To see if this custom-fit item will work for you please tell us what vehicle you'll use it with.
Thank you! Your comment has been submitted successfully. You should be able to view your question/comment here within a few days.
Error submitting comment. Please try again momentarily.
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.
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.
California residents: click here
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (70 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 finish, "paint" was badly scarred all over. However, I do not have the time to send it back, and wait on a new one. I will install, and possibly repaint it. The product is still a good product, fully capable of doing it's job, just not as nice and pretty as it should be. Thank you, Mark Keefer.
The hitch is great! I installed it on my navajo and was able to keep the full size spare, so I assume that applies to all first gen explorers. The bumper plate [for towing with the bumper] was in the way, but I was able to just notch it with a cutoff wheel instead of removing it. The only thing I didn't like was a complete lack of packing material in the box. Just a hitch in a box. Be prepared to touch up the paint if you care about rust prevention at all. Otherwise, a really nice hitch.
Had to pull the bumper to remove factory tow plate, installed new hitch and marked for drilling after drilling a 5/8 hole I reinstalled hitch and bumper. Only issue was one nut was missing from the hardware.
This is a great hitch. It was quick and easy to install and tucks up under most of the bumper, a real nice look. It's a shame the 16" spare tire wont fit behind it. You have to really decide if you want looks to over ride a spare tire you may need.
Received the hitch and took me all of 15 min to install. I took the spare tire off before starting to make it easier to see and install. I guess you have to add another 10 min. for that, so total time from start to finish was about 30 min. The spare does snug up against the hitch, but not that it won't go back up when cranked. My 2001 Explorer already had the holes to match up with the hitch, so all I had to do was line them up and screw on the nut. Had my wife help with that.
D. R.
6/5/2014
Thanks for the email and the consideration on your part to contact an oldcustomer. The hitch is great and still no problems a year later. Hope youhave continued success in your business.
In my 1997 mountaineer, I had to cut into the bumpers lower inner structure (3/8"Wx5/8"D) to allow for the inner bracket to clear on each side.
Technical writing needs help as you should note that you may need to insert the 1/2" lag bolts with square hole spacer 1st as there is inadequate room to install after the hitch is in place.
John S.
1/18/2018
It did its job,. Sold truck it was on 2 months ago.
Products came quickly and well packed and undamaged. A couple of tips on installing on my 2000 Explorer with 15 inch wheels. I worked alone and was able to get the hitch positioned and hung in place by inserting a couple of screwdrivers through the holes on the vertical portion of the frame. Do yourself a favor and lower the spare out of the way to make it easier to position the hitch. I used the opportunity to check the air in the spare. It was almost completely flat. With the spare out of the way, the hitch went in easily. The spare went back in and is out of the way. Even though I could not imagine my vehicle would have had any kind of towing options, it indeed did have the lighting plugs already installed on both sides of the vehicle tucked up behind the curved portion of the rear bumper. All you need is part number 118241 to convert the harness from the 7 way factory plug to the 4 pole trailer connector. I finished off the installation with the 4-Flat Universal Mounting Bracket - 118149 which I zip tied to the hitch crossbar to tidy up the wiring and keep the connector from dangling behind the vehicle. A nice professional looking installation that took about 1 1/2 hours including the time to air up the spare. I also ordered the ball mount kit Item # 989900 which includes two different drop heights of ball mounts, 2 different balls, a pin, and a nice sturdy bag to carry it all for a very reasonable price. I'm set!
Trailer hitch was as advertised. Installation was fairly easy, and exactly per the instructions - no surprises. Installation took approximately 2 hours. Would recommend etrailer to anyone. Only issue was with UPS. They stopped and threw the package out of the truck into the front yard and drove off. Box was nearly destroyed, but the hitch was not damaged and all parts were intact.
eTrailer gets high marks for their website and tutorial installation videos. They took the mystery and worry about how to install the trailer hitch receiver bumper to my vehicle. I would have given eTrailer 5 stars, but there was a slight issue with the included bolts, which I will explain further. I have a 2000 Ford Explorer, 4WD, 4 liter. The box arrived quickly and everything was packaged nicely and all the parts were included. I dry fitted the trailer receiver underneath the rear of my vehicle to make sure everything was going to line up. Sure if enough, everything lined up nicely and installation was going to be a breeze. However, I began the process of bolting in the receiver to the frame of the vehicle when I noticed a slight issue with the bolt sizing. Two of the included 9/16" bolts fit into the frame of the vehicle without a problem that secured the folded portions of the receiver hitch. However, for whatever reason, the hole opening on the vehicle frame was smaller than the two remaining 9/16" bolts provided. The hole sizes were actually 1/2" in diameter. According to the directions, for vehicles 1994 and earlier, you would have to drill two holes to accommodate the two 9/16" bolts, so I thought I wouldn't have to drill any holes. There was no way in heck that the 9/16" bolts were going to fit in a 1/2" opening on the frame unless I were to bore the opening out more. However, 9/16" drill bits are not normally available at your local hardware stores, so I just improvised, went to the hardware store and purchased two galvanized 1/2" bolts, washers, and nuts and used them to secure the receiver to the frame. Within no time at all, the receiver was installed and the bolts torqued to the right specification. So, all in all, even with having to purchase extra bolts, the installation was quick and not complicated.
Just a side installation note, I found easier to install the receiver when I lowered the spare tire to the ground. May not be necessary for other people to do the same, but it worked better for me.
The etrailer.com hitch for my 2000 Ford Explorer is just what I wanted. It is low profile, very well made and looks great on the Explorer. My wife and I put it on in a little over 1 1/2 hours. We are both 60 years old and wanted to give it a try. It was a little rough laying on the garage floor holding the hitch up and attaching the hitch and we are a little sore today, but I'm glad we did it. I decided to lower and remove the spare tire to make it easier to see what we were doing, but it was not really necessary to do so. Three of the holes lined up perfectly but needed a little persuasion to get one hole lined up on the passenger side top hole.
I ordered 2 locking hitch pins from etrailer.com today.
Now we are all set to tow a trailer and go camping.
Easy to install, only took about a hour start to finish. Did have to remove the Spare tire for installation purposes, but was able to put the spare back in it's place.
Gary
4/24/2021
Everything seems to still be in working order. The reason it took a hour to install was because I had to install an electronic braking system on my vehicle as well. Ive only used the hitch twice but it still pulls my 4600 lbs RV trailer with no problem.
Showed up with chipped paint and deep gouges, had to repaint it myself.
Design wise, two of the of the 4 bolts are located in a way that you can't get a socket on them due to the hitch itself interfering, so those two can't be torqued to the proper spec.
Brooke M.
8/13/2021
Thank you for your review! It appears that you will have to use a wrench or a “Crows Foot” on a torque wrench to tighten the nuts that you cannot get a socket on. I hope this helps!
I'm very happy with the hitch receiver. Shipping was quick and it was well packaged when it arrived. It was a snap to install. It took me longer to find the appropriate sockets to tighten the bolts than anything. I installed it myself with the 'help' of my 2 year old in about 15 minutes. Would have taken even less time with a second helper that was a little stronger to hold up the other end. It was a tight fit around my standard size spare but I did like other reviewers mentioned and just dropped the spare a few inches, installed the hitch, and put the spare back up. No problem.
A perfect description and accurate install procedure. I did encounter the sagging spring and shock dilemma that required me to jack up the rear of my Explorer in order to fit the brackets in. Having read about the possibility and prepared myself, made the install go smoothly. The hitch and accessories are top notch and I couldn't have asked for a better product knowing I was the one doing the install.
This is my second time using etrailer.com. The first purchase and installation went very well as did this purchase. Fast shipping, great service for the do-it-yourself crowd.
Just a note: My first purchase I was lucky all the fasteners stayed in the box. The box was torn because the hitch was loose. On this purchase, the box was torn again but someone had taped in up (most likely UPS). However, on this one, all the fasteners were all wrapped up and firmly attached to the hitch - good idea guys. Also, my harness and other small parts were in separate box inside - good thing or they would have likely been lost.
The hitch arrived shortly after I ordered it, it was easy to install , everything fit correctly as advertised. Installation took about 20 minutes. I wish they had included some anti seize for the bolts and trailer ball.
The hitch looks good too.
the quality ,price ,speed and above all else your knowledge about said product was dead on , i do apologize ,in my hast to write a review I i went to the back where you have the { get in touch} numbers and etc.,please try to find that comment i wrote to you as i believe you will be as surprised as we were on installation info ,you were precise on all the details ,if a person is thinking of a purchase ..PLEASE BE ADVISED ,these people play to win and win big time , watch the videos then install look around under the vehicle they said this and that and by golly your looking at just that thing NOW, this was my first install, who tells you its a 30 minute job,for me and my brother n law it took 45 minutes, 21 minutes to install ,and 24 minutes giggling like it was a world series grand slam , etrailer has great people and knowledge,call them..e mail them... just go for it like your 1st cup of coffee in the morn , WOW!......THANK YOU ALLEN H.
Apart from one issu, it was easy to install on a 1997 Ford Explorer. The nuts which screw into the two bolts which are affixed in a downward position are not easy to grab hold of with a socket wrench. The hitch tube blocks a portion of the holding nut. So the socket grabbed the nut in a "off kilter" position which then did not allow me to apply full torque when tightening the nut. The nut is therefore not at its proper torque specifications.
Good price....quick free shipping....all the right parts included with easy to follow instructions. Hitch fitted easily on my 2000 Mountaineer with no drilling or complications. Have used etrailer before and just as happy to deal with them again. Good job! I wish all internet dealers provided such excellant service and products as etrailer.com .
poor fitWe installed this yesterday, I say 'we' because it took minimum 2 people.
It did not fit correctly over the frame rails. The holes did line up, but it did not fit under the bumper of the vehicle. We also had to remove the bumper hitch plate. You may also want to jack up the rear end so that the leaf springs straighten slightly providing some clearence.
Fast delivery! I have a '97 Explorer XLT and my wife and I put it on in 20 minutes. A little wrench clearance issue on the aft bolts (thin walled sockets would work). Other than that; it bolts up simply, clears the full sized spare and appears to be a strong low profile design. Thanks a lot e-trailer folks!
Nice hitch. Not exactly a 1 man job however. Fortunately my neighbor saw me struggling and came over to lend me a hand. Was difficult to support the hitch and try to line up the mounting holes but after getting the first 2 bolts in, it was all down hill from there. Ran into a problem with the spare tire (2001 Ford Explorer) being in the way. The hitch tends to dig into the spare, unless you can lower the spare and move it over a bit.
We are very happy with the receiver we purchased. It was easy to install. The price was good and shipping rates are more than fair. I cannot say enough about the GREAT customer service we received. We live in the Alaskan bush. The product was here in a week. Couldn't ask for better. I will be a returning customer and will recommend this site to all of my friends. Thank you so much for being so helpful and nice. Customer service is a lost art these days.
Fit perfectly on 2001 Explorer. Very easy to install, you will have to jimmy around your 15" spare no big deal. Great product, great shipping. Information and vidios on web site are very helpful. Will be using hitch to pull a 6 x10 motorcycle trailer.
Nice!1997 Explorer with 15" wheels. Fits good, comes with quality hardware, simple instructions, excellent customer service. A little difficult for a one person install, but I used a floor jack to hold the hitch up while I lined it up. Took a half hour.
Do you have a question about this Trailer Hitch?
Info for this part was:
At etrailer.com we provide the best information available about the products we sell. We take the quality of our information seriously so that you can get the right part the first time. Let us know if anything is missing or if you have any questions.
Katrina D.
7/8/2023
Unfortunately, this is very common when shipping hitches. You are correct that you should repaint it, with a rust-oleum type of paint to prevent any corrosion. I have sent your information over to our customer service department for them to look into some sort of compensation.