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Fully welded vehicle trailer hitch is strong and durable. Draw-Tite's Tested Tough guarantee ensures that this hitch exceeds industry standards. The combination of an E-coat base and a powder coat finish provides excellent rust protection.
Features:
Specs:
Draw-Tite's Tested Tough program provides testing standards far superior to those outlined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the go-to source for engineering professionals.
Each Draw-Tite trailer hitch receiver undergoes extensive fatigue testing and static testing with the ball mount that is either supplied or recommended for use with that particular hitch, thus ensuring results that are applicable to real life use. Fatigue testing is also conducted on hitches rated for use with weight-distribution systems.
In addition, Draw-Tite performs static testing on a simulated automobile, as opposed to the rigid fixture used for SAE testing, resulting in a more true-to-life scenario.
At etrailer.com we're committed to the products we sell, and to our customers. Our experienced and knowledgeable staff are available via both phone and email to address your questions and concerns for the lifetime of your hitch. The technicians at etrailer perform hitch installations on a daily basis, making them a valuable resource for do-it-yourselfers. The one-on-one, personal service you'll receive comes straight from an expert in the towing and automotive field. We've installed it, we've wired it and we've towed with it, so whatever your question, we can answer it.
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Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (714 Customer Reviews)
Fully welded vehicle trailer hitch is strong and durable. Draw-Tite's Tested Tough guarantee ensures that this hitch exceeds industry standards. The combination of an E-coat base and a powder coat finish provides excellent rust protection.I was notified the item was out of stock after I ordered it. However etrailer reached out to me and offered options. Item was received at a later date and I'm happy.
I have to admit, I was skeptical at first about buying a custom trailer hitch for my Ford Escape (Titanium 2015) because I knew it had to be a tricky design in order to accommodate the hands-free rear latch sensors underneath the rear bumper of the car.
But I saw some good reviews online about etrailer.com so figured I would give them a shot. The result: awesome. The hitch is extremely well designed and well-built. It attaches directly to the frame of the car and, once installed, feels like it's part of the frame. As you can see from the photos, it's also very inconspicuous and looks as if it was designed by Ford specifically to put on this vehicle. I've used the hitch countless times and it always feels solid as a rock.
BTW, I am the opposite of mechanically inclined, but was able to install the hitch myself following very clear, detailed instructions provided by etrailer.com with the hitch. I did need an assist from my son a couple of times to hold the hitch as I inserted bolts, but I saved a bunch of money not having to ask my dealer or someone else to install it.
For any Ford Escape owner who has rear sensors for the hands-free hatch release, this hitch is the one you want... an A+ across the board.
Craig
1/31/2018
Love the hitch and use it all the time. Works like a charm and have never had any problems.
The video makes installation easier than I expected. While in transit, I suspect the hitch was dropped on its end as the shipping crate was torn and the bracket required a pry bar to get clearance to slide the unit up over the bolt holes. Other than that the unit fits perfectly. If you are hesitant to order, customer service will definitely help with the decision. They also offer help in choosing attachments as in a huge selection of compatible bike racks. A 4 bike rack will be the next purchase.
Awsinov
1/5/2020
The hitch is working out perfect. One correction though, its an Escape not a Transit Connect.
So far great for my carrier . I should have ordered wiring kit also , However watching the video the hitch receiver was an easy install the wiring looks more difficult. Thanks hitch is great better than carrying gas cans and diesel cans inside .
Phil
4/16/2022
Works great still need buy wiring 4 pin I use to haul gas or propane bottles with tie downs works great no gas smell in my escape .
Nice hitch. Fast shipment. If you are not handy, pay someone to install it. If you do install it, have someone help you.
I had an issue, and called customer service. I spoke with Tammie whom really helped me out.
I purchased this hitch to pull a yard trailer, and it is definitely built to do the job.
I would definitely recommend this hitch company, and will definitely buy from them again.
John V.
7/4/2020
After 1 year, the hitch looks as new as the day I installed it. I rechecked my bolts, and they are still tight. I have probably pulled my yard trailer 20 times in the past year, and had no issues. I have since purchased a bike rack that slides into the hitch flawlessly. Again, I will definitely buy from etrailer again.
i installed hitch by myself. it took me about 45 mins. I first widened the holes in the frame in order to fit the bolts threw. then I hung one side of the hitch by just by using the bolt and placing them into the holes, then i did the same on the other side. now that i had the hitch temporarily up i removed one of the bolts and fished it threw the frame. i did each one like this till i was done.
Gotmook
10/30/2017
Been great I have towed a kumatsu excavator 3 times with no problems. Still looks great.
Perfect fit! Directions combined with the on-line video make this a very straight forward install. Only thing keeping it from a 5 star review was the way it was packed for shipping. While I understand that it is heavy and awkward in shape it could have been a little better protected. It came with the 4 mounting corners exposed and ripped though the plastic wrap and the black paint chipped. It was not bent at all and 100 percent functional. As this is under the car and I expect scratches from road debris but a little more shipping protection would have been nice.
Kevin
5/14/2019
I no longer have the vehicle as I traded it in for something bigger but during the time I had it everything worked flawlessly. It was used multiple times for various things the longest trip I think was VA to Wi and back. etrailer will be my first stop if I never need to add a hitch to my current or future vehicles.
Bolted right on. Easy install and love the convenience.
Timothy
3/6/2024
As good as the day I installed. Hitch slides in and out easy and love the convenience for the bike rack also
Installed on a 2017 Ford Escape. Works great. Not a difficult install. Wiring in a trailer light plug/harness is much more pain in the butt over installing the hitch. Hangs a little low on the escape but it’s a cosmetic concern only.
Great price and fast shipping. The plastic shipping wrap would have been better if the sharper edges were reinforced better with tape. However, the worst paint scar occurred before it was wrapped for shipping. All was fixed with some touch-up paint.
Installation was exactly per the instructions and went well. Everything lined up and I let the receiver hang naturally from the 4 slightly loose mounting bolts before tightening it into place. I was disappointed to see that the square receiver opening was slightly rotated clockwise after I was finished (not enough to be a functional problem, but still mildly irritating to me - picture might look a little worse than reality, but it shows the idea). There is probably enough play in the mounting that I could try to even it up, but I decided that probably wasn't worth the effort.
I'm only going to use this receiver for my bike rack and the placement of the wiring connector mounting platform is unfortunate. My rack has a ball detent type pin that only goes in on that side and I have to be really careful not to split my knuckles open when removing it.
MuchEasier than I thought.... I installed the hitch in my driveway within 45 minutes. There is no need to remove the muffler! Hitch fit perfectly. It would have been a little easier with two sets if hands. Customer service was outstanding and the online video was a great help. Not sure why the installation video removes the muffler on the 2016 Ford escape, but it is not necessary. I think I can install a second hitch in 15 to 20 minutes after doing it one time. I plan on using this hitch for a 5 bike rack and a small trailer.I am very happy with my purchase.
Excellent product, easy to install and all the right hardware to make it go smoothly. Easy video instruction helped a lot. Shipping was fast customer support is great. FYI I installed the hitch by myself no help in about an 1-1/2 but I'm 70 years old. So anyone can do this it's that easy.
David
4/24/2020
Working great. Awesome hitch
I purchased the Draw-Tite Class III Max-Frame Round Tube Receiver Hitch, I truly believe this product will change the way I use my vehicle. I installed the receiver in less than an hour. The vehicle was on car ramps since I don't have access to a lift. I didn't need to remove the muffler as in the install video on eTrailer. Looks great on my vehicle!!
I will purchase from eTrailer again if the need arises. My friends will hear of the great service and prompt delivery that I received.
2015 Ford Escape Class 3 hitch will never be fully weight utilized; however, I wanted most stability for a mountain bike carrier, and the sale price could not be beat. Did the installation alone in the garage. I used the packaging cardboard as a floor mat allowing me to slide comfortably under the muffler. Installation took me an hour and a half alone. Do watch the excellent etrailer video before installing at home. I watched it twice. On my Escape I had to carefully lift the hitch right side front corner into position first as the starboard plate lip must slide over and past a small vehicle protrusion. Not overly difficult if you are patient. One suggestion may be helpful. Screw the wire bolt coils past the first three bolt threads. This permits you to mount the washer and screw the nut, when ready, a couple threads while the wire coils are securely attached to the bolt. Once there is no danger of losing the bolt inside the frame rail the wire can be pulled perpendicular off the bolt, which of course ruins the coil, but working alone I found this much easier than trying to hold the bolt from slipping into the frame rail while trying to unscrew the wire coil.
Hitch fits well and is very sturdy. This is a high-quality product.
Installation was relatively easy, with no modifications of the vehicle required (if you do the following) and no removal of exhaust or other parts needed. I used a bench grinder to shave down two sides of each carriage bolt head in order to make them narrow enough to slip into the frame through the access hole (see photo). It seemed better and easier to modify the bolt heads than modify the car frame as is recommended in the installation video.
The included wire guides worked well. Some blocking and a floor jack were very helpful for lining up the holes and not dropping the bolts back inside the frame. With two floor jacks installation could likely be a one-person job.
Installation time in a home garage with no lift was 1 hour, including setup and clean up.
The packaging the hitch came was pretty beat up. The hitch was protruding out of the box on the sharp corners, but I mean what can you expect? This thing is heavy, no cardboard box is going to last transporting this thing. I don't think there are dents...
I installed in an hour, by myself. I backed car up on ramps, and used a dolly to hold frame up for me. Instructions are super clear on the video, just follow them. Whatever you do, just don't pull the cables off the bolts until you are ready to slide the nuts and washers on, I almost screwed myself hard. Didn't take much filing down to fit the bolts through, you'll have no problem my dude.
I haven't put a bike rack on it yet, so I don't know how much sway or wiggle I will get. But it feels solid, so I'm not worried about it at all.
4/5 Because of packaging and I haven't set a rack on it yet. Overall it seems good, and shipping got here in less than 3 days, order to door step, real quick.
The hitch was easy to install. Easier with two people. So far no rust on the hitch. Would purchase again.
Pretty straight forward product. Installation wasn’t hard at all. I did have to use a Dremel tool to open up the access hole in my frame slightly to fish bolts through. I also purchased a fold up cargo carrier to use with the hitch. Very satisfied with price and promptness of delivery. Would recommend to anyone in market for trailer hitch or other products.
I'm giving this a two, I think that this will be a good product when installed. This is the reason for the two tho....I ordered the hitch and the wire harness together. I came home from work today excited to put the hitch on and wire up my car. The pictures show what I came home to.....no protection no box nothing on the hitch. there were dings and scratches tho....considering what it is those wont bother me, but still ship your product in boxes and show your customers that you care. Where is the wire harness? I called and the very nice lady said they usually shrink wrap the harness to one of the bars.....REALLY, gee I wonder why its not there. She said she would send one out no charge tomorrow....ummm I already paid for it why would you charge me? I wanted this set up by this weekend, you failed I would have been happy if you overnighted it to me, now I have to wait til next week. then one of the wires broke so I'm hoping I can retrieve the bolt and plate grrrrrrr. I may be happy once its done but right now it only gets two stars and that is being generous.
I was very pleased with the ease of ordering, the video of installation was great. The hitch arrived on time and all parts were included, nothing missing. I was able to install the hitch very easily by myself with only the need for a second person to lift in place, the fit was perfect. Then when I stood back to view my finished work something was wrong, the frame of hitch was straight and level but the receiver was welded with a tilt to the right, my use of the hitch is for a bike rack and now the rack leans to the right. Function is ok but the view shows poor workmanship on product that is manufactured in Mexico. I can only wish it was made in USA.
Hitch look good and wasn't too bad to install. Definitely need 2 people to install though. Etrailer's video helped alot.
However in regard to Etrailer's video. On the manufacturer's install guide it makes mention of the rectangular spacers that need to be fished in with the bolts. The video makes no mention nor does it show them using the spacers. But they will fit once you widen the holes.
All in all nice hit and easy install for most people.
My husband just got done installing our trailer hitch on 2014 Ford Escape. He had to call my brother right away to thank him for telling us about your company and the easy to install hitch that you sell. My husband was extremely happy with the ease of installing this hitch!
This was entirely too easy to install. Only thing missing from the kit is knuckle protectors.
I had actually planned to i stall this with a friend since I had never messed with something g like this but I got tired of seeing it in my garage for a week. I took it out of its packaging, saw a few places where the paint had been damaged and hit them with some spraypaint I had laying around. The wires to pull the bolts through the subframes were surprisingly easy to use. The part that took me the longest was trying to make sure I didn't push the bolts back through the holes when trying to get the nuts started .
Overall I say this was well worth the 30 minutes it took to install. Wear mechanics gloves if you have them since it is easy to scrape knuckles on the sheet metal of your car.
Hitch arrived quick. There was some minor paint scrapes due to shipping but easily repainted with automotive black gloss spray paint (from local hardware store) after installation pictures The installation went well using the very descriptive videos from etrailer and a second person. This was for a 2017 Ford Escape SE towing a small utility trailer. I would purchase again from etrailer.com.
Excellent product. No need to drill, but as the instructions suggest, you may need to file the access hole a bit to get the bolt through. It took me a couple hours for the complete install, but that's because I got ahead if myself and almost lost a part in the rail. After that, I took my sweet time. Follow instructions! This hitch works great! E-trailer service was awesome. I appreciate the e-mail follow up from George.
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Andy
12/21/2023
Fits well on the Escape. Out of the way and it doesnt hang up.