See My New Trailer Hitch? Installed Stealth Hitches

[TheVirtualTim]

Found another company in West Virginia that is doing after-market hitch installs also. It looks hidden to me also. What do you guys think?

Lol - I was just searching the forums for posts on installing hitches. How did I miss this?

Seems like a lot of excess metal being used here. Couldn't they reduce weight by using zip ties and/or duct tape? ?

 

[AEtherScythe]

Looks awesome. Do you know if they plan to make a 1.25 for bike racks?

Adapters to downsize are a dime a dozen. Not literally, but widely available.

 

[Flowell]

I volunteered my MME to Stealth Hitches to be their design model. As the name implies, their specialty is manufacturing trailer hitches that are not visible when not in use. The design is absolute brilliance. I am so impressed.

Here's how the back of the car looks with the new mounting hardware. Very stealthy!

Here's how it looks with the receiver in place:

And here is what you see from under the car.

Here is what the receiver looks like:

They installed the full towing package (with electrical connector), but warned me that Ford does not specify any towing specs for the car in the US (which I already knew from this forum). My primary use is as a bike rack carrier.

It will be about a month before the hitches are commercially available, but they are taking reservations if you call them. Speak to Richard Gomrick @ 678-714-3592. https://stealthhitches.com No, I don't get any commission, though they did provide the hitch to me for free. ?

Looks to me from the website it never made it to market? Any update here?

 

[horsiedad]

Looks to me from the website it never made it to market? Any update here?

I'd give them a call.

 

[AEtherScythe]

I gave them a call. They're still in the prototyping phase and don't expect to be in production before spring.
I'd suggest calling them and letting them know your interest. If enough people call, perhaps they'll bump up the priority.

 

[horsiedad]

I gave them a call. They're still in the prototyping phase and don't expect to be in production before spring.
I'd suggest calling them and letting them know your interest. If enough people call, perhaps they'll bump up the priority.

Interesting. The used my car as a prototype. I don't understand why they are not moving to production. Maybe just not enough Mach-E's on the market yet?

 

[Flowell]

Interesting. The used my car as a prototype. I don't understand why they are not moving to production. Maybe just not enough Mach-E's on the market yet?

There are some pretty price competitive ones already on the market too, maybe they are not sure they can hit their numbers until more are on the road.

 

[Jim D]

That's clever! I remember Car and Driver got one of those "stealth hitches" for a long-term BMW X7 a while back. I'm curious as to why Ford wouldn't offer something like this as a factory option. I mean, the ID.4 has it, so why not the Mach-E? My guess is that since this is badged a Mustang, it's a more performance-oriented car, so I guess Ford didn't expect many people to ask for one.

Probably because it can't tow much, in Europe it is in the range of 1600 lbs which probably won't fly in the US. I would be quite happy with 1600 lbs as I could tow a kayak trailer as there is no roof rack option. For something Ford is trying to sell as an SUV, it lacks a lot of utility.

 

[Sergeant Gearhead]

Probably because it can't tow much, in Europe it is in the range of 1600 lbs which probably won't fly in the US. I would be quite happy with 1600 lbs as I could tow a kayak trailer as there is no roof rack option. For something Ford is trying to sell as an SUV, it lacks a lot of utility.

Would a roof rack even work with the Mach-E? I have a feeling it's because of the big glass roof. Still wishing that were an option.

 

[Jim D]

Would a roof rack even work with the Mach-E? I have a feeling it's because of the big glass roof. Still wishing that were an option.

I have to believe that under the plastic strips on the edge of the roof that there must be mount points that could be used for a roof rack. Or some sort of rail could mount into the 7 nuts that hold the plastic strip on. I suspect it would take pulling down the headliner to investigate it.

 

[AEtherScythe]

I don't want the hitch for towing, I want it for a bike rack.

 

[Jim D]

I don't want the hitch for towing, I want it for a bike rack.

There 3-4 companies that already make a tow hitch you can use for a bike rack.

 

[Jim D]

I have to believe that under the plastic strips on the edge of the roof that there must be mount points that could be used for a roof rack. Or some sort of rail could mount into the 7 nuts that hold the plastic strip on. I suspect it would take pulling down the headliner to investigate it.

It would be much nicer is if Ford could give you a template you could put over the plastic to drill where the mount points are (assuming they are there). I would not want to pull down the headliner to put a roof rack on, as there are too many opportunities for screw ups.

 

[MacheCrazy]

Does it affect the operation of the feature to open the hatch?

No, the sensor is way above at bottom of hatch.

 

[MacheCrazy]

I volunteered my MME to Stealth Hitches to be their design model. As the name implies, their specialty is manufacturing trailer hitches that are not visible when not in use. The design is absolute brilliance. I am so impressed.

Here's how the back of the car looks with the new mounting hardware. Very stealthy!

Here's how it looks with the receiver in place:

And here is what you see from under the car.

Here is what the receiver looks like:

They installed the full towing package (with electrical connector), but warned me that Ford does not specify any towing specs for the car in the US (which I already knew from this forum). My primary use is as a bike rack carrier.

It will be about a month before the hitches are commercially available, but they are taking reservations if you call them. Speak to Richard Gomrick @ 678-714-3592. https://stealthhitches.com No, I don't get any commission, though they did provide the hitch to me for free. ?

Is it robust? Will it handle bike carrier with 4 bikes? What vehicle structure does it attach to?