Class II Ball Mounts and Bike Racks Will Not Fit a Class I Trailer Hitch on a Mazda 5

Updated 05/01/2014 | Published 04/28/2014

Products Featured in This Question

Draw-Tite Sportframe Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class I - 1-1/4"

(93)

$190.80

Draw-Tite Drawbar for 1-1/4" Hitch - 2-1/8" Rise, 2-3/4" Drop - 9-3/4" Long - 2K

(2328)

$32.46

Question:

The installation of the hitch receiver went very smoothly, and we were very happy with the product. However, this spring when we went to install our bike rack for the first time, it would not fit all the way into the receiver. I then tried a drawbar, and it had the same problem. It hits something inside the receiver. You can see this on the right side just beyond the hitch pin hole. It makes the drawbar or the bike rack stick out about 1/4inch more and the hitch pin cannot go into the holes. What can we do?

asked by: Joe G

Expert Reply:

The trailer hitch you have, # 24874, is a Class I trailer hitch. The accessories you are trying to use must be Class II accessories and will not fit. That tab inside the shank is a safety stop. It is there to prevent you from overloading the Class I hitch which could damage it or the vehicle. We started pointing this out on all of the Class I trailer hitch product pages, see picture, after numerous comments from customers having the same problem.

The correct ball mount for this hitch and a Mazda 5 is # 3592. On Class I and II hitches you are supposed to use the ball mount recommended by the hitch manufacturer otherwise it can void the hitch warranty.

For bike racks you will need to use Class I compatible racks only and you are limited to a maximum of 2 bikes. Class I trailer hitches are not built to support the stress associated with additional bikes further away from the receiver. I have included a link to all of the compatible 2-bike racks for you to view.

expert reply by: Michael H