Trailer Hitch for Speed6

[RayO]

Has anyone found a trailer hitch for the Speed6 yet?? I'm trying to get one for a bike rack, because I don't want to do an overhead system. So far none of the major sellers of hitches have offered anything and I haven't had much luck with the couple of welding shops I've called getting back to me. Just wondering if anybody else is looking or has found one.

[mp3josh]

I would give it a few more months Uhaul usally has them available.

[PerfectXtreme]

Rear bumper is too low to the ground w/o modding it.... I woudln't expect anything worth a darn.... I assume you'd probably want it on always and forever.. in which case you can cut the bottom black part of the bumper easy enough... do a clean job and the hitch will look dandy!

P.S. As a joke / bet / dare... whatever you want to call it.. I had a hitch on my 97 Civic... I would remove the rear bumper.. and boom.. there was the hitch... it was "functional" however not "legal" i don't think... as it didn't stick far enough out from the rear of the vehicle.... but I could re-attach the rear bumper and you'd never know it was there....

This might be something you can do with the 6... have it welded under the bumper somewhere... Pop the bumper off when you need to pull or carry something.... somewhat ugly.. but allows you to return it to 100% stock looking when your done....

[AWD6]

haha, good one perfect

[PerfectXtreme]

I'm actually moving pretty soon... I'm taking enough shit that i'll be getting a full size uhaul... and putting my speed on a car trailor... However I will ask uhaul if they have.. or could install a hitch on the vehicle... see what they say....

Hell i'm pretty sure AWD + 280 torque is plenty to pull around a good deal... Though i'm not sure there is much to weld the hitch onto under there...

As far as I remember, there is only ONE safe location to use on the front of the vehicle to jack it up... And a few down the sides... while my civic had at least 2 locations that were safe in the front.

[01bluemp3]

friend of mine did this on his STI

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=774244&highlight=hitch

Before
http://x4.putfile.com/5/13917261452.jpg

after
http://x4.putfile.com/5/13917374070.jpg

Plate has a pice that goes into the hitch, looks and works great

[Tinstar]

Anyone found a good hitch?

The STI mod won't work on the MS6 as the tag is on the truck lid.

I've had my MS6 on the lift. There isn't much to work with but it's possible to fab one.

I have an old fox body mustang hitch that has volunteered to be transformed into an MS6 hitch. Mostly the receiver part matches the flat drawbar that I already have.

Other wise I would buy a standard Mazda6 hitch and mod it to work with the MS6 rear facia.

[spoolingv8]

What do you mean it won't fit? :)

[Killer]

What do you mean it won't fit? :)

Oh it fits...but right in your owners manual it says that the mazdaspeed 6 is NOT to tow anything. Bye Bye warranty.

[rainking]

What do you mean it won't fit? :)
Details?

Thanks!

[spoolingv8]

This is my friend's car. Where the hitch normally extends to is blocked by the emissions charcoal canister. I modified a Mazda6 hitch to fit. I've towed with it quite a few times. It handles great with a trailer, no problems what-so-ever.

[Captain KRM P5]

pretty much every mazda owner's manual i have read in the last five years with the exception of a Tribute or CX9 has said explicitly not to tow with one. with that in mind, should something powertrain related go wrong, they would be within thier bounds to void the warranty or refuse work. not saying the cars aren't capable of towing mind you.

[Killer]

pretty much every mazda owner's manual i have read in the last five years with the exception of a Tribute or CX9 has said explicitly not to tow with one. with that in mind, should something powertrain related go wrong, they would be within thier bounds to void the warranty or refuse work. not saying the cars aren't capable of towing mind you.:werd:

[Tinstar]

Here's a bike rack I fabbed up last week. Works perfect.

http://picasaweb.google.com/itzoomz/MS6BikeRack#5239050737326127138

[rainking]

This is my friend's car. Where the hitch normally extends to is blocked by the emissions charcoal canister. I modified a Mazda6 hitch to fit. I've towed with it quite a few times. It handles great with a trailer, no problems what-so-ever.
Which manufacturer's hitch did you modify? I think I have seen three variations for the Mazda6. One did not require drilling into the spare tire wheel well. Another (Hidden Hitch?) did require drilling two holes. The third? The notes must be at home (writing from work). Perhaps the manufacturer started with a "C" or "Ce"? Ceqa? Something like that.

I am primarily looking to carry two bicycles on hitch rack. For fun, though, I like to rent U-Haul trailers and whip around the Sierra Nevada. OK. That's not true. I may not tow, but it is my car & my problem if & when I do tow.

The pictures later in this thread ought to help me choose a hitch receiver. Best kind of shop to take it to for modding a receiver? A good body shop?

Hitch-mounted bike racks are the the bee's knees.

Thanks.

[rainking]

Here's a bike rack I fabbed up last week. Works perfect.

http://picasaweb.google.com/itzoomz/MS6BikeRack#5239050737326127138
Thanks for the pictures. I hope to get something set up soon. No good stuffing the bikes in the trunk!

I think I asked in a post above about what type of shop would be comfortable fabbing or adapting an existing rack to the MS6. Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks.

[rainking]

What happens when you fit a Draw-Tite p/n 24775 ( = Hidden-Hitch #60846 = Reese RP-77152) for a Mazda 6 to your Mazdaspeed 6?

Answer (short): It works! Sort of. Kind of. Need lots of tools. Welding skills a plus. (beer)


Answer (medium): Good grief. Some notes below.

See attached image and not the six "arms" -- three pair of brackets ... something like that.

1. The two arms that bolt to the bumper bracket cross-bar just about fit. Not quite though. Grind receiver bracket bolt holes (enlarge in one direction .. forget which ... inward or outward) or fabricate work-around.

2. The two wings that bolt to the rear frame ends almost fit. Not quite though. Cut and weld extensions into place.

3. The two arms that extend back to the spare tire wheel well will not line up. Not close. Angles are off in a most peculiar way .. and the the MS6 spare tire well appears to be deeper than the Mazda 6. Cut and weld extensions into place.

Surprise!

Next thing to address is the fact that the hitch and exhaust are on planes that place the rear tire tray on my Yakima Hookup bike rack in a position to melt. (cryhard)

I suppose pictures are in order. Shortly.

Oh yes. The lower fascia with the super trick exhaust trim needed a little trimming.

( It would be really terrific if all of you who can't stomach the thought of hitch on the MS6 took a chill pill. I am good with it ... and the MS6 fun factor has not diminished. )

[speed6_dude]

Why do you not wanna do a bike rack on top of the car? A buddy of mine has a integra gsr that has a thule bike rack on it... looks so cool! I almost did it to my speed but i dont like riding bikes so no need for the rack!

[andrewhoover]

Did you get a chance to take some pictures of the hitch? I'm also interested to know your opinion about whether or not the hitch would be strong enough to handle a motorcycle and lightweight trailer...i.e. is the whole thing about as strong as it is supposed to be or is it weakened because of the modification? Thanks in advance.

[Killer]

bye bye warranty is something breaks.

[rainking]

bye bye warranty is something breaks.
This is simply not true.

I will give a *real* world example involving a MS6 in 7-10 days.

[rainking]

Why do you not wanna do a bike rack on top of the car? A buddy of mine has a integra gsr that has a thule bike rack on it... looks so cool! I almost did it to my speed but i dont like riding bikes so no need for the rack!
I carry a bike on the back of my car a *lot* and it's just far, far simpler to use a hitch rack. I have had all kinds of bike racks on all kinds of cars and trucks. Nothing, IMHO, beats the latest generation of hitch racks .. the ones with the wheel trays like the Thule T-2 and Yakima HoldUp.

Advantages:
o The wheels stay on the bike
o The car is aero
o No slamming bikes into the garage, etc.
o No mud on roof
o No worries about putting a bike on the roof
o No worries about mud and debris falling from bike on to roof
o ...

Disadvantages:
o Hitch receiver

It would be really, really hard for me to use a roof rack as my primary bike rack. That's how awesome these wheel-tray hitch racks are for regular use.

The roof racks do look sporty though!

[rainking]

Did you get a chance to take some pictures of the hitch? I'm also interested to know your opinion about whether or not the hitch would be strong enough to handle a motorcycle and lightweight trailer...i.e. is the whole thing about as strong as it is supposed to be or is it weakened because of the modification? Thanks in advance.

The primary mounting points are to the bumper and to the frame. These four points were barely modified. The holes in the manufactured rack need to be enlarged in different directions. It's not so bad. The frame-mounted points look flimsy, so adding a plate to reinforce here is a good idea. This can be done after checking the fit after grinding or cutting.

The hitch is made more stable using the wings to the spare tire well. These are the ones that did not line up well at all.

I would have no worries about towing.

If the four mount points to the bumper (2) and the end of the frame (?) rail (2) can be enlarged by grinding, then you have done most of the work. The attachments to the wheel well needed the big work (welding). I don't think new holes would have worked, let alone a lot of grinding.

These (linked) pictures are from this morning (10/25/08). I will take more pictures when I can slip a floor jack under the car. Hope to capture better details and show broader perspectives.

A bunch of shots of the hitch receiver mount points on a MS6 (http://rapidshare.com/files/157450201/MS6_HitchReceiver.rar.html)

[Killer]

This is simply not true.

I will give a *real* world example involving a MS6 in 7-10 days.

Planning on breaking something?(rofl2)

[mal_tiempo]

Planning on breaking something?(rofl2)

I was about to say...lol. Don't think you wanna give a "real world example" dude.

[Killer]

(bump)

[Killer]

This is simply not true.

I will give a *real* world example involving a MS6 in 7-10 days.

Still waiting....(cricket)

[InlineTwin]

My CX-7 hitch looks like it might fit the MS6. I am not about to try it on my MS6; that's why I bought a CX-7. But someone else interested...may prove good results.

[rainking]

Sorry for the delay. How about a MS6 clutch replaced at 20K miles per the TSB? Hitch receiver on the car. 'nuff said. As time permits, I will scan the paperwork for the h8rs.

Added: Hope to scan the docs by the end of the coming weekend: 11/15-16.

[rainking]

Background (fast & loose w/ specifics):
San Francisco Bay Area.
New Owner, Used 2006 MS6 @ approx. 19K Miles.
Early MS6 (VIN is very low).
Clutch was a *big* problem.
Ride to live (not live to ride).. bicycles.
Hitch Receiver added to MS6... customized Mazda 6 pre-fabbed part.
No towing... using a hitch-mounted bike rack.

Post-Hitch Receiver Installation:
Visited dealer to program keys.
Bicycle rack was on the car.
Inquired about the clutch.
The Service Manager agreed there was a problem.

The clutch was replaced (see attached). The flywheel was loose!?

The only comment that was ever made about the car was with respect to the flywheel being loose. "Hard driving?" was the query after the fact. Actually, the car was never driven hard because the clutch was so darn awful to use.

The new clutch is over-the-top excellent. The car is so much more fun to drive. It is so easy to use the clutch, a new driver could learn how to handle a stick (manual tranny) with this car.

The work order / receipt has been edited for privacy reasons. Of course, you can always find me by looking for a MS6 with a hitch-mounted bike rack.

For good measure, it is worth noting that the clutch replacement was for exactly the reasons stated in the TSB. This car was a pain to drive. It was fun, but now it is a blast.

Everything here is on the up & up. The Service Manager was extraordinarly professional and a pleasure with which to do business.