EcoHitch Hidden Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class III - 2"

The EcoHitch hits the sweet spot for price and design. Now that Toyota OEM hitches are running $475 the EcoHitch is cheaper while still providing clean aesthetics, good clearance and a much simpler installation procedure. I strapped the tongue of the hitch to my floor jack and was able to lift it into place with minimal repositioning. The tailgate kick sensor still works as well as before (not always great in the first place) without modification. The whole installation was about an 1.25 hours by myself. The fit is excellent. The only comment relative to the provided instructions is that the suggested cutout of the fascia panel was about .25" longer/higher than it really needed to be, but still looks clean and attractive. I chose to use a .375" spade bit to round the inside corners at the top of the notch to avoid future tearing of the fascia if the corners were left sharp.3147374

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The hitch itself is well built. Do I think it should be double the price of the others.. probably not. I went with this hitch to have more clearance from the ground. I also didn't cut the bumper and it still looks and fits nicely without doing that. I figured if I wanted to cut it out after I could. The ONLY problem is that some of the hitch coating was scratch and rubbed off from shipping.I took some rust protection and spayed it and called it good in thos spots. Here in AZ it should last forever. I did put it up by myself using even four limbs, help it recommend.
Overall shipping was fast and the hitch has quality. Should do the job and last as long as the rav4 does. If I had any downside is the price.1356313

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Big J.

8/14/2023

The hitch is good. No rust. Probably bc I live in Arizona. I did end up taking the bumper off and cutting the slot in the bumper so the hits sits flush with the bumper. Looks factory. I use it all the time for a 4x8 trailer and I may of used it for a car dolly for 35 miles. Nothing I can say bad about the hitch besides the price still. I think they would sale more if they would just lower the price a tad .

Solid hitch receiver, but it was packed without any padding or protective wrap in a single-ply cardboard box. The edges of the hitch receiver had pushed through the box and the paint is already chipped in some locations. It seems that this is a common issue, disappointing that the packing process hasn't been changed to at least wrap the edges to avoid paint chipping and damage.1732479

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Jenny N.

2/22/2024

It is disappointing to receive a scratched hitch. I will have our Customer Service team reach out to you. I recommend touching up the hitch with a rust resistant paint such as Rustoleum and we can send out a can of paint for you.

Ecohitch receiver arrived with no packaging on it, and parts kit shrink wrapped to it. Loses a star for ZERO protection during shipping. Receiver itself fit perfectly on a 2023 Rav4 Hybrid Woodland Edition. Used a dremel to cut the bumper fascia as directed in the instructions. Removed (3) Rearmost exhaust hangers and hung the exhaust from a ratchet strap. I’d recommend starting on the driver’s side when bolting up, as passenger side is tight.

The whole process took me about 2 hours working solo. A (recommended) second installer would make the job go a lot faster.

I have to go back and touch-up some paint, and the install is done.

Finished install looks good. No complaints.1760321

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Best looking easiest job I’ve done. Great installation videos. Thanks Etrailer for making me look like I know what I’m doing! My only suggestion is it fits without cutting the bumper, and looks more professional. Extremely happy. Did experience the bad box packaging issue but it’s awesome!1580156

Glenn B.

5/17/2024

Great hitch, easy 2 person install, tucks up under so well it’s better than factory, and unlike competitors hitches starts with a U… No rust! Which is very uncommon in upstate NY! Works well looks great very happy

by: Kimberly 05/26/2024

Toyota RAV4

I installed this a year ago on my 2023 RAV4 Prime. I picked eTrailer instead of Torklift because they provided awesome instructions. Thank goodness, too, because it shipped directly from Torklift with next to no packaging and half of the hardware fell out. eTrailer took excellent care of me, ordered the parts bag for me, and I finished the last bolt a couple of hours before taking off on a camping trip. The hitch has taken bikes and gear on a platform all over the place since then and has performed great. Yeah, there is a little slop, but it hasn’t been an issue with a bike rack and cargo platform. Plus I didn’t even have to cut the bumper, it’s *right* under but doesn’t deform the plastic. I “saved” my kick sensor but it never worked well even before, so I just shut it off. Maybe someday I’ll mess with it again.3145469

by: Kent 05/30/2024

Toyota RAV4

2022 Rav4 Hybrid Limited.Hitch works great. It fits and mounts up like it is suppose to . I had a hard time mentally!--- cutting the bumper wrap plastic on a brand new car but I wanted a hitch that would tuck under the car nice and tight. I used a Dremel tool with a metal cutting friction blade. The cut doesn't show..so not a big deal. I raised the rear of the car by driving up on some wooden 3x6 ramps. I also used a floor jack in the middle of the hitch to make things easier.3147169

Installed on a 2023 Rav4 Prime. Overall I like the hitch quite a bit. Compared to the oem hitch, it sits about 2 or 3 inches lower (inline with exhaust) but is much easier/less involved to install and $[XX] cheaper. I had to uninstall the shipping tie down that was on the frame first.

I docked a star because the item’s coating was damaged in multiple places upon arrival. To prevent it from rusting prematurely i applied a rust encapsulator on those areas, which seemed to work well. Not worth returning since these areas are all non-visible once installed. The packaging pipeline needs more care and attention to detail to prevent this type of damage from happening. Other reviews did mention this problem so a bit disappointed that this issue has not been resolved yet. At a bare minimum the packaging should have foam blocks on the edges of this hitch to prevent damage during transport, which it did not.1695551

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by: William 05/24/2024

Toyota RAV4

After one year of ownership, this hitch receiver has held up well. It was easy to install, is very sturdy, and has survived cross-country trips with the bikes in stow. It adds minimal ground clearance and my RAV4 has survived several off-road trips with it attached. Highly recommend.3144227

I'm excited about the product, but it arrived with scrapes/chipped paint, which may cause rust issues down the line. Based on the location of the scraps, it doesn't appear to have happened during shipping, which means etrailer didn't do a very good job of checking that it was customer ready.1563087

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Katrina B.

5/10/2023

I am sorry that your hitch arrived with scratches on it. We recommend covering up any scratches or scuffs with a rust-oleum type of paint. There is a link below for your reference. I have sent your information over to our customer service department for them to look into getting you a paint credit.

Helpful Links

faq-rust-prevention-maintenance.aspx

Instructions are clear and helpful. I didn't have to cut anything. I did have to remove the tow hook already on my car because it was in the way, this was easy to do and then the hitch receiver went in with no problem!
We used a jack to help hold up the hitch receiver when bolting it to the car as it is quiet heavy. The bolts also take a moment to thread but they do!1777346

Very poor packaging, no bubble wrap or any soft padding, hitch was half way sticking out of box when I got home to it, for $[XX] you would expect better, hitch seems ok so far, hopefully goes well.3147472

Hitch was good and a direct fit for my 2024 Rav4 Hybrid. Only misses were that the "tow hook" that is mounted to the bottom of the vehicle had to get removed, luckily I saw reference to this on an un-associated youtube video, and just removed it. Other is that the hitch came pretty banged up, due to being a giant hunk of metal in a thin cardboard box. I touched up the hitch with spray paint. Not a big deal just be aware that it isn't going to arrive in perfect paint condition. Also I ordered a seperate Curt 4-pin mount and modified it to mount onto the hitch, the one that comes in teh kit is waaay too big for just holding a 4-pin connector.

-To sum it up was a very good solid product, it mounted very well and all the hardware was easy to use. For the price you will not find a better deal if you are willing to polish it up a touch when it arrives, not the manufactures/seller's fault.
Thanks1733750

Great looking product. Annoyed it showed up with a 2 inch long area of missing paint because it was scratched off in shipping. etrailer will say to just spray paint it but why do I need to paint a $[XX] hitch? Guess where it is going to rust first?1695160

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Nice hitch. A bit overpriced compared to the other offerings that are similar in size/amount of material. However I wanted the extra 2" of ground clearance so I bit the bullet and payed the extra amount.
However I wanted the clean look and clearance so went ahead and cut it.

One suggestion: After getting it laid out correctly according to the instructions using removable painter's tape, I first drilled 3/8" holes in the top corners to make a rounded more finished look. Also I was a bit afraid about cutting so the corners were "sharp" and the possibility that due to vibration and fatigue over times the corners could start tearing.

After drilling the corners I used a utility knife and steel straight edge to cut the rest of it and then sanded to finish. Turned out well.

I haven't mounted it yet as I have some vertebral compression fractures from rock climbing so can't lift it up into place underneath the car. I'm scheduled to have U-haul install it in a couple days. They install Curt hitches all the time which are virtually the same 4 bolts and same process. They only charge $[XX] to install the Curt hitches on a Rav4 so I'm hoping it will be similarly - especially since I went to the trouble of cutting the fascia myself.1582873

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I was looking for a hitch which gave me the highest clearance next to the factory option. Nice looking, high quality, and a breeze to install. Fortunately, I had a friend and his lift which really made it a quick and simple installation. I also chose not to modify the bumper.1771197

Received the hitch when expected and in great condition. Critically useful was the video on the website to walk through the installation process.1530951

Mark

3/7/2024

Excellent. I use it every day and have had no problems.

The hitch arrived in good shape. Even though the box was heavy duty, and the hitch was secure inside, the hard points of the hitches metal edges caused some box tears. Luckily the finish was intact (I think a testament to a durable coating on the hitch.) Installation went very easy and I was able to do it on my own and just used a jack to lift it in place. The mounting bolts were easily accessible. When finished I have a full 12" clearance from the ground to the bottom of the hitch.1656027

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Happy I received it but as usual the hitch receiver never stays in its box... was scratched up and box tore up... got to buy a bottle of rustoleum black spray paint to clean it up3144353

Fairly easy install. The passenger side was no fun for a rookie working solo. No lift required so that was a bonus.3145734

I haven’t used it yet but installed today. I didn’t read the directions to lower the exhaust pipe so I jacked the car up which worked and had I known to do either at the start (by reading the directions) it would’ve gone smoother. It fits very nicely on my 2024 RAV 4 hybrid and it still just took me an hour and half to install1776438

by: Mike 05/24/2024

Great hitch. We picked this hitch because it gives better clearance than anything else we looked at. Looks good and easy to install3144665

Hitch receiver fit and finish was excellent. However, as others have complained, packaging for shipment was lacking and resulted in damage to the finish. Needed to spot repaint to avoid future rust.1697462

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by: RP04/20/2024

Shipped immediately, product arrived on-time without a scratch, mounted easily on vehicle (Toyota RAV4), price was right, and friendly customer service. No choice but to give it a 5 Star rating1770757

Great Hitch! Beautiful and fits nicely. Good Installation video. Slight issue with delivery delays due to manufacturing, but all in all it was a good purchase and a great product. Definitely worth the wait.1730327