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Perfect for light-duty towing, this custom, vehicle trailer hitch receiver features fully welded, gloss powder coated steel construction. Drawbar sold separately.
Features:
Specs:
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.
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (26 Customer Reviews)
Perfect for light-duty towing, this custom, vehicle trailer hitch receiver features fully welded, gloss powder coated steel construction. Drawbar sold separately.To begin, etrailer.com had the best price, easy order process, and quick delivery. They are wonderful to deal with.
I had a friend help me install the hitch on my 2013 Outback 6 cyl with dual exhaust. Followed the step by step instructions 100%. The hitch installed quickly (1.25 hr) without a hitch (no pun intended). It looks great and I'm sure will work perfectly for the bicycle rack it was purchased to hold. I couldn't be more satisfied with this hitch.
I like the build and finish of this hitch, it is sized nicely for my 2012 Outback, and should be a suitable hitch for the future. The hitch itself is probably 4 stars. Where I have a problem is the install time and info provided. It is very hard to believe that a professional install is a mere 45 minutes, and a DIY novice install is 90 minutes. I went into this well prepared and well equipped, having a hoist and air tools. I am also an experienced home mechanic. I took my time and did a careful job, but clocked in about 2:45 to 3 hours.
The hitch itself is partially to blame since the first two holes in my chassis did not align with the hitch. I had to grind some on each part to get alignment. Some of the problem came from my older car with some rust, particularly on the exhaust parts. In videos it shows removing those four bolts in a few seconds. Mine had to soak in penetrating oil, then I needed a breaker bar to loosen them. Afterwards the nuts and bolts needed to be brushed for installation. I damaged both of the heat shields simply removing the bolts because they are old and somewhat rotted. Not a big deal, but a time eater.
The most difficult part is getting the bolts and spacer through the enlarged hole and into position using the fish wire technique. Enlarging the existing hole (using a good quality rotary grinding tool) to the size and shape of the instructions does not work. The hole needs to be larger to accommodate the carriage bolt head to pass through. If you are new to the fish wire technique, it takes some effort and practice. The fish wire provided is about 6” too short to make the job easy. My first effort took a good 20 minutes or more, and required a magnetic probe to get the spacer out of the frame channel several times. It is tricky to be sure. This is where the professional installer is going to be much quicker than the DIYer. Be prepared to take your time and be really careful. I mounted the hitch after getting one bolt per side, loosely tightened. Then I did the other two bolts, which went a little faster. In the end I asked my wife to come out and help, and a friend helped support the hitch while we worked. This part of the installation would be very very difficult without a second person helping. Pro-Tip: They mention this in the instructions, but not clearly enough. On the fish wire you need to make two bends about 1/4 apart, kind of like a Z, but at right angles. Do this at about the mid point. Secure the spacer on this angle do that A) it does not move towards the bolt and B) so that you can push and pull it towards the install hole. If the spacer gets flipped over, then you can NOT pull the wire and bolt through the spacer hole. Like I said, it is tricky. Pro-Tip 2: Keep the fish wire on the bolts while aligning them to the hitch holes during install.
So, good to have it done, but not the super easy project it would appear to be. One last note. While this install does not involve oil or grease, my hands and clothing got incredibly dirty, and grim from the muffler and heat shields, as well as metal flakes from drilling and grinding, rained on my head and shoulders. Be sure to where eye protection.
This hitch hangs a little lower then I would like but it should be okay. We will use mostly for hauling our bikes and occasionally for our small utility trailer to haul dirt and rocks.
PS - install did not include the wiring. I have the kit and will do that on the next nice afternoon.
Jenny N.
11/30/2021
It sounds like that the side brackets were knocked out of alignment which can happen while in transit to our facility or to you. We do have a FAQ that can assist with moving the side brackets of the hitch back into alignment I also recommend viewing our FAQ on hitch installation and the video that we have on a 2013 Subaru Outback Wagon.
Helpful Links
faq-my-trailer-hitch-doesnt-fit.aspx
tv-install-curt-class-2-trailer-hitch-receiver-2013-subaru-outback-wagon-c12290.aspx
The hitch/installation had to be modified since the exhaust kept rattling against it. The noise was loud and annoying, and before I knew what it was from, it hurt my confidence in the product, since it was hard to tell exactly what was causing the issue until I brought it into the shop.
It's pretty much good to go now, after two rounds of my trusted shop adjusting things under there. I'm not sure what happened but the hitch was likely not correctly sized/fitted to that car model? I specifically chose it based on my car (2013 Subaru Outback).
My ultimate goal here was to get a hitch so I could put a sturdy bike rack on it for shuttling the mountain bikes around. In that regard it has been very effective. I have a lot of confidence in the hitch. As it is bolted to the frame, you can tell it is not going anywhere.
The hitch fits the car well and is only barely noticable which I like. It installed with no surprises and within the time frame anticipated.
Satisfied with the hitch and with eTrailer's service and support.
Hitch quality very good, install instructions are incorrect. You must remove muffler and the holes must be enlarged twice as much as instructions say. This is my 4th hitch install so I'n not a novice. But it took me 3 hours. Not 45 minutes as inducated. Regardless, the hitch looks very nice on vehicle. Just what I was looking for. Not nearly as obtrusive as the big square tube 2 " recievers.
I am happy that I found ETRAILER ,all of my local parts stores and the dealer were more money for the same setup. My parts arrived in three days. I will use ETRAILER again. I also would tell my friends and others .
Charles S.
1/12/2019
The hitch is still great and makes towing easy great buy
Outstanding quality, great fit, great instructions Kurt really does a good job at ensuring each hitch matches the vehicle. I opted to access the frame rail from the spare tire compartment instead of enlarging the bottom hole, just because I felt more comfortable with that. I believe either way would work fine. It looks great on the 2010 outback too. Visible, but not not awkward looking at all. I can't say enough about the service from etrailer, I'll never buy another trailer related accessory from anywhere else.
Everything has worked out great with my Subaru hitch. Great for a bike rack and to tow a small trailer.
After waiting for over 1 month to receive our order and haven been given the run around everytime we called about the delay finally Chris J took charge and followed up to ensure we received our order! If it wasn't for him this review would have been quite different! Major respect to Chris! He is an asset to this company! Thanks Chris!!!
It fit very well. There are a couple 1/2”ish holes that you have to drill in the body which is kind of lame. It does mention this in the description so it wasn’t unexpected. The exhaust does have to come down to access the mounting points. It’s well designed and straightforward, it went smoothly and didn’t take too long.
Ordered my receiver and light wiring on a Monday evening. I received it on Thursday and I installed them Thursday evening. It was a breeze. The installation videos were a great help! This is my second receiver I got from etrailer.com and I will not use anyone else. Great experience!!!
The hitch installation was a success, once I ordered the right one. Customer service was excellent in helping me navigate to the right hitch to put on my vehicle. Installing went very well and not a part was missing. Overall very happy with my purchase and would recommend to all my friends.
Wonderful product with speedy delivery. The hitch was installed by myself and my son, it went with just a little drilling and tightening of bolts.
Great fit and it looks good. I would recommend etrailer products to anyone.
Thanks
Great hitch. etrailer sells only the best. Hard to beat…
Product is exactly as described, shipped fast, arrived quicker than expected, and installation was fairly effortless. All around good purchase, service, and product.
So far it's been an excellent product. The installation took a lot longer than expected, however it was a perfect fit.
Haven't used it yet, but it appears to be well made.
Carolyn F.
7/30/2020
Still working great a year later! Quality Product.
Product has worked great for what i need, transports 2 bikes very well. Took it on a trip across the country with 2 bikes and no issues.
Piece is of good quality and arrived on time, my only suggestion would be to use better packaging, the box arrived with one side ripped open
Product much harder to install than expected. Coupled with bad customer service, overall a bad experience.
Wow, the best description for this company! I had a question, sent an email and within minutes there was a response.
All questions were answered, I just checked the fit and it’s exactly correct.
Great support a real person and not a database
Thank You
Hitch works well, just as it supposed t o.
Fit perfect. Easy install by myself.
Very pleased with service. Ordered at 8:48PM on 3/14/11 & received in aftternoon on 3/18/11. I have not installed yet but opened package & everything looks good. Will probably install sometime next week.
Great product, better have an air grinder to install!
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Al R.
7/3/2015
The hitch has endured a NJ winter and now is enjoying a Florida summer with no issues. It is tight and looks like new with no rust or other wear issues. No problems here!