Has anyone ever put on a hitch on their '02 Avant thats lowered

**02SILVANT** · 07-07-2008 07:14 PM

I have a 2002 B6 A4 Avant that has the '02 sports package, which means its lowered and i have 19's on it. I know U-Haul makes a hitch for my car but my question is will the fact that its so low can i still tow a single Jet ski? if anyone has tried this would you please share if it brings any problmes or will it rub.

TIA.

p.s. i posted the same thread in Avant Only section but i know not too many people visit that section.

**Grenade** · 07-07-2008 07:51 PM

I doubt it would make it to bad. Really depends on how much the ski and trailor weighs, and your spring rate. Are you on coilovers? if so, ide just jack it up a little bit before the trek, and then see if you cant level it out with the ski/trailor. hth

**lookaught** · 07-07-2008 08:11 PM

It will be fine. I have an 02 avant with sport package and have drilled the support holes for the hitch but have not yet mounted it b/c I repainted it flat black and then left on vacation. I'll post some pics after I get home on the 13th.

The actual hitch is barely lower than the bottom of the tow loop, like half an inch. It comes with the receiver bar that is custom bent to raise the ball mount position up higher than the hitch sits. I have a Curt hitch, which is probably the same as Uhaul. Got it from eTrailer for about $140.

**lookaught** · 07-07-2008 08:14 PM

Plus if the jet ski trailer is properly designed you'll only have about 10% of the weight on the tounge, which is like ~100lbs max? Its the same as putting 100lbs of stuff in the back of your car.

Look in the avants forum and click the mountain bikes link, there is some pics of a B7 with a hitch on the last page. The B6 looks/fits very similar to that, even though it uses a completely different mounting system.

**02SILVANT** · 07-07-2008 09:01 PM

^^^^Thanks for all the info, i stopped by UHAUL on the way home from work and they quoted me $430 to get it fully installed with wiring and the ball. The installer said it should be just fine but the $420 is whats really keeping me from doing it. Before you know it will cost me like $500 altogether. too much, I'll just keep on borrowing my brothers SUV when i want to take out my Jet Ski.

**lookaught** · 07-08-2008 09:05 AM

You can buy the hitch and wiring kit for under $200. All you need is a drill, 3/8" bit (and pilot bits help), a center punch for marking the spot to drill, and a couple wrenches. A can of spray paint is a good idea to cover up the bare metal once you drill. I also PlastiDip'd the whole hitch b/c it had a few spots of bare metal showing from the box during shipping.

Personally, I would never, ever go to Uhaul to have anything installed. The guys that work there work fast and wont take the time to align it well, paint the metal, etc. Its better to take 2 hours out of your weekend to do it yourself. Im actually going to post a write-up of how to do it once I get around to making one. On a scale of 1-10, its a 1.

**02SILVANT** · 07-08-2008 10:19 AM

Let me know when the write up is done and some pictures would totally be cool. What about the wiring, what would you say? or you not planning on doing that?

**lookaught** · 07-08-2008 10:41 AM

wiring writeup will be done as well. I took a bunch of pics as well but then my camera died, so I took a few with my phone. When I actually get around to bolting it onto the car I'll take a bunch more. It will take a few weeks to get around to writing the thing though.

**02SILVANT** · 07-08-2008 11:35 AM

^^^well UHAUL sells the hitch for $150 and probably another $30-$50 for the harness which most likely will be close to $200 with the ball and accessories. So....once your write up is ready i might give it a shot! thx for the info.