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This fully welded trailer hitch receiver bolts onto your vehicle's frame with no welding required. Powder coated steel is sturdy and corrosion resistant.
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.
Average Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (94 Customer Reviews)
This fully welded trailer hitch receiver bolts onto your vehicle's frame with no welding required. Powder coated steel is sturdy and corrosion resistant.I really liked how it all worked out,had no problems putting it on and it only took me about a half hour to do it. Now I need to hook my trailer up to it and see how it holds up to the weight on it
The fit was poor and took several hours - maybe 5hrs I think to install. Optional instructions should be mandatory instructions like ways to spread the hitch since it was around 1/4 inch too narrow. The current instructions are backwards in order. Wasted a lot of time and with contacting support. Also a big challenge to remove the 1-1/4 inch receiver bolts to replace with the bolts for the 2" receiver - then need a ton of work to remove with lube, heat, breaker bar, impact, etc. And to put in the new bolts required oil and lube.
Very easy to install it, fits perfect and made very strong. Someone really used his head when he designed it. Only one thing- bolts don’t fit they are little smaller but I used the original so all good.
Thank you etrailer
Milen
4/18/2020
Working very good, I’m moving usually wood logs to my house and does the job perfect. Highly recommend it. Thank you etrailer’s and keep up with the great work.
Faster shipping than anticipated. Everything worked as indicating and the end product seems nice and solid. Getting the old (original) bolts off was the hardest part. I used a penetrating spray every few hours on the first day. On the second day, I was able to get a few bolts to break free once I found a way to extend my wrench lever out to 2 feet long. I then had to heat up the last two remaining bolts with a torch in order to break them free. I greased the original bolts before using them again, as the provided bolts do not fit for that purpose. Even with the grease, a couple of the bolts were very hard to get back in. I had to use the breaker bar to install one of them just about 100% of the way. In total, I spent 5 hours laboring to get the bolts off and less than 30 minutes to mount and install the new hitch.
It fit like it was supposed to. Than ks for the fast shipping!
etrailer is AWESOME!!!! Super fast delivery! The hitch fit perfectly. Just as easy to put on as the install video. Very nice hitch. My factory 1 1/4 hitch was rotted as you can see in my pic. The new one is way better and the 2 inch is a sweet upgrade!!! Increasing my towing capacity is great too!!
Easy hitch I have ever put on any vehicle..
Works great!!
Every thing fit good.The parts came on time.I am pleased with everything,but ford could have put the brake tender plug in a easier place.
I had spoken with Ashley at etrailer regarding the installation of a Class III hitch for my 2004 Ford Explorer that came equipped with a Class I hitch. Ashley was extremely helpful and answered all questions I had and arranged shipping of the Curt Hitch I needed. The hitch came in even less time than anticipated and I installed it the same day. Very simple to install after clearing some of the rust on the frame but estimated it took about an hour to install. Towed with it today and it felt perfect for the towing needs. I would have submitted a photo but vehicle is still attached to boat and will be for next several days!
Al F.
10/15/2018
Perfectly. Towed our 23ft boat with no sway problems or any issues.
This is a good product. Good custom fit. Actually installed by myself. Lori and Sheila were very helpful. Planning on pulling my bass boat with my Lincoln Aviator
Well built and designed product,used factory mounting bolts on the sides and your carriage bolts and special no spin plates in the bottom. Fairly simple to install and it looks nice.
Dave K.
7/8/2014
Use the hitch to pull a 6x10 utility trailer.The hitch does a good job and is a quality product for the money.Thanks, Dave K
I received the Curt trailer hitch about three days after I ordered it. It was in good condition with all the mounting hardware I needed and the instructions were clear. I did watch etrailer's installation video prior to ordering the hitch and it did help give me a good understanding of how to do the installation. The installation process went very smoothly. After I removed the six bumper mounting bolts the hitch fit perfectly under the existing class I hitch factory installed on my 2003 Explorer. I had my son help with the installation just for an extra pair of hands. I reused the M14 bolts per the instructions and was able to get everything mounted and tight in less than an hour. I drove to an auto parts store and borrowed a torque wrench to torque all the bolts to the required specifications. The final installation looks good and I am very happy with the results.
received my hitch in a few days . it's on and works great with my bike rack .
Daria
9/15/2019
its working out just fine ,thanks.
The Curt Trailer Hitch Class III C13550 Trailer Hitch fit on my 2002 Ford Explorer perfectly and it was easy to install. Took me only 1hr to install it in my driveway.
Installed a Tekonsha Prodigy P3 Trailer Brake Controller - 1 to 4 Axles - Proportional - 90195 which took me about 4 hours. The instructions and move that was provided for this product made it so easy to follow. I also purchased the Brake Controller 7- and 4-Way Installation wiring Kit (ETBC7) which came with all the parts and wire you need for easy installation. This package saved me a lot of time.
Product arrived timely and was of very sturdy material. I especially appreciated the installation videos provided.
Dthing
1/26/2018
I would be happy to provide follow up. We used the hitch for about 6 months and it worked great. It was easy to install and held up wonderfully but we sold the vehicle a couple months ago. We did remove it from the vehicle hoping we could get some money out of it since we only used it a short time.
Mike L.
1/27/2018
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Product review is excellent, took about 30 minutes to unbox, lay everything out and install! I was given the wrong year of the vehicle for the receiver hitch so when it came it would not fit. I called and spoke with Brenden about my mistake and he took care of everything. The customer service is the best I have ever dealt with! Brenden C, Carol C, and Greg B all reached out to me during the two shipping to keep me informed and I got my second hitch 8 days after ordering the first....thats fast! Great company run by dedicated people!
Hitch is very well built with easy installation. Installed in my driveway using a creeper, never had to move or jack car. Videos were great help, watched them before starting project. No problems with it yet and I usually pull around 3000# with it. It looks as new as the day I took it out of the box.
The product is exceptional and it was delivered 2 days early! The only issues that I had was that 2 of the 6 bolt holes didn't line up perfectly and so it was a bit of a battle getting those last ones in. if the hitch had just the tiniest (1/16") of play front to back instead of just up and down it would have been perfect. But I am more than satisfied with the product. I didn't realize that the 2" ball mount that I also ordered came with a pin and clip, so I ordered one and now have an extra. No worries.
Perfect for 2004 Ford Explorer XLT. My 1.5 inch existing hitch rusted away. Before I ordered the hitch I loosened all 6 bolts. I sprayed the bolts with anti-seize and let it penetrate for a day. I used a socket wrench and car jack for the passenger side making those 3 bolts a breeze to free. I backed the truck up on ramps and used a socket wrench inserted into a steel pipe for leverage. I needed to put the truck on ramps to gain clearance for the pipe. That made the drivers side 3 bolts easy to free up.
Once the hitch arrived the installation was easier than expected to do alone. It took me about 1 hour start to finish. It fits like a glove.
This trailer hitch shipped fast and arrived on time. The install took me about an hour by myself. I used a floor jack to hold the hitch up in place while I put the bolts in. I was a little concerned about snaking the bolts through. I was very surprised how easy that was. The rest is just remove 6 existing bolts, lift the hitch in place and put the bolts back in. It's that simple. I tow a 20' camper with a weight distribution hitch. The hitch is great and looks nice too.
Excellent fit & finish on this hitch. Will be used to haul my Suzuki DRZ 400 on a hitch mount Hauler.
Installation was pretty quick and painless , we were done in an hour.
My only complaint is that the bolts that were provided to attach the hitch to the frame were totally the wrong size , so I reused the OEM bolts. ( The '05 Explorer comes w/ an OEM class II hitch )
Over all an excellent experience, from etrailer helping me identify & purchase the correct hitch and thru the installation. Thank you etrailer!
Super fast shipping. I recommend removing bumper cover. It only takes a few minutes and makes it a lot easier to inspect the frame. I removed factory hitch so I could sand and paint the frame. I didn't want to see an old rusty hitch next to a new shiny one so I cut the center section out of the factory hitch and just used the the mounting plates. The new hitch fits over the factory mounting plates. Sanded and painted plates. The bolts that come with new hitch are m12, if your explorer uses m14 you'll have to reuse them. Fit and looks great. I spent about 2 hours on mine, most of that time was sanding. If you don't do any of this it's a 20 minute job.
Excellent. Be sure to put oblong square nuts in correctly. You may need someone to hold those 2 nuts in place. Rest is DIY siple. Wiring is simple, straight forward tab into backup light circuit. Disconnect battery before doing then check with assistant placing foot on brake while in gear. Well built, welding is strong and professional.
I tow a boat and a race car with the Curt hitch. It was straightforward to install, competitively priced, impressively high quality and gets the job done in every way.
The installation went as described. However, when in a snow-covered location, I would recommend that one power clean the underside of the Explorer because as I installed the receiver dirt and melting ice were a nuisance.
And as to the torquing requirements - I have not had to torque bolts down like that since I installed components into the Space Shuttle.
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Jenny N.
4/12/2022
It sounds like that the side brackets were knocked out of alignment. This can happen while in transit to our facility or to you. We do have a great FAQ that provides ways to move the brackets back into alignment so the hitch can be installed.
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faq-my-trailer-hitch-doesnt-fit.aspx