Recommended Trailer Hitch And Wiring For 2011 Honda Odyssey

Question:

I am very interested in one of your trailer hitches and have read many of the testimonials about the ease of installing a hitch. What I am not reading, is how well the hitch works with a small pop-up trailer and a 2011 Honda Odyssey minivan. I have read about some scraping on driveways, but again most of the comments have been for people putting a bike rack on the hitch. Can you shed some light as to whether your hitch will work with a pop-up trailer? Note this pop-up is a small 16foot when opened and only my wife and I with camping gear inside the van. Thank you.

asked by: Nick A

Expert Reply:

That's a very good question. With a hitch being installed on a vehicle and the receiver tube sitting below the rear bumper, entering a driveway can cause the bike racks or what ever is attached to the hitch to scrape. Although there are no guarantees, there may be ways to help prevent some of that. Many things can cause scraping when attaching items to the hitch, like degree of incline, hitch height from the ground, height of trailer from the ground, etc.

The trailer hitch I recommend for your 2011 Honda Odyssey is the Draw-Tite Max-Frame Trailer Hitch Receiver, part # 75270. This is a Class lll hitch and has a 2 inch receiver opening. I have attached a link to an installation video for this hitch on a 2012 Odyssey. The installation should be very similar.

I recommend the Curt Class III Drawbar, part # C45270. This is a long drawbar which is great because it helps make sure you clear the rear bumper of your Odyssey when attaching hitch accessories. With this extended ball mount the distance from the center of the hitch pin hole to the ball hole is 13 inches. This ball mount features a 2 inch rise or a 4 inch drop.

If you need a 1-7/8 inch diameter hitch ball I recommend part # C40051. For a 2 inch hitch ball I recommend part # 63845. You will also need a hitch pin and clip like part # C21500.

If you do not have a trailer connector on the back of your Odyssey I recommend the Tow Ready Custom Wiring harness, part # 118521. This simply plugs into the location points in the rear cargo area and gives you a 4-way connector. I have attached a link to an installation video for this harness on a 2011 Odyssey you may want to take a look at.

When working with electrical connectors I recommend using dielectric grease like part # 11755. This keeps dirt and moisture out of the electrical connections and helps prevent corrosion.