There's a hitch:
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I own a Mazda 3, and I also own a lightweight cargo trailer that my heavy equipment pal refers to as my "lunchbox trailer." The rare times that I use that trailer, it's generally full of coolers and sleeping bags and the entire thing probably weighs less than 500 pounds, gross.
It occurred to me that paired with our Mazda 3, for my typical use case, I'd have an efficient way to go camping, relative to taking on fuel in the Aspen, gas prices being what they are these days.
My Mazda 3 is a manual, which might be good or bad in this situation.
It looks like both Draw-Tite and Curt make a hitch for a Mazda 3 Sedan. It looks like the Draw-Tite doesn't hang down quite as low, which might be a plus.
What are your thoughts?
Master Chief Dingus
The entropy of my garage is always increasing.
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@Rusty-Vandura I put a hitch on my 328i mainly to tow a utility trailer so I wouldn't have to buy a truck. Its been 100% worth it so far.
the hardest part is often getting wiring for your trailer lights. I got a universal inductive adapter kit. its cut/splice free. but I do have to disconnect, and re-set it occasionally. https://www.carid.com/tekonsha/zci-zero-contact-interface-t-connector-mpn-119250.html?view=863293&gclid=CjwKCAjwxZqSBhAHEiwASr9n9L9AmtKnTG4_CJ9iU1KD2tbWuSoN5OKsPfFaUjYjkjXYbhzrBdoNiBoCoBYQAvD_BwEComin' in first, never in last
'Cause my car too fast (Zoom, zoom) -
@Rusty-Vandura It's possible that those photos are just a sample and not actually indicative of what they look like for your application. I'm thinking this because their mounting brackets are very very different. I would look at the installation instructions and see if either requires drilling or modifying the the vehicle structure at all, and if one does I would not choose that one. Best to use factory holes and mounting points whenever possible.
I suspect this will work out just fine for you. I wonder if anyone else is towing with their 3, and what they might be getting for fuel economy or adverse reliability issues, if any.
2022 Defender
2023 Ducati Desert X -
@Rusty-Vandura This is a good idea. Do it!
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@Rusty-Vandura less power than a Mazda 3 and these pull some crazy trailers around here.
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I had a Curt on my 2014 3 Hatch with the 6 speed manual and 2.0L. It pulled a few things just fine. I'd be leering about tongue weight, but flat towing another tiny car, worked fine.
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This is a good plan, check out what U-Haul have to offer too. They typically have very competitive hitches and installation because they have a vested interest in you towing their trailers.
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@Rusty-Vandura I've been quite pleased with any CURT hitches I've owned. Not sure if it's any lower since the draw tite seems to have the drop in the crossbar instead. But, like @AMGtech mentioned it might not even be representative.
I had a hitch on my Saturn LW200 and it was fine. I don't expect you'd do any worse on your mazda.
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@Italia said in There's a hitch::
@Rusty-Vandura less power than a Mazda 3 and these pull some crazy trailers around here.
I like that trailer. In the US, COVID market, that would trailer would cost like $12,000.
Master Chief Dingus
The entropy of my garage is always increasing.
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@AMGtech said in There's a hitch::
@Rusty-Vandura It's possible that those photos are just a sample and not actually indicative of what they look like for your application. I'm thinking this because their mounting brackets are very very different. I would look at the installation instructions and see if either requires drilling or modifying the the vehicle structure at all, and if one does I would not choose that one. Best to use factory holes and mounting points whenever possible.
I suspect this will work out just fine for you. I wonder if anyone else is towing with their 3, and what they might be getting for fuel economy or adverse reliability issues, if any.
That's a good point, and I noticed those differences myself. On the website, each one has a claim that no drilling is involved. My sense is that if driven gently, the Mazda ought to do just fine.
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@HFV said in There's a hitch::
@Rusty-Vandura I put a hitch on my 328i mainly to tow a utility trailer so I wouldn't have to buy a truck. Its been 100% worth it so far.
the hardest part is often getting wiring for your trailer lights. I got a universal inductive adapter kit. its cut/splice free. but I do have to disconnect, and re-set it occasionally. https://www.carid.com/tekonsha/zci-zero-contact-interface-t-connector-mpn-119250.html?view=863293&gclid=CjwKCAjwxZqSBhAHEiwASr9n9L9AmtKnTG4_CJ9iU1KD2tbWuSoN5OKsPfFaUjYjkjXYbhzrBdoNiBoCoBYQAvD_BwEYes, the wiring...
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@zipfuel said in There's a hitch::
This is a good plan, check out what U-Haul have to offer too. They typically have very competitive hitches and installation because they have a vested interest in you towing their trailers.
That's a good idea, though bolting on the hitch sounds like much fun...
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@ibRAD said in There's a hitch::
@Rusty-Vandura I've been quite pleased with any CURT hitches I've owned. Not sure if it's any lower since the draw tite seems to have the drop in the crossbar instead. But, like @AMGtech mentioned it might not even be representative.
I had a hitch on my Saturn LW200 and it was fine. I don't expect you'd do any worse on your mazda.
I'll get the mfr part numbers and check the installation instructions and product images. Thanks for the response.
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Check out eTrailer.com, I've ordered lots of stuff from them for various family cars (regular hitches, gooseneck hitch, brake controllers, truck helper airbags) and they have great prices, good customer service and not only manufacturer instructions but also in-house videos and customer pictures so you can see what it will look like installed. Really helpful in decision making.
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@estoril235 said in There's a hitch::
Check out eTrailer.com, I've ordered lots of stuff from them for various family cars (regular hitches, gooseneck hitch, brake controllers, truck helper airbags) and they have great prices, good customer service and not only manufacturer instructions but also in-house videos and customer pictures so you can see what it will look like installed. Really helpful in decision making.
I will definitely do this. Thank you for the suggestion.
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@Rusty-Vandura I went with a hitch from this site https://www.etrailer.com/vehicle-finder.aspx?HHCat=hitch&HHMake=Mazda&HHModel=3&msclkid=f70f41c54d4710e77ddb238264d16436&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Bing | Search - Trailer Hitch - Make Model - tROAS&utm_term=mazda 3 trailer hitch&utm_content=Trailer Hitch - Mazda 3 and I've been very happy with it, mine is mostly used for hauling bikes, but it can be used for towing. I think the towing limit on the 3 is 2000lbs.
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@Rusty-Vandura yeah my dad just sold his aluminum fishing boat for 24k. He paid 20k in 2002 when he bought it new. That's in CA but the boat is going to Montana.
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@estoril235 said in There's a hitch::
Check out eTrailer.com, I've ordered lots of stuff from them for various family cars (regular hitches, gooseneck hitch, brake controllers, truck helper airbags) and they have great prices, good customer service and not only manufacturer instructions but also in-house videos and customer pictures so you can see what it will look like installed. Really helpful in decision making.
Their price for the same hitches is significantly less expensive, as well. Thank you for the tip.
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The alternative is using a rooftop carrier which I have used for camping trips with my Fit.
Mind you I put the light stuff in the roof carrier and put heavier stuff like coolers in the trunk
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@Rusty-Vandura we tow a trailer with my wife’s Juke. Does just fine.
