Tow/hitch forbicycle carrier CX-30

[HerewardtheWake]

Curt Manufacturing in the US makes tailor-made hitch receivers for many cars. They don't have a dealer in Thailand. I now use a strapped bicycle carrier, but I don't think t is stable over rough roads. 

Does anybody know whether there are shops in Pattaya or Bangkok which can install a hitch receiver for a bicycle carrier on a Mazda CX-30?

[howerde]

I just had a buzz rack fitted to a forrester, it was for 2 bikes cost about 25 000 fitted with tow bar, it was cheaper than a swedish thules which was  50 000 baht

http://buzzrack.com/our-products/.  i'll see if i can find the shop it was in bangkok, or just google

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, HerewardtheWake said:

Curt Manufacturing in the US makes tailor-made hitch receivers for many cars. They don't have a dealer in Thailand. I now use a strapped bicycle carrier, but I don't think t is stable over rough roads. 

Does anybody know whether there are shops in Pattaya or Bangkok which can install a hitch receiver for a bicycle carrier on a Mazda CX-30?

Same here for CX-5... 

 

I used the bike rack which straps onto the rear tailgate but I didn’t fancy driving a long distance and also worry it could cause a little damage. Its pain in the backside to fit and I can’t open the boot (rear hatch) once the bikes are fitted / secured to the rack. Roof rack options are also a PITA. 

 

I borrowed by brother-in-law’s pick-up (he’s a triathlete) and has proper fittings to carry 3x bicycles - but a car swap every weekend is also a PITA. 

 

This: The Tow hitch option seems like a good solution - but they look quite expensive and I wonder how secure they are.

 

 

[howerde]

The tow hitch fitted was about 9000 baht, the buzz rack 13000 for 2 bikes, took them a few hours to do. but seems perfect(well for the month i have had it)

[HerewardtheWake]

Richard_Smith, A bike carrier mounted onto a 2 in.(50.1mm) receiver is the standard and safe way (other than inside the car) to carry a bicycle, at least in the US. Thule makes a sturdy but heavy carrier which mounts onto a receiver.  Yakima, and presumably others too, make somewhat simpler carriers.There are now lighter and more streamlined carriers along the same design.

 

All such rear mounted carriers solve the limitations of rear hatch operation mentioned by Richard. On my CX-30 with the carrier mounted with a multitude of straps essentially  precludes the use of the hatch.

 

Howerde, thanks. I will try your suggestion.

[HerewardtheWake]

Howerde, Did you go to Cyclesport in Bangkok for your tow hitch and receiver? I talked with them. To the extent I could understand, Cyclesport does not install a tow hitch and receiver. They only have Buzzrack bicycle carriers. They did not know who can install a hitch on my Mazda CX-30. 

 

Simply, who installed your hitch, presumably a 50mm one. Thanks for any help.

[KhunLA]

http://www.xn--12cr4azdi4c6a5bd8f.com/

 

[HerewardtheWake]

My Experiences with Mazda MX-30 Hitch Receiver and Bicycle carrier

 

Khunla, thanks for the tip.  I called Master Hook;  help and answers were ready and mostly understandable in texted correspondence. They had the hitch for my Mazda MX-30. I drove to their site close to Bangkok, a well kept, airy, and efficient place (with location limitations explained below), with a good show room, all first class. Really impressive. In fact, the cleanliness and organization of the place, with a shiny espresso machine to boot, were infinitely better than any such place I'd find in my town,Tucson.The manager spoke English well. The staff were somewhat halting in English speech, but enough to understand and get ones self across.

 

My MX-30 needed to have the rear bumper taken off, one massive metal bracket removed and replaced by an equally massive hitch base which bolts in. Then the bumpers were put back.  The two technicians seemed to know what they were doing and had all tools necessary. 

 

The choices for a two bike carrier were two:

 

1)  A house-design two-bike unit, very light and functional. It has elements of a simple and light design, but I am not sure how it will hold up in long term usage. Perhaps with a bit more finish, it might prove to be a bauhaus industrial design;  but in terms of design and durability  I am speaking from the perspective of having owned a Thule two bike carrier for twelve years, which was built like a tank and weighed about 40 kg. The Master Hook unit weighs about 12 kg. I think the Master Hook model is named BR2, priced at 8500 Baht. 

 

2) An imported two-bike unit which looks rather complex, but has a design pattern similar to the Thule unit, with electrical connections for tail lights. Not sure how much it weighs, but it looked heavy. It was priced at 15,000 Baht.

 

I chose the Master Hook design, priced as a  15,500 Baht package for the carrier and the 50 mm receiver with a hitch ball.

 

Installation took about two hours. When I got on the road, I saw a warning on my dashboard : "Ultrasonics Malfunction and Driver Assistance Features Partially Disabled". I drove back to Master Hook. The technician got under the car and did something, which looked  like the other technicians did not connect the sensor wires. The warning disappeared but I am not sure my parking sensors are working  properly. I will take the car to Mazda, and will hope that they won't quibble about how the hitch installation might have damaged the sensors. There are a total of five ultrasonic sensors in the rear and four in the front in my car. Complicated stuff for the poor technicians, alas. My car is new, and if the dealer declines any necessary repairs to the sensors because of the hitch installation, I am up the creek. If I had known that such removal of bumpers was needed, i'd not have done this installation. Too late.

 

All in all, a hitch installed at the factory or by a dealer is the best bet. Unfortunately, Mazda does not offer a hitch and the Chonburi Mazda dealer had no idea what a hitch is. I have my fingers crossed about how this will all work out.

 

To be fair, Master Hook was professional and appears to have a decent product. Let's give them that unreservedly.

 

One CLEAR caution about their location and the risks in driving there: 

 

I used Google navigation outbound. The place is  about 130 km from Pattaya. It proved to be a nightmare. The navigation took me through uncountable twists and turns once you get off Route 7 and get on Route 314. Even in broad daylight, the directions were incomprehensibly complicated. The roads have pot holes a foot deep, filled with water. In many stretches the roadside vegetation was not trimmed, so it intrudes into the road and unless one is careful, will scratch the side of the car.The whole journey was a torture, and in fact,  somewhat frightening. At places one goes over HUMPBACKED one lane wooden bridges. Unless one approaches them slowly, the car will lose the muffler. At other places you go through  Route 7 underpasses all of which had homeless people living under the road. It really tells one the devastation the covid lockdowns have caused.

 

I used Apple Maps for the return journey. It was simpler with fewer twists and turns, but still had the wooden bridges. On one of those, I scratched my port side fender.

 

Incredibly, Master Hook actually FACES  the northbound lanes of Route 7, the Chonburi-Bangkok highway. But the exit from Route 7 is about 25 km south.  Hence the difficulty in reaching them. It is an odd location, but I  hasten to spare any further criticism because I am not familiar with the geography that dictates such a location.

 

CLEAR WARNING: DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, under any circumstances, drive there after daylight. The roads are extremely dangerous. One will either end of in a ditch or grievously injured.

 

In summary, Master Hook seemed to be a competent company and seemed to know what they are doing. My suggestion would be to see if their Pattaya dealers can do the job. A number of such dealers are listed in the Master Hook website, but I did not contact them because the head office had the Mazda hitch in stock. One idea would be to have the hitch receiver installed by them for 8500 Baht and then buy a Thule or Yakima bike carrier if they are available in Thailand.

 

Because I am taking the car to the Mazda dealer to check the sensor functions, I have removed the bike carrier. I will post some photos after the visit to the dealer.

Edited October 14, 2021 by HerewardtheWake

[HerewardtheWake]

Sorry, my car was a Mazda CX-30, not MX-30.