Hitch Adapter to Provide Rise for Better Thule Bike Rack Ground Clearance on 2015 Kia Sorento  

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Hitch adapters are available for the 1-1/4-inch hitch that is on your 2015 Kia Sorento. An adapter like the Brophy # HT5R fits into your hitch and provides a 2-inch (not a 1-1/4-inch) receiver opening that is 5-inches above the shank. This means additional ground clearance for your bike rack or other accessory, such as a cargo carrier like # C18145.

The thing with adapters is that they have the unavoidable side effects of 1) reducing your hitch's rated capacity by 50-percent and 2) the extra connection point tends to allow for more motion of the connected accessory item, in your case the loaded Thule bike rack. You might want to add a stabilizing strap like # 18050 to help reduce this random motion.

If your Thule rack is among those that can fit into both 1-1/4-inch and 2-inch hitches, such as their Hitching Post Pro # TH934XTR, then you can install it directly into the Brophy adapter. If the rack only fits the 1-1/4-inch hitch size then you'll also need to add a reducer sleeve # HT02. This will slide into the adapter to convert it's 2-inch receiver back down to a 1-1/4-inch.

Take note of the safety sticker on your hitch. This will indicate it's tongue weight (TW) capacity, which is downward force on the hitch. This weight rating will be cut in half by use of the Brophy HT5R. So if your hitch sticker says it's TW rating is 300-lbs for example, that immediately drops to 150-lbs. That 150-lbs must be enough for the combined weight of your bike rack and the weight of all loaded bikes.

If you'd like to add a hitch lock to secure the Brophy adapter to your 1-1/4-inch hitch use part # 5200.

expert reply by: Adam R

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