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Fully welded Ford Explorer trailer hitch is strong and durable. Draw-Tite's Tested Tough guarantee ensures that this hitch exceeds industry standards. The combination of an e-coat base and a powder coat finish provides excellent rust protection.
Features:
Specs:
Draw-Tite's Tested Tough program provides testing standards far superior to those outlined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the go-to source for engineering professionals.
Each Draw-Tite trailer hitch receiver undergoes extensive fatigue testing and static testing with the ball mount that is either supplied or recommended for use with that particular hitch, thus ensuring results that are applicable to real life use. Fatigue testing is also conducted on hitches rated for use with weight-distribution systems.
In addition, Draw-Tite performs static testing on a simulated automobile, as opposed to the rigid fixture used for SAE testing, resulting in a more true-to-life scenario.
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.
Tech Tip
No drilling required for installation , Exhaust must be temporarily lowered for installation , Tow hooks, if present, will be permanently removed
California residents: click here
Complete Towing Package for 2015 Ford Explorer
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Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (778 Customer Reviews)
Fully welded vehicle trailer hitch is strong and durable. Draw-Tite's Tested Tough guarantee ensures that this hitch exceeds industry standards. The combination of an e-coat base and a powder coat finish provides excellent rust protection.Product is ok overall but it was packaged carelessly and arrived poking out of the box. No padding or support whatsoever. Paint was scuffed off the edges from being bounced and dragged around during shipping. Additional smaller boxes were inside the main box and all had holes or were also crushed. Response from seller was that the packing worked as intended.
Bought a hitch from etrailer for the Equinox back around 2018. No problem installing but for a one man show, it took a while. Got this hitch for the Explorer and this time used the floor jack with a piece of 2x4 and zip ties to hold and jack the hitch up under the vehicle. Took less than an hour for this 68 year old to install the hitch. All items related to this installation shipped very quickly. No matter what items you purchase from etrailer.com watch their video's related to that item. Very informative and will make some installations easy for you.
Great Product! Bought it to use for my Hollywood Bike rack SE-4. Recently used it to tow a uhaul trailer over 900 miles with no issues. Its strong and sturdy. Installation is fairly easy. Recommend looking at how to video in advance. Arrived quickly in order to use it in a short timeline I needed the hitch. Advise to look at stock bolts that will need to be removed in advance to see how much rust exist. Could be a challenge removing them. This is not against the product or etrailer. Highly recommend this product and wished I purchased it sooner. Additionally purchased Curt T-Connector Vehicle Wiring Harness with 4-Pole Flat Trailer Connector and curt mounting bracket.
First time buying from etrailer. My order arrived at my house faster than expected. Installation of the drawtite hitch on my 2014 ford explorer went exactly as expected- I followed the video tutorial on the etrailer website and was able to install the hitch by myself in just under 2 hours at home in my garage. I am NOT a mechanic, so I was relieved when my installation followed the video exactly. The video was well done, the hitch went on smoothly, and the parts appear high quality. I am very pleased with the purchase. I will buy from etrailer again.
David
12/2/2018
One year later, and the hitch is still working great. It was a great purchase, these guys are highly recommended!
Everything does as designed. Installation was simple and loved shipping on the site
First off let me give the hitch a solid 5 star. It is solid and fits with no modifications involved. I used a little dish soap on the hangers and they slid right off my brand new 2017 Explorer. It looks good but does hang lower then the hidden OEM hitch but doesn't stick out as a sore thumb, so I consider this hitch to be well worth the money and would buy again and recommend it to others just read on for my complaint. I also used the CURT Manufacturing 56306 Custom Wiring Harness which was painless install except don't use the enclosed diagram of the plug connections as they don't match the plug color code they have on the plug, the color code works fine just follow the wire color and wire location. I added a 4 wire flat connector to the plug also and used wire ring lugs just in case the wires might vibrate loose. I also used the CURT 58000 Easy-Mount Electrical Bracket to mount the plug assembly which was also painless. I did the install alone and didn't have any problems installing it except for the below. It may help if you have a helping hand to lift and hold the hitch when the time comes to raise it but I had no problems by myself.
Now the reason for the 2 stars I gave it. The bolt package is mostly good but the carriage bolts for the muffler brackets are a joke. The nuts are a locking type so they don't work off from vibration. That is well and good but the carriage bolts have a short shoulder, at least on the one's I got so when you try to tighten the nut it doesn't grab the square hole enough to let you tighten it. Hence the carriage bolt turns, I tried everything short of welding the bolt in place and gave up as I didn't have a welder. By this time the truck was torn apart and I had to find a store to get new bolts. Closest store to me, I live in a rural area, was about 1 hour away. Of course try to find a 7/16 carriage bolt, HD doesn't carry them. Next stop Farm Store, no luck there either. So instead of wasting any more time I just bought two 7/16 bolts. They did work in my case as there was clearance between the frame and mounting bracket and I could get a wrench on both sides to tighten to where it needed to be with the supplied nuts, if you go this route take the nuts with you to make sure you get the correct size bolt and the carriage bolt for length. So after a couple hours looking for bolts it took me quite awhile to install because of this. If the carriage bolts supplied would have worked I could have installed it in about 1/2 hour as I had the tools and place to install it. I WOULD ADVISE BEFORE YOU START ESPICALLY IF THIS IS YOU ONLY VEHICLE TO BUY THE BOLTS BEFORE YOU START. YOU WILL NOT KNOW IF THE CARRAGE BOLTS WILL WORK UNTIL YOU TRY TO INSTALL THE RUBBER MUFFLER ISOLATORS/HANGERS. Your vehicle is apart at this stage
If the supplied bolts had worked and I didn't have to spend so much time looking for replacement bolts this job could have been done in less time that was stated for installation which is 45 minutes.
Like I said a solid 5 stars for the hitch and 1 star for the hardware.
It can’t be any easier unless you get somebody else to do it for you. I’m 63 wasn’t in any hurry and it took about an hour and a half 4 bolts off and 5 bolts on plug in your wiring and good to go. The video is pretty clear what to do.
I would definitely recommend this product for any one who needs a hitch on their suv mine is a 2014 Ford Explorer everything fit like a glove going to pull my boat with mine. Very happy with the products from etrailer.
The 2 carriage bolts holding the exhaust hangers aren't threaded all the way, I did that.
The hitch contacts the muffler tips: either make a bend in the hitch to clear them or cut and bend the tips down and re weld, I did that. I doubt most of your customers have their own machine shop.
The hitch pushes the bumper cover up a bit but I can live with that.
First I want to say that etrailer is a great company to deal with! They have great prices, super fast shipping, and the communication is astounding (they emailed me when it was dropped offer at the post office, when it was leaving the post office, and when it was delivered to my front door) talk about service. Now on to the review of the hitch reciever. It fits great and slides right in place. I did 90% of the job solo just needed an extra hand from my wife to lift into place. It fits tight to the bumper and is resessed behind the lip of the bumper a bit which is nice it gives it a clean stock look which is why I chose this exact model and couldn't be happier. I bought this to tote my jetskis and have no doubt that it wont perform flawlessly. Thanks again etrailer you guys rock!
Bolted right onto the truck [2012 Ford Explorer], as advertised. No issues with clearances or trimming required. Overall, job took about 2 hours- most of which was removing the factory muffler hanger/ tow hook from the truck, which was to be expected from rusted 10 yr old bolts. Was very happy that the kit came with new bolts/hardware, as reusing the old stuff would have been painful, if not impossible. Directions in the kit weren't perfect, but clear enough that I could figure it out.
Excellent fit. Install was fairly straight forward and the instructions were easy to follow along. I would recommend this product again.
I am so pleased with having this system. I needed it to load my husband's motorized wheelchair. It fits perfectly. You guys rock!!! In the photo, it shows a chair lift attached to the hitch assembly.
I received the tow hitch for my 2017 Ford Explorer a few days after I ordered it online, and installed it the same day. I am very happy with the product and how easy it was to install.
I highly recommend etrailer.
2014 Ford Explorer. Awesome looking set up. Very low profile. Fits perfectly into all the factory holes. No modifications needed. Also comes with the mounting bracket welded on the frame. Highly recommend.
Adam
5/27/2020
Works great. Wife hauls the 19’ boat, jet skis andor small trailers all the time while I haul the camper!
Bolted on easily but have 2 observations:
1) was shipped without a box; shipping label tapped to the receiver along with 2 other items in my order. Risky way to ship to the east coast.
2) hitch was advertised to have a second hole on one side for a “j” pin but receiver only has the hole for the 5/8 pin.
Sierra K.
11/8/2021
Customer Service will reach out to you about the box situation. As for the second J-pin hole, Draw-Tite has been slowly getting rid of that in production for awhile now. Because we have so many hitch receivers like this, it is taking awhile to get updated photos of them all. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Due to the sales rep not ordering my wife's 2017 ford explorer with the tow package (always inspect what you expect) I was forced to search for a hitch. Initially etrailer offered it at $160 which was more than I was willing to pay. After waiting a couple months the price dropped to a comfortable level. The package arrived in good shape (my e-150 hitch had chipped paint due to the shipper's carelessness). The hitch bolted up quite seemlessly, though being a mortal, it took me 2:24 (more than the :45 suggested). The bolt leader for feeding the hardware was an awesome addition to the installation and the wiring harness I also ordered was a breeze especially with the instructional video. I would place the wiring harness between the frame and the hitch. I didn't and you can see the missed opportunity in my pic. Also, the carriage bolt shoulder IS too small and needs to be standard length. In hind sight, I'd buy a standard carriage bolt like suggested in another review, but made it work with a crowbar. Having ordered the 4-way harness, I realize that it doesn't include a reverse wire, so be aware of that. Also, you will want a deep well socket for the new bushing carriage bolts. Not knowing this hitch came with a mounting bracket I also bought the 4-way plug bracket. The 4-way plug bracket was also an awesome addition. Buy some vinyl tube for the outside carriage bolt on this bracket (for sound dampening) and you'll be a happy camper.
When I purchased my 2013 Ford Explorer, it did not have a tow hitch. I mainly needed one for mounting a bike rack. I started searching on line and found etrailer.com. They could not have made it easier. The hitch I ordered arrived at my house a few days later (shipping was free). The online video made installation fast and easy (about 1 hour). I did the installation myself with no issues. I highly recommend etrailer.com. The installation video was a major help. Thanks!
I received the product, and I had read the instructions and watched the video. I liked a lot the video because it showed me exactly how I had to install my frame-trailer-hitch. I didn’t have a way to lift my Ford Explorer but still I was able to install it without a single problem. It fit perfectly. The video was extremely accurate.
Although I still haven’t used it for a bike rack, my main purpose of the purchase, I feel safer with a more real “steel fence” that I feel add extra safety to my driving. I had an accident 4 years ago where I was hit from behind, and if I had this before, the damage would have been much less. Very satisfied with my purchase.
I bought a new 2011 Ford Explorer, I need to pull a small utility trailer. I bought this hitch from etrailer, this was so easy to install. It took about an hour to install by myself. Reading the directions, they were very easy to understand. The tips were very helpful too, soap was a very helpful tip to get the rubber isolators off the exhaust. I lowered the exhaust in the three places, and it fit perfectly. One thing I needed to do that was a pain was to do as they said, I should have tightened the bolts to # 6, 7, and 8 before I raised the hitch onto the car. I thought it only needed to be in place before installing. Make sure to put on the rubber isolators onto #6, 7, and 8 and tighten the set up before raising the hitch onto the car (it was a pain to tighten while hitch was up on the car. The hitch looks great, it is not ugly and works great. See attached pics.
I wanted a receiver hitch on my Ford Explorer. The Ford dealer quoted me almost $500 installed!
I decided to search on doing it ourselves and came across etrailer.com. I placed the order on line and we received it super quick. My husband installed it in a little more than an hour. The wiring harness plugged right into the factory output plug and was perfect. I highly recommend etrailer.com and this product! Very happy
My drawtite hitch is better than expected. The service from etrailer was great. I called them several times with numerous questions during my product evaluation process. The staff is very knowledgeable and answered all my concerns.
I was a bit unsure about the installation and thought about paying a shop to install.
When the hitch was shipped, etrailer emailed several installation vids. Upon watching, I figured I could do it. Installation was a piece of cake. My son in law helped providing the extra set of hands. (Thanks Conrad!).
I would highly recommend etrailer.
Paint/powder coat flaking off. Hitch arrived scratched and gouged. Appeared to be a returned hitch sold as new. etrailer offered 15$ off to go buy paint or have paint sent out. My trouble is I received a return and paid for new. The response I got back from etrailer was a scripted response. If you care about the look of your hitch look elsewhere
Jenny N.
6/7/2023
When the hitches are shipped to us they are shipped stacked up together in large pallets. The result being that they do sometimes have imperfections to the powder coating when delivered. The same scratches will happen over time when the hitches are installed on the vehicle from road debris. Spraying the hitch with a rust resistant paint will both help to fix that and protect it in the future.
Helpful Links
I found this hitch for a great price here on etrailer.com, with free shipping, and it arrived several days earlier than I expected it. This was my first order on etrailer.com, and so far, so good. I received an email from etrailer.com, confirming that the hitch was delivered, with some additional information about the hitch, installation video, and toll-free number in case I had any problems or questions. Great customer service so far, now I was eager to get out to the garage and install this thing!
I am not one to read directions, and even though I'd never installed a hitch before, it seemed pretty straightforward. But given the importance of such a component, I decided to read the directions and watch the video, and I have to say, I was very impressed with both. The video was especially helpful, it gave me the exact sizes of sockets I'd need to use, and had helpful tips for removing the exhaust mounts from the rubber hangers.
Armed with all this information, I went out to install the hitch. I didn't have a strap to support the exhaust as shown in the video, but because I was doing this without raising the vehicle, I used my floor jack to support the exhaust at the "Y" near the rear differential. I also used some rope, tied between the rear springs, to support the exhaust system, just in case.
Removal of the existing components was exactly as described in the video, and about 15 minutes into the install, I was ready to attach the rubber muffler hangers to the carriage bolts on the hitch. This was about the only tricky part of the install, and I wish I'd seen some of the comments here before I spent any time on it. As other reviewers stated, the square shoulder on the carriage bolts were not quite deep enough, and when tightening the locknut onto the bolt, it kept slipping out of the hole in the hitch bracket. I tried holding it in place with pliers, but that proved unsuccessful. I then went to my trusty Vise-Grips, and that did the trick - I simply clamped them down to hold the head of the carriage bolt securely against the bracket. This worked out great, and I was able to tighten the nut down on each side with no further issues.
Now on to mounting the hitch. Using the wire leader supplied, it was pretty easy to get the one bolt with backer plate into the proper location on the passenger side. Then I was able to position a jack stand under the center of the bumper, then carefully work the hitch up into position, and just had a helper to balance the hitch while I aligned and hand-tightened the 4 bolts in place. Then hand-tightened the nut onto the other bolt, made some minor adjustments to the alignment of the whole thing (there is a little play in the bolt holes, so I wanted it to be as close to "perfect" as possible), and then tightened all of them down with a ratchet. Finally got out the torque wrench and tightened everything down to the recommended spec, attached exhaust hooks back into the rubber hangers, and was ready to go. All in about an hour - couldn't have been much easier.
The hitch looks great on the back, though like another reviewer noted, the driver's side exhaust tip now hangs slightly lower than the passenger side. Not all that noticeable unless you are looking for it (or unless you are a perfectionist like me...) This obviously has no impact on the performance of the hitch or the vehicle, so not too concerned about it.
Thanks to etrailer.com for a great product, great customer service, and an excellent installation video! I'll post an update once we actually use the hitch - first trip is in a week or so, will just be hauling 4 bikes on a hitch-mounted bike rack, and I expect this to handle it with ease, and I feel good knowing this Class III is way more than what we need for that purpose.
Awesome hitch. Works great for the light/medium trailer that we use to haul our lawnmower, golf cart, etc.. Installed it myself, in our garage, in about 2 hours, with no problems at all. It looks and performs like original equipment from the manufacturer. Highly recommended.
Received my Hitch really quick with the free shipping. Installation was straight forward following the instructional video produced by etrailer.com. As the video. suggests, its a good idea to have someone help while installing. Not having a vahicle lift, which will probably be the case for 99% of the people that order this product, once you have your SUV on jack stands, use the car jack to hold the hitch in place while you bolt it, it worked out great for me. Anyways...the product looks very nice once installed and im sure it will serve us well for many years. Very happy with my purchase from etrailer, will definitely order from them again.
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Javi
3/10/2022
Used the hitch many times over the year for my bike rack. Still strong and sturdy. Really have not used for towing but its very strong and sturdy.