2012 mazda 5 rear tow hitch installed

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cdnballer

Member
:
2012 Mazda5 GS w/ Convenience package
Went camping this past weekend and needed to tow a trailer with 3 canoes on it.

I had mechanic install hidden hitch tow bar. Some drilling was required but he did a wonderful job doing it the right way and cutting the hole just big enough for bolts to go in. Electricals had to be run all the way to battery and fuse box because the supplier brought the wrong wiring harness part (other kits allow you to simply tap into rear brake lights and turn signals).

The 5 was loaded with me and passenger, 80 lb inflatable boat, 60lb spare car battery, couple coolers full of alcohol/meat, camping bags and other tidbits along with pulling the trailer. I'm guessing trailer was around 35 lbs and canoes about 50-60 lbs each.

Car had absolutely no issues moving everything along in back country roads at near highway speeds. Not sure what all the fuss is about with car "not able to tow". the tranny shifted just fine and smooth, engine chugged along perfectly well, brakes held up fine. Just accelerate slowly, give yourself more time to brake and car is just fine. I'll post pics later.
 
20150630_180938.jpg
20150630_180946.jpg


Please feel free to ask any questions.
 
Awesome! I've been towing with my '07 for years! And no there is no issue towing with a 5. In the UK, (same car, smaller engines)) they are rated to tow 1300 lbs). The only issue may be if you are still under warranty and something breaks while you're towing... Mazda could say it happened because you were towing... it's the chance you take.

Just a couple notes... Even with the proper kit you still have to run a wire to the battery with an in-line fuse... ran mine through the interior to keep it out of the elements. Also, not a huge fan of the connector permanently located under the car the way you have it, constantly exposed to the elements. I have mine located in the left compartment of the hatch where the jack is. When I want to use it (which is maybe 6 times a year), I just run it out and through the hatch, closing the hatch door on it... the rubber seal around the door is thick enough and the wires thin enough that no damage is done. Last note... looks like the installer maybe cut the end off of your receiver?? The end is usually covered by the black corrosion resistant paint, but yours is shiny like the paint was ground off or the receiver was cut? Any particular reason for this?
 
I left the electricals outside cause I didn't want to close the hatch on it and risk breaking the cable. I'm not exactly the cautious type.

Not sure what you mean by the end of the receiver. Do you mean where the nuts/bolts are mounted to frame? If so, he just sprayed it with oil to prevent corrosion. I haven't had time to run out and get some paint to paint/spray area.
 
cdnballer said:
I left the electricals outside cause I didn't want to close the hatch on it and risk breaking the cable. I'm not exactly the cautious type.

Not sure what you mean by the end of the receiver. Do you mean where the nuts/bolts are mounted to frame? If so, he just sprayed it with oil to prevent corrosion. I haven't had time to run out and get some paint to paint/spray area.
Click to expand...

No problem... I mean the actual very end of the reciever... the hole you shove the ball mount into (ha!)... was just curious as it looked cut/shiny, maybe it's just the photo.
 
Hi! I've yet to post in these forums, but thought I'd share after doing some searching about hitches and our car.

The Mazda 5 can only have a Class I hitch with a 1.25 receiver from what I've read.

I just installed a hitch on our 2010 Mazda 5 GT after wanting to bring our bikes along on our road trip to Quebec this summer. After much research, I learned everything from types of hitches (Class I, II, etc) and tongue weight. My hitch I bought is rated for 2000 LBS towing and 200 LBS tongue weight.

Bike and hitch companies I've spoken with recommend only TWO bikes attached to a Class I hitch, such as one I installed. However, after connecting our four bike carrier to the hitch, weighing each bike, I came up with this calculation result:

Bike ((35 LBS) X 4) + Hitch (25 LBS) = 165 LBS. Which leaves me 35 LBS, give or take.

Unless I did my weighing incorrectly, I think I will be okay with four bikes.

Thoughts?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lk3m7lyraod2uvz/2015-07-29 19.58.29.jpg?dl=0
 
You have to take into account how far the weight is from the receiver. 35# around 2' or so out is a lot of leverage.
 
We drove to Quebec City area and back and everything went ok. Nothing of any consequence. Have to do a full inspection later this week. What do you mean by: "...35# around 2' or so out is a lot of leverage."?
 
I think he means that since the bikes on the rack are sticking out a lot, they apply a lot of leverage on the hitch.

Here are just 2 bikes, but you get the idea:
2011-10-02-103249.jpg


Palanca-ejemplo.jpg


~165 pounds sticking out 2 feet from the receiver are actually applying MORE than 200lbs on the hitch. Over time this may cause some issues to the hitch/frame.
 
iLabmAn said:
We drove to Quebec City area and back and everything went ok. Nothing of any consequence. Have to do a full inspection later this week. What do you mean by: "...35# around 2' or so out is a lot of leverage."?
Click to expand...
did you use push pin or anti sway pin (screw in) on the bike rack?


Hitch class rating is a rule of thumb with some built in tolerance. Notice tongue is aways 10% tow weight. There are a few variables that influence if it works or not. Fact that this car is built on an economy unibody platform is what cocerns me the most.
https://www.etrailer.com/faq-how-to-determine-trailer-tongue-weight.aspx
 
I used the push-pin.

Thanks for all the advice.

I collapsed one bike and stored it in the back of the Mazda 5 while the three other bikes were affixed to the bike carrier. After reviewing this post and other related ones about hitches, tongue weights etc, I opted to only mount a MAX of 3 bikes on the carrier. Thoughts?

There was still a lot of room for luggage. I will try placing two bikes in the back and only sticking with two bikes on the carrier. Sad, seeing that I was really hoping to carry the bikes using a hitch mounted rather than the old three-bike trunk mounted carrier I had.

Silentnoise713 said:
did you use push pin or anti sway pin (screw in) on the bike rack?


Hitch class rating is a rule of thumb with some built in tolerance. Notice tongue is aways 10% tow weight. There are a few variables that influence if it works or not. Fact that this car is built on an economy unibody platform is what cocerns me the most.
https://www.etrailer.com/faq-how-to-determine-trailer-tongue-weight.aspx
Click to expand...
 
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First and foremost, I HIGHLY recommend (require) that you use an anti-sway pin if there’s 1) lot of leverage (rack + bike extend far out) or 2) lots of tongue weight (example: 4 adult mountain bikes). It is when using a push pin when both 1 and 2 are meet that you are asking for trouble. The anti-sway pin keeps the weight from bouncing around. Image 4 heavy ass bikes that is extended far out AND bouncing up and down/ left and right… The leads to stress on the mounting points where the hitch is attached to the car. This is where the “economy” chassis becomes a concern for me. The gauge of the frame is not very strong (HOW the rack is mounted is important). The rear end is not reinforced and not a body-on-frame (referred to as real trucks) that can take on a lot of weight. Push pins should be used for towing weight as in something that sits on its own axle. It sounds like the bike rack you have uses a 2” to 1.25” adapter (since it is capable of carrying 4 bikes) but the adapter end does not come with threading for anti-sway mount.

The Mz5 only have 2 hitch options (HH/DT (same), Curt). Actually, it is technically 4 b/c they were redesigned for the two different Mz5 generations. When buying a hitch, take note of HOW (wide or narrow base) the hitch is mounted to the chassis and WHERE it is mounted (far or close to the hitch adapter point). Ideally you want a wide base and one where the mounting points are close to the adapter – unfortunately none exists.

I’m using a +’12 Curt + Softride Dura Assist + Rola adapter + bar stock + heli coil = :)
I’ve only carried 2 adult hybrids + 2 kid bikes so nothing really heavy yet. One of these days I'll add my two roof rack carriers just to take a pic of 6 bikes( but I need to get bikes from somewhere. Isn't that why they made this thing seat 6!?(bike)

I do intend to turn the thing into a tire tail when I feel the need to fix my rims. The Softride rack offers a fantastic base to do some stupid.. err cool, stuff.



That said, no one can say if 3 bikes will/won't work for you...
 
Thanks very much for the response and details. We hit some bad weather on the way back from our trip and there was a lot of bounce and play from the carrier: I hope I didn't cause any damage! The carrier fit in the 1.25" receiver without an adapter, so I thought the fit would be more snug. There is a strap that extends from the carrier to the roof/rear hatch door which helped off-set the load a little bit, but having something to control lateral motion would be best. I've yet to use the carrier since our trip two weeks ago and will look into the anti-sway pin you noted, but do they work with every carrier? The carrier I have is made by SportRack and is a four-bike, 1.25' carrier. Thanks again.

I am using a Reese carrier: http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/autom...t&utm_source=AskAndAnswer&utm_content=Default

Gauging from how the bumper bar is mounted to the frame, I can see what you mean: https://www.dropbox.com/s/o6cgudja86fkk1e/2015-08-22 21.44.00.jpg?dl=0
 
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Jus installed the HH hitch last week, used the hitch tray and rola bag instead of my roof box. Couldn't even tell I had anything on the car. Averaged 29 mpg in highway/traffic, now to find the right bike rack (has to hold girls/kids bikes).
 
Komodo693 said:
Jus installed the HH hitch last week, used the hitch tray and rola bag instead of my roof box. Couldn't even tell I had anything on the car. Averaged 29 mpg in highway/traffic, now to find the right bike rack (has to hold girls/kids bikes).
Click to expand...

Superstrut 1 1/2' beam clamp at Home Depot. I'm giving this a shot to stop the hitch receiver from ratting. It's worth a try for $4 bucks.hitch.JPG
 
iLabmAn said:
Thanks very much for the response and details. We hit some bad weather on the way back from our trip and there was a lot of bounce and play from the carrier: I hope I didn't cause any damage! The carrier fit in the 1.25" receiver without an adapter, so I thought the fit would be more snug. There is a strap that extends from the carrier to the roof/rear hatch door which helped off-set the load a little bit, but having something to control lateral motion would be best. I've yet to use the carrier since our trip two weeks ago and will look into the anti-sway pin you noted, but do they work with every carrier? The carrier I have is made by SportRack and is a four-bike, 1.25' carrier. Thanks again.

I am using a Reese carrier: http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/autom...t&utm_source=AskAndAnswer&utm_content=Default

Gauging from how the bumper bar is mounted to the frame, I can see what you mean: https://www.dropbox.com/s/o6cgudja86fkk1e/2015-08-22 21.44.00.jpg?dl=0
Click to expand...
I did not know Reese made a hitch for the Mazda5. Is this hitch model specific or a universal hitch made to fit? Can you post some pics of where and how it is mounted to the car?? I hope this is not simply mounted to the bumper beam. Generally speaking, Reese makes junk based soley on poor welds... But they may have other quality stuff I'm not aware of.

This may be of interest to you if you want a simple/easy solution: buy a 1.25” or 2” hitch receiver and have a shop weld it onto the bumper – done :p
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123831570-The-elusive-2”-receiver-hitch&highlight=


I’m not familiar with Sportrack racks but I see they go the opposite way. All of their racks use 1.25” hitch bar and uses an adapter to convert to 2” when needed. I don’t like that they give you a stabilizer strap instead coming with an anti-way kit (fancy term for threaded adapter + bolt), which usually comes with a lock so you can leave the rack on the car. The lack of these leads me to believe this is a low end rack.

Regarding anti-sway kit, you can add it to any 2” hitch adapter (b/c 2” hitch bars are hallow so the anti-sway kit goes inside) but not 1.25” (b/c 1.25” are solid steel so you can’t ‘insert’ a device). The Softride comes with an anti-sway kit w/ lock that I wanted to retain so what I did was buy a helicoil kit that is threaded for the Softride anti-sway kit and tap the 1.25” opening to fit a helicoil, which in turn fits the locking anti sway. I also use a Rola adapter. In short, you have to DIY (or pay a shop). Not sure how heavy the Sportrack + bikes were but I don’t think there’s much damage in your case. This also depends on the roads where you trekked too (bounciness level).
Rola.jpg
 
Komodo693 said:
Jus installed the HH hitch last week, used the hitch tray and rola bag instead of my roof box. Couldn't even tell I had anything on the car. Averaged 29 mpg in highway/traffic, now to find the right bike rack (has to hold girls/kids bikes).
Click to expand...

Picked up the HH hitch a couple weeks ago.
But all of my existing accessories are of the 2in variety. (Bike rack & tray)

Bought a 2in receiver pipe.
Paid a local welder to knock off the 1.25in receiver and weld the 2in receiver in it's place.

Installed and used the tray to go visit the grandparents over the holidays. Packed a soft rooftop carrier and strapped that to the tray (mostly the collapsed dog kennel plus two sleeping bags, football, soccer ball, two scooters, two bike helmets, couple odds and ends - about 100 - 125 lbs - I was able to life and maneuver it rather easily). As mentioned, couldn't tell it was there and got great gas mileage.

Hitch: $107 from Amazon
2in receiver tube: $20 from Amazon
Free shipping because Amazon Prime
Welding: $70
Installed it myself in about 30 minutes (15 minutes was drilling that one hole larger and painting it to keep it from rusting).

IMG_2062_small_zpsijog4g05.jpg

IMG_2066_small_zpskzhf7lnq.jpg


Thinking about getting one of those Harbor Freight 4ft trailers and mounting a Sears X-Cargo hard roof top carrier I have to it for larger loads, if we ever need to.
 
As far as towing with a 5 is not the hitch rating, it is the mechanics of the vehicle that concerned me. I prefer a RWD, vehicle with separate transmission and oil coolers and larger brakes. This said I have never towed less than 2000 lbs either, I own a truck that is used when I need to tow. Those days may soon end since when it is time to replace the truck something with more passenger space may be needed.

This said I have been considering a hitch for a bike rack. Sadly the rack I have would require an adapter for a class II hitch. For two kids 20 bikes how well does this work for the van? Is it worth the cost of the hitch?
 
I use a bike rack on my golf, can not beat it. Put the hitch on, don't use for towing, but, bike rack and you will be happy.
 
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