Draw-Tite Max-Frame Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class III - 2"

Was a bit worried when the package was delivered just 2 days after ordering. There was a big hole in the side created in shipping, but all was OK. Installation was a breeze, but being by myself and no help coming, I forged forward. Being careful, it took a little more time (1:30) to install but all went well. Instructions on line helped a lot. This was the 4th hitch I've installed from etrailer over the past 20 years and all have worked out perfectly. Thank you1730965

I bought the Draw-Tite for a 2018 Ford Edge Sport. I saw lots of discussion about throwing out the heat shield, which left the rear bumper flimsy. I was able to trim the heat shield, reinstall it, which firmed up the rear bumper cover. Attached are some pics showing how this was done. Basically, trim off the ends and center piece, anything that would extend back towards the hitch. I used a Dremel cut off wheel and Tin snips, worked great. Then, cut a 3 inch square next to the centerpiece opening. Do not cut the heat shield material. This allows the receiver part of the hitch to fit in the opening. Then, trim the ends by following the heat shield material. Slide the heat shield back in place starting from one end and pushing it across and back into place. Reattach all bumper cover bolts, that will firm up the bumper cover.
Pull wires worked great. I used jack stands to hold the hitch in place and installed it myself. Just watch the video a couple of times, it was not that hard. I bought the Curt wiring harness as I wanted to keep the pigtail inside when not using, which will be about 95% of the time. Good product, easy install.908164

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Tom H.

11/5/2021

Its been about a year since I installed the hitch and wiring. It works flawlessly. Paint looks good, couldnt be happier with the purchase.

The install went easier than expected. 3 Hours start to finish by myself. There were a few bare edges where paint was removed during shipping, which will be the first to rust. I might try to touch it up but in past experience this doesn't help much. Adding some padding on the edges of the frame might prevent damage during shipment.

To the install. I am a moderately skilled shade-tree mechanic, and anyone who can do minor car repairs should be able to tackle this install. Removing the trim was easy. Using a strap to lower the muffler was not too bad (even detaching the hangers wasn't too bad). I would definitely go this route instead of removing the bumper cover as some others have mentioned... much easier.

The hardest part was getting the hitch frame in place without a helper. I ended up using some landscaping bricks and an old empty car battery to lay one end of the frame on while I attached the other. Having someone to hold one side while you attach the other would make this part MUCH easier. Still, I was able to tackle it without too much trouble. Note the frame IS heavy, so you won't be able to just hold it up while you get the bolts attached.

After that, I tightened the bolts, re-hung the muffler, and put the trim back on and it looks and works great! Now I can go fishing again with my new Edge.

Also of note, the backup camera and the automatic rear hatch sensor still work fine. You do have to "kick" to just one side of the hitch or the other... but it works no differently than before.

Very satisfied with the product, as long as it lasts the life of the car without rusting to pieces... which time will tell on that front. 724790

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Victoria B.

11/14/2019

We always recommend covering any bare metal with a rust-inhibiting spray paint. If any rust has already started on the bare metal, cleaning it off before applying paint will help the paint apply better and prevent rust from spreading further. I have linked a help article on rust prevention.

Helpful Links

faq-rust-prevention-maintenance.aspx

Paul

11/10/2020

A year later, Ive used the trailer all year for hauling without a hitch! Really pleased, have zero complaints. Everything is still nice and snug, even the bare metal spots I was worried about corrosion have hardly gathered any rust. I would recommend this product and will be a customer for life for any future towing needs. Zero problems.

Thanks again to e-trailer for making my life a little easier with my new trailer hitch. It was once again easy to install and it looks great. The instructions and being able to watch the video makes it easy to install and in no time ready to use. This is the second hitch I have bought and I will definitely recommend this product. Thanks again George. Now I can take my power chair and get more shopping done. The hitch is almost invisible. 525420

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Vanessa

6/24/2019

Things are still going great with my trailer hitch. I will definitely recommend etrailer to anyone in need of a great reliable trailer hitch. Thanks again George.

Very happy so far with the hitch. Delivery was quick and came the day they said it would. Had U-Haul install it for me and it went smooth. Hardly even notice it. Have only used it once to haul electric bikes and didn't hear a sound from below. So far very happy with the hitch.1091630

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Dan

7/13/2022

Have now had dozens of trips with our electric bikes and the hitch has been perfect. Great product. Solid.

Great product. Four stars rather than five because I wish they made a version where the receiver is several inches higher. All you would have to do is trim the rear bumper pan a little bit and it would be much higher off the ground (i.e. near factory receiver height). You already have to trim a stud under there to make it fit so who cares about some minor plastic panel trimming?

You will need to reinforce the rear body panel a little bit due to the trim piece that is removed to make room for the hitch. I cut four pieces of plumbing pipe strap. I pulled four of the factory nut clips off of the removed panel and stuck one to each of the plumbing straps. I was then able to run the straps from the factory holes in the bottom of the trim panel diagonally up to the studs above the muffler. The rear trim panel is now way more rigid than it was from the factory.

I screwed a seven-pin electrical receptacle to the side of the hitch. The rear of the receptacle is a bit close to the muffler so I ran the wiring through a spark plug boot insulator and zip-tied it as far away from the muffler as possible. Make sure you run all trailer wiring through split conduit or similar to make sure the wires don't cut from vibration against the vehicle undercarriage! Do not skip the conduit - it is cheap and easy and will protect your wiring.

Overall, installation is easy and the hitch feels really solid. I'm very happy with it.574742

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Heather A.

10/16/2018

Draw-tite hitch part # 75234 for the 2018 Ford Edge SE and SEL does feature a lower hitch receiver opening. Draw-tite designed the hitch this way to avoid trimming or removing plastic panels and fascia. Draw-tite Class 3 hitch for the 2018 Ford Edge SE and SEL part # 75214 features a traditional style hitch receiver opening that does not have a . Draw-tite part # 75214 does require trimming or removal of the appearance panels.

Helpful Links

Trailer-Hitch/Draw-Tite/75214.html

The installation was relatively easy. Hint for 2015-2016 Ford Edge Sport models, you have to remove the exhaust trim from the rear bumper to help with removing the exhaust system. Took an hour and a half to install this hitch.328352

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Robert

1/2/2018

thank you for following up with me. The Draw Tite trailer hitch is great and I have no complaints. I solely use it to attach my bicycle rack and it is perfect. I love it!

Good product..

As an FYI from the installation video, a 5.5mm socket is the same as a 7/32" socket.

As far as how I did my hitch installation:

1) I put anti-seize on the threads of the 8 mounting bolts, just in case I needed to remove the hitch later.

2) When I was reinstalling those plastic covers behind each wheel, I installed a couple thick fender washers on each of the forward mounting studs so that the plastic cover would not be bent or in a bind. With the hitch installed, the rearward stud passes thru the hitch bracket but the forward stud does not.

3) That rearward heat shield/plastic piece is removed and cannot be reused with this hitch. I noticed that in addition to being a heat shield, that plastic piece also functions to help stabilize the rear bumper cover. With it removed, that whole rear portion of the bumper cover moved easily and I became concerned about it moving excessively at highway speeds. To address the issue, I fabricated a couple of brackets from some light-gauge steel flat stock. I installed one bracket to each side of the hitch using the existing holes in the bumper cover. I used 1/4" push-pin fasteners to attach the bracket to the bumper cover, which allows it to have just a little movement, much like it had with the heat shield in place. I attached the other end of the bracket to a stud used for the heat shield directly above the muffler.
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I purchased the receiver and installed as instructed and it came out great. Here is the big problem! The receiver will hit the ground when going into a deep driveway because it is soo low and the hoops are made to face down, for no apparent reason, just stupidity. 6" clearance from ground. I thought this was a Draw-Tite receiver but it says Etrailer on it. Seems like Drawtite is out of business.1666294

Overall I am happy with the hitch for my 2016 Ford Edge Titanium. Installation went smoothly. Without the fish wires, install would be nearly impossible. The installation video from Etrailer is such a great resource and ultimately the reason why I ordered from them. One thing the video misses is re-installing the heat shield/air dam that is removed. I put this back on in the following order:

1. Remove heat shield/air dam
2. Install trailer hitch loosely, with nuts just threaded on to end of carriage bolts
3. Do not pull the rear horizontal carriage bolt through the hitch yet. Leave it in the frame tube with the fish wire pulled through. This allows the hitch to rotate down and out of the way enough.
4. Slide the heat shield/air dam back into place and fasten. You may need a second set of hands for this part to pull the bumper up/back.
5. Finish installing hitch

I gave this product 4 stars because of the exposed steel when I unpackaged the hitch in a number of locations. I hope this does not cause rust in the future. If I had to do this whole thing over again, I would but the Curt hitch.
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I like this hitch. It tucks up underneath nicely. It is installed on a 2015 ford edge sport. Only thing i wish this kit had some sort of replacement brace for the lower valance. You have to remove the muffler heat shield as a result of installation. I feel it would crack over time in the wind. Had to file the hole to fit the rectangular pieces thru when feeding bolts thru frame which i felt was pretty minor. The vehicle specific wire harness is awesome also! Easy to follow instructions too!515809

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Installed and looks as shown. Needed to modify the plastic covers on the sides because of the long hitch bolts. Also found it easier to drop the exhaust system then remove the rear bumper clip. Plus don't need to get more parts (pop rivets) to reinstall the clip. Definitely need two people to install the hitch.1087791

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The fit is as advertised and it looks custom. It took less than an hour to install crawling on my garage floor by myself, so if you have a lift and a friend it's fun and easy. hook it up to my 5x8 landscaping trailer and all the lights worked perfectly with the wiring kit. highly recommend this hitch receiver.
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by: Martin06/08/2020

2016FordEdge

It fits and functions well. However, the description says that it won’t interfere with the motion detector fo the automatic rear door opener on a 2016 Ford Edge. It does. 809650

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Martin

6/9/2021

I am still unhappy that it interferes with the automatic opener

by: David08/22/2022

Mounted perfectly on my 2017 Edge Sport. Is completely hidden. Has no problem hauling my 20ft pontoon. Definitely recommend the anti-rattle bracket for the insert (as shown in my pics).1369320

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by: Kent04/22/2022

Pontiac Trans Sport Van

Installed by our handy son (thus avoiding the hi cost quote from the Ford dealer). He told us it was easy to do.
We have used it exclusively to transport our bikes on a Kuat rack. It has worked very well. Thanks for a great product !1288746

Kent

4/22/2023

Works fine - no problems. Very well made

This is my 2nd trailer hitch that I've installed - both bought from eTrailer. I installed the class III hitch on my 2016 Ford Edge Titanium. It took me a little over 2 hours to install. I jacked my car up in the garage. I'm sure it would be a lot easier on a lift. Overall - I'm very happy with the product. It's exactly what I expected. The box that it was shipped in was a little beat up. They need to use more packing material in the boxes. I used a Sawzall to cut off the stud because I don't have a dremel. Once you lower the exhaust down you'll have enough room to get the sawzall in there.
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Although the product was pretty good, the video showing an actual installation was outstanding. Little things, like how to disconnect the muffler, how far I could let it drop and a stud that needed to be removed. I watched the video and had the hitch installed in about 1 1/2 hours. Whoever came up with the fish wires for getting the bolts in place should get an award.

One thing that I did differently from the video that made sense to me was that instead of putting in all of the bolts with the fish wires initially, I only did the four bottom ones first. When raising the hitch, I only had to be concerned with those four, two on each side. Once they were nutted and finger tightened, I made sure the side holes were lined up and used the fish wires to install the side bolts. Initially, there were fewer moving parts when trying to get the hitch raised and bolted in.

Next will be the wiring but there is a video for that also. Great.1284311

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The only problem I had was installing the heat shield that sits on the Rear bumper There’s no explanation on how to install so had to remove one half of the Hitch so I could pried open a little and cut some pieces in the end of both ends on the heat shield so it could fit other than that no other issues but it could Also be because I have the sport trim I see a lot of the se,sel and Titanium Trim On video but no sport Trim so my tip would be to install the rear Bumper heat shield before tightening all the bolts on the hitch Thanks Dan811418

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I am very pleased with my Draw Tite hitch that I received from Etrailer. It looks great on my 2016 Ford Edge and my son put it on for me and had no troubles at all. Thank you for a great hitch and the great service!!!

Tim514810

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I am pleased with the quality of the product. I was however disappointed that I was missing a few washers. I had to get these from the local hardware store and submitted my request for credit to etrailer, which they promptly reimbursed me for.1673034

by: Jim 06/08/2023

FordEdge

The Draw-Tite trailer hitch works great and looks great on my Ford Edge. It's such a great hitch, I installed one of these on BOTH of my Ford Edges. Thanks for the great product that you can install yourself.1597212

by: Dennis 01/05/2023

Works great and no problems 1494755

Dennis

1/6/2024

Works great with no problem

by: Darius03/30/2020

Fast shipping, Atleast need two people to install in my 2015 ford edge because this product is solid and strong metal, its a best product and im very happy to have this hitch!!!772546

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Not thrilled with the product. The holes for the bolts closest to the bumper were too close to the supports to use a socket. They could only be tightened with an open-end wrench. It also interferes with the hands free lift gate opener more than I expected.664521

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