Product Specs:
Trailer Hitch
Custom Fit Hitch
Class II
Concealed Cross Tube
1-1/4 Inch Hitch
350 lbs TW
3500 lbs GTW
CURT
Perfect for light-duty towing, this custom, vehicle trailer hitch receiver features fully welded, gloss powder coated steel construction. Drawbar sold separately.
Video of Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class II - 1-1/4"
Average Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (181 Customer Reviews)
Perfect for light-duty towing, this custom, vehicle trailer hitch receiver features fully welded, gloss powder coated steel construction. Drawbar sold separately.Fast shipping, high quality construction, and very easy installation. I didn't even need to jack up my Subaru. I only needed a 1/2" drive ratchet with long extensions, torque wrench, and help from a buddy to hold up the hitch while I bolted it in place. Could not be happier. The electrical was breeze. And the Euro ball hitch helps keep trailers level. The e-trailer videos took all the guess work out, and were much simpler than a black-and-white instruction manual.
The hitch got here on time and the installer installed it in less that an hour. Thanks, I love when things go as planned!
The hitch went on with no problems. A perfect fit. The wiring harness was even easier. Found the plug near the compartment where the spare tire is and just plugged it in and ran it through a hole in the bottom of the compartment. Took less than a week to receive at a very good price. Saved over 300 from having it installed at uhaul.
This hitch is legit, made out of nice thick steel. The fitment is is perfect and it hides nicely under the bumper without showing to much metal.
I have an invidia catback exhaust and I had shorten the mid section by 1/2 inch so it would clear the hitch. Original hangers still work. The exhaust tip was a little close to the hitch so I put some adhesive foam just in case it would hit.
Been using for a year and it's holding up great. The install video helped make it a smooth and easy process. Nice for little things like bike rack or even something bigger like a trailer with two motorcycles on it. Great product
The order process was easy, the receiver was well packed and arrived quickly. I installed this in my driveway on a 2003 Subaru Forester with no rust. The directions were clear. The fit was perfect. On a 1-10 scale of mechanical experience I'd give myself a 5. I had no issues and completed the instal in 30 minutes. I pretreated fasteners with penetrating oil and used silicone spray on rubber. I used a channel-lock pliers to remove the rubber exhaust hangers.
Fit like a glove
Love our trailer hitch!! Was an easy installation, we had it on for 15 minutes and was alright using it to haul our bikes to the trails! Thank you etrailer! Very happy with our purchase!
My favorite part about placing this order were the confirmation emails. George emailed; not a robot. George kept me informed throughout the whole process. Jeff installed the hitch in 30 minutes. I like the low profile. We are looking forward to using the hitch to tote our bike around.
It works fine, no issues
So far, so good. Got it mounted on my 04 subaru forester without having an extra hand/nor dropping exhaust. Took roughly 40 mins for this B-rate home mechanic. Looking forward to pulling something!
Thanks for making buying this fast and easy! This comes with light instructions, so I highly recommend using online tutorials for the step by step process and knowing how much torque you need for the bolts.
Straight out of the box and on the vehicle. The hitch fit perfectly and the only thing that slowed me down was putting the bolts back on. It took me time as I did it myself, but was a surprisingly easy piece to put in. Excellent product! The picture is not great, but the part fit wonderfully.
I will update this according to etrailer's response and efforts to reconcile.
I will do my best to be constructive, yet the fit of this hitch is anything but. Let me explain.
First, the detail on the paperwork is barren at best. Second, it has the bolt measurements completely wrong aside from the provided bolt (for the exhaust mount?) which doesn't match up with the vehicle when the hitch is seated . The bolts that are on the vehicle are 14m and 17m. Not 12m as indicated on the install sheet. So that was a hassle when preparing to find out that I needed different tools/so much for prepping.
Also, the tear down to allow hitch access to frame is more extensive than indicated which leads me to believe your company leaves these details out in order to sell the "easy fitment" solution.
The breaking point for me though came when I removed the passenger side bolts which also secured the vehicle's EVAP system and can not be reinstalled with this hitch/will not allow the reseating of the EVAP system's mounting bracket. So, in essence, this hitch DOES NOT fit this vehicle.
After all this and full day of futile compromise I now have come to the conclusion that my plan to install the hitch, rent a trailer (already reserved) and move my 4BR household this weekend has now become a nightmare of uncertainty and an embarrassment to those counting on my decision to go this route. What do I do now? I guess it's a last minute scramble to find (hopefully) a truck rental or a moving company who specializes in exorbitant fees towards folks in my predicament, one which the hitch was a resolution away from...for naught.
While I found you professional and enjoyable to work with and the product presenting a generally acceptable quality, not fitting the vehicle renders these benefits useless and most importantly costs me dearly in both time and further expense.
I could never recommend this path to anyone, friend or foe. I wish I had a better report...more for me though than anything else, painful to say the least, rendered by etrailer.
I am an OTR driver who spends 3 months out on the road so the small window for me this week to move has been turned upside down, sideways and when I say nightmarish, I mean a complete disruption of life and a madness that no one should have to experience by the negligence of a company who seems to have put sales above reality and truth. It feels criminal. This has wrecked everything. I've been robed of so much and scrambling now to figure out what to do. I have 4 days with desperate stares in my direction as to what what we do now.
Thank you? For a huge lesson, seemingly where not to patronage, unless you or the techs have some sort of resolution for me. I expect a call from you to discuss the options in front of us. This is bad.
Mike L.
3/28/2019
Were sorry to hear about the difficulty youre having installing your hitch. After looking over your description of the problem, it seems the major difficulty you had was the installation of the bracket that holds the charcoal canister. I did look over the installation instructions, which I must say arent very clear. The bracket for the canister should be sandwiched between the hitch and the fame member, which will allow the hitch to be installed and the canister to be reattached. If you use the link above showing the hitch being installed on a 2003 Forester, you can see an install video that should make this a little more clear. As far as the hardware goes, when Curt refers to the bolts as being M12, theyre speaking of the diameter of the threaded portion of the bolt, not the actual size wrench needed. This hitch has been around for several years, and it appears that the instructions have not been updated in awhile.
Helpful Links
Everything was as advertised EXCEPT installation issues (possibly pertaining only to a 1999 Suburu Forester). While production qualities of the video demonstration were questionable, nevertheless after reading its transcript in conjunction with viewing it multiple times I became clear about the essence of the install. The predicted install time (ie actual wrench work after having watched the video multiple times, etc) would have been accurate EXCEPT for a detail pertaining to re-threading of the bolts back into the car frame to secure the trailer hitch. The problem was that the nut-plates inside the frame were not held securely in place via a weld, rather Suburu chose some method that was not reliable. As a result, the very act of removing the chassis bolts tended to slightly miss-align the nut-plate lying behind the chassis-holes. This caused no end to heartache, adding something like two hours to the install! So excessive finesse and tedious adjustment of nut plate with hole using a screw driver was needed to overcome the problem. While we did succeed, nevertheless I was nearing the end of my rope, and anticipating failure in the current trend, I conceived of a solution just in case further finesse failed. Here it is if anyone finds it useful.
Obtain the appropriate length/thread/diameter metric SET SCREWS (probably Allen-head), and finesse them into the nut-plate WITHOUT the Hitch in place (a far easier proposition). Then using these protruding set-screws (with long enough length) to serve as “place holder studs” remove ONE a a time (with an Allen wrench), and replace it with its bolt counterpart; do this until all set screws are replaced with bolts.
Apart from this unfortunate occurrence (which I consider Suburu’s poor design choice, not Curt’s), service was great from eTrailer, and I am a satisfied eTrailer customer!
Dave L.
Patrick B.
6/3/2013
Dave, we totally agree. Some of our older videos leave a little bit to be desired. We have upgraded our methods, equipment and systems to improve the quality of the videos. We choose to leave the old ones up because an older, less polished video is better than no video at all.
First of all I’m getting annoyed on how this is not fitting properly. I’m battling installing my this and hitch is off. Seems like the welding job done on this hitch for my 2005 Subaru Forester XT is trash, garbage. I have a Turbo XS exhaust and that alone won’t fit. Took it off and install my stock muffler barely fits. Stripping my bolts and exhaust hangers are not on. I had to grind off the bolt on the exhaust hanger because it wouldn’t fit. Probably have to zip tie it to the hitch. Etrailer, keep in mind most people have aftermarket exhausts and not everyone has stock exhausts. Very poor job on this hitch.
Mike L.
7/26/2019
When the hitches are designed by Curt, the fit is mocked up using a stock vehicle with a factory exhaust. Due to the unknown nature of aftermarket modifications, fit cannot be guaranteed on vehicles that have had modifications made.
Nice looking hitch, hides well. Install was fairly straight forward. Took me about 1 hr to install with air tools (I'm an ASE Master Technician-this is on my own vehicle). Did not come with new bolts, wasn't advertised as such, I just missed it; other advertised hitches on etrailer.com came with hardware. Existing bolts were too short to make me comfortable towing anything near capacity-I will replace the factory bolts with longer ones soon. Hitch mounting flanges were a little bent inwards that required some persuading with a pry bar and held with a vise grip to get the bolts started. Tip to installers-once the hitch is in place, start ALL of the fasteners with a few threads; then once they are all started, then torque to specification. This will prevent fighting the hitch on subsequent bolts.
I would DEFINITELY buy from etrailer.com again, great experience.
Patrick B.
10/22/2013
Curt, the hitch manufacturer, specifies re-using existing hardware. One new bolt and one new nut are included for re-mounting one of the exhaust hangers to the hitch.
Great product and service. When I need trailer hitches etc. I will be sure to go the E trailer. It will be used to support bicycle racks.
Bill P.
5/12/2016
Its been working great. I use it to transport bikes.
I received the hitch in a few days. The box was in rough shape, but the hitch survived with no damage. The installation was no problem ('06 Subaru Forester) , except the rear left muffler hanger did not align perfectly with the hole. As a result, the muffler hanger is touching the hitch and causes a very annoying vibration.
Donot
6/14/2015
I have the same vibration noise where the left muffler hanger is hitting the top of the gap it is supposed to slide into on the new hitch. Seems like a crappy design, the hole should be higher. Looks like I am going to be bending some muffler hangers in a few minutes...
A little tough to get installed, but, once on, the etrailer hitch receiver worked great On my Subaru Forester. I have a heavy-duty bike rack that is often tasked with carrying bikes loaded down with gear, and my hitch has never shown a sign of not working properly. It works as well as it would if the car always had a hitch. Great product. My only complaint or regret is that the hitch receiver placed the bike rack in such a way to obscure my license plate.
Installed on a 98 Forester. I was impressed with how well it lined up with the holes, including allowing the charcoal canister bracket to remount in its location, etc. Would have been nice if it came with new fasteners, but there was adequate length on the stock ones. The captive nuts in the car's frame are not actually welded to the frame, but are threaded into a large steel plate that is somewhat loose inside the frame member. This means you need to use a screwdriver or similar to poke them around to get it to line up, but this has nothing to do with the trailer hitch.
I did have to remove the three rubber exhaust mounts near the muffler (two behind and one in front) in order to let the exhaust sag enough to slip the hitch receiver into place, but I did *not* need to actually undo any fasteners, which was good. The flat bar on the left of the receiver fits perfectly above the muffler, which is a place I've seen other brands foul.
The only gripe I have is that the safety chain loops are welded in such a place that they interfere with the "L" shaped part of the pin you use to secure a tow ball. Even using all Curt brand stuff, you can't rotate the pin enough to get the clip on. Cutting the L part of the pin shorter was easy work with power tools, but would suck if you were trying to use a hacksaw. Perhaps other pin designs wouldn't have the issue.
Overall very satisfied, build quality looks good and it really tucks up under the car with no reduction in clearance.
Very good fit. Didn't notice an exhaust bracket bolt was included as it was wrapped in the plastic around the hitch frame. It would of made the job easier if I had seen it or knew it was coming but none of the tutorials or packing slips mentioned it. Definitely recommend. This was for a 2008 Subaru Forester.
Rob G.
5/26/2016
Great! Towed a 2k trailer 950 miles uneventful
Everything fit perfectly. The only problem I had was getting the charcoal cannister to line up with the bolts. I put the pin in but could find no way to get the clip on it because of the safety chain loops.
Stephen G.
1/15/2018
Trailer hitch working fine but have not had to use wiring yet.
Overall the hitch install went well. Had to drop both rubber hangers of the exhaust to fit the hitch above it. If it weren't for my neighbors impact wrench, I might still be working to loosen the bolts so beware. I sprayed with WD40 two days in a row before attempting and I don't know how much it helped. Liquid Wrench might have worked better. The only other thing is my exhaust shakes a bunch (manual transmission) and the square hole on the left side of the hitch isn't quite in the right spot so now I get metal from the exhaust hanger hitting the hitch. I'm working on a solution for that (thinking some foam/electric tape).
Jc
12/9/2012
I had this same issue 2007 Forester, with the exhaust hanger hitting the hitch because the left driver side square hole seems to be too low, not high enough to keep the exhaust hanger from hitting the receiver at times. May have to grind a little arch above that area.Anyone else have a solution for this?
Patrick B.
12/11/2012
Helpful Links
Easy to install, great fit, safe and reliable.
Installed the towbar on a 2005 Subaru Forester using the auto hobby shop on base (the vehicle lift and hefty tools-to-borrow made all the difference). Took me about 1.5 hrs to complete the install. The only "downside" is that the hitch is really low so I ended up using a tow-ball with a 2" rise and it still seemed low. But it is what it is, and that was the fix.
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Product Specs:
Trailer Hitch
Custom Fit Hitch
Class III
Visible Cross Tube
2 Inch Hitch
525 lbs TW
3500 lbs GTW
CURT
This fully welded trailer hitch receiver bolts onto your vehicle's frame with no welding required. Powder coated steel is sturdy and corrosion resistant.
Video of Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class III - 2"
Average Customer Rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars (536 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.Good solid hitch. Paint/coating feels like it should last. Install kit and etrailer Install videos are a time saver! Start to finish was about an hour. I opted to notch and replace the heat shield vs. delete it. Also opted to grind the center frame hole vs. the one close to the suspension as seen in one of the videos.
etrailer customer service is great. Will definitely buy from again.
Sparky
4/26/2023
Been mounted for a year now. Mount still solid and paint finish still looks new even after an Illinois winter.
This is the third hitch I have purchased from etrailer and each purchase has gone smoothly. I will say the two Curt Hitches did install and line up better than another brand I purchased from them but don't recall the brand on that one.
Great hitch! Using to hold heavy weight e-bikes on my Subaru Outback
Nice hitch receiver! I ended up drilling holes to make them bigger. You will need a die grinder or a dremel (which I have but I didn’t have it close by).
etrailer was extremely fast at processing and shipping my order. The hitch was installed on a 2014 Subaru Forester and was very easy to install. It fits perfectly snug underneath the vehicle and there is no wasted space. Hitch seems to be well made and very strong with good welds. I'm sure it would pull a trailer much too big for the Forester. You can also use tin snips to cut a notch out of the heat shield in the area where the hitch bolts are and reattach it with 3 screws. So you won't have to discard the heat shield. I did the installation without help and used a couple of cheap jack stands to hold the hitch up in place. I didn't even need to jack the vehicle up. To enlarge the center hole, I used a cheap ($18) step bit from Harbor Freight. It's a little easier and quicker than filing or routing.
The only warning I would give is NOT to buy the hitch pin - it is secured only with a weak spring clip and there is no hole for a cotter pin. This is unacceptable and I certainly would not trust it even across the driveway. Do yourself a favor and purchase one at a hardware store and you can secure it with a proper pin or through-hole clip.
I also ordered the wiring kit and it was easy to install with good instructions and works great.
Huide
12/27/2013
nice done. thank you for sharing
Jd
11/22/2014
still going strong. Good hitch, well made. Your request for a review after a year of owning it is the mark of a well-managed company. Thanks!
I was originally just looking for a bike rack for my wife's 2014 Subaru Forrester. After viewing the website and watching the instructional video I decided installing a trailer hitch would be the way to go. Living in Missouri I received the hitch the next day. The hitch is top quality and installed with ease. I did decide to fish the bolts through the top inside of the vehicle because I didn't like the idea of enlarging the hole that was an attachment point. Simply pop up the two black buttons on each side to remove the foam, they pop back in when your finished for access. Enlarging the hole shown puts you directly above the center attachment hole. As shown in the pictures I enlarged the hole inside the vehicle and then sealed with butyl tape, Fishing from the top was very easy. I also only removed the minimum amount of heat shield to allow for the bolts and flattened/sandwiched the shield between frame and hitch to eliminate any chance of a rattle.
Now I only have to pick out a bicycle rack which I will definitely be ordering from etrailer.com
Wally
4/5/2018
Still rock solid. Couldn’t be happier.
I just purchased a 2015 Subaru Forester and needed a hitch for it. To have the dealer install would have been $700 and would have only been the 1 1/4" hitch. I wanted a 2" and have seen good reviews on the Curt hitch. I got confirmation from Curt that this did indeed fit the newest forester and so made the purchase. I thought about doing the install myself, but for $80, the local trailer dealership around here would do the install in an hour and be held liable for any damage done. And since I have no experience with car stuff and did not want to take a chance with doing any sort of damage to the vehicle, I brought it in.
It turned out nice. I needed a 4" lift for the ball mount so that my trailer would be nice and level. Also needed to pick up the extended version of it so that it would clear the back bumper of the car. Haven't towed anything yet, but over the next few days, I'll test out the 1500lb towing capacity and see how it works.
Dan
8/20/2014
How did your testing go?When you said you would test the capacity, do you mean your trailer is exactly 1500?How heavy is your trailer?
Amazing product and service from etrailer as usual. This is the 4th hitch I've purchased and installed over the past 10 years from them, I always recommend them to my friends looking to install a bike rack. Allocate another $[XX] to buy a step drill bit (or ask your friends to borrow one) to fit this on your Forester. I figured I could just widen the "feed hole" with a file, but using a step bit will save SO much time and make a much cleaner job of it. The fishing line things that help with install are great, I think I enjoyed using them more than a normal person should. Great solid hitch, no complaints and highly recommend.
Ive put on serveral hitches, just follow the directions. Much easier now that a fish wire for each bolt is included. Widened holes with step bit this time and made it much easier. Reinstalled heat shield by drilling holes in it for bolts to pass through. Installed it by myself without raising vehicle.
Troy
7/19/2023
No issues, use for towing small trailer but mainly for Kuat bike rack.
The trailer hitch was delivered timely. My son was able to install it relatively easily. And it has performed perfectly ever since.
We are very happy with our Curt trailer hitch and with etrailer's service.
Tom M.
8/20/2018
Hitch is working fine. Thanks for asking.
I chose the Curt class II trailer hitch & Curt wiring harness. The videos along with the customer comments and reviews were very helpful making the installation go smoothly. I backed the car up on ramps to get working room. The hardware provided had much larger heads than shown in the video so I enlarged the 4th hole in order to pull the blocks and bolts thru. The rest of the installation went smoothly.
The tube cover with American Flag made a nice finish to the installation. Just an FYI, I have see the same tube cover on several other vehicles in the area. It looks good.
I just installed this hitch on a 2016 Forester. First, the hitch and hardware were all in perfect condition.
The instructions were detailed and very helpful.
Now that it's installed, it looks great and feels solid.
I'm glad I had a nice bit on a my die grinder for the step of widening the two holes, I'm sure a step drill would make easy work of that too.
I had never used the fishwire procedure before, but it was very easy and worked great.
After plenty of searching, etrailer had the best price for this hitch and followed it up with free and fast shipping, awesome customer service, and most importantly a great product from a great selection.
By the way, this is my third hitch from etrailer, the other two are on my WRXs :) Still strong, years long
I took a star off because the hitch is too narrow and contacts the spare tire well on both sides with no side to side adjustability. It would not sit flush on the frame rails until drawn to the full 110 ft-lbs. Installation took 2.5 hours without enlarging any holes in the frame rails and besides the holes in the heatshields is reversible. I have arthritic hands and worked alone when it was 91 degrees and I stopped multiple times to get tools/refreshments/wash my hands and tools. Knowing what I needed beforehand I doubt it would take more than 1.5 to do it again. The bumper cover/mud flap (green) required 8mm, 10mm, and a small screw driver. The bumper support (blue) used 14mm. The Curt hardware is marked in yellow. The disassembly is straightforward and once the bumper support is removed you can easily place the carriage bolts within the frame rails using the fishwires. I used a section of 2x10, two 2x4 cutoffs, and four 3 inch deck screws to create a balanced platform to raise the hitch into place. Once the nuts are on lower the jack and unscrew from the bottom. Reassembly took maybe twenty minutes. Note: My Forester XT has an aftermarket cat-back exhaust system with mufflers 1/3 the size of the OE units so I was able to complete the install with it in place. The Magnaflows are narrow enough that they don’t block access to any of the heatshield bolts or frame rails.
Fast shipping and helpful customer service, in that the original hitch i ordered was going to be delayed, due to out of stock. so i ordered the Curt. The instructions that came with the hitch were clear and easy to follow, but I watched the video, which suggests widening the furthest forward hole, which is already a bit bigger than the three that you put the bolts through. I drilled two holes next to the big hole (so it looked like mickey mouse - sorry i did not take a picture), then just bent the "tab" of metal between my two holes out of the way to fish through the bolts and the flat pieces of metal which prevent the bolts from turning. once i fished everything through (very easy and fun, even), i bent the tabs back into place and replaced the rubber stopper.
I also followed the comments from others on the website and trimmed the muffler heat shield so as to leave the bolt holes for the hitch exposed, then reinstalled it with three of the four screws. I lowered the muffler, and held it in place with a strap, like the video suggests. The install went easily, but did take me about three hours.
The receiver end of the hitch ends up a couple inches shorter than the end of the bumper, so there is no chance of smashing your shins against it, and it is very tight up to the bottom of the bumper as well. It does not appear that it will impede any type of 4 wheeling in the Forester, which was also a concern, as I see some hitches on cars are so big, that it would impact clearance.
I am very happy with the service provided by e trailer.com, They truly have the lowest prices and if you find a lower price they'll match and give you an additional 10% discount!!!!
This hitch is very sturdy and for the price I think it is the best bang for your buck...
I followed your install video completely however I don't understand why Curt recommends that the heat shield be removed. I installed the hitch with the heat shield and all i needed to do was to drill two 1/2 inch holes where the R and M are located in the heat shield (there is a pilot indentation there) this area of the heat shield is where the hitch will attach to the car and then I reattached the shield back into the car before attaching the hitch.
I don't have a lot of mechanical skills and it took me about 3 hrs to install this hitch by myself and taking breaks in between to wait for paint to dry. I painted with rust resistant paint and undercoating the areas that I enlarged/drilled. Enlarging the holes was the most time consuming part in my opinion but it didn't took that much either I used a Titanium Nitride Coated High Speed Steel Step Drill Bit and enlarged the hole up to 1 3/8.
getting it on the car by myself was difficult but I used 2 floor jack towers to hold the hitch in place and that helped but it would have been easier having an extra set of hands to hold it while screwing the bolts
I also painted the hitch 3 days prior with 3M rubberized undercoating to give an additional layer of rust proofing
I am very pleased with the way it looks on my 2015 Forester. Thanks etrailer.com, I highly recommend, and will definitely buy from you guys again!!!
I received my Curt Hitch for my 2014 Subaru Forester about 3 weeks ago, didn't have a chance to install it until this weekend. This is the third hitch I've gotten from etrailer.com, I've been very pleased and this hitch was no exception. Like a few other reviewers, I completely removed the muffler, I think that made for a much cleaner install. I also modified the heat shield under the muffler, may not have been necessary, but as long as Subaru put it there. I used a Dremel with a carbon tipped bit to enlarge the middle hole, that and the included fish wire worked very well. The finished look is very unobtrusive, I am very pleased.
Overall the installation was very easy. To make it easier for myself (no help) I removed both exhaust mufflers.
In your web page it doesn’t show a 2018 Forester with dual exhaust.
Some hardware stores didn’t have a deburring bit to widen the hole so instead i used a pointed grinding stone and notched 2 sides of the hole (as you may see in one of the pics). This provided enough space for pc#1 & 2 to be dropped in place.
Next was to raise hitch into place (luckily i have a motorcycle floor jack). The fit was VERY TIGHT due to the spare tire compartment and possibly the angle of the hitch otherwise you just need to press hitch into place. No harm No foul...
Minor blemishes. No problem. Reinstall heat shielding (some cutting needed). Reinstall mufflers and I’m done!
Next...Trailer hitch wiring.
Thanks for the great products and videos associated with those products.
I have bought Curt trailer hitch to attach bike racks for 2 or 3 bikes to my Subaru Forester 2015. I am using the hitch about a year and it meets all my expectations. No problems so far.
Very great product. I went to the dealership to ask them about a hitch and they wanted over $800 to install one, and that did not include a wire harness. So I shopped around, and found this site. I ordered the hitch and wire harness for a fraction of what the dealer was asking. I received everything within 4 days, got a conformation email within minutes of ordering saying my shipment was being prepared. Then received an email a few hours later saying it was shipped. Very good customer service. The install was very simple also. Came with all the instructions and hardware to complete very easy. Instructions said install would take about an hour, I had it installed in about 30 minutes. Looks very clean on the vehicle. I would recommend this site and product to anyone. Since putting it on I have hauled a piano, dirt, and other stuff in the trailer with no problems. Thank you so much!
First the positive: Product is excellent, everything was there in the box and it fits perfectly under my 2015 Forester.
Now the less positive: I read the instructions that came with the hitch receiver and they made little sense to me. Enlarge the middle hole and pass the bolts through there? I didn't make sense, especially to install the bolt/spacer in that hole. Luckily, I watched the video and they say in it to not follow the instructions and use the rear access hole. My question is then: Why not correct the instructions?
Also, I didn't like that they enlarge the access hole with pry bars in the video since I wanted to be able to put the plug back in place so here's what I did. I took a reciprocating saw and made four little notch, allowing me to bend two tabs (see pictures). After passing all bolts and spacers, I fold the tabs back and the plug fit perfectly
Finally, they don't re-install the heat shield in the video (2016 Forester installation video) but I knew better since I watched other videos for other products. I simply made cuts in mine to fit the bolt holes.
In summary, excellent product but some work needs to be done to correct the instructions. Luckily, the site has plenty of videos to help you find the perfect solution. This is why I still give it 5 stars.
So, I was concerned about the length of the Curt 13144 hitch for my 2015 Subaru Forrester. The pics on etrailer for the 2015 showed a short receiver (tucked in 3-4" under the bumper) and the 2016 pics showed a longer hitch receiver for the same part number, which extended almost even with the end of the bumper. I read some reviews online for this hitch for the Forrester and some people had issues with mounting things with the shorter hitch, so I was concerned about which one I'd be receiving (i wanted the longer one). I don't know if Curt changed the design some time in 2015 or what. I called and brought this up with Angela, she was very helpful and took the time to understand my concerns. I took the chance and ordered it with her, and it was the right part, perfect for the vehicle. Angela stayed with me (via email) through shipping, delivery and even post-purchase, making herself available via phone if I wanted. The customer service at etrailer is excellent! I wish every company could take a lesson from them.
Like many others have experienced, the box was torn in 3 places, but it didn't affect the integrity or finish of the part. This hitch is incredibly durable and well constructed.
My installation went without a hitch (pun intended!). I followed the Curt video. There are many helpful hints in people's comments that I won't repeat...I used them all, including trimming and keeping my heat shield. A few points. It wasn't clear if I should jack the car up or not. I ended up jacking with a floor jack and set the car on jack stands. It was a very good work height and I'd recommend it to others. My biggest trepidation based on reviews/feedback was dealing with the rubber exhaust hangers, but it was really easy as long as you lubricate them (i.e., WD40). I guess people who struggled didn't lubricate the rubber hangers. I mean, it was SO easy. Took me 1 minute to undo 3 hangers and 1 minute to re-attach at the end of the job. One little thing that might help...when removing the fish wires from the bolts, just pull them taught and start unscrewing. The tension from pulling on it keeps the carriage bolt from spinning and its much faster/easier than trying to hold the bolt and unscrew the fish wires. The only special tool I had to get was a step bit that went to 1 1/8" ($19 @ Harbor Freight). I believe it was a textbook install and from the time I took out my first tool to the time I put my last one away it was just under 2 hours...and I'm not a particularly efficient worker. I like to take my time and double-check things as I go. Your mileage may vary.
(2014 Forester) I haven't used my hitch through the winter, but looking forward to racking up my bikes in a few weeks to head to Ocracoke, NC! This hitch receiver is rock solid. There's a few chips in the paint that I'll try to touch up before heading down to the salty air.
John
3/6/2023
After a year+ of use, its a rock solid hitch and I love being able to haul my bikes with it.
Bought for my 2015 X. Fitment is great, and I have a Curt hitch on my older forester that isn't rusting, so I expect the same from this one.
I installed it myself. Wasn't keen on drilling the frame, so I did a no-drill method by removing the bumper cover and beam. It was surprisingly easy for me and only took me about 2 hours. A second hand and a large platform jack was essential for me to get the hitch into position.
I ordered the hitch Sunday afternoon about 3:30. At 5:30 i had a confirmation of shipment, and a tracking number, on Sunday! Said the hitch should show up on Thursday, but it was here Wednesday.
This is the third hitch I have installed, and the second from etrailer. They all have installed exactly the same. First was a Mazda Protege 5 sport wagon, then an '11 Subaru Impreza wagon, and now an '18 Forester. It took right at an hour to install, just as the instructions said it would. The instructional video is right on for the installation. I would strongly suggest having a helper to hold it in place during the install. We deviated from the instructions in that we removed the muffler completely from the car. It is only 2 bolts, there is no gasket involved, and since the car only has 1000 miles on it, the bolts were easy to remove. The only issue we had, and it is a small one, is we found the passenger side had to be fitted first to fit under the muffler hanger. We fit the drivers side first, and the passenger side then interfered with the muffler hanger and would not fit. I used Dawn dish washing soap to lubricate the muffler hangers going back together, and it made slipping the hangers through the rubber mounts a breeze
A hitch is a hitch but the best part about buying from etrailers was the direction and instructional video you provided. Simple and straight to the point. Tool list, special parts, like the fish wire, made it super easy. They say you get what you pay for and with everything included to make it simple to understand and install....i feel like i just hit a jackpot. Best product out there for the DIY'ers.
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William
12/12/2022
The hitch receiver is in use quite often. After a 2,600 mile cross country move carrying a double bike swing-away rack in high cross winds it was as solid as the day I installed it. Altogether I have installed three Curt hitch receivers on Subaru vehicles and all the installs were quick and uncomplicated.