Uhaul Hitch?

[Krunk Man]

Ok well I just reserved a uhaul 5x9 utility trailer.

Only $130 one way. Den->Msp

Its just not worth the risk of having the bike rip off or bend the frame.

[Krunk Man]

Originally Posted by JCL

Bicycle bike or motorcyle bike? If the bike weighs 350 lbs, I am hoping it is a reasonably sized motorcycle and not a bicycle.

Yamaha TW200.

[trueX5er]

Buyer beware. I would strongly advise you to not go with u-haul. Maybe another company? Penske, Budget?

Many of these trailers have not been serviced in years, have many lights out, have bald tires, etc. Make sure you load it properly. 60% weight at front of trailer.
http://www.uhaul-sucks.com/

[JCL]

Originally Posted by Krunk Man

Ok well I just reserved a uhaul 5x9 utility trailer.

Only $130 one way. Den->Msp

Its just not worth the risk of having the bike rip off or bend the frame.

I think that renting a trailer is a wise decision.

As to the U-Haul choice, I respect trueX5er's comments. Personally, I have rented U-Haul trailers a couple of dozen times, and have never had a problem. I am aware of other U-haul horror stories. I think the maintenance depends very much on the U-Haul franchisee location; mine was good, but it seems not all are. You should check tire pressures, tire tread, lights, hitch connections, safety chains, etc. Any excessive rust is a cause for concern. See if the wheels have any play in the bearings (I wouldn't bother to jack it up for that). You essentially need to do a very thorough walk-around.

Finally, most sway problems are caused by improper loading. You need to ensure you have sufficient tongue weight, as noted above.

I still think that a trailer is a good choice, you just need to make sure it is set for the road.

Good luck.

[sio675]

Originally Posted by 1BMWX5

Didn't screw-up anything 1/3 the cost $$$

What year is your x5? Mine is an 05 and the only thing that concerns me about the uhaul hitch is whether I have to modify the rear valence to put it on. I have had nothing but good experiences with uhaul hitches, they bolt right on. I think most people who say they are bad might be referring to the wiring aspect, I plan to use it for toungue cargo rack so no need for lighting. Thanks.

[carlgo]

Again, do not be tempted to use U-haul. A horrible company that simply does not deserve to exist. The worst company I have ever dealt with, ever, for anything.

Their customer service is handled by attorneys and paralegals. That is a clue, huh?

I won't even read that dontuseuhaul web site as it will only make me madder.

[gianvito16]

Originally Posted by Krunk Man

draw tite.
rated at 6000/600

No problems.

has anyone else used a Draw-Tite hitch? i just bought one and did not put it on yet, it is has the bar that connects to the rear cross member. it has the same ratings as shown above. i dont understand how they said it looks ugly, you wouldnt be able to see it once you put your bumper cover back on. what do you guys think of the Draw-Tite hitch?

[JCL]

Originally Posted by sio675

What year is your x5? Mine is an 05 and the only thing that concerns me about the uhaul hitch is whether I have to modify the rear valence to put it on. I have had nothing but good experiences with uhaul hitches, they bolt right on. I think most people who say they are bad might be referring to the wiring aspect, I plan to use it for tongue cargo rack so no need for lighting. Thanks.

If a hitch is bolted to frame rails, as with a pickup truck, then any reasonable hitch will be fine. It the hitch is bolted to a unibody vehicle like the X5, then you are taking a chance with a non-OEM hitch. they simply bolt up to the sheet metal, and when that started flexing they added an external brace. Not well-engineered at all. When I rented U-Haul trailers, they asked about my hitch on my X5. I told them I had the OEM hitch, OEM lighting, and I just needed the electrical adaptor from round to a flat four pin plug. They said good, because we aren't allowed to put hitches on X5s anymore (they had a letter from their legal team, see the comments above). They simply had too many problems. They wouldn't touch the wiring either.

Do what you like, but there is a reason that the overwhelming majority of X5 owners use OEM hitches, despite the price.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by gianvito16

has anyone else used a Draw-Tite hitch? i just bought one and did not put it on yet, it is has the bar that connects to the rear cross member. it has the same ratings as shown above. i dont understand how they said it looks ugly, you wouldnt be able to see it once you put your bumper cover back on. what do you guys think of the Draw-Tite hitch?

We have seen pictures posted here previously of the hitches that have a reinforcing bar running fore-aft. We all laughed at them at the time, because the bar was visible from the rear, it was lower than any other part of the vehicle. It looked like a Rube Goldberg contraption, or a farm implement. I don't agree that the bumper cover hides it.

[JCAPX5]

Agree with JCL about the U-Haul location being a huge impact on it's work. Obviously not all shops perform the same caliber of work but again, with all the nonsense people have repeatedly had with these hitches/wiring on our X5's I would go another route.

FYI I had the draw-tite (with generic wiring) installed on our old 2002 3.0 with no problems at all over 3yrs ~40k. Most important note here is we tow nothing more than 1500-2000lbs of ATV's. Also, we had install done by a local shop that specializes in these things that we've dealt with in the past.

Lastly, as I've been researching myself for our new 2006 X5, it seems the costs are getting even closer from OEM to aftermarket IF you want to use OEM wiring. All (3) shops I've contacted in NJ, including the one who installed ours 7 years ago, will get either the Draw-tite or Curtis hitch but REQUIRE the OEM wiring kit. Unless of course you want to sign a waiver regarding the electronics issues that can result from non-oem wiring.

So, OEM Hitch KIT with wiring and all for around $450-500.
Aftermarket hitch installed $250-$300 and OEM wiring harness $200. $450-$500 total. Where's the disparity in price everyone is taking about??? We spend hours combing over the potential hitch issues let's not discount the electrical nightmares that can result in our X5's from poor wiring!

Anyway, good luck and safe towing!

PS - Forgive the horrific trailer in the pic below. It's was 7 years ago and our new rig is a BIT better!!!