StowAway Cargo Box Receiver and Hitch Guide
There are a number of capacity limitations and
hitch-related issues to keep in mind when
determining whether a StowAway2 Cargo Carrier will
work with your vehicle. This document is a
comprehensive guide to:
1)
Tongue Weight Capacity
2)
Hitch Classes
3)
Hitch Sizes
4)
StowAway2 Hitch Compatibility
5)
Hitch Converters
6)
Hitch Extenders
7)
Installing a Hitch on Your Vehicle
8)
For Additional Information
For information about accommodating rear-mounted
spare tires and ladders, please refer to our Spare
Tire Clearance Guide. For information regarding
our Towing model or towing-related issues, please
refer to our Towing
Guide. Links to these guides can be found in the
FAQ section.
1) Vehicle Tongue
Weight Capacity
When determining whether a StowAway2 Cargo
Carrier will work with your vehicle, the first issue
to consider is Tongue Weight Capacity. Tongue Weight
Capacity refers to the maximum vertical weight that
a vehicles frame can support in a normal driving
environment.
Knowing your vehicles Tongue Weight Capacity
is important because StowAway2 Cargo Carriers
generally sit as close to your vehicles rear
bumper as possible and therefore apply a significant
amount of vertical weight to your vehicles frame.
Shorter, lighter vehicles tend to have lower
Tongue Weight Capacities while larger, heavier
vehicles tend to have higher Tongue Weight
Capacities. To determine your vehicles Tongue
Weight Capacity, consult your owners manual or
contact your manufacturer or dealer. A quick way to
roughly estimate your vehicles Tongue Weight
Capacity is to divide your vehicles Towing Weight
Capacity by 10.
2) Hitch Classes
Why do you need to know your Vehicles Tongue
Weight Capacity? Because it is an important factor
in determining the receiver hitch class that
automobile manufacturers will install and recommend
for use with their vehicles.
Trailer hitches are commonly divided into five
classes, based upon the strength and size of the
vehicle they are intended to be used on. Hitches
range from Class I (Light Duty Hitches) to Class V
(Extra-Heavy Duty Hitches). The most common
factory-installed hitch sizes on SUVs, Vans and RVs
are Class III (Heavy Duty) and Class IV (Heavy
Duty). Many smaller SUVs come equipped with Class II
(Medium Duty) hitches.
The following chart shows the Tongue Weight
Capacities that different hitch classes are designed
to support.
| Hitch Class |
Tongue Weight Capacity |
| Class I |
200 lbs. |
| Class II |
250 - 350 lbs. |
| Class III |
350 - 500 lbs. |
| Class IV |
500+ lbs. |
Check your owners manual or contact your
dealer to confirm the class rating of your
factory-installed hitch. If youre considering
installing an after-market trailer hitch, please see
Section 7 below for more information.
3) Hitch Sizes
Hitches are sometimes identified by size rather
than class. Hitch size refers to the inside diameter
of a vehicles hitch receiver opening. Class III
and Class IV hitches have a diameter of 2 inches,
thus they are often referred to as 2 inch
receivers. Class I and Class II hitches generally
have a diameter of 1 inch, thus they are often
referred to as 1 inch receivers.
Note: Some manufacturers fabricate Class I and II
hitches with a 2 hitch opening to accommodate a
greater range of hitch accessories, so do not assume
that a 2 opening equates to a Class III or Class
IV receiver hitch.
Larger receiver openings will generally have
greater Tongue Weight Capacities and smaller
receiver openings will generally have smaller Tongue
Weight Capacities. Check your owners manual,
contact your dealer or simply measure your receiver
openings diameter to determine the size of your
hitch.
4) StowAway2 Hitch
Compatibility
Every StowAway2 cargo carrier and rack slides
directly into the hitch receiver that is mounted to
your vehicle. StowAway2 carriers are designed for
use with Class II (1 inch), III (2 inches) and IV
(2 inches) hitches.
The StowAway2 LT models are designed for use with
Class II (1 inch) hitches. These models are
intended for use on minivans and lighter-duty SUVs
and have a carrying capacity of 125 pounds. There is
a fixed frame LT model (Item #032.0) and an LT
Swingaway model (Item #032.1).
Besides the LT models, all other StowAway2
carriers and racks are designed for use with Class
III (2 inches) and Class IV (2 inches) hitches.
These carriers are intended for use on most SUVs,
RVs and Vans and have a carrying capacity of 200
pounds.
Models designed for use with Class III (2 inches)
and Class IV (2 inches) hitches include:
- Swingaway models
- Fixed Frame models
- Racks
Models designed for use with Class II (1.25 inch)
receiver hitch. 125 lb cargo weight capacity.
Swingaway Lite LT Swingaway
Bike Rack Fixed
Frame Lite LT cargo box
5) Hitch Converters
Hitch Converters are hitch accessory items
designed to change the size of the hitch receiver
opening. The most common hitch converter for use
with SUVs, Vans and RVs is the 1 to 2 hitch
expander. The 1 to 2 hitch expander
enlarges your hitch receiver opening from the
smaller 1 opening to the larger 2 opening.
Note: using a Hitch Expander does not
change the hitchs class rating or Tongue Weight
Capacity, it only changes the size of the receiver
opening. For this reason, we do not recommend using
a 1 to 2 hitch expander with any of our
StowAway2 carriers. Attempting to use such a
converter with one of our carriers could place undue
stress on your vehicles frame and/or hitch.
Another common hitch converter is the 2 to 1
hitch reducer. This converter shrinks the
larger 2 opening to the smaller 1 opening.
These reducers will allow you to safely use one of
our LT models on a vehicle with a 2 hitch
receiver opening.
6) Hitch Extenders
Hitch Extenders are hitch accessory items that
increase the distance between the back end of your
vehicle and the hitch receiver opening. Often, they
are used to accommodate rear-mounted spare tires and
ladders or to increase the turning clearance of a
towed vehicle. In general, we do not recommend using
a Hitch Extender longer than 7 in length under
any circumstances. For more information about Hitch
Extenders, see our Hitch Extenders Guide.
7) Installing a Hitch
on Your Vehicle
If you intend to purchase an after-market trailer
hitch, be sure to take into account your vehicles
Tongue Weight Capacity. It is important to avoid
purchasing and using a hitch that is designed for a
heavier duty vehicle than the one you plan to use it
with. A common misconception is that by placing a
Class III or IV (2 inch) hitch on a lighter-duty SUV
or even a car, the vehicle will be able to support
the Tongue Weight Capacity that these heavier-duty
hitches are designed to support.
This is an incorrect assumption that could very
easily place undue stress on your vehicles frame
and/or hitch if you were to max out your hitchs
Tongue Weight capacity. Your vehicles
Tongue Weight Capacity will not increase when you
install a hitch, even if the hitch is designed to
support a weight greater than your vehicles
Tongue Weight Capacity.
As a general rule, if your vehicles Tongue
Weight Capacity is between 200 and 300 pounds, only
consider purchasing and installing a Class II hitch.
If your vehicles Tongue Weight Capacity is
between 300 and 500 pounds, you can consider a class
III or Class IV hitch. If your vehicles Tongue
Weight Capacity is over 500 pounds, a Class IV hitch
would be best.
8) FOR MORE
INFORMATION:
Do you have a question about hitches,
hitch-mounted carriers, or one of the issues covered
in this document? Please email
with the subject line: Hitch Inquiry. In the
body of the email, be sure to include your full
name, your vehicles make and model, your
vehicles Tongue Weight Capacity, and any other
relevant information such as hitch class and size if
applicable. To speak with Customer Service
by telephone, please call 888-575-6652.