Now that I'm most likly getting a sports bike, I want to be able to tow it on a trailer behind me. My dad already has two open air trailers, and I used to tow them with my 90 Camry 4 cyl automatic. My question is, what is the best Class 1 trailer hitch for the Maxima? I am looking for one that has the 1 1/4" receiver style with no permanent ball, so I can utilize a conventional bike rack as well. I also prefer a stealth mount look. I know the maxima should have the ***** to tow a trailer if my 90 Camry was able to. Any negative side effects to towing trailers? Also looks like the only way to mount a trailer hitch to the maxima is to drill holes as there are no existing bolt holes. Suggestions?

 

Drawtite # 24601 will do the job; I have one installed on my 95; it's exactly what you're looking for: stealth, 1-1/4" receiver, mounts to the frame.

 

dont know if this helps but a guy i know who races his porsche at limerock uses his maxima to tow it....

cant answer your question about the hitch but ya know if it can carry a porsche it can probably carry a bike

 

anybody have a picture of a "stealth" hitch mounted on their maxima? Any problems when attaching the trailer to the car of nailing the painted bumper that has thin paint?

In addition, on my old camry, I just got a universal wiring harness from PepBoyz, and wired the lights up right to the wiring. I do not know if this would be appropriate for the Maxima though, how did you all wire the trailer lights? I just plan to run the lights out the trunk and stash the wire under the mat when I'm not using it like I did in the old camry.

 

I'll take some pics tomorrow and email them to you. The wiring is done as you described it: Inside the trunk directly to the harness with a long lead which I leave in the spare tire area when not in use. I had this done by the shop that sold me the hitch, this was back in 95 total cost w/wiring was 150; 120 + 30

 

I just stopped in at the local Nissan Dealer to check out a new Max they had, and I saw this (http://www.shaddo.com/) on display next to it! Man I gotta get me a hitch so I can get one of these!

 

I had a hitch installed last summer, about $210 for everything except professional finish. This first thing I did after picking up the car was to come home and seal the holes with silicon. Basically, I dropped the hitch to the floor, pulled out the bolts, (three holes drilled thru the spare tire wheel well and another around the bumper), gooped them up with silicon and reinstalled the hitch. Then I goop up everything exposed on the bottom.

I haul a boat so I have to back into the water. It was a couple of years after my first experience with a boat trailor and hitch that I noticed that water had been in the spare tire well - tools had some rust, rags were wet, something was wrong. I figured that it was the occasions when I had to back way out into the water to pick up the boat that water came in. That car was a Saab 900, but I figure same thing could happen to the Maxima.

You're not boating, however, it may be that driving thru standing water from the rain could be enough to work it's way in. A tube of silicon and twenty minutes is cheap insurance.