Draw-Tite Aftermarket Receiver Package

[dmurphy]

Decided not to do the DIY thing and had Drawtite installed by my local independent Tesla guy in Toronto. He did a nice job getting the receptacle mounted on the removable cover plate and only took couple hours. My wife was nervous I wouldn't be able to get the bumper back on and pleaded with me to get professional help - lol!

I love how this drawtite sits so flush with car - you hardly notice the hitch. I get Tesla wanted something fancy/removable with the Bosal but the tongue weight rating is BS in my opinion (problematic if you're carrying 1-2 bikes on a decent rack yet alone a steel cargo carrier with some cargo).View attachment 642142

That looks great!! I’m going to be tackling this next week. Picking up our camper on the 18th so I really want the Draw-Tite installed first. Maybe I should do what you did and have a pro do it, but I’m just not that smart.....

 

[dmurphy]

Well, thanks to the trailblazers that came before me, I'm now fully de-Bosaled. Can't believe how straightforward the installation was.

The only "challenge" if you will was figuring out whether to put the flap on the 7-way connector forward or rear. I chose what I chose and will live with it from now until it ticks me off and I try turning it around. Drilled a hole with the hole saw, and then used some stainless steel screws, lock washers & nuts to secure them. I chose to go outside the removable plate just to make it a little easier to manage the safety chains and such.

Thanks again @ohmman for all your guidance and knowledge!!

 

[jointed]

I too would like to thank all those folks that participated in this thread. Lots of good information that will save me grief later.
Got my Drawtite installed today and am now ready to pick up my Alto.

 

[gluz24]

For those of us who have an early 2016 which has no towing package and no Bosal hitch-I just had Uhaul install the Draw Tite and added the wiring dongle purchased over the counter for 39 dollars. When I plugged in the tester in the back, all light are working and blue towing light comes on the dashboard. Looks like all it needs is resistance to know to enable the towing software. Once again, I have no towing package installed and have not paid Tesla to enable anything. I am one happy boater.

 

[dmurphy]

For those of us who have an early 2016 which has no towing package and no Bosal hitch-I just had Uhaul install the Draw Tite and added the wiring dongle purchased over the counter for 39 dollars. When I plugged in the tester in the back, all light are working and blue towing light comes on the dashboard. Looks like all it needs is resistance to know to enable the towing software. Once again, I have no towing package installed and have not paid Tesla to enable anything. I am one happy boater.

It’s truly a better setup than the Bosal hitch anyway. Not quite as “clean” because you have to see the receiver all the time, but it’s a worthy trade IMO. Congrats!!

 

[ngng]

picking up a miata tomorrow with the factory hitch. not really concerned.

 

[ngng]

no problemo.

though, it's no f350, it's fine around town. i don't think it's something i'd do for anything other than local trips within 100 miles.

 

[ngng]

the hit to range is pretty bad if you're planning on towing anywhere at a reasonable speed. did about 30 mins at 55mph, then a chunk at 60, then, a chunk of stop and go, I had to make it to the shop before they closed lol

in hindsight, i'd go faster on my open legs knowing i'd be hitting stop and go.

 

[MP3Mike]

in hindsight, i'd go faster on my open legs knowing i'd be hitting stop and go.

Of course the speed limit in California if you are towing anything is 55 MPH... So your 78 MPH could have resulted in quite a speeding ticket.

 

[ngng]

Of course the speed limit in California if you are towing anything is 55 MPH... So your 78 MPH could have resulted in quite a speeding ticket.

who says I was in CA?

that 55mph is typically for semi truckers. chp has passed me when I'm towing my 32' gooseneck doing 70-75 and they don't care.

 

[MP3Mike]

who says I was in CA?

I was going by your profile saying "Bay Area".

that 55mph is typically for semi truckers. chp has passed me when I'm towing my 32' gooseneck doing 70-75 and they don't care.

It applies to anyone towing any trailer: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/web/eng_pdf/dl600.pdf

Speed Limits and Towing

Speed Limits Perhaps the most visible and economically significant form of traffic regulation, most people think they have a grasp of what the sign means. While not generally addressing towing, one of the best resources for speed limit law has for decades been the page maintained by John Carr at...

rvnerds.com

California
Section 22406 of the California Vehicle Code establishes a 55 mph limit for certain types of vehicles, as defined in Division 1.

With any trailer in tow: 55​

Whether pickup and fifth-wheel or travel trailer, or motorhome and toad or other trailer, 22406 applies.

It is true that they may not care, but that doesn't change that that is the law and that they could stop you and give you a ticket. (As far as I know California is the only state with such a low speed limit for towing.)

 

[jointed]

the hit to range is pretty bad if you're planning on towing anywhere at a reasonable speed. did about 30 mins at 55mph, then a chunk at 60, then, a chunk of stop and go, I had to make it to the shop before they closed lol

in hindsight, i'd go faster on my open legs knowing i'd be hitting stop and go.

View attachment 652572

the hit to range is pretty bad if you're planning on towing anywhere at a reasonable speed. did about 30 mins at 55mph, then a chunk at 60, then, a chunk of stop and go, I had to make it to the shop before they closed lol

in hindsight, i'd go faster on my open legs knowing i'd be hitting stop and go.

View attachment 652572

nice chart. Is it from an app or is it somewhere in the Tesla software?

 

[ohmman]

nice chart. Is it from an app or is it somewhere in the Tesla software?

It looks like a TeslaFi screen capture.

 

[jointed]

It looks like a TeslaFi screen capture.

Thanks Ohmman but where would I find that. New to all this.

 

[ngng]

Thanks Ohmman but where would I find that. New to all this.

TeslaFi.com Tesla Model S 3 X Y Data Logger or you can use my code for a 4 wk trial vs 2: Sign Up

i just finished my trial and subscribed for a year

 

[jointed]

TeslaFi.com Tesla Model S 3 X Y Data Logger or you can use my code for a 4 wk trial vs 2: Sign Up

i just finished my trial and subscribed for a year

Looks great. Thanks so much.

 

[dskid]

@ohmman Are you still using weight distribution with the Drawtite? I noticed on e-trailer it's now listed as not rated for weight distribution (or perhaps it always was and I didn't notice). We just swapped over as the Bosal had enough of our camp trailer. This season will be the first adventures on the new hitch (boy are those chains so much easier to deal with!) I figured it'd been a year or so since the last update so I'd check in and see if anything exciting happened.

 

[dmurphy]

@ohmman Are you still using weight distribution with the Drawtite? I noticed on e-trailer it's now listed as not rated for weight distribution (or perhaps it always was and I didn't notice). We just swapped over as the Bosal had enough of our camp trailer. This season will be the first adventures on the new hitch (boy are those chains so much easier to deal with!) I figured it'd been a year or so since the last update so I'd check in and see if anything exciting happened.

I can’t speak for @ohmman but I’m towing with the Draw-Tite and a Recurve R3 WDH. Couldn’t be more pleased with its performance.
The Draw-Tite I believe never showed a rating for weight distribution. Most likely due to lack of testing than anything else IMO.

 

[dskid]

I can’t speak for @ohmman but I’m towing with the Draw-Tite and a Recurve R3 WDH. Couldn’t be more pleased with its performance.
The Draw-Tite I believe never showed a rating for weight distribution. Most likely due to lack of testing than anything else IMO.

Awesome, thanks! Our 19' is set up with the Fastway E2 trunion WDH so I'll leave it as-is. Oh I just noticed @ohmman listed his 2020 Model X hitch for sale, so it seems he's got himself a Raven update and went straight to the Draw-tite hitch again. Nice. My 2019 X 100D is pre-raven by a month. I did get the same price as the 75D's were selling for at the time, and honestly that 100 pack is worth it's weight in gold for towing!

 

[wreighven]

Love this thread, and thank you all for the great information. Quick question: what is the max supported drop / rise for the Draw-Tite? Getting one installed on my X next week (too scared to do it myself). Goal is to tow my Airstream BaseCamp 20X with it (because the idea is silly and more fun than doing it with my Tundra).

Thank you!