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Custom built hitch for Evo X (hidden during normal use)
Aug 24, 2009, 12:42 PM
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SOLD: Custom built hitch for Evo X (hidden during normal use)
Hello All,
As a lot of you know, no one makes a proper hitch for the Evo X. I wanted to be able to use a hitch-mounted bike rack and possibly tow a small tire trailer with my Evo X, so a few months ago I set out to design one. I have now sold my Evo X, so the hitch is available for sale. I'll describe how it was built.
First, I ordered the Hidden-hitch model that lists the new Ralliart as a fitment as they use the same exhaust and rear subframe, hopeful that it would work for the Evo as well. Unfortunately, it won't fit either the Evo or new Ralliart, and they obviously have mistaken the new Ralliart with the old version that shared the exhaust with the base Lancer. The crossbar wants to be right in the middle of the muffler canister, and the brackets come down right in the middle of where the exhaust tips go.
Since I had the exhaust off and a proper aftermarket hitch handy I took all of the measurements and began designing a hitch that would fit. I modeled it after the material usage and construction techniques of the Hidden Hitch/Draw-tite brand aftermarket hitches so that it would be reasonable to expect it to be at least as strong/capable as those.
The spacing is actually very nice and there is perfect room to mount the crossbar so that it goes behind the muffler, between it and the rear bumper cover. The bumper cover has cut outs on the bottom side where the brackets extend downward almost like it was made for it. It's an amazingly clean installation.
I used the same mounting points that the aftermarket hitch used, which are the points where the tow hooks are mounted on the Evo X. Thus, it mounts to known solid points using factory hardware. The aftermarket hitch used only two bolts per side, but I designed it to use all three on the left side and all four on the right for additional support. When I mounted it I left the tow hooks off under the theory that in a pinch the hitch itself would be a good place to strap onto, and that the tow hook brackets were pretty heavy, so leaving them off kept the weight pretty close. However, you should be able to mount them along with the hitch if desired.
I wanted the system to be easy to use but completely hidden in normal daily driving. Thus, I positioned the receiver tube so that it cam out right behind the license plate. When the plate is on the car you can not see the hitch at all. When using the hitch, I found it was easiest to unscrew the plate and mount it off to the side, only using one set of the mounting holes. You could put it in the window too. The stock rear valance has a nice "vented" section behind the plate. In the center of these vents there are two support ribs running conveniently on each side of the location for the receiver tube. This allows you to cut the vent ribs out between the supports. This is the only non-reversible modification that needs to be made to the car, but it is behind the license plate. I used a sharp X-Acto knife to cut mine.
As I mentioned, I had it built using the same material types, thicknesses, and support techniques as used by the aftermarket hitch companies. I used a Draw-tite brand receiver tube and safety chain ring. The brackets and crossbar were professionally milled to exacting tolerances and the entire unit was tacked in place on the car to ensure proper positioning before being finished welded by a professional welder. It was then primed and painted with rust-resistant primer and paint in satin black.
As I used the stock tow-hook mounts which are obviously intended to support stress from the factory, and the same materials and construction as aftermarket type-I hitches available for other cars, I think that it is reasonable to assume that it should meet the same capacity as those hitches. Thus, I would assume that it should be fine with up to 200lbs of tongue weight and pulling a maximum total trailer weight of 2,000lbs. However, obviously the lighter the better. Also, I must state that I don't warrant or guarantee anything other than that it will fit on a stock Evo X.
The installation takes roughly 20 minutes. You need a jack, two jack-stands, a ratchet and two sockets. I believe that they were 12mm and 14mm. You put the rear of the car on jack stands, unbolt the two bolts holding the muffler to the mid-pipe and slide the muffler off of the rubber hangers. You then remove the tow-hooks on each side of the car and retain their mounting bolts. Cut out the center section of the vent ribs on the bumper cover, and then simply bolt the hitch on using the bolts from the tow-hooks. Re-install the muffler and you are done. One tip - a little WD-40 or other spray lube on the rubber muffler hangers makes it easy to slip them off. The rest is easy.
In the end, I only used it once when I took my BMX bike to the track. A few weeks after it was completed my wife and I bought a Jeep, which took over bike hauling duties. It was on the car for two to three months and maybe 1,000 miles. Thus, this is the only proper custom built hitch for an Evo X that I am aware of and it is in like-new condition ready to be bolted up.
Setting a value for this is obviously a bit difficult. The Hidden Hitch hitch for normal Lancers is $180. The factory hitch for the STI's that they sell in Europe are $850. AMS rigged up a hitch by cutting out a section of the rear bumper beam and welding a receiver tube into it. They offered to sell it to me for a total of $660 plus the exchange of my factory rear bumper beam (I didn't like the idea of affecting the safety or function of the rear bumper and wanted something that could be easily removed so I passed). I have a total of ~$100 in materials into it plus close to $1,000 in labor between the design, prototyping, milling, machining, and welding. So, I'm not sure how to set a value on it.
Given the above, I'm going to offer it for $500 shipped within the US. If you can come to my garage in Racine, WI I'll install it for you at that price. Please let me know if you are interested or have any questions. I have had a lot of PMs in the past when I have mentioned that I had this built, so I'll have to give it to the first person to speak for it and send payment through PayPal within a reasonable time-frame.
I have uploaded a bunch of pics of it from various angles here: http://gallery.me.com/jwa#100171
Here are a couple quick pics showing the final result:
As a lot of you know, no one makes a proper hitch for the Evo X. I wanted to be able to use a hitch-mounted bike rack and possibly tow a small tire trailer with my Evo X, so a few months ago I set out to design one. I have now sold my Evo X, so the hitch is available for sale. I'll describe how it was built.
First, I ordered the Hidden-hitch model that lists the new Ralliart as a fitment as they use the same exhaust and rear subframe, hopeful that it would work for the Evo as well. Unfortunately, it won't fit either the Evo or new Ralliart, and they obviously have mistaken the new Ralliart with the old version that shared the exhaust with the base Lancer. The crossbar wants to be right in the middle of the muffler canister, and the brackets come down right in the middle of where the exhaust tips go.
Since I had the exhaust off and a proper aftermarket hitch handy I took all of the measurements and began designing a hitch that would fit. I modeled it after the material usage and construction techniques of the Hidden Hitch/Draw-tite brand aftermarket hitches so that it would be reasonable to expect it to be at least as strong/capable as those.
The spacing is actually very nice and there is perfect room to mount the crossbar so that it goes behind the muffler, between it and the rear bumper cover. The bumper cover has cut outs on the bottom side where the brackets extend downward almost like it was made for it. It's an amazingly clean installation.
I used the same mounting points that the aftermarket hitch used, which are the points where the tow hooks are mounted on the Evo X. Thus, it mounts to known solid points using factory hardware. The aftermarket hitch used only two bolts per side, but I designed it to use all three on the left side and all four on the right for additional support. When I mounted it I left the tow hooks off under the theory that in a pinch the hitch itself would be a good place to strap onto, and that the tow hook brackets were pretty heavy, so leaving them off kept the weight pretty close. However, you should be able to mount them along with the hitch if desired.
I wanted the system to be easy to use but completely hidden in normal daily driving. Thus, I positioned the receiver tube so that it cam out right behind the license plate. When the plate is on the car you can not see the hitch at all. When using the hitch, I found it was easiest to unscrew the plate and mount it off to the side, only using one set of the mounting holes. You could put it in the window too. The stock rear valance has a nice "vented" section behind the plate. In the center of these vents there are two support ribs running conveniently on each side of the location for the receiver tube. This allows you to cut the vent ribs out between the supports. This is the only non-reversible modification that needs to be made to the car, but it is behind the license plate. I used a sharp X-Acto knife to cut mine.
As I mentioned, I had it built using the same material types, thicknesses, and support techniques as used by the aftermarket hitch companies. I used a Draw-tite brand receiver tube and safety chain ring. The brackets and crossbar were professionally milled to exacting tolerances and the entire unit was tacked in place on the car to ensure proper positioning before being finished welded by a professional welder. It was then primed and painted with rust-resistant primer and paint in satin black.
As I used the stock tow-hook mounts which are obviously intended to support stress from the factory, and the same materials and construction as aftermarket type-I hitches available for other cars, I think that it is reasonable to assume that it should meet the same capacity as those hitches. Thus, I would assume that it should be fine with up to 200lbs of tongue weight and pulling a maximum total trailer weight of 2,000lbs. However, obviously the lighter the better. Also, I must state that I don't warrant or guarantee anything other than that it will fit on a stock Evo X.
The installation takes roughly 20 minutes. You need a jack, two jack-stands, a ratchet and two sockets. I believe that they were 12mm and 14mm. You put the rear of the car on jack stands, unbolt the two bolts holding the muffler to the mid-pipe and slide the muffler off of the rubber hangers. You then remove the tow-hooks on each side of the car and retain their mounting bolts. Cut out the center section of the vent ribs on the bumper cover, and then simply bolt the hitch on using the bolts from the tow-hooks. Re-install the muffler and you are done. One tip - a little WD-40 or other spray lube on the rubber muffler hangers makes it easy to slip them off. The rest is easy.
In the end, I only used it once when I took my BMX bike to the track. A few weeks after it was completed my wife and I bought a Jeep, which took over bike hauling duties. It was on the car for two to three months and maybe 1,000 miles. Thus, this is the only proper custom built hitch for an Evo X that I am aware of and it is in like-new condition ready to be bolted up.
Setting a value for this is obviously a bit difficult. The Hidden Hitch hitch for normal Lancers is $180. The factory hitch for the STI's that they sell in Europe are $850. AMS rigged up a hitch by cutting out a section of the rear bumper beam and welding a receiver tube into it. They offered to sell it to me for a total of $660 plus the exchange of my factory rear bumper beam (I didn't like the idea of affecting the safety or function of the rear bumper and wanted something that could be easily removed so I passed). I have a total of ~$100 in materials into it plus close to $1,000 in labor between the design, prototyping, milling, machining, and welding. So, I'm not sure how to set a value on it.
Given the above, I'm going to offer it for $500 shipped within the US. If you can come to my garage in Racine, WI I'll install it for you at that price. Please let me know if you are interested or have any questions. I have had a lot of PMs in the past when I have mentioned that I had this built, so I'll have to give it to the first person to speak for it and send payment through PayPal within a reasonable time-frame.
I have uploaded a bunch of pics of it from various angles here: http://gallery.me.com/jwa#100171
Here are a couple quick pics showing the final result:
Last edited by JWA; Aug 30, 2009 at 05:38 PM.
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