Are More Parts Needed to Carry a Bike Rack Using Curt Trailer Hitch on a 2012 Jeep Liberty

Question:

I am interested in purchasing a hitch for my 2012 Jeep Liberty and I came across the Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class III - 2inch - 13245 on your website. First- will this hitch work with any hitch-type bike rack? Also, I am going to have someone install this for me, so when i buy it from you, is everything included that they would need for installation? Ive seen advertisements for hitch wiring kits, etc and i dont know what that is for. Thank you.

asked by: Jennifer

Expert Reply:

A trailer wiring kit is to power the lights of a trailer. Since you're going to be using the Curt hitch, part # 13245, for a bike rack and not to tow a trailer you won't need a wiring kit, or anything else. The hitch includes all of the hardware for installation and that's all you need. To mount the bike rack you could need a hitch pin, like # PC3, but that depends on the rack. Many have specific pins that work with the rack and a universal one won't work. It's likely you already have a hitch pin with the rack. If not let me know the model of rack and I'll see if we have one that will work for you.

The other factor is what size receiver the bike rack fits. The Curt hitch is a 2 inch by 2 inch Class III receiver. If the shank of the bike rack (the part that slides into the the Curt hitch) is 2 inches square then you're good to go. If it's smaller, then it'll be 1-1/4 inches square, and it will not fit into this hitch and you need a different one. If this is the case I recommend the smaller Draw-Tite, part # 36451.

If you're unsure of what you have or what your bike rack fits send me some pictures of it and I'll take a look at them.

expert reply by: Charles S