Curt Front Mount Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - 2"

by: BryanE01/03/2023

Got this front hitch for my Nissan Xterra so I can push my boat into my garage. Access to the garage is in an alley and the only way to get the boat into the garage is to hitch up front and push it in. A front hitch gives you pinpoint control and allows you to maneuver in really tight spaces. Product was exactly what I needed, is made well, was priced right, and delivered promptly. Couldn't ask for more.1492448

Bryane

1/4/2024

Product has worked out 100 after a year of regular use and is hands down the best solution for my situation. I fished probably 20-25 times last year and it gets used every time.

by: John01/27/2024

Did not fit the vehicle it was meant to fit, had to modify hitch and drill holes on frame. Have had good success with etrailer in the past, this was not.1715707

Katrina D.

1/27/2024

Can you please elaborate on what was not fitting? I see that this hitch is a confirmed fit for the 2005 Nissan Xterra. Sometimes, if the hitch arrived flexed, it gives off the appearance that it will not fit the vehicle. I would be more than happy to further assist you with more

John G.

1/30/2024

It was an inch too narrow

Katrina D.

1/30/2024

I am so sorry that you had to drill holes into your frame. This is not normally done for this hitch to fit your 2005 Nissan Xterra. It sounds to me like your hitch arrived flexed and that can be resolved by bending the wings of the hitch back to a 90 degree angle with a vise. I have a link attached with more information on this for your reference.

Helpful Links

faq-my-trailer-hitch-doesnt-fit.aspx

Front mount hitch arrived from etrailer.com with no delay. Unit installed in 40 minutes just as the instructions stated. Low profile hardly noticeable and very stable. Here is a photo with my surf rod holder attached.49019

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by: Roger 06/07/2023

Well made, sturdy. Needs an extension to accommodate most of my hitch items like bike rack, plow, etc. Easy to mount also.1595862

Love this new addition to my fishing equipment. In addition to making it easier to transfer rods back and forth to my charter boat, it also performed great on the beaches at Nags Head even when taking a few mounds of sand head on. I did have to add a wood shim to remove all the free-play but that was easy and now it's firm.441991

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Had to bend upper tabs out about 1/8" eahc to fit right. Otherwise pretty easy install. Suprised I could fit skid plate back in with no problems. GOOD PRODUCT!!1635555

This hefty, well made, front hitch receiver mounted perfectly on our new 2015 Xterra Pro-4X. If your Xterra has a front skid plate (all Pro-4X’s do), you will need to remove it temporarily in order to install the receiver, and reinstall it afterwards. You will also need to permanently remove the vehicle recovery hook that is mounted to the front of the passenger-side frame rail (you will not be able to reinstall the recovery hook, as the two threaded holes in the frame are used to mount the receiver). I did this installation by myself, but I would recommend having a friend to help, if you have someone available. A couple of bolts and nuts are in tight places, especially the ones near the lower radiator hose. You will need to temporarily pop out the plastic clamp that holds the hose to the frame until the bolt is installed. You can then snap the clamp back in place. A BIG hefty rubber mallet is your best friend on this and most other hitch receiver installations. It is useful to tweak the hitch into position in order to get the hardware started, and to perfectly locate the receiver before you torque down all of the fasteners. The ground clearance to the lowest part of the receiver is 10”. This hitch receiver will decrease the maximum approach angle, but unless you are heavily into serious off-roading, it won’t usually get in the way. In a way, the receiver actually provides more serious protection than the flimsy, factory skid-plate. It will certainly “warn” you if you try to go over anything taller than 10”, before you fatally clobber the plastic lower facia items, or otherwise disembowel your Xterra!

Some of the many uses for a front hitch receiver include:
Great for jockeying a trailer into tight places.
Install a winch on a hitch slider. It’s not as sturdy as a frame-mounted winch, but it makes it so you don’t need to haul around that added weight of a winch all the time.
Keep a (front or rear) receiver-mounted recovery hook and pin in your vehicle (I heartily recommend the TR63044 “tow hook”, available on this website), along with a strong tow strap. Great if you need to pull someone out of a predicament, or give them a short tow.
An assortment of specialized sliders for specific uses such carriers for bicycles, scooters, etc.
Being that Xterras (and many other vehicles) are a really tall reach, as far as under-the-hood maintenance, I may even cobble a special t-shaped slider with a lateral tube that is about the width of the front of the vehicle, that can be temporarily mounted to give an elevated step area that is about a foot off the ground, for those times when you have lots of maintenance items to reach.

Make sure to live within the design ratings of the receiver. Although this is a very stout hitch, be careful when dealing with lateral forces (things other than a straight-line pushing or pulling).233601

the hitch was about 1/2 inch short of overlapping the frame, your service dept told me how to stretch the metal to fit. It was not in the direction. It makes sense to have the product built this way. It was very easy to mount if you knew all of the tricks. 59433

Ron W.

5/15/2014

I use the hitch for my fishing supplies when I drive on the oxb also extra storage when family vacation while pulling my boat. This hitch will pay for itself in usage. Also I read below about mounting a winch on the hitch been thinking of mounting a hand crank winch on a 2 inch bar that I have that if one of my fishing buddies get stuck at the oxb that I can winch him out, before the tides comes in. This would be rare times but rather have it and not need it. Jeff could you also sent me that link with the info on winch Thanks Ron

Rachael H.

5/22/2014

We do not have an adapter plate for mounting a hand crack winch in a front mount winch. If you do decide to use a winch for helping your buddies out please keep in mind that hand winches are intended for a straight line pull. If you need to pull frequently I recommend using a heavy duty recovery winch with a nylon rope or tow strap that is rate appropriately. To find the instructions for each specific winch the instructions will be linked on the right hand side of the page. I have also included a link to a helpful article about hand winches for your reference.

Helpful Links

/faq-hand-winches.aspx

I used this as a replacement for the Nevada hitch the dealer took off the Xterra I bought after they took pictures of it being on it. I didn't have to deal with taking out any bolts, they left the rear bumper on with just 2 bolts. It was a very easy install, I didn't have to touch the exhaust system, I lowered the spare and moved it to the side, put the hitch up and wiggled it right into place. Put in the 2 12mm bolts in by hand and then the other 4 14mm bolts, torqued everything down to the provided specs, and I was done. I'm 60 years old, and did it in under 45 minutes, by myself.167856

by: Robert10/24/2017

2011 Nissan Xterra

This Front end hitch fit perfectly on my 2011 Nissan Xterra, and
made it sooooo much easier to maneuver my boat into my garage,
as "Pushing" it in enabled me to control the movements much better than my
backing it in--used previously.
Believe me-I'm thrilled that I decided to go with etrailer in purchasing this product!
I highly recommend it to others!445706

Good solid product and the fit for my 2011 Nissan Xterra
Is spot on. Bought this front hitch to mount a home snow plow
I think this is going to work very well.897253

The front hitch for the xterra made life so much easier, It was perfect. Easy to install. Went in exactly as stated in the instructions. No adjustments..... Should have purchased a long time ago.407216

installed in half/hour,used a floor jack to lift and hold in place.looks and fit are great,now i can put bike rack on the front so i can easily raise rear hatch.nissan xterra,60286

Delivered on time. Excellent quality, looks custom. Easy installation.175267

by: Duane B02/21/2020

Installed without any problems. Works great.756981

20 minutes it was on and ready to go! 65078

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