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Tow package vs accessory hitch option
- Thread starter Nototrader
- Start date
beths11
THE LONG RANGER
Very nice modelx007. A bit of overkill for me as I will only need it twice a year; south in the winter, north in the summer.
Here is one from Amazon which is very well reviewed: Amazon.com: Pro Series 63153 Rambler Hitch Cargo Carrier for 2 Receivers: Automotive
Here is one from Amazon which is very well reviewed: Amazon.com: Pro Series 63153 Rambler Hitch Cargo Carrier for 2 Receivers: Automotive
scottf200
Well-Known Member
I have one and used it on my Ford Expedition. Kept it for the X.
I started a thread on it some time ago: Any StowAway2 owners wondering about range impact on Model X?
vangogh
Member
beths11
THE LONG RANGER
My Inside Sales Advisor is telling me the accessory hitch is only for bikes and skis and not cargo boxes. I am advised to buy the tow package (for me that includes and upgrade to air suspension). I continue to ask for the class and tongue weight for the accessory hitch but none has been forth coming. Are they waiting to release the specs until they have sold as many 90D's as they can with the tow package?
pvogel
Member
Accessory hitches DO NOT have a class designation. Nor do they have a tongue weight, they have a max weight which, if I recall
Correctly is 200lbs
Another numpty here when it come to towing (and it sounds like the 1.25" is no longer available), but if I plan to get the Tesla bike/ski/snowboard rack thing and potentially also invest in a caravan at some point during my Model X ownership, i assume the Tow Package will allow me to do both (not at the same time obviously)?
beths11
THE LONG RANGER
I admit, I am not a hitch expert. I can find no information on the internet regarding "accessory hitch". I am hoping you can provide me a link (other than Tesla's vague comments, and the owners manual which still lists a 1.25" hitch) which describes and discusses accessory hitches? Is there another car that provides an accessory hitch that might share specifications? Thanks you have been very helpful with this topic.
I am getting very confused with the 3 options - tow package, accessory hitch, and none.
Does anyone know what it looks like between the 3 options?
For example, if you don't get the tow package or the accessory hitch option, do you still get that removable plate or is it one-piece? Also I saw on another thread that there's a bump for the hitch on Elons' car, but this picture from akordz shows differently. TIA.
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xcell
MX Driver
I have ordered the AH - what max weight will it support and is there is a plug installed on the MX to connect f.e. a Thule bike mount? Thanks!
beths11
THE LONG RANGER
When did you order? The accessory hitch has been removed as an option for quite some time here in the States. Those of us who ordered the accessory hitch prior to it's removal received the hardware for the tow package, but not the software. Yes, it includes a 2" hitch which a bike rack can connect to.
xcell
MX Driver
I ordered my MX 17.8.16 but arranged delivery at end of March 2017. Tesla CH confirmed in December that I will get the Accessory Hitch (incl. a towbar) where only mounting but not towing is possible.
My question (I forgot to ask) was
a) whether the MX will come with a plug to connect a bike mount and
b) how much weight the accessory hitch can support?
My question (I forgot to ask) was
a) whether the MX will come with a plug to connect a bike mount and
b) how much weight the accessory hitch can support?
I asked the same questions for ages, and since the two package and accessory hitch have the same hardware, the weight it can support is identical.
xcell
MX Driver
It actually says it in the Model X manual. When towing, the weight limit is much higher, but when carrying a rack with bikes, the weight limit is something like only 120lbs. I would need to look it up again later, but I never understood why there were different weight limits with a rack vs towing a trailer.
Two different parameters. One is tongue weight (~120lbs) and the other is towing weight (~5000lbs). What's the difference?
beths11
THE LONG RANGER
On page 68 of my Model X owners manual it says the Max. Tongue weight with 20" tires is 500lbs and with 22" is 350 lbs. Now I also realize it says no more than 120lbs on the accessory hitch. The accessory hitch was never built on a production car. The only available hitch is the tow hitch. If your ordered the accessory hitch you received the hardware for towing, but not the software. I specifically asked the person who gave me training on my car if my accessory hitch is the same hardware as the tow hitch and the answer is yes.
That is the information, you make the decision how much weight you will put on the hitch. There is a thread which talks about locking storage boxes on the hitch Model X Cargo Carrier I believe those in the thread all had the tow package (hardware and software).
That is the information, you make the decision how much weight you will put on the hitch. There is a thread which talks about locking storage boxes on the hitch Model X Cargo Carrier I believe those in the thread all had the tow package (hardware and software).
Jrogville
Member
I don't know if I can answer this well enough but I will try. The weight rating for tongue weight is different from the accessory because in the case of the tongue weight, it is from a trailer being connected. the weight on the hitch can vary depending how the trailer is loaded. If more weight is toward the front of the trailer, there is more weight on the hitch. But in all conditions, the weight on the hitch is always mainly straight down. Because weight is distributed between the hitch and the wheels of the trailer.
In the case of an accessory being connected to the hitch, all the weight from the accessory is being supported by the hitch, so you have a weight on the hitch that is cantilevered (hung) from it. The hitch is not only resisting downward weight, but also torque. The accessory hanging from the hitch is trying to bend it (twist it) downward. It is this torque that has to be accounted for and therefore reduces how much weight the hitch can take versus a trailer where the hitch only needs to oppose a downward force with little torque.
If we have any mechanical engineers, or perhaps structural engineers in the audience, they can explain it better than me. But there is a physical reason why the rating for an accessory load is lower than the rating for a trailer load (tongue weight). It's the same hitch is both cases, but it is being loaded differently.
Jrogville
Member
I just thought of an analogy that might help visualize what I was talking about. Take a flag pole and you hold the base of it up while someone else is holding up the tip. You feel half the weight of the pole on your hand. Now take that pole and cut it in half. Now you again hold your half of the pole by its base but no one else is holding the cut end. You're still holding the same amount of weight as before, but now you're having to deal with more effort in order to keep it level because it's trying to hang down on the other end. It's this additional effort the hitch has to deal with that reduces the amount of total weight it can take.
