Installed a x7201s model on my 2015 P85D a few months ago. It's slightly different installation wise from the previous version as the tow weights increased. The bumper crash bar wasn't able to be reinstalled over the hitch like the previous non-s version but overall no biggie.
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Model S Trailer Hitch Installation
- Thread starter antdun
- Start date
geordi
Mr Fusion V.1
The loss of that 5mph "crash" bar is no loss at all when it is replaced with a proper square tube beam. Much more solid.
I get a LOT of double-take looks on the highways and the superchargers with my large landscape trailer and various equipment strapped to it 
I purposely jack-knife at an edge charger so that I only take up 2 or maybe 3 spots. You'll never catch me parked lengthwise blocking 4-8 spots like I see some jerks do. I'm so spoiled now, backing up a trailer with a 17 inch backup camera, and if that's not enough I just open my giant tailgate and look backwards!
I purposely jack-knife at an edge charger so that I only take up 2 or maybe 3 spots. You'll never catch me parked lengthwise blocking 4-8 spots like I see some jerks do. I'm so spoiled now, backing up a trailer with a 17 inch backup camera, and if that's not enough I just open my giant tailgate and look backwards!How do you know that? Something too rigid can cause problems. It can transfer that energy rather than absorb it. I’m not saying it does but we have no way of knowing the overall impact to the occupants.
Any good trailer light solutions for the refreshed (2021+) model S yet? That is the thing still holding me back from going with a hitch on my S. I want to carry 2 ebikes and while doing a mockup of where the hitch would be and the bike carrier, the bikes will pretty much obscure the lights.
They have big fat balloon-type tires. The way people tailgate here I want them to have as much notice as possible that I am braking.
They have big fat balloon-type tires. The way people tailgate here I want them to have as much notice as possible that I am braking.
Watts_Up
Well-Known Member
There was a quite long TMC thread on this topic for the Model S:
Help: Wiring a harness for a trailer
I picked up the EcoHitch for the Model S and I need to get the harness wired in for the trailer lights. This is a light duty open motorcyle trailer that only needs rear lights and turn signals. What I can't get a good answer to is wiring the car up for the trailer: 1. For a basic flat...
teslamotorsclub.com
I used the following solution to avoid tapping any Tesla wires:
- Contactless Tekonsha module
- CURT LED bars
airborne spoon
Active Member
The only time i take more than 1 spot while towing is if its a large supercharger and its got a crapload of free spaces. but 90% of the time i drop my trailer and pull into a spot and then hook back up once I'm done charging. I wish there was more pull through spaces like in mammoth, barstow, baker, kettelman city, etc. Because towing is getting more common and seriously, unhitching the trailer to charge is pretty damn annoying.I get a LOT of double-take looks on the highways and the superchargers with my large landscape trailer and various equipment strapped to it
I just tapped into the stock wires like it was any other trailer wiring harness. Once i figured out what wires did what by following the wiring diagram is was a standard splice job and only cost a few bucks.There was a quite long TMC thread on this topic for the Model S:
I used the following solution to avoid tapping any Tesla wires:
Help: Wiring a harness for a trailer
I picked up the EcoHitch for the Model S and I need to get the harness wired in for the trailer lights. This is a light duty open motorcyle trailer that only needs rear lights and turn signals. What I can't get a good answer to is wiring the car up for the trailer: 1. For a basic flat...
- Contactless Tekonsha module
- CURT LED bars
Aggmeister2010
Active Member
I ordered my hitch from TorkLift.com on Monday using economy shipping, and it arrived today. Super fast!
And this SS version is BEEFY!
And this SS version is BEEFY!
I feel a little like Mad Max. Attach a cage or plow blade mounted to the hitch and say Go ahead texters, I dare you to rear-end me, say goodbye to your radiator and call a tow truck.
Aggmeister2010
Active Member
geordi
Mr Fusion V.1
Power usage was tragic, but it pulled surprisingly easily. That's a 4300 lb Jeep with a small trailer strapped to the back and a bunch of tools inside.
This is one of those situations where can, should, and liability are all going to end up with different answers.
It is very likely that you can, possibly even with some degree of safety, pull a load well past some of the ratings of some of the parts of the towing system (car, hitch, receiver, trailer, tires, brakes, etc).
In the unfortunate situation where something goes wrong, there is the possibility that you could be left holding the whole bag of liability. This could be an unfounded worry of a nattering naybob of negativity, it could be the clear-eyed voice of well founded caution. Who knows? An accident where you're doing something past the stated safety margins but everything's in good condition an you're not well past the safety margins may not be "gross negligence" but it certainly could be an uncomfortable conversation.
But hey, when I was younger I drove a 67 Volvo 122 from riverside to san bernadino using only the emergency brake so volvo dave could help me run new brake lines.
geordi
Mr Fusion V.1
The car is rated for 5000 lbs towing, and if you have the Ecohitch, that is probably the limiting factor - that stainless steel hitch is WAY beefier than it needs to be and shrugged off (and destroyed the front end of) a GMC truck that hit into the back of me.
Internet lawyers abound, yet actual reports of "I did a thing and they didn't pay anything and that was the reason" never seem to be heard. Only suggestions that it COULD.
I'm not any more responsible for anyone else's actions than the rest of the internet is - but I will at least report on what is physically possible. Is someone's own decision on whether that thing may or may not be within their tolerance for risk.
Internet lawyers abound, yet actual reports of "I did a thing and they didn't pay anything and that was the reason" never seem to be heard. Only suggestions that it COULD.
I'm not any more responsible for anyone else's actions than the rest of the internet is - but I will at least report on what is physically possible. Is someone's own decision on whether that thing may or may not be within their tolerance for risk.
Got a new hitch installed on the Refreshed 2022 Model S myself. It's just like the old hitch with a few new changes:
* 4000 tow weight and a 400 lbs tongue weight. That surprised me!
* Tesla has a new access port, so no drilling, cutting nor screwing around for the stealth aspect
* The port can be put back in when you take the hitch out.
* Obviously a 2" port
* About 8.5" above the ground so you'll clear curbs.
I picked up a bike rack from Costco (DK2 or whatever the name is) which is very similar to the old Thules T2, but a bit larger. This allowed the longer wheel base electric bikes to be carried. Did a few road trips with a couple of 54 lbs bikes (Turbo Kenevos) hanging off the back, about 350 miles and then some. Speeds were stable up to 85 MPH w/o problem and I didn't really notice any real decrease in performance nor handling, even on switchbacks. Haven't noticed any dragging of the hitch, bumping in parking lots nor driveways.
With over 1000 miles, I'm not removing the hitch any time soon. I picked up a $8 rubber cover with strap to help keep the look cleaner.
Problems though:
* When you have a bike rack, and go in reverse, you're panicking the alerts. Turn down the parking chimes
* With bikes, you have to be very careful in backing up to charge your car. If there's a sign-post, you may run out of room backing up.
* Can obscure the tail lights, but you have CHMSL anyhow. Turn signals should be bright enough but those are the ones which would bother me.
Overall, for $1000 (parts and installation) it's a sound investment if you need an option to carry a bike and don't feel like a MX is in the cards anytime soon.
This is one of the things I wish Tesla would be better about. Either install more pull in spots to aid those of us with bike hitches or figure out a way to notify users of those stalls they have an intended purpose. Like they have the data to see which stalls are used/broken etc, so show a msg similar to the high use location limited to 80% that says this stall is intended for vehicles with hitches and to only use when locations at capacity or something along those lines. Prob wont stop people from doing it but if you at least tell/educate people that it's not just there because they suck at driving/lazy then at least I don't seem like I dick when I try to educate them when I have to try to back into a spot with my bike when they are the only ones there and took the one spot that would have saved me a lot of hassle. Usually the response is "Oh I didn't know that" so clearly there's a lack education on supercharger etiquette that they could try to improve. Typically when I only have my 1 bike & tray I can still manage to squeeze into a back in spot but if I have 2 bikes it's prob not happening.
Frankman60
Member
This thread has been very educational regarding a hitch that I have been wanting for quite some time on my 2016 Model S. But reading through this thread there were several different Torklift hitch part numbers referenced. Presently on the Torklift website there are only two part numbers for the Model S: 2 inch part number 7201 and 1.25 inch part number 7202. Some posters described a stainless option hitch but I don’t see that on the Torklift website now. Both of these part numbers list a 300 pound tongue weight and a 2000 pound towing weight even though some posters stated 400 pound tongue weight and 4000 pound tow weight. Has anyone recently purchased one of these from Torklift to see if these part numbers are any different from what is described in this thread?
This is the stainless ecohitch with 4000lbs capacity. The product number is X7201s.
