Advice - trailer hitch or roof rack

H

hdsomeday

Well-known member
Site Supporter
Forum Sponsor
I need more room for camping stuff and have been debating if I should get a roof rack or a trailer hitch and use one of those cargo carriers with it. In the future I may get a small (8' or 10') tent trailer but that's not in the cards this year. Research and phone calls have told me that there is only one roof rack that will work on my car and its about $400 (Yakima QTower). A hitch installed is also around $400. I have an 09 Pontiac G6, 4 door sedan, 3.5L V6

I'm not sure if my car, as is, would be able to tow a tent trailer. It would be handy to have a little utility trailer occasionally though.

Since the costs are about the same for both what would y'all recommend?
 
I'd say trailer. You're not limited by the load capacity of your roof, which is typically very small. Check U-Haul.ca as they had installation of a trailer hitch and wiring system on my car for $270 all in. You must have a lot of gear, my buddy and I took a 10 day road trip (camping at times) through the East Coast and everything fit into the trunk in his G6 coupe. 2 tents, chairs, laptops. sleeping bags, ets...anyway just checked on U-Haul. Trailer + wiring kit for your car is $330 all in.
 
I have both a hitch (with a 4x8 folding trailer and bike rack) and roof rack (setup for two bikes and a canoe). I don't have and won't use one of those cargo carriers that go in a hitch. The forces are just all wrong for the hitch, it is only a matter of time before it breaks.

Any hitch for your car will likely take a 1.25" square tongue, any off the carriers I have seen need a 2" tongue. Can you even get a cargo carrier that fits your car?

Roof Rack
Advantages
Better for long things (ie. windsurf boards)
Cheap to convert to new vehicle (new qclips cost me $60)
Convenience, most summers it lives on the car so it's always with me.

Disadvantages
Cost (buy used and the price becomes reasonable, mine was ~$850 new, bought used for $200 and then bought the Qclips for $100)
Fuel Economy (bikes on rack are the worst, just plain rack is ~5 percent down)
Limited weight capacity (most cars are rated for about 75 lbs on the roof, the rack weighs half that) Obviously most people ignore this and load the crap out of it.
To carry small things, you need additional parts (bag/box). The boxes cost a fortune, the bags scratch your roof.


Hitch
Advantages
Can pull trailers when you need to move lots of stuff (or really big stuff)
I normally have just a tongue/ball in to inflict damage on those that suck at braking
Bikes on the back aren't crushed when you forget about them and drive into the garage.

Disadvantages
On a normal day, it doesn't add any cargo capacity
Adds zero to resale value of car (maybe subtracts), can't be used on next car

If you have some mechanical inclination (or know someone who does) order your hitch from hitchdepotusa.com They want $180 for your hitch with tongue and ball and $20 for the harness (in case you want to pull a trailer). I ordered hitches for 2 vehicles from them for ~$400 and the install took less than an hour to do both. No customs BS, the price in the cart was the price I paid.

http://hitchdepotusa.com/Lookup/rear/2009/Pontiac/G6/Sedan

If I only had one system, I would say the hitch and harbour freight trailer is the best combination.
 
Last edited:
Since roofs are safety structural supports on cars built now-a-days and roof racks are designed to take advantage of that, a lot of weight can go up there. With a roof rack you can get weatherproof cargo containers.

On the other hand a hitch may be useful for other things. Note you have to add the cost of a hitch carrier to the cost of the hitch. And weatherproof bags or container.

FWIW I have a roof rack on my car because there was no hitch option. I'm happy with it, it works well and is quick to put on and take off. If you do go with a rack, make sure you put some clear protective film underneath where the rack pads go to protect the paint.
 
Last edited:
The hitch is $160 from uhaul. It bolts on with basic tools. Get that and get a carrier from Princess Auto with an adapter. I have used one many times with no problem.

I would rather use that than a roof carrier due to wind drag wasting my gas.
 
hdsomeday said:
I need more room for camping stuff and have been debating if I should get a roof rack or a trailer hitch and use one of those cargo carriers with it. In the future I may get a small (8' or 10') tent trailer but that's not in the cards this year. Research and phone calls have told me that there is only one roof rack that will work on my car and its about $400 (Yakima QTower). A hitch installed is also around $400. I have an 09 Pontiac G6, 4 door sedan, 3.5L V6

I'm not sure if my car, as is, would be able to tow a tent trailer. It would be handy to have a little utility trailer occasionally though.

Since the costs are about the same for both what would y'all recommend?
Click to expand...
trailer Hitch at U-Haul is less than 300 and if you decide to buy a trailer you are already set
 
Another vote for trailer hitch - i didn't read your question fully, but a hitch is easily hidden when not in use, doesn't affect gas mileage (aside from the added weight of what you're carrying, a roof-rack affects mileage when NOT in use!), and if you're handy you can save $150 by installing it yourself.

I put a class III hitch on my prelude by myself - just had to get some spacers made to clear the rear lip. I use it to carry bicycles.

A class III hitch will only hold ~200lbs (called "tongue" weight), but can tow a 2000lb trailer. I've seen guys pull motorcycle trailers with a class III hitches mounted on civics (~800 lbs), so it probably can pull a light tent trailer.
 
Sounds like it will be the trailer hitch.

Not sure about U Haul though, I haven't heard great things about them. And what does this mean......

Freight charge
Free if installed after 8/5/2013.

Available on 7/31/2013 for $277.63.


If I want it before 8/5/2013 I have to pay an extra $277.63 ???
 
It looks like you'd have to pay to speed up shipping. My guess would be $30 or so. 277 should be the price after August 5
 
Id recommend you get a hitch and install it yourself, its not that hard and you know that you have done it right. When i was looking at getting a hitch i went to uhaul and the hitch wasn't the one i was looking for, and the guy who was the "installation expert" didnt even speak english and looked homeless :lmao:

Here's a place in cambridge, they ship for free and you'll have your hitch/wiring within a couple days.

Hitch http://www.canadianhitches.ca/shop/curt-trailer-hitch-12333/

Wiring harness http://www.canadianhitches.ca/shop/curt-t-connector-56013/

$171 $22 = $193 + tax $220 at your door , i just saved you $180 bucks :D

Its pretty easy to install, just google and there should be a step by step video somewhere.
 
You sure you're not talking about a class II? I dont know anybody who makes a class III for a sedan, Class III is body on frame vehicles only. The load capacity mentioned is also the standard Class II rating.

your 3.5V6 will have no issues towing the max a class II hitch will bear. My 3.0L maxima pulled a 1200lbs rated HF trailer loaded to the tits with shingles, i'm sure 100% i went over the 1200lbs rating. The car towed it fine.

Kri$han said:
Another vote for trailer hitch - i didn't read your question fully, but a hitch is easily hidden when not in use, doesn't affect gas mileage (aside from the added weight of what you're carrying, a roof-rack affects mileage when NOT in use!), and if you're handy you can save $150 by installing it yourself.

I put a class III hitch on my prelude by myself - just had to get some spacers made to clear the rear lip. I use it to carry bicycles.

A class III hitch will only hold ~200lbs (called "tongue" weight), but can tow a 2000lb trailer. I've seen guys pull motorcycle trailers with a class III hitches mounted on civics (~800 lbs), so it probably can pull a light tent trailer.
Click to expand...
 
hdsomeday said:
I need more room for camping stuff and have been debating if I should get a roof rack or a trailer hitch and use one of those cargo carriers with it. In the future I may get a small (8' or 10') tent trailer but that's not in the cards this year. Research and phone calls have told me that there is only one roof rack that will work on my car and its about $400 (Yakima QTower). A hitch installed is also around $400. I have an 09 Pontiac G6, 4 door sedan, 3.5L V6

I'm not sure if my car, as is, would be able to tow a tent trailer. It would be handy to have a little utility trailer occasionally though.

Since the costs are about the same for both what would y'all recommend?
Click to expand...

If your car is an automatic, the transmission will have to work harder and this means it will run hotter. You may want to check with your mechanic or auto trans shop to see if additional cooling is needed. I would definitely plan on replacing the fluid more frequently if you do any amount of towing. Heat is the enemy of a transmission.
 
K1200RS said:
If your car is an automatic, the transmission will have to work harder and this means it will run hotter. You may want to check with your mechanic or auto trans shop to see if additional cooling is needed. I would definitely plan on replacing the fluid more frequently if you do any amount of towing. Heat is the enemy of a transmission.
Click to expand...

doesnt hurt to toss in a transmission cooler
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom