Draw-Tite Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class II - 1-1/4"

by: Doug A. 04/27/2019

2015 Subaru Forester

If you are purchasing this hitch for a 2015 Subaru Forester, look closely at my photos!
Dealing with ETrailer was great (I have purchased from them in the past and will again). Installation instructions were clear. Installation was moderately difficult, due to having to drop exhaust and remove & trim heat shield. My reason for giving only three stars is that the hitch does not stick out far enough from under the bumper. The trailer ball in my photo is 1 7/8”. There is barely enough room to get a trailer attached, and it would be very difficult to not scratch your bumper hooking and unhooking a trailer. My primary reason for purchasing the hitch was for a bike rack. The easiest solution, to make this usable for my needs was to purchase an extension that fits between the receiver hitch and the trailer ball. The manufacturer of the extension warns it is not to be used for towing. 635464

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Mike L.

4/27/2019

In order to tow, youll need a longer drawbar. The longest one we offer thats similar to whats shown in your photo is 36053, which measures 9-34 inches measured from the hitch pin hole to the hole where the ball installs. If this is longer than the one you have, it should work well for you.

Helpful Links

Ball-Mounts/Draw-Tite/36053.html

The hitch is advertised as working for 2015 Subaru Forrester and "technically" it fits as in the bolt holes all line up, however, what they don't tell you is the trailer hitch will not clear the bumper (see attached photos). I also have a bike rack that will not clear the bumper either. The hitch and bike rack work perfectly fine on my Ford Focus and Chevy Cavalier (where the trailer hitch extends out to the bumper). Solution is to spend another $xx.xx to buy a hitch extender which according to the information from the manufacturer reduces the towing capability by 50%. Clearly the wrong item for this car. Not a happy camper!953290

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Tyler M.

2/9/2021

Hi Chris, Thanks for your feedback! This hitch does sit back far behind the bumper. From the center of the hitch-pin hole to the back of the bumper is 6.75 inches. We do not recommend using hitch extenders as this does decrease your towing capacity by 50 percent. For a hitch ball mount that would work best in this situation, I would recommend the Draw-Tite Drawbar for 1-14 inch Hitches, part 3594 .

Helpful Links

p-3594.html

Easy to install, with the right tools. Product arrived fine and super fast! Correct item. All hardware needed. I did have to go buy myself a quality Ridgid drill/driver to replace my Harbor Freight drill. I tried to do it with a budget drill and it simply did not have the power or battery life to drill the two holes as needed. But I needed a new drill anyways, so that just expedited that purchase. I simply referred to the etrailer installation video for 2017 Subaru Forester on YouTube. It was super easy and I would say took me between 45-60 mins, taking my time doing it. I did it by removing the muffler as this made it easier for my vehicle. Now my car is ready for the bike carrier that I bought!!936932

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Nice hitch when done but the install was more difficult than it should have been. I had first thought of removing the muffler but when I saw the rust on the muffler bolts with a two-year-old car, I decided not to risk that. Dropping the exhaust system went fine. Removing the heat shield was difficult because of the rust on the screws which resulted in bending up the outboard attachments. Fortunately, they did not break and could be bent back. So far, the problems weren't the fault of the hitch. Then I followed the instructions to enlarge the center mounting hole. Sure the piece with the square hole will go through but the bolt won't. Fortunately, I found that out in time. Apparently, the instructions are written for the class I hitch with smaller bolt heads as the 3/4" hole needs to be enlarged to 7/8" to get these bolt heads through. So I followed the method in the video and used the fourth hole, toward the front, that is already 7/8" diameter and only needed a little filing to work. The hitch went on fine but it unnecessarily blocked attaching the inboard muffler hanger. My hanger attachment may have less clearance than most of these cars but this is still inexcusable. The interference is inboard of the large hole on each side of the hitch and having that metal there serves no purpose. Looking at the other hitches sold by etrailer, this is the only one with metal there. It was difficult to file the hitch in those close quarters but with that and a little trim on the hanger, I got things back together. This is the third etrailer hitch that I've installed and definitely the most difficult. If the instructions were correct and the hitch was made right, the install would have been pretty easy, especially on a new car without rust. Inexcusable.665881

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We are using our hitch for the bike rack...here's a pic for you!310554

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Kim B.

10/23/2017

All is good! We will be using it for our bike carrier this weekend. Thanks!

I bought the Draw-Tite trailer hitch receiver, Thule bike rack, and T-One wiring harness. They arrived within a week of ordering. Everything works great. Now I can tow my rowboat or haul our bikes when we go on vacation. Excellent products and service!
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This is the second hitch I have purchased from you people, as with the last one I think the quality was excellent, the instructions were clear and easy to follow, I only had a little difficulty getting the muffler off (not quite as easy as the video shows) after that slight glitch the rest of the went smoothly. I would highly recommend this product and if the need arises I would purchase another one from etrailer again. This one was installed on a 2016 Subaru Forester.247575

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Hitch arrived in a timely fashion - as others have reported the box was cut but everything was intact. Watched the videos and was able to install on my 2017 Forester without jacking the car up - only assistance required was extra hands from wife to lift hitch in place. 388331

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I installed the trailer wiring and a friend helped install the hitch. Etrailer website is excellent. I got the right items on time and the fit is better than my wife’s dealer installed hitch. Videos on the etrailer site are clear and correct. One caveat, don’t try installing the hitch without at least one other person and having a way to lift the car(we used ramps) is a great help. The only possible way etrailer could be any more helpful is if they could recruit some local shops that would be willing to do the installation. I especially like having my wiring in the passenger compartment when not in use. It keeps it out of the Salt here in the northeast.691559

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Roger

8/17/2020

Works great. I like it better than my wife’s factory installed hitch.

Great hitch / quality for the price! Etrailer's video installation and supplied instructions made installation very easy. Any "weekend warrior" can install with no issues - 2 out of 10 of difficulty stage. 595148

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I have installed the hitch but not used it yet. I just wanted to say two things about installing the hitch and the wiring harness.
The hitch installation instructions show how to enlarge a hole in the vehicle frame in order to get the mounting plates in, but it misses the fact that the mounting bolt heads are too large to get through the hole as shown. You have to make the holes larger. The Tech Writer should have caught that.
The harness connector in the 2014 Forester is not easily found and the instructions give no help. It is up out of reach behind a panel where the tail light assembly is. I was able to pry the panel loose in that area with a screwdriver.136781

Paul H.

6/30/2015

got the hitch and had a local shop install it . Perfect and looks good. They went a step further and drilled holes in the heat shield where the n mounting bolts are and the fit was perfect. Looks factory. they did not cut the heat shield as shown on the video. Also the the ball mount was not in the box when shipped as I had ordered a bike rack and they were put in the same box. with one phone call the problem was taken care of, thanks E trailer great job

Was checking available hitches on various websites. Wanted hitch for a bike rack that wasn't a shin banger when installed or so far under the car it was hard to mount bike rack. etrailer had the best prices but that isn't the thing that sold it. The pictures installed and the how to video to install helped me determine which hitch company,design and ease of install was right for me and my skill set. Great site etrailer!479686

William

2/28/2019

One year and hitch is performing well. Holds a 80 lb Thule bike rack and 2 ebikes. Paint is still like new even being coated with winter salt.

Sales service was excellent. Hitch arrived in a couple days. Package was compromised but all parts were inside. Box seemed sufficient for the job so the problem was likely a result of poor handling in transit. Had a third party do the install and all seemed to go well. The snake spring idea got two thumbs up. I anticipate using the hitch receiver for a bike rack for as long as we own the car. It looks very substantial. 265312

Lee M.

6/26/2017

So far so good. The hitch receiver gets a fair amount of use and it does its job well.

by: Jake 01/21/2020

Hitch was, and still is, a good product. It was easy to install and the instructions were easy to follow. I'm using it for a bike rack and also to tow a small trailer. I've had no problems whatsoever. Hitch has a good finish which is still in good condition after about a year.739793

Jake

1/22/2021

Hitch is still functioning as expected. Quality product!

Received the hitch for our 2018 Subaru Forester. It was delivered in perfect condition with all the needed hardware to install it as well. This hitch is spot on to solve our issue of hauling our bicycles to the shore,without trying to put bikes on the roof or into the interior and doing damage to either one. Our hitch was also delivered 2 days earlier than the given delivery date ! Sorry there are no pictures but I am not tech savvy at all ! I will gladly purchase here again.707290

John N.

9/26/2020

After a year of usage....this hitch is STILL in good condition.....paint is still holding up very well considering we live in the northeast and there is a LOT of salt used on our roadways here.

Package delivered in perfect order. Installation was very easy by following the instructions. The "fishing" wires to pull the bolts into position included in the kit made the installation go much easier. It is exactly what I was looking for. 411186

Dennis W.

7/27/2018

No issues, glad i purchased it from you and would again when needed

I received my order yesterday and I must say that it exceeded my expectations. The product looks so well built, very strong.
The delivery was on time and everything that I ordered arrived in perfect condition.
I also asked questions regarding the hitch that I needed before ordering and I had an answer right away.
I would definitely recommend eTrailer.
Thanks
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Anthony

4/11/2019

We have used our trailer hitch many many times and it has not let us down. Glad my son in law recommended your company.

Anthony

4/11/2019

The hitch has performed super, no complaints! Very good product.

by: Happy2Travel06/27/2022

Got this hitch a year ago and had it professional installed by my service tech. No problems at all since - performs as expected and LOVE that it has a locking feature. Would recommend this hitch and using etrailer for these types of accessories - have ordered from them before and received excellent customer service and sound products at a good price delivered as expected in a timely manner. Thank you etrailer!!1316955

by: Douglas 07/12/2022

Ford Transit Connect

I had several questions prior to buying the trailer hitch receiver and William was great about breaking down the technical aspects of his answer. Also, shipping was very fast, both getting it out the door and in transit. Many thanks!1326025

I only buy my hitch from etrailer. This is the 2nd hitch I order.1468312

My son installed the hitch and said it was relatively easy.
My use is for my 4 bike bike rack.
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Jeannette O.

7/8/2020

Its been great!

by: Jacob W08/13/2017

2015 Subaru Forester

Good hitch, works well, installation was fairly simple. I've pulled a few loaded trailers and use it for a bike rack, no major issues found. Pressed to find something to critique, I'd say there are two possible downsides- it's noisy from the interior and it doesn't come with a plug for the receiver opening. The noise might be solved by a rubber grommet between the rear mounts and the hitch bolt plate, but it really isn't that bad overall. The plug for the opening would just be a nice touch. I don't know why the manufacturers don't just include one with the hitch. Rust isn't generally a good selling point for a product you put your name on.419802

by: Leonard D08/15/2019

OOPS; I seemed to have given a review for a different product purchased from a different company. Sorry if I confused you.
OK; I bought a hitch and wiring from you; this review is for the hitch. I was satisfied with the price, but NOT the dimensions. I had a professional install it. I would have preferred that the hitch receiver tube was a bit longer. I have to get down on the ground and reach under the car to install the hitch extender with ball. That was the piece I mistakenly reviewed when I should have been reviewing the wiring harness. Incidentally; the wiring harness was fine.688379

came in a timely manner easy to install 1655138

We received the hitch, harness and ball in excellent condition. The packaging was very good.
The hitch is very well made, as expected. The wiring harness fit perfectly.
The greatest part about this purchase, though, was the video showing the installation of both the harness and the hitch. It was a great timesaver for me and was accurate in all aspects.
I did take a chance on using the 2016 hitch listed for our 2017 Forester. There was one glitch with this. It seems that Subaru modified their muffler hanger a bit on the inboard side of the car. The rubber hanger could not be reinstalled due to clearance issues. I am still looking for a good workaround to correct this.
All in all, this has been our second great Etrailer experience.289159