Trailer Hitch

[Rabbit]

I have a 2008 Montana. How much would it cost to put a trailer hitch on back?

[lasater]

If you have a custom hitch fabricated like I did...about $350.

[jimcol]

I bought one from Tweetys for about $180. (http://tweetys.com/travel-trailer-hitch.aspx) Since I am only using it for a bike rack I bolted it to the I-beams of the monty. I did weld the legs that slide into the main section of the hitch once I detemined the correct width. Jim

[clutch]

It cost us around $400 with the flat plug on the tail. We tow a Rhino on a flat trailer.

[Tom S.]

Before you add a hitch, you should do a search on this site as this has been a topic of discussion by a lot of folks. In a nut shell, depending on what you plan on using a hitch for will determine what and/or if it's safe to add one. There is also a matter of laws, depending again on your planned use.

BTW welcome to the site!

[Art-n-Marge]

The cost of this mod will also vary depending on your planned use. Like Tom S. points out, most Montanas don't recommend a hitch because of safety reasons but some newer Montanas have included one to carry the only the weight of bicycles and its hitch because of customer demand and using the ladder for bikes is problematic.

For those that did not have a receiver, some have had one added and the cost of the hitch and its installation to carry bicycles like what JimCol did would be a lot less than the receiver work that Clutch did for his Rhino.

I know that exav8tr also had some substantial work done for a hitch installed and only carries bicycles.

Other factors to consider that will make this cost from several hundred dollars to much much more are where you live (not all receivers are priced the same from all brands) how much work you want done to have it done (a slap job will be more expensive than a custom job and how sturdy you need it - bolting versus welding versus extra brackets or other strengtheners. Even the $350 to $400 posted above seem high for what you get or low for what you might need.

The best thing to do is research as many places at you can even if you have to drive a ways. Tell the vendors your plans and shop around. Do NOT be surprised of the variances. Many prices will have factored by warranty (a high price means they've had some customers with problems), experience (they'll start low, then when you get there, surprise additions for them to do it right), reputation (see if you can contact some references or I've met some people I flat out wouldn't trust with my prior receiver work) and desire (some will do a great job if you pay their price, others will cheapen the job just to make a few bucks).

The bottom line is only you can answer your question on cost for this job since there are so many variances and you didn't post what you want to do or further details on your rig. For example, there are many models of a 2008 Montana, some years and models with and others without a receiver and there must have been a good reason for the inclusion or exclusion from Montana. I hope we've provided enough food for thought that this requires some very good research beyond what we can necessarily provide.