Local PNW shop now makes a hitch receiver for the 86. - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

ipsum · 01-28-2015, 03:40 PM

Hey guys,

Torklift Central, a company based out of Kent, WA now makes a hitch receiver for BRZ/FR-S.

The design is very similar to the one they make for WRX/STI hatch: http://ecohitch.blogspot.com/2014/09...u-impreza.html - see video there as well.

I have one on my car, and it looks/feels like a high quality product. The receiver adapter is removable, so when I'm not towing (99% of the time), no one can tell that my car can tow. Also, no drilling was required to install the hitch.

If anyone is interested I can take pictures.

I haven't tried towing yet since I don't have a trailer, but the receiver is rated to 100lbs tongue weight/1000lbs tow capacity by Torklift. I'm planning to tow my motorcycle to track days, so that should be plenty.

Torklift will be posting a blog entry with pictures/video of installation process soon.

253BRZ · 01-28-2015, 06:22 PM

I feel like a BRZ/FRS towing anything will look hillarious but it sure would be nice to be able to when needed.

evan · 01-28-2015, 06:37 PM

This will come in handy to tow your fellow 86 owner.

RobertPaulson · 01-28-2015, 06:42 PM

will be good for bike racks or a small trailer with tools and extra tires for track day

Gothenburg 07 · 01-28-2015, 07:28 PM

This is awesome! I had been driving my Outback for several years, but I traded it in for my BRZ, leaving me with no real way to transport my mountain bike. I've seen pictures of bikes fitting in the trunk, but it looks like quite the hassle, and I don't want to get the interior dirty or muddy. The other strap based solutions make me worry about paint damage. This looks like just the thing I need.

ipsum · 01-28-2015, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gothenburg 07

This is awesome! I had been driving my Outback for several years, but I traded it in for my BRZ, leaving me with no real way to transport my mountain bike. I've seen pictures of bikes fitting in the trunk, but it looks like quite the hassle, and I don't want to get the interior dirty or muddy. The other strap based solutions make me worry about paint damage. This looks like just the thing I need.

Yep, one bike fits in the trunk/backseat fine if you remove one or two wheels.
But I don't think fitting a second bike there would be possible, so a bike rack would be handy.

ipsum · 04-13-2015, 04:50 PM

So, a quick update:

Torklift made a blog post about the hitch for BRZ and then listed 4 reasons to get one installed. Both include pictures of my car

And here is a picture from this weekend:

The hitch worked great.

Sik7onE · 04-13-2015, 05:01 PM

Price reasonable? and did you have the lights for the trailer connected?

ipsum · 04-13-2015, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sik7onE

Price reasonable? and did you have the lights for the trailer connected?

Priced at $315 on their site.

I connected the trailer lights, used the 86-specific harness from Curt, but instead of wiring it to the battery, wired to the 12V plug by the cupholders.

bcj · 04-15-2015, 12:52 AM

Noice Bike!

TofuJoe · 06-12-2015, 10:14 AM

@ipsum - Just about ready to buy one of these to use with a bike rack. What is the ground clearance to the bottom of the hitch receiver? Any problems with scraping?

Quentin · 07-26-2015, 09:07 AM

@ipsum What is the weight of the hitch (ballpark)? I have/had ecohitches on my current RAV4 and previous Prius v and they were great. Adding 50lbs to a non performance vehicle is one thing. It feels almost sacrilege to add weight to a sports car. Haha

Was the bumper skin removal bad? How does the receiver attach to the bar? Pretty secure or wobbly?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

TofuJoe · 07-26-2015, 01:58 PM

@Quentin - they say it's about 25 lbs. - I can weigh mine and let you know. Getting it installed on Wednesday.

TofuJoe · 07-26-2015, 01:59 PM

This link might be of interest: http://ecohitch.blogspot.com/2015/04...ler-hitch.html

01-28-2015, 03:40 PM	#1
ipsum Member Join Date: May 2014 Drives: '14 SWP BRZ Location: WA Posts: 93 Thanks: 18 Thanked 62 Times in 37 Posts Mentioned: 8 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Local PNW shop now makes a hitch receiver for the 86. Hey guys, Torklift Central, a company based out of Kent, WA now makes a hitch receiver for BRZ/FR-S. The design is very similar to the one they make for WRX/STI hatch: http://ecohitch.blogspot.com/2014/09...u-impreza.html - see video there as well. I have one on my car, and it looks/feels like a high quality product. The receiver adapter is removable, so when I'm not towing (99% of the time), no one can tell that my car can tow. Also, no drilling was required to install the hitch. If anyone is interested I can take pictures. I haven't tried towing yet since I don't have a trailer, but the receiver is rated to 100lbs tongue weight/1000lbs tow capacity by Torklift. I'm planning to tow my motorcycle to track days, so that should be plenty. Torklift will be posting a blog entry with pictures/video of installation process soon. Last edited by ipsum; 04-13-2015 at 04:54 PM. Reason: updated hitch tow capacity to 100/1000

01-28-2015, 06:42 PM	#4
RobertPaulson Hisnamewasrobertpaulson Join Date: Sep 2014 Drives: 2017 Golf R Location: Everywhere and Nowhere Posts: 1,137 Thanks: 1,294 Thanked 827 Times in 473 Posts Mentioned: 15 Post(s) Tagged: 4 Thread(s)	will be good for bike racks or a small trailer with tools and extra tires for track day __________________ This is your life and it's ending one minute at a time.

04-13-2015, 04:50 PM	#7
ipsum Member Join Date: May 2014 Drives: '14 SWP BRZ Location: WA Posts: 93 Thanks: 18 Thanked 62 Times in 37 Posts Mentioned: 8 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	So, a quick update: Torklift made a blog post about the hitch for BRZ and then listed 4 reasons to get one installed. Both include pictures of my car And here is a picture from this weekend: The hitch worked great. Last edited by ipsum; 04-13-2015 at 05:31 PM.

07-26-2015, 09:07 AM	#12
Quentin Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Drives: ‘16 4Runner, ‘19 Corolla HB Location: Hurricane, WV Posts: 1,233 Thanks: 685 Thanked 813 Times in 435 Posts Mentioned: 4 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Local PNW shop now makes a hitch receiver for the 86. @ipsum What is the weight of the hitch (ballpark)? I have/had ecohitches on my current RAV4 and previous Prius v and they were great. Adding 50lbs to a non performance vehicle is one thing. It feels almost sacrilege to add weight to a sports car. Haha Was the bumper skin removal bad? How does the receiver attach to the bar? Pretty secure or wobbly? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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01-28-2015, 06:37 PM	#3
evan Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Drives: fr-s Location: pdx Posts: 546 Thanks: 396 Thanked 202 Times in 129 Posts Mentioned: 30 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	This will come in handy to tow your fellow 86 owner.

01-28-2015, 07:28 PM	#5
Gothenburg 07 Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Drives: 2014 Subaru BRZ Limited Location: Olympia, WA Posts: 10 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 2 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	This is awesome! I had been driving my Outback for several years, but I traded it in for my BRZ, leaving me with no real way to transport my mountain bike. I've seen pictures of bikes fitting in the trunk, but it looks like quite the hassle, and I don't want to get the interior dirty or muddy. The other strap based solutions make me worry about paint damage. This looks like just the thing I need.

04-13-2015, 05:01 PM	#8
Sik7onE Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Drives: 2015 FRS Location: Olympia Posts: 45 Thanks: 44 Thanked 32 Times in 17 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Price reasonable? and did you have the lights for the trailer connected?

06-12-2015, 10:14 AM	#11
TofuJoe Ohne Titel Join Date: May 2015 Drives: 2017 BRZ PP ISM Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 684 Thanks: 1,141 Thanked 412 Times in 234 Posts Mentioned: 11 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	@ipsum - Just about ready to buy one of these to use with a bike rack. What is the ground clearance to the bottom of the hitch receiver? Any problems with scraping?

07-26-2015, 01:58 PM	#13
TofuJoe Ohne Titel Join Date: May 2015 Drives: 2017 BRZ PP ISM Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 684 Thanks: 1,141 Thanked 412 Times in 234 Posts Mentioned: 11 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	@Quentin - they say it's about 25 lbs. - I can weigh mine and let you know. Getting it installed on Wednesday.

07-26-2015, 01:59 PM	#14
TofuJoe Ohne Titel Join Date: May 2015 Drives: 2017 BRZ PP ISM Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 684 Thanks: 1,141 Thanked 412 Times in 234 Posts Mentioned: 11 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	This link might be of interest: http://ecohitch.blogspot.com/2015/04...ler-hitch.html

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