Why Do Class III Hitches for 2018 Honda CR-V That Exceeds Vehicle's Towing Capacity

Published 05/08/2021

Question:

Why do you promote purchasing a Class III hitch, which far exceeds the towing capability of a 2018 Honda CR-V, instead of recommending a Class 1 hitch? I realize the receiver is 1 ¼ inch instead of 2 inches. Why would that be an issue since you are not suppose to exceed 1500 lbs?

asked by: Patrick B

Helpful Expert Reply:

Good question. There's a very good reason for that. Many if not most folks who purchase a hitch for a smaller vehicle like your CR-V don't use the hitch for towing, but as an attachment point for hitch mounted accessories like bike racks or cargo carriers.

Because there's a much larger selection of accessories available for the more common 2 inch receiver, we will typically recommend going that route versus a 1-1/4 inch receiver, if the option is available. There's usually not a big price differential between the Class I and III hitches, so why not go with the option that provides the most flexibility?

Also, it's fairly common for a hitch to have a higher capacity than the vehicle it's designed for. The hitches are capacity tested independently from the vehicle. If a failure should happen, the hitch manufacturers would rather their product not be the point of failure, because in all honesty not everybody will follow the vehicle's capacity limitations.

expert reply by: Mike L