Tow Hitch

[rporter]

As a recap, I got with the Tech folks at Hidden Hitch. First tech person gave a clue as to why there's no LGT Wagon listing, just sedan and Outback. She said something about they understood the Outback was the wagon, and the Legacy was the sedan! Next level guy didn't see any reason why it would be an issue, as they had not changed anything on the hitch. Anyway, I got it at hitchmart.com, who has free shipping (probably the same final price at e-trailer) and it's supposed to show up tomorrow.

[Joe05GTMT]

Can someone post the subi part numbers for the outback hitch and wiring? Also, how much did you pay Subaru for it (without installation). Thanks, Joe

[Alex1]

how much can the leggy sedan 2.5 gt ltd pull.... i have a small 16 ft sea ray with a 60 hp merc. engine on it and a small trailer.... we pull it wit my dad's cayenne or my mom's mini van... i wonder if i could pull it too?

[DKB_SATX]

[quote name='Alex1']how much can the leggy sedan 2.5 gt ltd pull.... i have a small 16 ft sea ray with a 60 hp merc. engine on it and a small trailer.... we pull it wit my dad's cayenne or my mom's mini van... i wonder if i could pull it too?[/QUOTE] It's rated at 2700 lb, 200 lb tongue weight but if you're not great w/ a clutch I'd be careful... could get real stinky real fast pulling a boat up a ramp, even a light one. The tow rating is a quote from the manual. DKB

[rporter]

Installed the Hidden Htch in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn I'm staying at this past afernoon (the curb height is perfect for raising the back end up!) Trip to the AutoZone next door got me a rachet, extension, and 17mm & 3/4" sockets ($20 worth, probably cheaper than paying someone else to do it, and I have more tools!), and the tire iron works great for getting the rubber muffler hangars off & on. As long as your can play "contortionist", it isn't a bad job (as MrVvrroomm indicated) doing it yourself. Only glitch I have is that the bolt & plate for the tow hook don't line up to get the bolt in with the small plate (tight fit in there). I've been hitting the grinder at work tonight to trim it a bit, so we'll try it again tomorrow. If it still doesn't go, a regular grade 8 bolt and big washers should work. This just seems to be one of those "manufacturing tolerances" thing (both car & hitch). I also ordered the power converter & wiring kit (to the battery), but those will be done later I get home with my own garage & tools. It hangs a bit lower than I would have liked, but there really isn't much other way to do it.

[NHLEG]

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO confused!!! rporter and MrVvrroomm both say part 90756 fit the Legacy 2.5GT wagon (Mr.Vvrroomm shows it too), but I just spoke to Dean, an engineer at HiddenHitch, and he says it will NOT fit the wagon, just the sedan and they have tested it. What is the truth here!!! rporter says it is close, not perfect. MrVvrroomm says it is perfect (pic's look GREAT as well). HiddenHitch says it will NOT fit. ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!

[rporter]

[quote name='NHLEG']I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO confused!!! rporter and MrVvrroomm both say part 90756 fit the Legacy 2.5GT wagon (Mr.Vvrroomm shows it too), but I just spoke to Dean, an engineer at HiddenHitch, and he says it will NOT fit the wagon, just the sedan and they have tested it. What is the truth here!!! rporter says it is close, not perfect. MrVvrroomm says it is perfect (pic's look GREAT as well). HiddenHitch says it will NOT fit. ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!![/QUOTE] Bottom line...it fits. Dean is fulla crapola. They could NOT have tested it. Actually, I think the just cloned the Subaru hitch & instructions, and developed the workaround for not havng to remove the heat shields (someone posted a PDF of the Subaru instructions awhile back). I talked to two Hidden Hitch techs, a woman and a man (don't recall their names). Hidden Hitch is, for whatever reason, under the impression that the Outback is the wagon, the Legacy is the sedan, and any other models are not the same. Even the instructions say that. We know better. I told my story as I installed mine under very adverse conditions, and it was easy. If I were at home, with my tools, ramps, and an extra set of hands, the whole install would have taken less than 30 minutes. And this would have included using my drill to hog out the rear hole in the hitch a bit. Stuff like this can be expected. The instructions for the Outback (hole placement, spacers, etc) are exactly the same for the Legacy wagon. There's no more to say about it. It fits...it works.

[c-lo]

makes complete sense to me!! sedan/wagon have pretty much the same set up in the ars end. I'm getting it!!

[ikonomore]

Has anyone wired the trailer lights themselves? If so, what kit did you get? Thanx, j

[computrnerd]

My dealer says that they'll install the Outback hitch on my Legacy wagon but not hook up the wiring and that it's for bikes only, not anything heavier. They say that the bracing is different in the Outback wagon from the Legacy wagon. Does anyone out there have experiences to confirm or deny this ?

[rporter]

[quote name='ikonomore']Has anyone wired the trailer lights themselves? If so, what kit did you get? Thanx, j[/QUOTE] I haven't installed it yet, I'll wait until I get home in a week or so. I installed the hitch in the hotel parking lot so I could move a sub-250# utility trailer this weekend. Anyway, I bought the Powerline Smart Converter (10 amp) # 31824, and the Powerline Wiring Kit # 31827. For the size trailer (and the number of lights) that you can haul with this hitch (the drawbar only accepts a 3/4" shank for a 1 7/8" ball), the 10 amp should be more than adequate. The $10-more 20 amp coverter handles a lot more lights than a lighter trailer would have.

[rporter]

[quote name='computrnerd']My dealer says that they'll install the Outback hitch on my Legacy wagon but not hook up the wiring and that it's for bikes only, not anything heavier. They say that the bracing is different in the Outback wagon from the Legacy wagon. Does anyone out there have experiences to confirm or deny this ?[/QUOTE] Oh boy, this topic will go on forever!!! ;-) The Outback and the Legacy are both rated for 2,700#s from the factory, there is NO difference in the tow rating. The aftermarket htches will tell you 3,500#s, but that is the standard weight for a Class II hitch. FWIW, in the distant past, I've had Class 1 hitches on cars (rated at 1,000#s) and used to haul a 2,000# ski boat with zero ssues. Why won't they hook up the wiring...too complicated for them?? If you aren't willing to do it yourself (it's pretty easy!) get the hitch installed by someone who will also do your wiring.

[3tones]

I just ordered the hitch originally mentioned from etrailer. I went to [url="http://www.hidden-hitch.com/productdetail.asp?partno=90756&yearfrom=2005&vehicleid=5505"]http://www.hidden-hitch.com/productdetail.asp?partno=90756&yearfrom=2005&vehicleid=5505[/url] Which took me to [url="http://www.etrailer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=E&Product_Code=90756&Category_Code=H"]http://www.etrailer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=E&Product_Code=90756&Category_Code=H[/url] To order the hitch. I also found the wiring harness, part number L1010SS030 from subaru parts. [url="http://www.subaruparts.com/cart/?pn=L1010SS030"]http://www.subaruparts.com/cart/?pn=L1010SS030[/url] I am going to roll my own connection, cuz the price is a little steep. I don't know for sure that this part number is the correct wiring harness, so don't blame me if it doesn't work. I'll let you all know how the install goes.

[rporter]

[quote name='3tones'] To order the hitch. I also found the wiring harness, part number L1010SS030 from subaru parts. [url="http://www.subaruparts.com/cart/?pn=L1010SS030"]http://www.subaruparts.com/cart/?pn=L1010SS030[/url] I am going to roll my own connection, cuz the price is a little steep. I don't know for sure that this part number is the correct wiring harness, so don't blame me if it doesn't work. I'll let you all know how the install goes.[/QUOTE] I'm curious as to how much etrailer charged for shipping? I got the same hitch for $154 from Hitchmart with free shipping, http://www.hitchmart.com/$spindb.query.hitchinfo-2.hitchview.90756 and etailer is $140 with shipping charges, I assume. What do you mean by "roll your own" connection? The Subaru part is more than the etrailer or hitchmart modules (which are $50-60), but not that much more. You realy want a setup with a relay that runs off the battery, as modern cars don't like having the taillamp circuits driving the trailer.

[rporter]

[quote name='rporter'] I told my story as I installed mine under very adverse conditions, and it was easy. If I were at home, with my tools, ramps, and an extra set of hands, the whole install would have taken less than 30 minutes. And this would have included using my drill to hog out the rear hole in the hitch a bit. Stuff like this can be expected. [/QUOTE] An update to the hitch install. I got home late last week, and dug out the drill to hog out the hole to fit the bolt through the tow hook, but I didn't need to....it dropped right through!! In thinkng about it, about a week ago I was pulling out of a restaurant at night. I slightly missed the driveway out and dropped off a curb, which caught the rear part of the hitch. Made a bunch of noise, but no visible harm. Turns out that also lined up the rear hole for the bolt! If, when installing a hitch, someone else has the same issue with getting the rear bolt to line up, I wouldn't suggest finding a curb to hit, but you might try jacking up the rear of the hitch with a floor jack. May not even need to get the car off the ground, as it could give you enough movement to get the bolt to drop through the hole. My spacing was very close, as just the bolt threads were hanging up, preventing it from dropping through.

[3tones]

Well, I got my hitch. More about the install [url="http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12576"]here[/url]. I havn't done the wiring yet, but I am going to use relays and a seperate power source.

[3tones]

Attention MrVvrroom: Where did you put the spacers on your hitch install? Did the hitch go above or below the tow hook? I'm trying to iron out the differences in installations... see [url="http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12576"]my install documentation[/url].

[rporter]

For a Moderator: This whole thread should probably be moved to the Exterior/Aesthetic topic.

[rporter]

[quote name='3tones']Attention MrVvrroom: Where did you put the spacers on your hitch install? Did the hitch go above or below the tow hook? I'm trying to iron out the differences in installations... see [url="http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12576"]my install documentation[/url].[/QUOTE] FWIW, I put the four spacers (for the four bolts) between the hitch and the frame.

[SBT]

[quote name='rporter']For a Moderator: This whole thread should probably be moved to the Exterior/Aesthetic topic.[/QUOTE] Agreed, moved to Exterior/Aesthtic forum. SBT

[danbart]

Just looked at the suby site and they have a trailer hitch listed as an OEM part for the Lagacy GT Wagon for $217.93 [url]www.subaruparts.com[/url]

[SBT]

Checking [url="http://www.subaruparts.com"]www.subaruparts.com[/url], I didn't see a specific hitch application for the Legacy GT. I did see an application for the Outback Legacy which I think is their way of distinguishing between the Legacy-based Outback and the Impreza Outback "Sport". The P/N from the site is L101SAG000 which on other sites, just indicates a Subaru trailer hitch. Did I miss something on the subaruparts.com site? SBT

[caramall2]

Anyone installed the drawtite from etrailers.com? (The hidden hitch doesn't even come up when you look for LGT wagon).

[caramall2]

SHIPPING FROM ETRAILER IS APRX $12 (I'm in the midwest; I haven't purchased it but went through the steps to check shipping on the drawtite)

[Opie]

I just installed the Subaru Trailer hitch fro the 2005 Outback on my wife's Legacy 2.5i Wagon without any issues. Fits perfect, is not very visable and came with everything I would need (minus a trailer ball) in one package. Took me about an hour to install. Came with: Hitch, drawbar & lock pin, hitch cover and a plug & play wiring harness, new exhaust gaskets and all the hardware necessary.