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This fully welded trailer hitch receiver bolts onto your vehicle's frame with no welding required. Matte black, powder coated steel is durable and corrosion resistant and creates a rugged look.
Features:
Specs:
The sturdy steel construction is protected with a matte black finish for added durability. This unique powder coating gives etrailer hitches a carbide-like appearance and a rugged look that sets them apart from traditional glossy hitches. In addition to being rust and corrosion resistant, the tough matte coating hides dirt, scuffs, and dings better than a glossy finish.
At etrailer 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: 4.8 out of 5 stars (678 Customer Reviews)
This fully welded trailer hitch receiver bolts onto your vehicle's frame with no welding required. Matte black, powder coated steel is durable and corrosion resistant and creates a rugged look.I really nice custom fit for my Outback. The hitch seems like it's high quality and looks good on the car. Be aware however that you have to drill/make and absolutely enormous access holes in your frame rail to install this hitch. I would suggest that etrailer modify the instructions to require the use of the appropriate size step drill bit to make the hole. They should also include rubber grommets and perhaps touch up paint to seal up the hole you made. Otherwise things are pretty straight forward.
The trailer hitch receiver has worked as designed. I am very pleased with the product and the service of etrailer.
Installed yesterday. Went pretty smooth. Have an Outback and didn’t need to lift the vehicle to install it. Used my car stands to position the hitch and then rotated it up into position. Was able to install with one person
Installation was exactly as the video showed. Easy Peezy. Hardware kit even includes two fish wires that are needed to install the hardware. Make sure you have a nice new drill bit because the Subaru frame is super hard. Stoked. Thanks E-trailer !!
The products were exactly as advertised, and the delivery was perfect. One year later it is still going strong! I would use etrailer again.
I decided to go with the etrailer branded class 3 hitch for my wife's 2019 Outback after getting etrailer's recommendation on which one would be best paired with my Thule T2 Pro XTB bike rack, which is a great rack, btw. Main reasoning was that the hitch sits back on the vehicle a little more and gives better clearance for the rack when folded up. This would apply to other kinds of hitch mounted accessories too. The hitch is not quite as hidden under the vehicle as some of the others but I was more concerned about using the bike rack as intended.
Installation was not too bad, with the biggest challenge for me being the tight spaces around the muffler to drill the necessary holes even with the exhaust lowered as described in the video. I even considered removing the muffler for better access but was able to get it done without that. Main concern was damaging the exhaust system in the front if it was lowered too much. Using lubricant on the rubber exhaust hangers worked great for removing and putting them back on at the end. The tip for using a step drill bit worked great to enlarge the access holes the appropriate amount, as well. I was able to do the installation by myself with the help of a small rolling dolly on which to sit the hitch on while I bolted up the first set of bolts. It held the hitch up enough to work on one side at a time without having to support the entire weight of the hitch by myself. Having a helper would be better for sure. The 6 out of 10 installation difficulty scale seems about right to me.
The hitch itself seems to be good quality, nice welds, matte finish looks great on the vehicle too. It also fits like a glove around spare tire well. No adjusting really necessary, just install the first set of bolts in the existing frame holes and you are lined up. You do have to drill the 2 more forward set of holes but using the hitch frame as the template (it's already mounted on the vehicle at this point) of where the holes go, it was a snap from there.
I'll attach a couple of pics with the bike rack installed to show how much clearance there is. I also tested with a bike on the rack and was able to open the rear hatch all the way with the bike rack in the lowered position (a feature of the Thule T2). Hopefully, this will help others that want to use accessories that require clearance for bumper and hatch. Great communication and follow up from the etrailer team too!
Phil
5/15/2020
A year later and the etrailer class3 hitch still looks and works great. Very satisfied with eTrailer again!
Item e98847 etrailer Trailer Hitch Receiver is NOT a confirmed fit for a 2018 Subaru Outback 3.6L touring vehicle. The spacing between the vertical supports does not clear the spare tire wheel well. The vertical supports also press against the rubber muffler hangers on both exhausts. Etrailer agreed that the hitch from their manufacturer was out of tolerance but could not provide me with sufficient details on whether or not a replacement hitch would fit any better. I would not recommend this hitch - try your luck with another brand.
Katrina D.
7/13/2023
If you are wanting something that is going to be less invasive, you can always check out part # C13410. This will not require any drilling and you will not have to adjust your muffler for this installation.
So I recently purchased mountain bikes and knew I needed a bike rack and hitch. When making more expensive purchases, I research the product, competitors, pricing, customer services and reviews. I finally decided on the etrailer Trailer Hitch Receiver. I had it professionally installed and it looks great! I appreciate the help and assistance Teresa J. provided in helping me make my decision. Thank you eTrailer!
Dennis
6/24/2021
After one year, my hitch still looks and functions great! I love it so much, I ordered another etrailer Hitch for my other vehicle, a 2012 GMC Terrain and it works great on this and by 2015 Subaru Outback!
heavy duty hitch
very fast shipping
Works good But I believe if the hitch was about 1/4" or 1/2" inch wider it would help in the mounting process. The bracket with was very tight on the sides of the spare tire between the frame due to the spray insulation.
Fun to install for the DIY person. Powder coating is nice and the thing is sturdy. I’ve just used it for a bike rack so far but everything is good. It’ll be ready if/when I need to use a trailer for something.
This was a super easy install. I don't have access to a lift, so I just used ramps I picked up from Home Depot for oil changes. I am a pretty good sized guy but this gave me plenty of room to work. No issues at all on the install. Instructional video was great and easy to follow. The only comments I have would be that if you are using ramps, be sure to have a long sleeve shirt on and safety glasses. The metal chips from drilling are hot and sharp. The pull wires worked excellent, I only used one of them. You do need to put a couple bends in the wire which they don't mention in the video. All in all I am really happy and would highly recommend this as a DIY install.
Josh H.
8/4/2020
A year later and no complaints at all. I have been happy to recommend this product and company to friends.
Great hitch receiver. Needed a bike rack with enough capacity for 2 ebikes. Combo is perfect
This is a PERFECT fit for my 2017 Subaru Outback. It was easy to install after viewing the installation video. Thanks for providing that, rather than just paper instructions. And the fishing wire for the bolt and washer inside the frame is inspired and worked great. Same specs as the other "name brand" at a lower price. Thanks!
I had my hitch professionally installed and have not given it a thought since. It fit perfectly and does what it’s supposed to do.
Product arrived quickly, instructions were clear and product works great
This has held up very well - super sturdy, easy to attach and detach. Would buy again!
I installed this myself. Excellent packaging on hitch as it arrived undamaged. All hardware and bolt fish wires were firmly attached to the hitch. Instructions and video were very helpful in making this an easy project. I used car ramps and backed m wife’s Outback on them to provide a comfortable work area. Only thing different that I did from the video instructions was to mount the hitch with the 1st two bolts, mark the location, and drop the hitch to drill the forward bolts with a step drill. All newly drilled surfaces were painted for protection. Also found a couple of elongated frame hole plugs from our ’67 Mustang project to seal the hardware installation hole.
Good price and reasonable installation cost by my auto shop. Excellent product with a durable finish. No rust caused by salt road spray over its first winter.
Great custom fit for off the shelf part. Watched video and install went supper smooth.
Custmer service is great. They keep you well informed from the time you place the order to the time its delivered.
The quality of the etrailer brand hitch is very apparent to the point that I would rate it above the others and making for a trouble free installation
The hitch will be used for a platform bike rack.
When reinstalling the muffler heat shield, there is one hitch bolt that interferes with remounting the heat shield. All you need to do is mark and drill out the location of the one hitch bolt that's under the heat shield. Once hitch is installed and muffler is still hanging down, place the heat shield in its original location with the 2 small bolts under the muffler. Then in order to mark the hitch bolt location under the heat shield, take a hammer and tap on the heat shield to indent the hitch bolt location. Take the heat shield off and drill the hitch bolt location on the heat shield. Take the nut off that hitch bolt, reinstall the heat shield with the two small bolts behind the muffler and the nut on the hitch.
I cut out the location of the bolt on the heat shield but I should have drilled it.
Hitch was an easy install. I recommend having a step drill that's at least 1". Impressed with the hitch but was slightly disappointed that hitch was scratched up when opening the box.
The hitch is built like a tank and fit perfectly. I watched the instructions online before beginning and the process was very simple. I was grateful they provided the wire fishes for the bolts. I managed to do the whole thing myself by simply laying the hitch on my belly as I was under the car, and set the first two bolts. I regret not following advice I saw in another review about making a hole for the heat shield, and capturing it under one of the hitch bolts, since with only 3 screws remaining, the heat shield might end up rattling in time. If I were to do it over again, I would do it that way. Do make sure to drill out the first holes big enough for not only the washer, but also the bolt head, which is a touch wider.
The whole job took me about 3 hours, working slowly with gimpy knees. I was happy to spend a sunny morning doing that, rather than paying hundreds of dollars for such a simple task.
Just put on etrailers hitch. This is my third one that I have installed from etrailer on my past Subaru. I went with the etrailer hitch because I liked the matte black finish over the gloss black Curt. This one is easier than the Draw- Tite because it weighs less and I was able to handle it myself. I would suggest using a good step drill bit when enlarging the holes and make sure they are big enough. It took me 2 hours to complete mainly because of cutting the new holes and enlarging the other holes. Hitch was delivery very timely from etrailer just like the previous ones that I installed.
IT WORKS GREAT FOR MY PURPOSE, WHICH IS TO CARRY A COUPLE 80LB E-BIKES. I PUT A HARBOR FREIGHT ELECTRIC WINCH IN THE ceiling of the garage and lower to the correct level and back my car in to hook it up.
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Mark
1/15/2024
Good. It is very strong but needs to be checked along the way to be sure it stays tight or else it will be loose and shake.