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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 (537 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.
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?
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.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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
(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.
I was bit nervous about installation which requires drilling but it went super easy. The package was shipped fast and arrived in just few days. Installation was easy after watching etrailer's video on YT. I did not cut the heat shield but drilled holes using a unibit and it worked very well (also used a unibit to enlarge hole in frame).
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Product Specs:
Trailer Hitch
Custom Fit Hitch
Class III
Visible Cross Tube
525 lbs WD TW
2 Inch Hitch
525 lbs TW
3500 lbs GTW
4000 lbs WD GTW
Draw-Tite
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 A-coat base and a powder coat finish provides excellent rust protection.
Video of Draw-Tite Max-Frame Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class III - 2"
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (746 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 A-coat base and a powder coat finish provides excellent rust protection.Nice fit. Fast efficient shipping
Easy installation on Subaru Forester, installed two similar to this on an Outback and Ascent.
Instructions were great!
I chose etrailer.com for my Hitch because of the good background information they provide for the hitch's installation (the good price was also a major consideration). This is my second installation of a etrailer.com hitch on two different cars. The hitch arrived in good condition even though the box it was shipped in was lost in transit. I reviewed etrailers.com installation video and the written installation instructions that came with the hitch from Draw-Tite. etrailer.com video made the installing fairly easy. It really helps when you can watch how it is done. However I did not like slicing the heat shield as detailed in the video's instructions and followed Draw-Tite's instructions for the heat shield modification. etrailer.com's heat shield modification would have been much faster but I wanted more metal to help keep the heatshield from vibrating. Over all it took about two hours to do the installation. Only problem encountered was forgetting to put the rubber drain plugs back in the car's frame. It is really difficult to install the rubber plug back in once the muffler/hitch is in place. The hitch works perfectly and best of all I don't have to install a strap to steady the bike rack. Have just done a 1000 mile trip with no problems.
James M.
11/8/2021
Hitch is working fine. No problems have been encountered
I installed Drawtite hitch # 75876 on my 2015 Subaru Forester. It arrived in good condition and there were no parts missing. The installation went without a hitch (pun intended) and it fits perfectly. I think the key to my successful installation was the instructional video on etrailer's website. It was very clear and concise. There is however one thing I would like to add for an even better installation. Instead of trimming the heat shield to allow for bolt access and have it dangle, I drilled two holes in the shield, threaded the bolts through it and clamped it between the car's frame and the hitch. If you're concerned that the heat shield will somehow interfere with secure bolting, it won't. Subaru intentionally marked the heat shield with two small dimples for drilling position. I drilled holes 1/16" larger than the bolts and the hole position was perfect. I should mention the dimples are very small, so wipe the heat shield to help find them. There's an R and an M on the shield and the dimples are within those letters. (See photo.) Lastly, this hitch is rated for heavier towing than a Forester can handle so choose wisely. I'm using it only for my bike rack and cargo carrier, so I will never exceed 2500 lbs. of towing weight. Thank you etrailer for the excellent video!
Perry D.
10/18/2018
Its working out very well, thank you. Whats important is that I noticed other installers used my review to locate the two dimples on the heat shield for a more secure installation. It helped me and Im thankful it helped others. On another note, I did just notice a typo in my review that you might want to correct if you can. In the next-to-last sentence I state 250 lbs. of towing weight which should read 2500 lbs.
This is the 2nd trailer hitch I have purchased from Etrailer. I spent $7 for the upgraded shipping at the hitch arrived 4 days after I ordered it. I installed this hitch on my 2015 Subaru Forester XT. The installation video was dead on, I followed step by step and it took about 45 minutes using a cordless impact, a few deep well sockets and a couple wrenches.
-I used my floor jack to raise the hitch and align the bolts. A must if you don't have a second set of hands.
-Using the hole saw saved a lot of time to trim the heat shields. I used the dimples as suggested and it was close enough to re install the shield. I bought the hole saw at Home Depot for under $10.
-I used a lot of penetrating oil on the muffler hangers, made it a lot easier to remove and reinstall. Reinstalling the mufflers was the most time consuming step, but was well worth it to have the access to get the bolts.
-The hitch is tucked under the bumper, my thule bike rack fits perfect and is much more rigid than when I had it installed on a 1 1/4 receiver on my old car.
-There is no visual obstructions in the rear when the bike rack is installed.
-I saved about $300 using this setup over the factory hitch.
I would highly recommend Etrailer. The customer support is excellent and this hitch was a perfect match for my bike rack.
Thanks Etrailer!
Bm
3/8/2016
From April to October, I had the bike rack installed on the trailer hitch and used it almost on a daily basis. I took several extended road trips with my mountain bike, and the hitch performed excellent. I remove the bike rack during ski season, but once the trails are snow free again, I will be using the bike rack and hitch on a daily basis. I am still super happy with the hitch I purchased from ETrailer and will definitely be buying towing products from this outstanding company.
I installed this hitch on my 2014 Subaru Forester. The instructions (especially the videos) were extremely helpful and well put together. With the help of my father, we installed in hitch in about 1.5 hours. I'm not quite sure why other customers are using the holes that can be accessed from within the rear of the interior, the fishing of the bolts as mentioned in the instructions went very smoothly. So far I have only attached my hitch-mounted bike rack, but I'm loving the hitch! Thank you etrailer, I will be back!
Tim D.
6/6/2018
Hitch has been wonderful over the last year. There is a little bit of rust starting, but that is expected in Minnesota. Thanks for the great product and service!
Hitch was delivered fairly quickly but as others had experienced I had damaged packaging and needed to spray a little Rustoleum on it in a few places. I was able to follow the instructions that came with the product and did not have to enlarge any hole in the frame to fish the spacers and bolts as in the video. The video was very helpful though and I recommend watching it. I did remove the muffler and that made it much easier. I had the help of a friend with better tools than mine and it took us about an hour. This was installed on my 2017 Forester Premium. Would have given five stars if not for having to touch it up. I also installed the Curt C56040 wiring harness on my own and it went smoothly and exactly as in the video.
Ken B.
4/19/2022
Hitch has been working great. I use it to pull a utility trailer as well as for a basket carrier and bike rack
I bought this product for a 2014 Subaru Forester XT Touring model. I am very pleased with it. I choose this particular hitch for several reasons (the Draw-Tite and the Hidden Hitch for this vehicle are the same hitch with different product stickers).
While I have no intention of towing the weight this hitch is rated for as that would exceed the recommendations for my vehicle, I wanted the 2" receiver for my platform style bike rack. Also, while I realize it is unlikely, I didn't want to be close on the tongue weight if I loaded several bikes onto a 1 1/2" receiver. For a few extra dollars I don't have that concern.
There were two other things that sold me on this hitch. One was that the competitors hitch recommended an additional strap from the bike platform back to the car or their warranty is voided. Draw-Tite does not require this for their product. I called them to confirm that this was not needed. I guess it might make a difference if you travel rocky / off road. Platform bike racks are typically not recommended for that type of travel.
The other selling point was that Draw-Tite provided instructions on how to trim the muffler heat shields so that they could be kept in place. The competitors instructions called for those shields to be removed. Might be another "peace-of-mind" issue, but my feeling was that those shields were installed for a reason. I just felt better keeping them there. I am sure someone more mechanically inclined could figure that out with the other products (by even just using the instructions for this product) but I was having mine installed by a mechanic that deals with Subaru vehicles and I thought it better to have those instructions to provide them.
Very pleased with the product, the instillation and how it looks on the car. I would recommend this hitch receiver.
Glenn
7/20/2014
Thanks for the review and pictures. Reading the instructions it looks to me that you dont have to drill or widen any frame holes unlike other hitches. Is this what you found as well?
Rachael H.
7/21/2014
etrailer is an excellent company. Their website was easy and friendly and guided me to purchase the correct bike hitch product for my 2016 Subaru Forester. Their email follow up and status updates as to delivery were super and the delivery of my product was actually much faster than I expected even though I had only asked for standard delivery. I had my hitch installed at an Autoplex Dealer in my area ( yet another great company). Pictures are attached. Thanks!
Harv B.
10/2/2018
Product is still great. Service was exceptional!
I want to thank etrailer for the prompt order delivery. Thanks to them, I was able to put my hitch on my 2016 Subaru Forester in time for my vacation. Also, the installation video was invaluable. It gave me the confidence to attempt the install in the first place. The hitch looks great. I'd recommend etrailer and draw-tight hitch to everyone.
Mark V.
7/8/2017
A year later my hitch is working perfectly. It is still tight as the day I put it on, no rust has formed on it, and Ive used it several times. I would still recommend this product to everyone.
Simple to install took less than an hour no drilling (will need to cut heat guard, can be done with tin snips) looks great. I highly recommend it. Dealer wanted $850 for their hitch. I paid less than a quarter of that.
If you put a basket on your hitch I recommend getting your exhaust directed downward. I found a mechanic that did it for $30 it keeps items from melting from the exhaust heat.
Jkl
11/27/2017
great
Installed in just about 1 hour, I needed to step drill the center hole for clearance for plates and carriage bolts. The fish wires worked great and easy install. My Subaru Forester is ready to go camping and fishing. Thank you etrailer.
David
8/11/2019
It’s been working great , I’m going to need to purchase a new bike rack from you, haha
Great delivery thanks. First bought this hitch a week ago from Amazon, never again. Amazon sent the wrong hitch with an incomplete parts package, packed in a mangled box that gave pause to both me and the UPS guy. Nice to enjoy an on-time delivery and complete order.
A great price for a quality product. Draw-Tite is considered one of the best, it came complete with all mounting hardware and was easy to install, no modifications needed. A very solid mount. Any assistance we needed was met by a qualifed person, friendly and professional. It was a great experience and would recommend etrailer for all your towing needs
Arrived fast. Box was blown out by the edge of the hitch like the other reviewers but the wiring I ordered at the same time didn't fall out so all was OK. There were chipped spots on the paint like the other reviewers which I touched up with many coats of grill paint. Price was great and nothing was missing to slow down the install. I drilled the heat shield enough to clear the dimples instead of cutting since the hitch will clamp to the dimples on the frame. Errata from the video: no J-Pin hole on my hitch.
I installed this Draw-Tite 2” hitch (#75876) on my new 2016 Subaru Forester. Here are a few hints.
Two years ago I installed a similar hitch on my 2014 Outback. Reader suggestions mentioned that access to the hitch holes under the car could be done from above, in the trunk area. This turned out to be true for the Forester as well and made threading the wires, plates and bolts into the holes super easy!
To start I jacked up the car and put it on stands just to provide a little more clearance. I recommend completely removing the muffler. It was a lot easier than trying to drop and suspend the pipe and muffler together. Besides it gave better access to the hitch location. Liberally apply WD-40 to the rubber shock mounts to shimmy the muffler off. After that remove the heat shield. Then remove the rubber plugs that cover the six hitch mounting holes.
This next part you can actually do standing up!
Remove the panel and foam inserts from the trunk area.
Remove the black circular sticker from the hole near the rear of the car on each side (see photo). This exposes an oval hole just above the middle hitch hole underneath.
I used a step-drill to enlarge this hole just enough to allow the plate and bold head to slide through. Use a vacuum cleaner to remove the chips (or a magnet works too!)
Threading the wires (with the plates and bolts) into each hitch hole was extremely easy and you don’t have to crawl under the car to do this.
I vice-gripped the hitch to my hydraulic jack which made it easy to position. After the bolts were lined up I jacked the hitch up into place and threaded on the washers and nuts. Don’t forget to torque the nuts to 50 ft. lbs. as indicated in the instructions. I used the same circular black stickers to cover the two access holes when I was finished.
I reinstalled the heat shield after cutting away a rectangular section that fit just around the hitch plate. That left three mounting screws instead of four...but the shield is still quite secure. After that, reinstall the muffler.
Now, since everything in the trunk was taken out, it was easy to install the trailer wiring harness behind the panel on the driver’s side. The eTrailer video shows all the necessary steps.
All worked out perfectly and, as before, I am a really satisfied eTrailer customer. Hope these hints help your installation too.
This hitch was installed on my 2015 Subaru Forester 2.5i Limited. The website is fantastic and makes finding the correct products for your vehicle very easy. The hitch arrived in only a few days and came complete with all the necessary installation accessories. The hitch comes with fish wire for the frame bolts so you don't need to fuss with buying fish wire. Some reviews stated that you can go in from the inside of the vehicle but this is totally unnecessary and more work. Just follow the instructions, with exception of the muffler heat shield. You can drill 1/2" holes through the heat shield in the dimpled areas corresponding to where the instructions tell you to cut out the heat shield (see some of the other reviews for more detail on this).
These holes allow you to securely fasten the heat shield over the hitch using the hitch bolts.
Make sure you have a torque wrench and an 11/16" deep socket to tighten the frame bolts.
I would also recommend removing the muffler which is very simple. Lube the muffler mounts with WD-40 to facilitate the removal of the muffler.
You will save at least $300 installing this yourself.
I installed the hitch on a 2016 Subaru Forester. We went with a class III hitch for the increased tongue weight so a cargo carrier or bike carrier would be no issue. The install was easier than what the video showed. I'm not sure if Subaru increased the access holes, but I did not need a pry bar or a step drill bit to increase the hole for the bolts. The nifty wires included were really trick and worked great. I did remove the muffler so I would have easier access and I did not to have the exhaust system being held by a strap. The most difficult part of the install was holding the hitch up, but a floor jack and jack stands helped to make a one person job. The install took around 90 minutes, but that included researching the torque specs for the exhaust system. Follow the video install, but check to see if the access holes will accommodate the bolts because you might save some time and energy.
Perfect fit! Fairly easy install with help of one other person. It's been a very useful addition. Glad I bought it. This is my second hitch I've bought from etralier. They are very helpful and a pleasure to do business with.
Randall
5/20/2023
Still great! Love it!
The trailer hitch and wiring assembly for my 2015 Subaru Forester went in just as shown in the videos. The videos were absolutely invaluable in detailing the job, and in convincing me that I could do it to save a considerable expense on labor. The most difficult part, as expected, was awkwardly lifting the heavy hitch into place, while aligning the 3 bolts simultaneously on each side. But with the help of a board, two small car jacks, and an assistant to balance everything, it went into place and fit perfectly. A day later my hitch mounted bicycle rack arrived and now my wife and I can easily transport our bikes to ride our favorite trails. My daughter and husband are coincidentally looking for a trailer hitch, so I sent them my order receipt of parts. They expect to order from etrailer soon.
Draw-Tite 75876 installed on my 2017 Forester Premium. Followed etrailer's online instructions and was done in a little over an hour. I took off the muffler, cut the heatshield, pulled the bolts through, lifted the hitch into place and torqued to 50ft/lbs. Project was performed with car on the ground. I chose etrailer because they do the test fit and provide the detailed video instructions. Shipping was 2 days. This hitch is used mainly for my bike rack and doesn't require the cross supports like other hitches.
I installed this hitch on a 2015 Subaru Forester at much less cost than dealer added. The installation was flawless. Instructions provided were clear and comprehensive, and the video provided by E-Trailer was excellent. I installed in without a helper to hold the hitch. To assist me I haywired the hitch to my floor jack and carefully raised it in place. See the photo. The hitch looks good and it's out of the way. I would note that the shipping container was damaged when received it, apparently loosing the wiring harness and adapter included with the order. Customer response was immediate and great. I had the replacement items in a few days. Excellent customer service. I was kept informed of the shipment progress by email and phone. This was a perfect 10 project.
In case anyone is curious, this hitch fits the 2014+ Forester XT that has the dual exhaust. I attached a few pictures that show the clearance between the hitch and exhaust.
Install: the hitch was fairly easy to install. I installed the hitch successfully by myself with the assistance of 2 jack stands. No widening of the holes was necessary either.
Overall, I'm happy with the hitch. I've only used it with my platform bike rack thus far (Swagman Chinook...see the product page for my review. Fitment was perfect on the Forester) and the hitch has been completely stable.
Easy installation on our 2018 Subaru Forester. I found the written instructions confusing, but the video link from the product web page was excellent. We reviewed the whole video first, then replayed it, pausing as we went along with the installation. Really appreciate that the video mentions the size of each tool. Just as my husband was trying to figure out what size to use, the video called it out. Most of our tools are old, but a bicycle tool kit had a wrench that was 14mm...perfect! A quick trip to Home Depot (a block from our house) to get a countersink bit for metal, MUCH cheaper than a step drill bit, did the trick to make the middle hole bigger. It was very easy to then feed the plates and bolts through the holes from the bottom using the supplied wire, as the video clearly depicts. It took two of us, lying on our backs under the vehicle, to hold the hitch in place while we screwed on the nuts. We had removed the muffler but attaching it back went smoothly. We had sprayed a little WD40 on the rubber "hooks" that the muffler hangs from, which made the process easier. Thank you for a great product with excellent video instruction. We are looking forward to using it with our bike and cargo racks.
After pricing hitch installations locally ($700 at Subaru—nearly fainted??), I watched a few videos and decided to purchase the #75876 hitch for our 2015 Forester and do the job myself. The cost savings were significant and I had all the necessary tools so why not? I’m so glad I did! Once my tools were lined out and vehicle positioned on ramps the install took about 90 minutes (yes, it really does go that fast). The etrailer videos are very helpful and describe the step-by-step procedure perfectly. Some notes on my install: I chose to remove the muffler only and left the tailpipe in place. It was easy to remove and provided plenty of working room. It is unnecessary to enlarge the 4th service hole (which some videos say you must do) since plate and bolt fit right through the existing opening (very happy to see this). Feeding the wire and hardware through was super-easy. For raising the hitch I chose to use a floor jack and this worked fine. My wife assisted by simply stabilizing the hitch on the jack while I raised it to the bolts. It was aligned easily with the first two nuts going on. At that point, the jack was removed and all other nuts/bolts tightened and torqued to specifications. Next, I trimmed out the heat shielding and placed back on. Finally, the muffler wash reinstalled and....Presto! It looks great and is ready for our hitch bike rack. I highly recommend this product for DIYers who have the basic tools. Installing this hitch (in my case, on a Forester) was easy and fun to do! Thanks etrailer!
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Sparky
4/26/2023
Been mounted for a year now. Mount still solid and paint finish still looks new even after an Illinois winter.