i'm stuck with a class 1 hitch, so i'm trying to decide between curt and hidden...price is pretty much the same (~$120) and attachment is easy no matter which one i choose

curt 11383 is 29lbs and sits at 10" high: http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Mazda/3/2010/C11383.html?vehicleid=2010302672

hidden hitch 60259 is 27lbs at 9.1" high: http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Mazda/3/2010/60259.html?vehicleid=2010301109

my question is more about HOW they attach...the curt is slightly curved and looks like the 6 bolts go directly on the frame



pic of attachment on the mazda 3: http://www.etrailer.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/pics/1/1/11383_2010~Mazda~3_2_1000.jpg

while the hidden looks like it only has 4 bolts total, 2 of which attach to the frame and 2 of which attach to the tow hooks



pic of attachment: http://www.etrailer.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/pics/2/4/24843_2010~Mazda~3_5_1000.jpg

i'm leaning toward the curt, but i wanted to run it by you folks to see if there's any reason the hidden (or draw-tite, which is virtually the same, though lighter) is better...i'm a little concerned that the curt will sit significantly lower and scrape more often, but meh

[Edited on March 16, 2014 at 11:10 PM. Reason : attachment pics]

3/16/2014 10:49:22 PM

A few thoughts

1 more bolts is better that's probably where I would go
2 if there was a factory hitch wat does it look like
3 dude it's a class one hitch it's not like you'll be towing 4000 lbs.
4 will the ground clearance ever be an issue?

[Edited on March 17, 2014 at 5:39 AM. Reason : .]

3/17/2014 5:38:21 AM

1.) agreed...plus, for some reason, i like the idea of those bolts attaching to the frame and not split between the frame and tow hooks

2.) mazda doesn't offer a hitch, says the car's not rated for towing...despite having the same mounting points as other C1 platform cars that come with a hitch from the factory (but i've had a hard time finding a picture of the factory hitch for the euro focus or S40)

3.) true...i'm more concerned with the tongue weight, as i'd like the ability to carry 3-4 bikes (though usually just 2) and throw a cargo rack on the back when heading to the beach...most of these accessories use the 2" receiver, so i'll be using an adapter to make it 1-1/4"...in short, i want it to be able to handle the 200lb TW limit as well as possible (also, i might buy a small trailer for hauling minimal amounts of plywood, 2x4s, etc when doing work on the house, but that easily fit within the 2000lb GTW limit)

4.) my driveway has a bit of a bump where it meets the road, so if the car's loaded down, maybe...that's my biggest hesitation going with the curt, because it LOOKS like it sits lower than the hidden hitch

3/17/2014 8:18:06 AM

I assume you are wanting to slide in a bicycle carrier, correct? Don't know why I'm thinking you are contemplating hauling 3-4 motorcycles on a trailer. Maybe because of your concern with the 2K load limit. That ain't happening.

If you're wanting it to haul bicycles reading back through your first post I think the argument you presented clearly shows the Curt hitch being the clear winner with the way it attaches and more ground clearance.

3/17/2014 9:33:48 AM

^ oh, yeah, oops...i'm talking bicycles

the curt has LESS ground clearance, i think, since it's listed at 10" high and the hidden is 9.1" and they both attach to the frame at some point (so i assume the curt sits lower, but who knows)

i'm sure i'm overthinking it, but i wanted to make sure there wasn't something obviously better about the hidden that i was missing (something like "bolting to the tow hooks is always better") since i'm leaning toward the curt

Quote :

"Maybe because of your concern with the 2K load limit. That ain't happening."

well, i'm not actively thinking i'd ever get near 2K...but if i did, are you saying that would be a very bad idea? all of the hitches claim 200lb TW and 2000lb GTW, so i assumed that it would be safe to do that much

granted, the australian/NZ mazda3 on the C1 (which comes with a factory hitch, apparently) claims a 1000lb tow limit

also, do i want the "old-style" ball mount for $7 more (i can buy the hitch with or without it)? i'm not trying to cheap out over $7 (because ball mounts are 3x that by themselves), i just wasn't sure if there is a "new style" that is more common or preferable (and so this would be $7 wasted for no reason)



[Edited on March 17, 2014 at 10:20 AM. Reason : ball mount]

3/17/2014 10:00:04 AM

^i just checked out the links to the hitch mounted to the car which i should've done prior. i would definitely go with the hidden hitch. my thinking is the curt hitch might cause an issue with the exhaust tip vibrating against it and and the fact it provides less ground clearance is another negative. it appears to me from the pictures the hidden hitch is a better mounting design since it has offset locations and "should" have a higher tongue weight carrying capacity. plus, from the pictures it appears the hidden hitch is more "hidden".

so now that i actually looked into each unit i retract my previous recommendation of the curt and suggest the hidden hitch.



as far as carrying 2000 lbs. there is no doubt the hitch can do it but can your car? you gotta think how is your car when it's full of fuel, gear, and 4 adults? kinda sluggish? now add an additional 2000 lbs. to it.

[Edited on March 17, 2014 at 10:25 AM. Reason : -]

3/17/2014 10:24:05 AM

thanks for the feedback...though you made my decision more difficult since i was pretty set on the curt as being the "better" one

objectively, i realize i'm overthinking it

3/18/2014 9:26:04 AM

I just put a curt hitch and electronics on my wife's odyssey minivan, and I'm pretty happy with the quality and installation of their stuff.

I even posted about it on facebook, and they were nice enough to reach out to me and thank me for the recommendation.

3/20/2014 1:33:03 PM

Quote :

"it appears to me from the pictures the hidden hitch is a better mounting design since it has offset locations and "should" have a higher tongue weight carrying capacity."

thanks for the advice...i went with the hidden

it did great toting bikes down to the beach, though i'm not sure i'll get used to how much these hitch-mount bike carriers bounce around on the road

i'm looking at putting a hitch on our other car, now, and was going to go with the hidden/draw-tite/reese option because of the same logic (offset mount points where it attaches to the car)...but one of the reviews said he didn't like that it doesn't have a "reinforced collar" and sure enough, it doesn't

i know we're talking about a small hitch on a small car, towing little weight (if ever) and carrying 150-160lbs on the tongue at the most...but what does the collar do and should i care at all?

8/25/2014 1:46:00 PM

IMO it's more to do with the bearing load generated by the male-part's depth into the receiver than the reinforced end.

8/25/2014 1:49:32 PM

reinforced collar is going to stop the end of that box tube from being stretched out

8/25/2014 2:18:07 PM

so...if my primary use is stuff like bike carriers and a cargo rack, the collar is probably a good idea? or is this really inconsequential (ie. i'm overthinking it for no reason)?

[Edited on August 25, 2014 at 2:24 PM. Reason : watching the bike rack bouncing around back there made me nervous]

8/25/2014 2:24:11 PM

it certainly won't hurt, making sure that the carrier fits snugly into the receiver would also help though. If two are otherwise similar I would get one with the collar, but I wouldn't avoid one without the collar if it was a much better deal if I was just carrying bikes. Not sure about the cargo carrier, I may want a collar for that if I'm adding a lot of weight to it.

8/25/2014 2:34:35 PM

eh, prices between the different style of hitches (hidden/draw-tite/reese vs curt) aren't that different...it comes down to 2 points:

1.) attachment style (see pics in OP)
2.) stress collar or none

i follow (and agree with) underPSI's assessment that the blend of vertical and horizontal attachment is probably a better design, but it doesn't come with a stress collar

i'll be carrying (not towing) stuff much more in the coming months, and i just want to pick the best option...i suppose i could get my brother to weld a collar on hidden hitch, though

8/25/2014 2:49:20 PM