Is there any chance you could take a photo of this with the hitch the other way around, rising instead of dropping, with the ball in place? I'm looking for a towing solution. This is 190mm long from pin hole to ball hole. Tesla specifies 220mm maximum, which the Rough Country one has, but it requires a spacer which I'm not so keen on. I'm wondering if this Mister Hitches one is really long enough once turned the "right" way up to tow trailers. Thanks!
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Model Y Tow Package available soon from Tesla Australia
- Thread starter [Zombie]
- Start date
Mine’s going in Monday for the Tesla OEM install. I‘m sure I could install it myself but don’t want to risk it with the electrical bits.
Just spent my Saturday installing the EV stealth towbar. Price was $1050 delivered within 2 days from ordering and its the Australian made version.
First step, remove the rear bar and crash beam. The instructions were ok but watching a youtube tutorial first was more helpful. Took about 90 minutes being careful not to scratch any paint.
Bolting on the towbar was pretty straightforward bit this is where a few issues arose. Bolting the 3 parts of the towbar together, the instructions called for 140nm torque setting. This is actually wrong and the bolts would have failed well before that figure. Secondly, the bar didn't come with any nylon washers to space the bar to keep the 2 different metals apart. Other kits do this as there can be rust issues if you dont. I called them and their intstaller said they dont see the need and thought they were only there on other kits to avoid rattles. I elected to go to bunnings and add the spacers to be safe.
Next, the wiring. This gave me the most pain, it is definitely not plug and play. Requires tapping into the factory loom. I even had to wire up the included trailer plug. After wiring it all and testing, the right indicator wasn't working. Checked with a multimeter and found the wire the instructions tell you in 3 seperate places to tap into (grey wire) was the wrong one. Retapped and all working. Also you need a grommet to run the wiring to the towbar and that wasn't included. The wiring overall took way too long and was painful. Fitting the rear bar was pretty easy. Whole thing took about 8 hours but would be 3 or 4 if I was to do it again.
First step, remove the rear bar and crash beam. The instructions were ok but watching a youtube tutorial first was more helpful. Took about 90 minutes being careful not to scratch any paint.
Bolting on the towbar was pretty straightforward bit this is where a few issues arose. Bolting the 3 parts of the towbar together, the instructions called for 140nm torque setting. This is actually wrong and the bolts would have failed well before that figure. Secondly, the bar didn't come with any nylon washers to space the bar to keep the 2 different metals apart. Other kits do this as there can be rust issues if you dont. I called them and their intstaller said they dont see the need and thought they were only there on other kits to avoid rattles. I elected to go to bunnings and add the spacers to be safe.
Next, the wiring. This gave me the most pain, it is definitely not plug and play. Requires tapping into the factory loom. I even had to wire up the included trailer plug. After wiring it all and testing, the right indicator wasn't working. Checked with a multimeter and found the wire the instructions tell you in 3 seperate places to tap into (grey wire) was the wrong one. Retapped and all working. Also you need a grommet to run the wiring to the towbar and that wasn't included. The wiring overall took way too long and was painful. Fitting the rear bar was pretty easy. Whole thing took about 8 hours but would be 3 or 4 if I was to do it again.
Thanks for your detailed post.
How awkward was it to install the hitch pin (to connect your bike rack) & any anti-rattle brackets?
I always 'bolt on' anti-rattle hitch brackets to any & every shaft connection (eg: tradie's 'T' mount)
The bike rack I have is towball mounted.
Fitting the hitch pin to connect to the tow hitch is not too hard, access os ok.
The anti rattle solution they use with this is just a bolt that inserts into a threaded part of the towbar and tightens against the hitch. Havent attempted to do that yet but looks hard to access. Will probably buy a anti rattle hitch bracket like you suggest instead.
I only get hitches with threaded attachments. It prevents any rattle.
Even the bike tilt down feature, for tailgate opening, has a thumbwheel nut to stop rattle.
I didn't get a chance to take photos, but I did check and it fits fine turned the other way. The ball is fairly close to the bumper, and I ended up getting another hitch, a MH314 which has two holes so is adjustable to two positions. The close setting is about 5cm further out than the MH01 and the next setting would be about another 5 cm out. With the MH01 the inside bike handlebars tended to bump the car. The MH314 also is fine turned the other way.
If that doesn't make sense I can take a photo on the weekend.
Thanks for that info. It answers the question I was wondering when I asked for the photo anyway. When the MH01 is placed for a rise rather than a drop, it’s too close to the bumper. The longer MH314 should solve that problem, but it’s outside of the allowable specs that Tesla publish (max length 220mm, max rise 20mm). I might consider the MH002 instead then. It’s also outside spec, but not as much as the MH314.
Hi Astro, i had a look at this rack and looks pretty good, does the manual say what the weight of the rack is?
Some pics of the rack
As you can see, definitely cannot fit a third bike, without a hitch extension. By 2 bikes is no problem.
Tilt mechanism works very well.
Rattling is a problem for things like this double adaptor:
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Gm guys, good to see the detailed posts about tow hitch installs. I notice some people decided to go with second party (non-tesla) tow hitches. I read that Tesla wont allow you to purchase the towing package software unless you buy the Tesla tow hitch.
I have my model Y RWD arriving this month and want a tow hitch mainly for a bike rack. I likely wont have the skills to install myself so am wondering if I should go with the tesla installed to hitch or is there better (cheaper) alternatives?
What are the benefits and potential issues with going with a non tesla tow hitch??
thanks in advance
I have my model Y RWD arriving this month and want a tow hitch mainly for a bike rack. I likely wont have the skills to install myself so am wondering if I should go with the tesla installed to hitch or is there better (cheaper) alternatives?
What are the benefits and potential issues with going with a non tesla tow hitch??
thanks in advance
So did you get the carasel tow bar fitted by carasel? And this isnt an issue with Tesla warranty?
