Class I Hitch Cargo Carrier for 2018 Toyota Prius Prime to Avoid Need for Using Hitch Adapter

Question:

can I use an adapter to fit my carrier on the wife's car that has a small hitch?

asked by: James B

Expert Reply:

Your MaxxTow Aluminum 2-Inch Hitch Cargo Carrier MT70108 could be used with a 1-1/4-inch to 2-inch hitch adapter like Brophy # HTAD or # HT5R but use of such adapters will cause you to lose half of your hitch's capacity. This loss comes from the actual load being moved further away from the hitch tube, which increase leverage on the hitch.

The 1-1/4-inch Class I hitches made for your 2018 Prius Prime, Draw-Tite # 24966 and Curt # C11473, have a 200-lb tongue weight (TW) rating which would become only 100-lbs if you used any type of hitch expanding adapter. Then you'd need to deduct the cargo carrier's own weight from that 100-lbs.

For this reason I recommend that you instead use a 1-1/4-inch Class I cargo carrier which will not require an adapter and NOT cause you to lose any of your hitch's rated capacity. All such carriers are shown on the linked page. Although none of these has aluminum construction (they are all steel for maximum strength) all will let you use the full 200-lb hitch capacity. If you want one that is lightweight you might like the Curt # C18145 which weighs about 28-lbs. This carrier also fits a 2-inch hitch. For a cargo net consider # C18200.

Keep in mind that the carrier's own weight counts against the hitch capacity. So before you load any cargo you need to account for the carrier's own weight. A 30-lb carrier means you end up with an actual cargo weight capacity of 170-lbs.