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Perfect for light-duty towing, this custom, vehicle trailer hitch receiver features fully welded, gloss powder coated steel construction. Drawbar sold separately.
Features:
Specs:
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.
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Today on our 2008 Kia Sportage, we'll be installing the Curt Hitch, part number C12126. This is what our hitch will look like once it's installed. Next, we'll go ahead and give you a couple of measurements to assist you with selecting accessories for your new hitch, such as a ball mount, bike rack, or cargo carrier. From the center of the hitch pin hole, to the outermost edge of the bumper is six inches. From the top of the receiver tube opening to the ground is 12 and three-quarter inches. Let's go ahead with installation.
First, we'll need to lower the exhaust before we can install the hitch. To lower the exhaust, there are a total of three rubber isolators we'll remove from the metal hangers on the muffler. To start, we'll spray each rubber isolator with some spray lubricant. Then, using a pair of pliers, pry bar, or in this case, we're using an exhaust hanger removal tool, we'll go ahead and remove the rubber isolator from the metal hanger. With the rubber isolators removed, we'll go ahead and allow the exhaust to come down and sit on the rear axle, giving us a few more inches of working room.
We'll shift it over to the driver's side, and start to remove the tow hook here on the passenger's side. There are a total of five fasteners that secure the tow hook into position, four in the bottom of the frame rail, and one in the side. We'll go ahead and remove these fasteners, setting both the tow hook and fasteners aside, as they will not be reinstalled. Next, on the driver's side, we'll need to clean out the weld nut, which will be our forwardmost attachment point on the driver's side. To clean it out, we'll use some spray lubricant and a half-inch nylon tube brush, part number 814092.
Thoroughly clean out the threads, because over time they build up with rust, dust, dirt, and debris. Quick tech tip: in extreme cases, it may be necessary to run a thread tap to clean out the excess of rust or dirt buildup. Once we have it thoroughly cleaned out, I recommend to take one of the new fasteners and go ahead and put it into the weld nut and make sure it'll go nice and easily. With that done, we'll need to remove an additional fastener here in the bottom of the frame rail on the passenger's side. This will be a weld nut in the frame that we will utilize once we install the hitch.
We'll move over to the driver's side. This application does not have a tow hook; however, we'll need to remove the two fasteners in the bottom of the frame. With those removed, we can see all six attachment points for the hitch. Starting from the rear of the vehicle, it'll be the first three weld nuts in the frame. We're ready to go ahead and install the hitch. We'll be using the new ten millimeter bolt, three-eighths conical tooth washer, the teeth of the washer facing the hitch. We'll go ahead and take our hitch, feed it up over the exhaust on the passenger's side, and then bring it up into position on the driver's side. We'll go ahead and install each one of the fasteners finger tight until we have them all in place. With the fasteners holding the hitch, we'll go ahead and tighten it down. Next, we'll torque to specifications, as indicated in the instructions. With our hitch secured and torqued to specifications, we'll go ahead and reinstall the exhaust. With that done, this'll complete the install of our Curt Hitch, part number C12126 on our 2008 Kia Sportage.
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (13 Customer Reviews)
Perfect for light-duty towing, this custom, vehicle trailer hitch receiver features fully welded, gloss powder coated steel construction. Drawbar sold separately.Good. There was some type of delay on my hitch but it worked out after contacting them. Install was exactly as described on their instructional videos.
The hitch was a bolt on just like the vid showed, think I hat it on in about 1/2 hr.
The fit and finish was great as was the shipping.
We have used it without any problem and would recommend it though I would suggest going with the up size only because there are so many hitch accessories that only fit the bigger socket. Remember to get the 'spacer' so you can use 1 1/4" size stuff too.
The hardest part of the wiring kit was finding the car socket and getting that oem socket cap off, after that it went fine.
Easy install and does the job. Use it for bike rack mostly.
Damien D.
12/10/2017
Its been a year. No rust or issues.
I installed it in my parking garage in less than an hour.
Cooking spray had to suffice for WD-40 to loosen the exhaust hangers as I was out and not willing to brave fri afternoon D.C. traffic.
The YouTube video was a huge help as well.
I really like the way it is tucked up out of the way - nicer than a lot of u-haul hitches I have seen in the road.
Great experience!
the hitch was received in excellent shape was very happy. I found the videos for installing the hitch and trialer wiring very helpful. I will recommend this product to friends and family
Hitch and harness I ordered came very fast! They were exactly what I needed and the installation was quick and easy. I will definitely order form here again.
Excellent value/ easy installTook us no time at all to install this and towing the utility trailer we use for camping, the hitch performed flawlessly.
perfect fit
arrived quickly
looks great, just a few nicks in the paint. great directions.
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Walter
4/7/2022
Thanks for the review reminder, helps me check the bolt torque! Anyways still intact and carries my Thule bike carrier.