I want to get a nice bike rack for my 2019 Advance and it requires a trailer hitch. Has anyone added the Acura hitch to an Advance? The dealer says there are two pieces to it that total almost $400.00. I'd get 15% off so $340.00 But their installation would be almost $500,00. Crazy. My local mechanic says for him to do it--around $100.00. I want to get the Acura hitch (1 1/4 inch) so it doesn't turn into some modification project by somebody using non-stock equipment.

I assume some on this site have added a hitch. Any thoughts/suggestions welcomed.

 

I got it installed on my Advance by dealer as part of sale. The kick sensor for the hatch is moved I believe a bit to the left.

I towed my 900 lb ATV and trailer with it last year and had no issues. If you search this forum for "hitch" you will find may threads referencing the subject.

Good luck and welcome.

Regards -----------------

 

My dealer quoted similar, like $840 total, but I’m waiting to see if anyone comes out with a Class 2 hitch, for peace of mind, and due to ease of finding stuff that fits. Class 2 receivers won’t all fit the OEM class 1 hitch, and even my local harbor freight and TSC only carry class 2 and higher accessories, grrr.

 

If it's just for a bike rack, you wouldn't necessarily need to install the trailer wiring harness, which is the hardest part of the installation. That's most of the dealer labor charge.

But for an Advance, you also need to decide whether the hands-free-access is important to you. To keep it active, you will need to purchase and install a replacement sensor that mounts to the left of the hitch. I think that could be installed without doing the whole trailer wiring harness, but you would need the correct replacement bumper panel to mount the sensor. And IIRC you would need to pull some of the cargo area floor trim to get access to the connector for the sensor cable.

I did the whole DIY package on my Advance: hitch, harness, and sensor. But that was last June or July, and there was lots of disinformation floating around ( from Acura! ) about what parts were required and what interior panels needed to be removed. PITA, and I don't want to think about how many hours I spent online trying to sort it all out.

BTW, the "hitch" that bolts to the car includes the "receiver" ( the receiver is the welded-on square tube that "receives" other square tubes for trailer balls or accessories ). But there may be compatibility issues with accessories because of differences in hitch-pin hole placement. I've been using a short 1-1/4" to 2" adapter to mount a lightweight bike rack that I already owned. You should ONLY use a 1-1/4" trailer ball mount for towing with the OEM hitch.

Draw-Tite has a Class III ( 2" ) hitch that is designed for 2019+ RDX, but some posters haven't been satisfied with its appearance. YMMV.

 

If you can use a screw driver and a socket wrench you can install the OEM trailer hitch. I bought the parts on OEMacuraparts.com, was ~$200 for the parts. I do highly recommended having a torque wrench to properly torque the bolts. Otherwise it’s as easy and bolting some stuff together, and replacing the factory little panel at the bottom of the bumper held on with some screws. I didn’t install the harness wiring cause it’s not needed for just bikes, that’s the part that would be a major pain.

here is the finished product








I went with the Rocky Mounts platform bike rack that is 1.25 inch, works great, so easy to use, has a bolt to keep it nice and tight to the hitch so it doesn’t sway around



btw the factory trailer hitch looks much nicer then these aftermarket ones that hang down, it does have a 150lb tongue weight and 1500lb tow limit capacity, which is more then enough for 2-3 bikes, also with the OEM trailer hitch the spare tire still fits fine

 

Thats neat! Thanks for sharing pics.
BTW what all parts did you get for 200$. I "Trailer Hitch - Acura (08L92-TJB-200) listed for $185.50 and Panel, Trailer Hitch Cover - Acura (08L92-TJB-200B) for another $73.50

Appreciate your response // Thanks

 

oh yea I was a little off on that, i double checked my receipts and I paid 74.66 08L92-TJB-200C for the hitch cover, that is specifically the Aspec cover, and $186.83 for the hitch 08L92-TJB-200
overall not to bad, Still much cheaper then the dealer

Install instructions here:
http://www.urvi.net/forumfiles/SB/BII07802-09.PDF

I actually got mine from AcuraPartsWarehouse.com but I have also ordered stuff from oemacuraparts.com as well, both are good, I get them with whoever has the cheapest shipping and parts, they are all dealers that sell parts discounted on the side, even give you a receipt that shows you bought the parts from a dealer, at least with oemacuraparts I did

 

I have a 2017 Acura RDX. I am thinking about having the dealer install the Acura OEM hitch which is a class 1...2.25 inch hitch. I want to order a rocky mount monorail 2. Just talked with Rocky Mount and they said that their racks fit only class 2 and class 3 hitches. If I wanted to use their rack, I would need to knock out the welded block on the class 1 hitch. Do any of you have any experience with this?

 

I meant to say Class 1...1.25 inch hitch

 

Hey Dereileak...did you use the factory 1.25 inch class 1 hitch with the Rocky Mount rack? I just talked with Rocky Mount and they said that their racks are for class II or III hitches. Did you need to knock out the welded stopper on the class I hitch?

 

They make a version that is for class 1, didn’t need to mod anything, worked without any issues. Yea I am using the factory Acura oem hitch with this setup.

https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Bike-.../RKY10003.html
looks like it’s on sale right now too. I got mine from backcountry.com for $320 at the time

also as far as I could tell my oem 1.25 inch class 1 hitch. doesn’t have a stopper in it, I can actually slide the rack in super deep into it if I want, but I would need to drill a new hole for the pin

 

There is no welded "stopper" in the OEM hitch receiver tube. ( Not until you get to the spare tire behind it ).

I don't really understand the difference(s) in construction between a Class I and Class II hitch receiver, and AFAIK the only indication that the OEM hitch is Class I is from the Acura accessories catalog. Maybe not the most reliable source. Acura doesn't build hitches.

 

Thanks!!!

Heard back from Rocky Mount last night and they said that the vendors selling their bike carriers have inaccurate information on their site concerning the class 1 and class 2. They are working with them to have the class 1 taken off their sites.

 

Just get a 1Up rack, you will never need another one, best rack period!

 

Don’t think it even really matters, the bike rack is well within the weight limits and size of What the 1.25 inch oem class 1 hitch Acura has supplied can handle. Honestly Acura’s hitch is really more of a class 2

 

Thanks for the pic. I have the same color as your RDX but will go with 1up black instead of silver. I wonder why the black ones cost a bit more🤔

 

If the Acura trailer hitch can’t even handle a bike rack for 2 bikes then what is the point of it even, just a shiny knob that sticks out of its butt

 

Guys, this will be fine. We don't need an F250 to carry a piece of wood or bike LOL!! I will be towing the jetski 400 miles each way this weekend (1200lbs).


TT

 

You should be good, max tow weight is 1500 lbs and max tongue is 150lbs

 

The potential problem is that with a long platform rack that extends way behind the vehicle, the torque load could be more than the lightweight hitch can handle.

It's not really about weight. Presumably you will be towing that jetski on a trailer that supports most of the weight, with only the recommended 10% or so of the weight supported by the hitch as tongue weight. And unless you plan to accelerate at 1G, the hitch will experience only a fraction of the "weight" of the towed load as a longitudinal force. However, things do get more interesting with a dynamic load like a bouncing trailer, and that's why hitches need to be plenty robust.

If you know about F250s, you should know how a pry bar works. A long 4-bike platform rack is a 5-6 foot pry bar. If I put my fat a$$ on the end of a 5-6 foot pry bar, I could do some damage.

 

How did it tow? I have 2 skis I want to pull. Altogether I think the weight will be about the same as yours.

 

My A-Spec will tow 1450lbs (boat, motor & trailer) with ease...

 

Wow! Looks great. Are you using the factory hitch? By any chance did you check your fuel economy? I am just curious as I might tow maybe once or twice a month an only for about 5 miles each way to a boat ramp. If it didn't tow too bad I might consider trailering the skis a bit farther away.

 

What length boat? Motor size?

 

It is the factory Hitch. 16.2 ft Princecraft with 60hp Mercury. I drive between 15-60 minutes one way depending on the lake I fish. When trailering it uses roughly an extra litre per 100kms...which works out to be an extra dollar or two per trip out.

 

Better buy the boat fuel and beer at the marina.

 

Very disappointed in the 250 lb tongue weight for the OEM hitch. That's truly pitiful.

I've got a Honda Monkey Mini Bike that weighs around 250 pounds so I guess my only option would be the aftermarket hitch that has a Class II with a 350 lb tongue rating.

It will sit quite a bit lower but will work.

 

Here is my Class III Draw-Tite hitch on my Canadian 2020 ASpec

It does not stick out as much as others have said.

All my existing accessories are 2 inch so this was a must have.

Remember the Factory 1-1/4 hitch has a lower cover that sticks out an extra 2 inches so it only appears that it sticks out less than the Draw-Tite.

See the top down picture to judge the actual amount it sticks out by.

Easy 20 minute install. The hardest part was removing the exhaust rubbers from their hangers.

Still have full access to the spare tire as well.

It is an SUV and I need the Class III.



Top Down View

 

Factory tongue weight limit is actually 150lbs 😂

 

Thanks Richard! I was looking for photos of this hitch installed. I have all 2" accessories so the factory over priced hitch wasn't an option.

 

For me even tho it doesn’t stick out much it still just doesn’t look right, the factory hitch is covered up much more nicely

 

Yeah, that thing's hole is hanging out in the breeze. You could at least put a plug in it.

 

Very easy towing that load. Went over 4K in elevation without feeling too much behind it.

 

For my Advance model the wiring harness for the foot actuated hatch had to be changed because the hitch interferes with the original harness path. After installation the foot sensor only works from the driver side of the hitch. I didn’t have the dealer install the wiring for a trailer plug because I only use it for a bike rack. That saved a few $$. Check out the Kuat “platform” bike rack. Great value.

 

of course factory hitch look better, but with no available in 2" and don't want to use an adapter, what choice do we have??

 

Adapter is OK for lightweight loads. What do you want to mount?

 

You could mount up the 2" aftermarket hitch and stick one of these in it when it's not in use.

Gotta do what ya gotta do.

 

The traditional "rural" pickup truck hitch adornment might look out of place on an RDX.

But this size challenged individual didn't let that stop him:

 

my 4 bikes- Thule Bike Hitch Rack, that I already have from previous RDX. 2"..

 

Yeah, I have a T2 + 2 platform that I won't mount to the RDX in the 4 bike configuration. The thing is a beast. I still have other vehicles with a 2" hitch receiver for the rare occasions I need to carry 4 bikes now ( nest is emptying and I retired from racing cyclocross ).

But I would consider an upright "hanging type" 4-bike rack for road bikes or other lightweight bikes. It would be better to get one that is natively 1.25", such as the Thule Hitching Post Pro, rather than using an adapter.

I have used a Saris Thelma 2-bike platform rack with a 1.25" - 2" adapter, without incident.