the subject heading didn't lie!

i am a touring musician in a honda element...and me and the rest of my folks are looking into attaching a tow hitch to allow for towing either a pop up trailer or a storage trailer...i am blind, deaf, and dumb to all of this...so any advice woudl be most appriciated!


*andy

Get a 2" U-haul receiver hitch, model 78258. I've also heard Sportrack sells a 2" receiver hitch at a discount.

[quote:3c4645686b=" "]..i am blind, deaf, and dumb [/quote:3c4645686b]
Tommy can you hear me? Play pinball lately? :lol:

[quote:1fe6274ad0=" "]i am blind, deaf, and dumb to all of this...so any advice woudl be most appriciated!
[/quote:1fe6274ad0]

I don't know enough to help, except to say that since you are inexperienced, don't push your luck with too big of a trailer, or too much load. Start small, and if you dig it (isn't that what musicians do?) then maybe work your way up to something larger.

Bill

I am a touring musician as well. I got the hidden hitch for about 100 bucks. I tow a 8 x 10 box trailer just fine.

:)

[quote:fcef0d2999=" "]I am a touring musician as well. I got the hidden hitch for about 100 bucks. I tow a 8 x 10 box trailer just fine.

:)[/quote:fcef0d2999]

Tapestry lives!

Long time no see.

Bill

I had a 2" hitch installed today but it is for a bike rack so weight isn't much of a concern. $111+$30 install and tax. They suggested I decline it unless I was going to haul a trailer. You might listen to them or suggest they explain installing a transmission fluid cooler. The hardware is reasonably priced; however, I don't know about installation costs. Perhaps search more about it on line. Good luck and good music.

Many pop-up tent trailers easily exceed the 1500 lb limit of the Element, so this might not be wise. Even if you had the power and had installed a transmission cooler, the unibody might rip out at the hitch attachment points, the steel is just not thick enough.

A small enclosed trailer might work, but you need to investigate the weight of the trailer that will be large enough to fit your needs. Add this to the weight of the gear you want to carry, and realize that you are responsible for any problems that might arise if you exceed the 1500 lb limit, including legal ones.

There are several examples on this site where individuals have successfully towed more than the limit. 1500 lbs is a conservative number, but Honda does this because they know people will exceed the rating, and they buffer the rating with a safety margin, structural engineers are trained and told to do this.

Is there an alternative to the Honda $120.00 wire harness?