Trailer Hitch purchase & installation ?

[bigdog]

Looking for business recommendations for trailer hitch purchase & installation around the Lakes region?

Thanks !

BD

[thinkxingu]

Hi! I don't know if there's a UHaul around you, but a couple friends and I have had hitches installed there with great success, and their prices are untouchable. I usually other mom and pops, but in this case I think volume and experience is on the chain's side. You can price it all online, too. Good luck.

[upthesaukee]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

Hi! I don't know if there's a UHaul around you, but a couple friends and I have had hitches installed there with great success, and their prices are untouchable. I usually other mom and pops, but in this case I think volume and experience is on the chain's side. You can price it all online, too. Good luck.

Also, realize that a lot of the Uhaul locations are franchised, and are locally owned in that respect. The Uhaul location I used was down in MA when we lived there.

[dippasan]

If you have any mechanical ability, a hitch is surprisingly easy to install. 1 hour or less. I've done the hitches on my last 5-6 vehicles after making the purchase on eBay. (Great prices)

Most newer vehicles already have the mounting holes and you just simply bolt it on. (Might need help from another person or a floor jack to hold it up.

Most of the time the wiring is also "plug and play" with the newer vehicles or just drive it in to Uhaul.

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by upthesaukee

Also, realize that a lot of the Uhaul locations are franchised, and are locally owned in that respect. The Uhaul location I used was down in MA when we lived there.

Hadn't thought about this, but that's good--I really do my best to support local. Thanks for the info!

[Smokienorm]

U Haul in Gilford does it all:

64 Annis Drive
Gilford
Tel 5243-2862

If you do not want to lose whatever you have attached to your hitch, I do not think it would be a good idea to try to do it yourself- I have seen how U Haul attaches their hitches to the frame of the SUV, and I know that although I am very handy at DIY projects, I would not even attempt this one.

[Smokienorm]

U Haul in Gilford is 524-2862

[SIKSUKR]

I have also used U-haul a few times. The closest lakes region location that installs them that I could see was in Concord. You can get a quote right on their website. http://www.uhaul.com/Locations/Trail...-03301/790061/

[Dave M]

You might want to try Trailer Outlet coming out of Laconia on Rt11.
Don't know the fellow's name but he's helped us on our trailer issues.
A good guy to know.


Dave M

[SIKSUKR]

That would be Joe.

[nhcatrider]

Be careful with the wiring. Uhaul will not use factory wiring, they install their own. I bought my hitch from Uhaul and went to the dealer for the wiring kit. Total install time was about 3 hours, most of that was the electrical. The hitch was an easy install with an impact gun. If your vehicle is fairly new, it is a very easy install with the right tools.

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by Smokienorm

If you do not want to lose whatever you have attached to your hitch, I do not think it would be a good idea to try to do it yourself- I have seen how U Haul attaches their hitches to the frame of the SUV, and I know that although I am very handy at DIY projects, I would not even attempt this one.

I dunno about that, I think it's no more complex than changing a flat tire. They just bolt in place utilizing factory holes and fasteners that are at least twice as strong as they need to be for the rated load. You can't really put one on incorrectly becuase they only fit one way. The only thing you could do wrong is leave fasteners off or not tighten them enough (hence the comparison to the flat tire). I doubt there's even a tightening sequence (unlike the flat tire). I bet most people pay to have them done because of the electrical connections, lack of tools, or desire to not lay on the ground under their vehicles and get rust/dirt in their eyes/mouth/node/ears...

[rick35]

Almost any installation has been posted on youtube or someone has posted tips on a blog. I installed my last hitch and knew how to bolt it on and how to do the wiring before I ordered it online. The wiring can be tricky as some vehicles with amber lights require a converter. My installation required a relay and wiring harness. They just plugged in and didn't require any other connections. The hitch took about 30 minutes to install and the wiring took five. Also try etrailer.com. They have a lot of info available to support the products they sell including installation videos.

[Rusty]

I have the car dealership put my hitches on because I don't like the way the Uhaul hitches hang below the framework. The dealship ones look like they belong on the car and very little is exposed. It cost a little more but IMHO it looks and functions a lot better.

[VitaBene]

Second for Joe at the Trailer Outlet!

[ishoot308]

Joe is the way to go!!

[Misty Blue]

I also have a thumbs up for Joe at the Trailer Outlet in Tilton.

If you are looking for something local I can also recommend North Country Meter in Moultonborough. Good folks.

Misty Blue

[jeffatsquam]

Originally Posted by Misty Blue

I also have a thumbs up for Joe at the Trailer Outlet in Tilton.

If you are looking for something local I can also recommend North Country Meter in Moultonborough. Good folks.

Misty Blue

NC Meter......Did you really need to let that secret out.

[TiltonBB]

Originally Posted by Rusty

I have the car dealership put my hitches on because I don't like the way the Uhaul hitches hang below the framework. The dealship ones look like they belong on the car and very little is exposed. It cost a little more but IMHO it looks and functions a lot better.

That depends on the car. Many dealerships purchase their hitches from the same aftermarket suppliers that the local garages do. In most cases, there is only one way to put the receiver on and it really doesn't matter who puts it on, it will look the same.

I recently had a hitch and wiring put on a 2013 vehicle and, unlike the old days when you just jumped into the exisiting wiring, now you need a module. Mine burned out within one year but only had a 90 day guarantee. I bought another one on Amazon ($60) and did it myself

[patman]

Originally Posted by dippasan

If you have any mechanical ability, a hitch is surprisingly easy to install. 1 hour or less.

True ***IF*** it's a relatively young car. I've done all my own installs, but the most recent one was on a 90k-mile car, and it took a lot of swearing, wire bushing, and re-tapping rusty frame threads to get the job done. Not a simple task.

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by patman

Not a simple task.

Nor one worth doing for the $30 or so uhaul charges to install!

[upthesaukee]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

Nor one worth doing for the $30 or so uhaul charges to install!

...Given shop labor rates are usually above $55-60.

[JasonG]

If you have predrilled and threaded holes in your tow vehicle, it is fairly easy to install. You need an impact gun or a lot of strength to secure the bolts. I would suggest the hidden receiver that removes.

Wiring is another story. I oped for the splice in and regretted it. Sure it was 1/3 the price of the plug and play. After all of that, the plug and play would have been an easier choice.

[Macblood]

U-Haul ...No Way... Don't do it.... No Way!

I had U haul install a class 5 hitch (enough to tow a brand new 2700lb, 22 foot bow rider ans dual axle trailer) and they screwed it up royally. Upon hooking up the brand new trailer and boat (worth $35,000 back in 1999) for the first time I made it down to the set of lights in the center of town. Upon leaving the stop line when the light turned green the boat and trailer and hitch parted away from the truck crashing off on the side of the road. Actual no damage was incurred to the hitch / boat / trailer except some road rash. What I figured out in the end is that the mechanic at U haul had mixed some of the hardware (nuts and bolts) that came with the hitch (SAE UNC) with some of the hardware taken from the truck that held the bumper on (metric). The sizes were so close it was hard to tell the threads and the major diameter bolts were a slightly different diameter. But water under the bridge.

[fatlazyless]

For my five year old Subaru where should I go to get a 1 1/4"-2000 lb capacity trailer hitch and wiring hook-up installed?

Should I take it to Belknap Subaru in Tilton?

Should I take it to Profile Subaru in Conway?

Should I take it to Trailer Outlet in Tilton?

Should I take it to Auto Haus in Meredith?

Should I take it to U-Haul Trailer Hitch Super Center, Concord NH?
https://www.uhaul.com/locations/trai...-03301/790061/
.............

Think I will go hit the Auto Haus in Meredith, first, just because I've always had good results with them.

[8gv]

If this is a Forester and you are handy you can do it yourself.

Do you want OEM or after market?

Subaru says the OEM hitch from them is best because it maintains the crash worthy attributes of the vehicle.

After market trailer hitches attach in a different manner.

Both are tedious but not difficult.

The wiring connection is plug and play once you find the connector in the car.

In my experience half the time I located it in places other than those promised in the directions.

[BroadHopper]

I normally get hitches online, Amazon, eBay, other outlets and have Steven auto body in Belmont install them, easy peasy. UHaul normally do a messy job, does not add coating on bare metal, etc.

If you are just hauling locally you will be fine, but if you are hauling distance you are better off with factory installation, which normally includes heavy-duty engine and brake packages. I've seen too many DIY on long hauls with engine and brake problems. Oh yeah, transmissions as well.

[fatlazyless]

Am getting a 1 1/4" hitch-2000-lb capacity and wiring installed at New World Auto, 176 Main St, in Plymouth on Tuesday morning for about $500 on the 2014 Suburu Crosstrek. Takes about 90-minutes so will hit the Plymouth Library-internet computer and downtown Plymouth, Rand's Hardware and Ladders' Thrift to pass the time.

Never made it to the U-Haul Trailer Hitch Super Center on Stickney Ave in Concord NH and have no clue how much they would charge?

Have no clue on the Trailer Outlet in Tilton?

Also have no clue how much Belknap Subaru in Tilton would charge?

Forrest Howe Auto Repair, Campton said they do not do trailer hitch installation and suggested I take it to U-Haul.

KTM Auto, Plymouth said it would be about $500 but could only get a 2" hitch and not the 1 1/4" hitch which is what I want.
..................

You know you can easily buy a great quality hitch and electric harness on Ebay for about $125-175 for both items and then figure out a way to install it. Buying the items on Ebay is easy ...... installing them onto the car, correctly, is the big challenge here ..... at least it is for me!