Other, creative uses for a tow hitch?

Am thinking about getting an ecohitch (http://torkliftcentral.com/ecohitch/ford/ecohitch_focus.php) to use for a bike rake. Anyone have other suggestions for using a hitch? Are there other things like surfboard carriers that can use the hitch? Thanks!

If you want to void your warranty you could make a trailer out of the front clip of a compact car to use as a range extender like the CTO of Tesla did with his converted Porsche while he was in college.

You know, simply have that gas engine push you when you need that extra range Sadly while waiting for what seemed like forever for my car to arrive, I engineered a similar contraption that I could have built for about $1.5-$2k.
I got the ecohitch that I will install when it gets warmer (spring). I will use it for a bike rack. I would recommend it if you are looking for a hitch. The build quality of the hitch is superb. However I was a little disappointed with the quality of the paint job for rust corrosion purposes. I'm repainting mine for better rust protection seeing as how I live in the rust belt.

Thanks. I just checked on eBay and there are a bunch of "hitch carriers" that look awesome! Maybe we can use the FFE for a camping trip after all

Olagon said:

Thanks. I just checked on eBay and there are a bunch of "hitch carriers" that look awesome! Maybe we can use the FFE for a camping trip after all

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Just remember the hitch is only rated to carry a 200 lb. load.

I've used the FFE for a camping trip but I don't think its what you were thinking. Hybridbear also has taken his FFE camping:
http://www.myfocuselectric.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2310

As I mentioned in another hitch post (no pun intended), there is an entire topic centered on trailer hitches and bike racks on trailer hitches here: (You will see my unique way of carrying a bike and a tandem.)
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=703&start=20

triangles said:

If you want to void your warranty you could make a trailer out of the front clip of a compact car to use as a range extender like the CTO of Tesla did with his converted Porsche while he was in college.

You know, simply have that gas engine push you when you need that extra range Sadly while waiting for what seemed like forever for my car to arrive, I engineered a similar contraption that I could have built for about $1.5-$2k.
I got the ecohitch that I will install when it gets warmer (spring). I will use it for a bike rack. I would recommend it if you are looking for a hitch. The build quality of the hitch is superb. However I was a little disappointed with the quality of the paint job for rust corrosion purposes. I'm repainting mine for better rust protection seeing as how I live in the rust belt.

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I actually was going to suggest this. I think a pusher trailer is a great idea, wish I could rent one when needed. I know a guy who uses one to reposition his EV (not a Focus) between sites a thousand miles apart.. Once he arrive, he disconnects it and has a pure EV until time to return. He had the dealer install the factory approved hitch in order to avoid "not allowed to install a hitch" issues.

He tells me the car drives perfectly well, theoretical concerns about handling are not justified in practice. He pointed out that this is in principle no different than articulated busses which are commonplace these days.

He told me that when installing the hitch, the dealer warned him about the effect on range. He told the dealer that he was willing to accept the effect that this particular hitch would have on his range....

I was considering a pusher since I have a lot of friends/family about 150 miles away and there are no chargers in the middle of the corn fields where I'd have to stop about half way to recharge. I may still do this when my warranty expires since I already have the hitch used for my bike rack. I had originally thought about a small tow behind generator, however even if I could get it wired in without electrocuting myself, it's quite cost prohibitive for something I'd only use a few times a year. A gas pusher is simple and can be built dirt cheap!

Actually it seems to me that once a trailer hitch is installed, whatever warranty issues might arise have already been confronted. The use of a pusher doesn't put the car in an unusual operating regime. As far as the car can tell you are descending a long mountain road.

michael said:

The use of a pusher doesn't put the car in an unusual operating regime. As far as the car can tell you are descending a long mountain road.

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I disagree. There is nothing usual about being pushed down the road for long distances. Last time I checked there are no descending roads that would propel you at freeway speeds for 100+ miles. Any descending mountain grade I've seen was maybe a dozen miles if that.

Besides NW Ohio is flat as a sheet of glass. Also the owners manual explicitly says you are not to tow anything. With the car linked to Ford's servers it would be difficult to believe that they don't know almost every operating aspect of our cars practically in real time. For sure Ford knows the state of charge, average power consumption, GPS location, distance traveled, and likely much more. If I were to use a pusher and then have a powertrain failure It would be obvious to ford that I used a pusher (or towed the car on 4 wheels, also a "no no") since there's no way the battery will propel me 150+ miles down the road at 70mph let alone using a ridiculously low amount of power say 25Wh/mi :lol: