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Thanks
I will be towing a utility trailer that weighs 400#s with 3 dirtbikes that weigh 570 combined for a total of <1000 #s. This will be with 2 adults and three kids with gear for camping etc travelling about 5+ hours at highway speeds.
Questions; tranny cooler? yes or no. Any one familiar with this hitch? How finnicky is the wiring for this vehicle?
Any and all responses are greatly appreciated.
Off subject: Gotta ask... 5 people and 3 bikes. Mom a party-pooper? I've tried for years to get my wife on a bike and finally threw in the towel and bought her a quad. She doesn't like that either... "too dirty" she says.. :confuse: Fortunately, it's my toy in the winter and my son, who's outgrown his bike, uses it fairly often the rest of the year and seems to prefer it over two wheels.
Also... does the "viffer" in your name have anything to do with a Honda VFR?
3 bikes/5 folks; The wife is a little throttle/brake challenged but loves to camp, although she does go out on a quad (Polaris 800) when we are on the farm. She rode a bike a couple of times when we were teens and offed both times. The other is my daughter, she's not quite up to speed for the little CRF80 but we are working on that. I have a CR250, my sons, 16 year old and a 10 year old, ride CR125 and CRF80.
Yes the viffer is all about my VFR, I have an 03 silver ABS and love it.
Any advice on the fluid draining, or is it covered in the instructions?
http://www.handa-accessories.com/odyssey/odyatf.pdf
I had a '96 VFR, bought new... got rid of it a few years ago (and hit the dirt) when my commute to work changed and put me on more hazardous/congested roads. The timing worked out okay since that's when my kids were ready to venture out of the yard and do some real riding. Every year around March/April the bug hits again... I've been keeping an eye on the '07 red, white, and blue Interceptor (VFR)... I think that could be the one that gets me back on!
The sales people want to sell the towing package, of course, and one dealer warned me that I'd have to worry about voiding the warranty "if I towed too much without the towing package". So, can anyone who has a manual or warranty handy (which I haven't found on the web) tell me what the actual official weight limit is for towing without the coolers/etc?
And, do you have to get the Honda hitch/harness to keep the warranty, or can you get a third party version?
It has a Honda interface and installs much the same way as the Honda unit does, only its $40. Honda should have no issue with it.
It is a nice kit with everything you'll need. Also recommend the Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller.
My research said Prodigy was the best controller - not the cheapest. But this is no place to be cheap. Mine is just great with 3000 lb 14' box Fleetwood Pop-up.
Good luck!
I find myself laughing when I see cars with the "Hidden HItch" brand name, and the cross-tube and hitch are hanging well below the bumper in plane site, with the "Hidden Hitch" decal in full and plain view.
Do any of the hitches sit tight to the bottom of the car, and have their cross tube somewhat concealed behind the bumper?
Thanks!
From my June 08 blog: I used "Putnam class III hitch (for 2"X2" drawbar), part # 25238. No need to remove anything except the rearmost exhaust pipe hangar temporarily. No drilling except that the holes did not line up exactly, requiring a half hour of round file use to open up a couple. (I had tried a Hidden Hitch first, but its hole alignment was worse.) I read the Honda brand hitch instructions on-line, and it requires bumper removal as it fits up a bit higher and interferes with the bumber, requiring the trim. With 300# tongue weight and an equalizing hitch, I have had no particular problem with the hitch touching down in driveways. You will find more variety of specialty drawbar attachments for bike racks etc if you go to the class III. The six metric bolts come with the hitch. If not with yours, be sure to confirm the bolt is 12 mm. Installation (after filing) is only 15 minutes. Use a torque wrench for sure! "
Horizontal tube is round pipe - not bad. Fit is closer to bumper than some. Bumper removal is not reqd - just drop the tailpipe hangar and install that end first.
! Before you order - Make sure Honda did not change bolt pattern again ! A comparison of hitch part numbers from 2 or 3 vendors for the 2007 and 2009 should confirm.
Shop around. Don't install your self unless you are prepared to fiddle with bolt holes that do not line up just right.
Thanks
Would I still need http://www.etrailer.com/p-ETBC7.htm?search=1 (brake controller kit)?
There was a lot of discussion about tranny and power steering which I dont think I need. If anyone has any suggestion please let me know
Any idea how/where to get frame welded nut thread fixed ?
Carefully !! start the tap into the hole trying to get it to engage the existing threads. "Chase" the threads in about an inch or so. The bolt will then go in. Use a torque wrench to finish tightening.
Thanks for the info.
This is the complete towing package installation .pdf... hitch, wiring, tranny and ps coolers. For the ps cooler, go to page 10 (step 38).
http://www.handa-accessories.com/odyssey/05tow.pdf
http://www.suspensionconnection.com/cgi-bin/suscon/112H.html?mv_pc=yahoo_odyssey- _hitches
Thanks,
I found this link in another forum that shows pictures of the OEM installation on a 05 Odyssey.
http://dcimbackup.com/ody/hitch/
Hope this helps.
I was given not kit with fasteners. I found the install instructions on line at uhaul.com. https://www.uhaul.com/publication.ashx?fileName=36279.pdf
The hitch has 6 holes (3 per side). Two of them on each side are 12mm bolts that thread into welded nuts (already in place.) After buying a tap to clean out the nuts, I easily (well...a little effort) managed to get the bolts fastened and tightened to 75 ft. lbs. (per the spec).
My problem lies with the remaining carriage bolts. These are required to be fed from the inside of the frame with the nuts on the underside. Getting this accomplished will required more work and hassle as the wholes in place do not allow for the size of my carriage bolt head. Are the carriage bolts required?
I have searched and found other installations that only require the four bolts and nothing further. I believe it was a draw-tite hitch that I viewed.
Any thoughts on the whether the additional bolts are necessary?
FWIW...we typically will use this for a bike rack and small loads/trailer if any at all.
Any thoughts are appreciated.
Thank you.
-Kevin
I pulled a 3000 lb trailer with above.
Thanks, Mike
I have absolutely zero experience with hitches. I have done a little hauling but not a lot. Now it looks like I am getting a small boat (19'). With the trailer, it is just under 3000 pounds. I have a 2006 Odyssey, no tow package, no hitch. The trailer has a 2" ball.
I don't foresee hauling the boat more than about 5 miles at a time, ever, and it's all local roads so I won't be going faster than about 30mph. And it's all flat as a pancake.
What do I need to have installed? Any suggestions on outfits that can do the work well, for a reasonable price? Is Sears still reliable for their Auto stuff?
Thanks!
Chris
Thank you.
I had the same need for a backup light on my trailer. On the passenger side the wiring harness exits the deck lid door and comes down under the rear panel. To remove the panel you must first pop out the rear panel as it overlaps the side panels. Remove any finger nuts that hold in the rear panel and the one finger nut on the passenger side panel. Lift the rear panel out at the bottom to pop the 4 buttons and the pull up to pop the top buttons. After that is out you can use a pair or diagonal wire cutter to gently remove the buttons that did not come out nicely and put the back in their slots for reassembly. Once that rear panel is pulled out you can pull loose the passenger side panel at the rear (the panel need not be completely removed) about 6 inches you should be able to access a bundle of wires coming down from above. On my van this bundle also included the rear windshield washer hose. In that bundle there is a green wire with 2 small silver bands on it. That band pattern is repeated every few inches. That is the backup light wire that connects to the lights in the deck lid. I used a wire tap clip to attach to it and it works fine. I'm not a big fan of those clips but there is so little wire slack that this is the best choice for this particular task. I routed the wire over to the driver's side where my other trailer wiring was and exited to the bottom of the car. If you are only dealing with this one wire and need a way to easily exit under the car make note of the left hand most bottom clip hole. Drill a hole 1 inch to the right of it (towards the center of car) and exit the wire. Use a grommet, wire loom covering or wiring putty or something so the wire is protected against any sharp edges of the hole. This hole exits into the bumper cavity and when you feed the wire out the hole it will come out underneath in the area near your trailer wiring harness and plug.
The only gotcha on our Odysseys is the backup fuse is 7.5 amps. Depending on the size of the backup light or lights you have, this could easily blow that fuse. What I plan to do is to put a 20 amp relay on my trailer that uses the incoming trailer power lead. This is the one that charges my trailer battery when my car is running. That way the power from the green wire will be used to trip the relay and it will handle the power to the backup light so there is no chance of overtaxing the Odyssey's 7.5 amp fuse or wiring. Alternately, you could go up slightly on the fuse size but this would be at your own risk. The backup wire is pretty small and you would not want to use a huge fuse and a huge light as you could damage the harness with a wire meltdown.
I would think that extra 80 lbs. will be OK if I drive conservatively, but wanted to get the wisdom of the CarSpace forum first. TIA for your knowledge.
In reality you probably do not need a transcooler for this light load. However if you are under warranty and are concerned this could impact your warranty it could if the trans burns out. A dealer could refuse to honor it as a warranty item if you have a trailer hitch and have not installed a trans cooler. They won't care if you were towing only 1500 pounds. So if you have a warranty on the car I would get an independent shop or mechanic to install it. Also remember that these cars are known for trans issues.
If you don't have a warranty it is probably not an issue and you could get away without it.
I am planning to move from Atlanta to Denver.
I have Honda Odyssey 2010 EX-L.
Like to know how much weight I can place in the Car and How much weight I can place in the Hitch.
I have browsed UHaul and came to know that I can hitch 1500LB cargo weight.
Like to get advice from people what trail to use and what is the right weight in the van and the trail.
Advices are appreciated.
Thanks in advance.