Well fiddle dee dee...

MacMcMacmac

MacMcMacmac

Failed Hedonist.
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I ordered a trailer hitch for my Chrysler 200 off of Ebay since I was having zero luck finding anyone local who had one for sale. "None in stock, could be two weeks, could be two months. Or never..."

Nothing extravagant, just a class I for fetching small things like appliances...(dead bikes...cough..cough....)

I found a Chrysler OEM hitch for a reasonable price in Wisconsin. It looked like they were being blown out for cheap-ish, which is not surprising for a car that wasn't a big seller and hasn't been on the market for 4 years.

i received it last week and went to install it today, only to find.....

20210725_102455.jpg
20210725_102545.jpg


"not to be used for towing..."

Well, that's useful then. Turns out, it's a receiver for a Thule bike carrier rack, for which I have absolutely zero use.

Here's the ad:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1541078059...927110&hash=item23e18a80f0:g:Ui8AAOSwn0FgAIBZ

Now, technically, the ad never states it's a trailer hitch, just a hitch, and the Mopar product number is there for searching, so I realize I have pretty much zero recourse in terms of getting my money back, since it stated "no returns", but to me, it seems more than a little dishonest not to tell people exactly what it is they are buying. This item comes up in the "Chrysler 200 Hitch" search. I guess i needed to put "trailer" in the search. $200 down the crapper with exchange and shipping thrown in. I think the Gods are telling me I need to break open my wallet and buy a new bike for once.

The "mend and make due" in me has me pondering welding in a proper receiver in the proper orientation, since the mounts and end plates are as sturdy as the ones on the proper hitches, and the loads will be light and local. Pisses me off when it seems like you need a pair of iron underwear and a lawyer to read the fine print every time you try to deal with sellers.. There's a reason Ebay has become my last resort when trying to source things.
 
have local shop cut and rotate and weld? I have a "bike carrier" hitch on my Prius V, (cuz Prius is not rated to pull a trailer) came with the proper receiver orientation. Has towed the bike trailer at least 3,000 miles so far. Went under car/hitch and looked around a couple weeks ago before a long tow, all still good.
After a trip home to Wisconsin from South Georgia
prius trailer wjl madness.jpg

PS check at Etrailer they are reputable.
https://www.etrailer.com/hitch-2016_Chrysler_200.htm
 
Last edited:
MacMcMacmac said:
I ordered a trailer hitch for my Chrysler 200 off of Ebay since I was having zero luck finding anyone local who had one for sale. "None in stock, could be two weeks, could be two months. Or never..."

Nothing extravagant, just a class I for fetching small things like appliances...(dead bikes...cough..cough....)

I found a Chrysler OEM hitch for a reasonable price in Wisconsin. It looked like they were being blown out for cheap-ish, which is not surprising for a car that wasn't a big seller and hasn't been on the market for 4 years.

i received it last week and went to install it today, only to find.....

View attachment 195352 View attachment 195353

"not to be used for towing..."

Well, that's useful then. Turns out, it's a receiver for a Thule bike carrier rack, for which I have absolutely zero use.

Here's the ad:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/154107805936?fits=Model:200|Make:Chrysler&epid=1932927110&hash=item23e18a80f0:g:Ui8AAOSwn0FgAIBZ

Now, technically, the ad never states it's a trailer hitch, just a hitch, and the Mopar product number is there for searching, so I realize I have pretty much zero recourse in terms of getting my money back, since it stated "no returns", but to me, it seems more than a little dishonest not to tell people exactly what it is they are buying. This item comes up in the "Chrysler 200 Hitch" search. I guess i needed to put "trailer" in the search. $200 down the crapper with exchange and shipping thrown in. I think the Gods are telling me I need to break open my wallet and buy a new bike for once.

The "mend and make due" in me has me pondering welding in a proper receiver in the proper orientation, since the mounts and end plates are as sturdy as the ones on the proper hitches, and the loads will be light and local. Pisses me off when it seems like you need a pair of iron underwear and a lawyer to read the fine print every time you try to deal with sellers.. There's a reason Ebay has become my last resort when trying to source things.
Click to expand...

Hi Mac,
protect your $200 investment with 2 sawcuts, 2 reinforcement inserts, 2 90º turns & 2 weids
 
I really don't see how that original was useable for anything including a bike carrier which all slide in horizontally like any other hitch.
 
I know there was a huge hole in your lives without closure on this, so I figured I'd just tie up loose ends:

https://www.amazon.ca/Genuine-Chrys...ild=1&keywords=82209615&qid=1627570334&sr=8-1

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Weird setup all round. I guess it has something to do with not banging your shins every time you use the trunk. Who knows? That's what you get for buying an American car with a German name, based on an Italian design. My brake calipers have Alfa Romeo embossed on them.

Not too keen on the double pins, but it'll do. The sad part is there have hardly been any bikes on the market this summer that I'd be tempted to get.

I will certainly have the most expensive not suitable for towing towing hitch of any 200 on the road by the time all the bits are here.
 
I can't tell from the picture (or sketch) if there are provisions for safety chains. You'll want them to attach to the car's frame, in the unlikely event the hitch itself gets ripped from the frame... :yikes: At least you won't lose the trailer (we hope) o_O
 
Thank you Jim, for your yeoman effort. You have easily recreated the many hours of design work ChryCo put into this hitch. :laugh:.

Chains are another matter. I have no idea where they will be attached. Maybe loop them up around the main beam? I guess I can have some loops welded on. Welding is one skill I wish I had. I couldn't put an arse on a cat when it comes to metal joinery. I was going to put a 220V sub panel in the garage and start trying with a cheap mig setup but I figured I`d stink up the house and piss off the neighbours. Although they don`t seem to mind showing up at 5AM in their unmuffled riceboxes with the music thumping.:rolleyes:
 
Well after a lovely day of riding the bike I was feeling good. Proper time to install this bitch, I mean, hitch. My cordless tools were making fast work of the fasteners, as the road salt had yet to work its devilry on the underside of my car. I had the muffler hangers disconnected and the muffler supported on my motorcycle lift and was about to fish the carriage bolts and backup plates through the frame rail.

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The carriage bolts.... carriage bolts...

I didn`t even get mad.

I sighed and buttoned up a few things before putting the tools away.

I`m a half hour out of Ottawa, the hardware stores are likely not open at 5pm on a long weekend Saturday in my town. What to do....then I remembered Peavey Mart down on the highway. It`s like TSC in Canada, in fact, it was a TSC up until a few months ago. Long shot if its still open but what the hell, it`s on the way to the beer store. So I grab a nut and plate from the hardware kit and head out, promptly getting stuck behind some old guy in a Santa Fe determined to go 10 under the limit. I don`t know where he was going but his path took him right up to the store entrance before continuing on. FFS...

Anyhow, I find a selection of carriage bolts and nothing seems to fit. I have a sneaky suspicion...yup, it`s my old nemesis the 7/16" bolt. 7/16. Seven BLOODY sixteenths. Of course Peavey Mart doesn't stock them. I don't blame them, In fact, I even commend them for unconsciously hastening the demise of this bastard sized fastener. I have been wrenching things for a living on and off for close to 30 years and I can count on one hand the number of things using 7/16" bolts. Webster compressors come to mind, and that dead company out of London Ontario seemed to have been bent on putting itself out of business for some time before they finally went belly up in the late 80s. Any bolt for which the corresponding nut may or may not have an equal hex size needs to be cast into outer darkness. I tried a 3/8" and the square just spun around inside the plate. A 1/2" fit in the square perfectly, and I'd rather go bigger than smaller, so I bought four bolts, nuts and screws. Hopefully they fit through the frame rails ok.

Now I'm drinking a beer.
 
Ahhhh…the famous Sh!t Magnet.

As an old chief engineer once said, “sometimes you’re the dog and sometimes you’re the fire hydrant”.

Pete
 
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