Mann’s Hitch and Truck Accessories

You never really know a businesses true strength until you have a problem. I had such an experience with Mann’s. My trailer hitch needed adjustments due to the expansion of the exhaust system; as it got hot it vibrated and caused noise. The owner and staff worked tirelessly to resolve the issue, which they did! This is a great business that will work with you and listen to you! I highly recommend this business for your trailer hitch and rack needs, they are all a good bunch of professionals! Thanks!
Bruce Bailey

Before writing this review — I read through some other documented experiences, with the hope that my experience today was an exception. I sense it was not.
First — trailering is serious business. When you install the inappropriate parts and/​or install them incorrectly, people can get seriously injured or die. The reality is as stark as it sounds — there is no way to sugar-​coat it. As someone in the automotive motor-​sport business, I need to be very vigilant about getting it right. Efficiency and profitability are great, but professional competency is a requirement.
We sent one of our clients over to Mann’s (he actually picked the place — we simply directed him to a trailering supplier/​installer), since he was going to utilize our car trailer to tow 4+ hours to a track-​day weekend, and the electrical socket on the hitch of his BMW X5 was incompatible with our trailer. His vehicle was set up for a 4-​wire flat connector, and our auto trailer requires a 7-​pin connector. Note that the 4-​wire flat connector does *not* have a provision for trailer brakes, and is typically used on light-​duty trailers. The 7-​pin connector is used on heavier duty trailers (e.g. auto transport trailers, horse trailers), and *does* have a provision for a trailer brake signal. We simply instructed our client to have their hitch electrical connector converted to a 7-​pin standard, which again — includes a trailer brake signal.
This is what happened instead — Mann’s simply swapped out the 4-​pin connector for a 7-​pin connector, did *not* wire in a brake controller and trailer brake signal, and *never* asked the client what they would be towing. If we did not ask more pointed questions, our client would have simply hooked-​up a 6000lb trailer to a BMW X5, and proceeded to tow over a mountain pass with NO TRAILER BRAKES. Incorrectly wiring a 7-​pin trailer socket without a brake signal, intended for heavier duty trailers is gross negligence.
When contacted by us (our client doesn’t know a trailer connector from a hole in the ground), I had similar conversations to others with Bill and wifey. She couldn’t stop talking long enough to fully grasp my point, and contradicted herself by saying «we’re very thorough», despite the fact that she couldn’t find a record of the work, which had only been done two days prior. So, they’re thorough, but a work-​order from two-​days prior can’t be found.
While her role as Bill’s wife is, and should be completely irrelevant to the customer, Bill found it very necessary to point that role out to me when he got on the phone. Uh, ok, she’s your wife — so what? Why do you wire 7-​pin connectors without a live brake signal lead? His response was that they only do a brake controller on 1 out of every 10 vehicles. Well, that means he sends 9 of 10 7-​pin vehicles out the door ready to pull a heavy-​duty trailer without brakes. Again — that is negligent.
Trailering is serious business — and Mann’s is not up to the task, when they wantonly disregard safety for expediency.

I was sent here by my Subaru dealer, when I asked for assistance getting a hitch installed for my bikes. I had previously been to Rack And Road, with my last car, and it seemed like a very expensive proposition (to be fair to them, it was a different car).
The folks at Mann’s were very nice, ready for me when I got there, hitch installed while I waited, and the price was very reasonable. They got me a very nice Thule bike rack, showed me how to work it, and answered every question I had about it.
The one downside to the place is that there isn’t really anyplace to sit and wait while they do the installation. I did find some chairs nearby that were outside and since it was a sunny day, I can’t complain too much.
But apart from that one thing, I am happy with the hitch and bike rack, and would recommend Mann’s to anyone needing one.

Bill is an accountable guy with commitment to his customers. I had some issues with work done by another partner and Bill took care of his dirty work. I would do business with Manns again… There is something about dealing with a grass roots, hard working business owner that appeals to me. I highly recommend Manns if your looking for honest, quality work

Went to Mann’s since their price on a Curt Hitch was the best in Town. Rack N Road was much more expensive and took too long to get in for work.
Mann’s was quick and fast.
Pros:
Price
Quick and Easy to get an appointment
Nice guys
Customer Service
Cons:
Need to update Quickbooks (Computer System) to reflect proper part numbers and class ratings on hitches
A little dusting and cleaning in the shop and front office
At times doing up to 20 cars a day and they seem to be going very quickly
Forgot to reinstall my muffler heating plate shield (mixed it up with another Subaru but they fixed it with no problem)

For me, Mann’s was a huge waste of time. I thought these guys were the experts, so I figured it’d be a cinch to get a hitch that would work on my LR3. All I needed was a trailer arm with an 8″ raise.
First, the guy argued with me and said he’s the expert, and whatever he had in stock was actually what I needed. So I walked out the first time with a 2″ arm. That didn’t work. So I went back and he had a 10″ raise. I tried this and this was too high. The next time in he tried to sell me an aluminum $ 250 fully adjustable arm. This time I was smart and tried it out on my truck before I left. It didn’t even fit on my car, so the guy said «no problem, come in tomorrow at this time and I’ll have an 8» inch raised hitch”. I came back the next day and he tried to re-​sell me the original 2″ raise. When I said that didn’t work he said «huh, I don’t understand why they don’t make an 8» inch raise”. This was my 4^th trip in so I finally said fine, refund my money and I’ll go to Walmart. This is when the guy got mad at me, said he didn’t owe me any money, and «good luck».
Not once did the guy use his «expertise» and measure my trailer hitch, even though one of the times I actually drove into their lot with the trailer attached to my car (with my old hitch which was too low). Very frustrating. Oh, and by the way, the hitches he was trying to sell me were 5,000 pound hitches, not even capable of towing my 6,000 pound load.
The next day I looked at my credit card statement and determined that yes, they did indeed still owe me money for the stuff I returned. When I called back the same guy got mad on the phone and said «i don’t have time to argue with you», and then he handed the phone over to someone else in their store. She was reasonable and refunded my money.
Basically, if you don’t do any research, I can see how these guys might seem nice, because they will say «yup, I have what you need». But if you don’t check, it’s possible that they don’t in fact have what you need; instead they are simply selling you whatever they have in stock. Be careful.

Alright, here’s the deal. Bought a used car Bellevue Chaplain Auto in Eastgate. Part of the purchase included having a trailer hitch mounted. They contract this to Mann’s Hitch and Truck Accessories (Mann’s Eastside Hitch and Weld).
After loading my 5×8 cargo trailer (weighed 2100 of the 3500 pound capacity and distributed evenly — NOT too much weight on the tongue), the angle from the receiver to the trailer looked wrong. I phoned William Mann, President of Mann’s on that Saturday, explained that I was pulling out that very hour to move out of state. Even though they were closed, he met me back at the shop. NICE GESTURE.
When I got there, he looked it over and said everything was fine. Since he was the pro, I prepared to move. He phoned me 30 minutes later and said he had «gone on-​line and found that model of trailer hitch had been recalled» and that he had to get some parts to resolve the problem and that I had to bring it in on Monday. No problem, could be a serious safety concern. WONDERFUL that he would research the issue and phone me and save me from a potential catastrophe.
Monday brought it in, told me to come back in an hour. I did, loaded up the trailer, and left for Florida.
In Denver CO the hitch had broken free from the rear of my vehicle. I phoned from Denver asking William what to do. He said «do whatever you have to to get to your destination and «we will refund the entire hitch and mounting.» Out of curiosity, I asked if he was insured for this, if the hitch manufacturer would cover him, or if it would be out of his pocket. (See at this stage, I was still VERY impressed and trusting). He said his pocket.
Well, had to stay pay for an extra hotel night, then leave the trailer in Denver, drive to family in Arkansas and return to Denver with a different vehicle to tow my trailer, and then back to Arkansas, and leave the trailer there, instead of Florida, my destination.
Pay attention now, this is where it changed.
From Arkansas, I phoned and THIS time when I got William (same voice I had talked in person with three times and on the phone three times), he said it wasn’t William and that William wasn’t in. Even if it wasn’t William, I asked the four times I called (over a 2 week period) for a return call, and never got one.
Wait, it gets better.
I finally phoned Bellevue Chaplain Auto (see my review of them), explained the story, and they said… now get this… have the repair shop in Arkansas phone us and we will pay the entire repair amount directly to them so you never have to pay a cent! THEY DID! WONDERFUL!
But back to Mann’s. While having it repaired in Arkansas, they found that the hitch had been mounted in two of the four mounts to the frame, and the other two TO MY ALUMINUM BUMPER! What the repair shop showed me is that the «parts they had to get» to repair the hitch on Monday were nothing more than larger WASHERS! The bolts and washers ripped chunks out of the aluminum bumper as any idiot should expect to happen!
I was going down the freeway at 1 am when the hitch broke from the rear of my car! My car could have flipped and/​or I could have lost control of the trailer causing other vehicles to crash… etc. Thank God none of that happened and all I lost was 1 hotel night, a round trip from Arkansas to Denver CO (another hotel night when I got back to Denver), and the gas for that round trip.
I also know (and they admitted) that the hitch they mounted was recalled, and NOW know that the hitch they SHOULD have installed mounts ONLY to the frame. They used some crap hitch they knew was «recalled» in William Mann’s own words.
I tried to stick to the indisputable facts here. Now my opinions:
I think they knew I was moving away, couldn’t take advantage of their warranty, and so they blew me off.
They sent me down the road knowing of the potential disaster that could have happened, and their conscience was OK with throwing a couple washers on the problem.
It is a fact that though they had used my phone number two times before («your car hitch is done» and «bring it in on Monday»), and still NEVER returned my calls.
Make of it what you will. I tried to be fair here, but really wanted others to consider the nightmare that could have happened.
By the way, I didn’t even ask Bellevue Chaplain Auto to reimburse me for the two hotel nights and gas from Arkansas and back. It wasn’t their fault. Their only responsibility was that I paid THEM (Chaplain) to put a hitch on the car I purchased from Chaplain. I felt it was up to Chaplain to go to Mann’s for Chaplain’s reimbursement. Chaplain agreed but will probably just eat the loss.
Shop Bellevue Chaplain Auto. They too knew I moved away and could have asked for all kinds of things to make the resolution near impossible for me, and they didn’t. If I ever live there again, they will get 100% of my business INCLUDING service.
If I ever live there again, you can bet I’ll pay a visit to Mann’s, too. ;)