue weight rating drops dramatically and is cut by 1/2 to 1/4 the "normal" tongue weight for towing. For MY, this means 120-160 lb tongue weight max. Add to that the fact that bikes (especially heavy e-bikes) bounce around on bumps on freeways, and all that bouncing adds yet even higher torque forces via the beam lever when is then multiplied.
Good diagram/discussion thread of the forces here.
tl;dr: A 200 lb weight 3 feet past the tongue/hitch is going to translate to much more than 200 lb at the tongue/hitch.
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I was hoping to get a hitch with my MY so that I could add a bike rack, but unfortunately that was one of the compromises I made when nabbing an inventory car at the end of Q2.
What are my options to be able to add a bike rack to my MY? Do one of these aftermarket tow hitch options work even though my car was manufactured without that option from the factory? Would they affect the car's warranty? Can Tesla add one of their offical hitches to the car if I get it serviced?
What are my options to be able to add a bike rack to my MY? Do one of these aftermarket tow hitch options work even though my car was manufactured without that option from the factory? Would they affect the car's warranty? Can Tesla add one of their offical hitches to the car if I get it serviced?
kishkaru
Member
Never too late! Just purchase the Tesla Model Y Tow Package for $1200, and it includes free installation at Tesla Service Center. It's an option that can be installed on all Model Ys.
There may be better aftermarket options available, but you'll need to deal with installing a separate trailer harness for braking/lights. You'll be also missing the tow mode software package which does the braking/lights controls, so you'll need to add in a brake controller separately as well. If the hitch is only used for bike racks, then this is a non-issue. Although Trailer Mode is very useful to disable the rear parking sensors so they don't keep visualization/beeping when a hit bike rack is mounted.
There may be better aftermarket options available, but you'll need to deal with installing a separate trailer harness for braking/lights. You'll be also missing the tow mode software package which does the braking/lights controls, so you'll need to add in a brake controller separately as well. If the hitch is only used for bike racks, then this is a non-issue. Although Trailer Mode is very useful to disable the rear parking sensors so they don't keep visualization/beeping when a hit bike rack is mounted.
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I understand now what you mean regarding tongue weight vs vertical load. Thanks. I would not worry about a good hitch receiver being overloaded by a bike or 2, but I would want a good bike rack.
and yes tons of hitch receivers available for this car either oem or aftermarket. Plenty of YouTube how to install vids. Your options are $1200 Tesla installed at a sc - gain tow mode software but lose ap towing. Aftermarket about $500 no tow software so may chime every so often if it sees the bike or trailer, can use ap since car has no idea ur towing, and u install yourself which looks fairily involved so you would need to be confident in basic Wrench turning.
and yes tons of hitch receivers available for this car either oem or aftermarket. Plenty of YouTube how to install vids. Your options are $1200 Tesla installed at a sc - gain tow mode software but lose ap towing. Aftermarket about $500 no tow software so may chime every so often if it sees the bike or trailer, can use ap since car has no idea ur towing, and u install yourself which looks fairily involved so you would need to be confident in basic Wrench turning.
This thread was started by someone concerned about the total weight of two electric bikes and the rack to carry them. As various posts have made clear, with heavy bikes like that it is possible to overload a hitch.
Now with “regular” (non-electric) bikes it’s not a concern.
Sacramento
2021 Tesla Model Y LR AWD
This puzzled me as well until I received my cargo carrier.
A trailer has wheels (fulcrum) and the tongue (lever) is a pure downward force when standing still. The cargo/bike rack on the other hand turns the hitch receiver into the fulcrum and the rack produces torque a couple of feet away– which, if you think about it, exerts a different force on the receiver.
I’ll do the math for you if you want. You could prob load at least 500 lbs safely on the hitch, a few feet out and there would be no issue whatsoever if you drove safely. These limits are set more by lawyers than anything. If Tesla puts a low limit on the tongue weight it gives them an easy out incase someone does something stupid towing or carrying cargo on the hitch. I think some common sense needs to be applied here. The hitch itself is probably the strongest thing on the vehicle. The frame is very strong too, and so are the mounting bolts. It’s strong enough to lift up 5,000 lbs car vertically that could be full of water or mud. So you guys are lost in the noise worrying about a few hundred pounds on that hitch
Ah, thanks for that. That makes sense if it isn’t actually a vertical load but a vertical load on a lever.
Tedkidd
Member
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