# is it 2 inch hitch receiver stronger than 11/4 inch?



## Picard (Apr 5, 2005)

is it 2 inch hitch receiver stronger than 11/4 inch? 

I am undecided which one to install on the car.


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Yes. The 2" is stronger than the 1 1/4".


----------



## musikron (Jan 16, 2013)

Yes, BUT...
1 1/4" is capable of more than your transmission and suspension is likely able to withstand if you drive a sedan or compact. You need a full size truck (F150) or better to utilize the class II or III hitches (the 2" stuff).

Whats the intended purpose? Bike rack? Most (if not all) of those are 1 1/4" to begin with, and to fit them in a 2" hitch requires an adapter anyways. If on the other hand you drive a truck and want to tow a 4k lb trailer or a boat, then yes get a 2"class II or better. But for bikes, and light trailers under a ton (anything a car will ever be capable of towing) a class I (1 1/4") will be more than adequate. Also there are not many (again if any) class II hitches for cars (sedans) due to the reasons mentioned, the vehicle is just not up to such heavy duty jobs.


----------



## mfan (Feb 8, 2013)

The 1 1/4 hitch will limit you to carrying 2 bikes on most bike carriers. If you need to carry more than 2 bikes, get the 2"


----------



## Berkley (May 21, 2007)

Thule has several racks that will do up to 4 bikes on a 1 1/4" hitch. Most of them will also convert to 2" with an included adapter. 

Are you doing the install yourself? Some laces won't install 2" hitches on smaller vehicles (it's a liability thing).


----------



## Picard (Apr 5, 2005)

I just want to carry bikes. I am just thinking ahead of time.


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I get the whole Class 3 thing on smaller vehicles. I have a 2" on my Suburban, I also installed 2" on my wife's Sorrento. I know damn well the Kia can't tow anything sizeable. I just want to be able to put my 4 bike T-2 on it if I have to.


----------



## scanny (Feb 21, 2012)

I got 1 1/4" hitch in Ford Escape I owned once and I carried 3 bikes with no issues.


----------



## DennisF (Nov 4, 2011)

1 1/4" is plenty strong. I have towed 2000# with it. Our bike 4-bike rack is 1 1/4".

But I would base the decision on the capabilities of the vehicle, leaning towards 2". You never know what you may want to do with it in the future. 2" is the most popular, and you can always use 1 1/4" stuff with a bushing. But if you have 1 1/4 and need 2" you are out of luck.

OTOH I wouldn't put 2" on my subcompact


----------



## Silentfoe (May 9, 2008)

I put a 2" receiver on my 2013 Subaru XV. Several reasons why. I already have quite a few 2" hitches I could use, they are stronger and more stable, and four place bike racks work better in the 2" configuration. I put it on myself and it didn't cost me any extra so why not.


----------



## michaelscott (May 23, 2011)

Most 1 1/4 hitches (class I) are weighted for 2,000 tow and 200 Tongue Weight.

For towing bikes Tongue Weight is really what we should be concerned about. 200 pounds will be fine for rack + 2 bikes. Would probably be fine with 4 bikes if the rack and bikes aren't super heavy.


----------



## Silentfoe (May 9, 2008)

It's not about the weight, it's about the stability.


----------



## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Stability all the way. Much harder to stabilize a rack with a smaller stinger. Even with an adapter.

Bigger cross section of the stinger makes it easier to stabilize. Putting a 2" on our new xv soon. Will then put a 2" on my Honda Fit.


----------



## hankscorpio (Jun 20, 2012)

I disagree. If all you need is a two bike I'd go with a 1 1/4 so you dont have to deal with sway from the adapter going to a 2inch. 

You also have to look at tongue weight. 1 1/4 will probably tow most of what you want but the tongue weight is less then the 2 inch as well. I'm not sure about thule making a 4 bike rack for a 1/4. I'm pretty sure you have to have a 2inch which makes sense because you would really be pushing the tongue weight with a 1 1/4 with four bikes. 

Personally I use an 1 1/4 on my Forrester for my Thule doubletrack. No adapters, rack is solid, I love it. BUT...i dont ever need to carry four bikes, dont have a rack capable of it, and my car couldn't tow more then the 1 1/4 could handle anyway. 

Either way you will be fine, hitch racks of any size are the ideal way to transport bikes imo


----------



## wilks (Jan 15, 2004)

My hold up and nv racks are 2" no adapter.


----------



## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

NYrr496 said:


> Yes. The 2" is stronger than the 1 1/4".


Yeah, I say get the 2" if the option is there. You can always adapt it down.

Moar opshuns!!

The 1UpUSA rack can have up to 4 or 5 trays on it, and the 2" adapter is just an L shaped plate that bolts to the rack, so it bolts up pretty much the same... but the hitch receiver on your car can handle the extra weight of the added bikes.



NateHawk said:


> Stability all the way. Much harder to stabilize a rack with a smaller stinger. Even with an adapter.
> 
> Bigger cross section of the stinger makes it easier to stabilize. Putting a 2" on our new xv soon. Will then put a 2" on my Honda Fit.


Can you even get a 2" for a Fit? I couldn't find a 2" for my Audi A4s.

That said, I love having hitch receivers on my cars. Way handy. I got one of those small harbor freight trailers, and have been pulling appliances and furniture up my hill to the new house. I used to rent a pickup truck or small van to do this, which adds $75 and an extra two hours to rent and return it every time I need it.


----------



## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

My bad, the fit only has 1 1/4 avail. I would rather adapt it UP to 2" than adapt the xv down.


----------

