Hitch-Mount Cargo Carriers for the 2012 Honda Accord That Can Carry 250-lbs  

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Helpful Expert Reply:

We offer a number of hitch receivers for the 2012 Honda Accord. For reference, the link provided will take you to our main page for all hitches for your vehicle. All of these hitch receivers share a 1-1/4-inch receiver size and a Class I weight rating.

All also share a 200-lb tongue weight capacity. Tongue weight is the measure of the downward force applied on a hitch by whatever is connected to it, be it a trailer or a cargo carrier. In your case this 200-lb limit must include the weight of the cargo carrier itself plus the cargo loaded on it. If your two small dirt bikes together weigh 250 lbs on their own they will already be over the weight limit for the hitch. Given your vehicle and cargo load, a small trailer will be a better choice. I suggest you check your Accord owners manual for any guidance or restrictions regarding towing.

We do offer a range of trailers for full-size motorcycles, mobility scooters and personal water craft, but not the type of small basic utility trailer you might find at a local farm or home-improvement store. What we do offer can be seen on the link provided. For two youth-sized dirt bikes a small utility trailer would seem to be the ideal choice, both for cost and capacity.

As you shop for a trailer you will want to keep in mind the 200-lb tongue weight limit of your hitch (if you have a hitch already then its safety/warning sticker should indicate its tongue weight rating). A small utility trailer with the two 125-lb dirt bikes should not exceed the tongue weight capacity for the hitch. However, do please note that it does matter exactly how you load the dirt bikes, and also any other items such as a tool box or gasoline container, as the further forward the cargo is in the trailer the more tongue weight will be exerted on the hitch. I have linked an article concerning methods to measure trailer tongue weight that might be useful.

Once you select a trailer you will also need a ball mount and hitch ball to couple the trailer to your Accord.
You will want to select a ball mount with the appropriate rise or drop in height so that your trailer is level when hitched. The hitch ball needs to be the same size as the coupler on your trailer; typically the 1-7/8-inch size will be found on such trailers. I have linked our pages for both Class I ball mounts and 1-7/8-inch hitch balls.

If your trailer should happen to block the Accord tail lights then you will also need a lighting kit to keep your tow set-up street legal. If you already have a 4-pole flat trailer connector on the vehicle then you can simply plug in a magnetic light kit such as # TL21RK from Optronics. If your Accord does not have a 4-pole trailer connector you can use one of the custom-fit wiring kits shown on the link provided; you can use the drop-down menu at the top of the page to choose the vehicle version you have and see compatible plug-in trailer harnesses.

expert reply by: Adam R

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