Effect of Using Hitch High/Low Adapter for Extra Ground Clearance with Hitch Cargo Carrier C18151  

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Helpful Expert Reply:

Use of an adapter like # BX88129 along with a hitch-mount cargo carrier like the Curt # C18151 will give you the height increase you want for better ground clearance but it will also have some unavoidable and undesirable side-effects.

The first is reduction of your hitch's rated capacity by 50-percent. The loss of hitch weight capacity results from the adapter moving the actual load further away from the hitch tube. The further away that load is the more leverage it applies to the hitch receiver tube, much in the same way that adding a pipe to the end of a tire iron gives you more leverage to loosen a stubborn lug nut. Your hitches have safety stickers that indicate their tongue weight capacities.

Using an adapter also introduces another mechanical connection point, which tends to increase the random motion of whatever accessory item is attached; in your case this would be the cargo carrier. You can address this with a set of cargo straps like # EM05729.

A vehicle like your Toyota Sienna and the similar Honda Odyssey does indeed sit pretty low to the ground. By the time you add passengers, some cargo, install the rear hitch carrier and load it up, that already-low ground clearance becomes even more critical.

Keep in mind that the total combined weight of your chosen cargo carrier and what you load on it must remain with in the reduced hitch weight rating. If you were to have 2-inch Class III hitch # C13105 on your Sienna, which is rated for 350-lbs of tongue weight, when used with the hitch high-low adapter would become a 175-lb rated hitch due to the adapter. This means the combined weight of the carrier itself and your loaded cargo cannot exceed this reduced weight limit.

expert reply by: Adam R

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