How To Install A Receiver Hitch On A Car

Chapter 6

How to Install a Trailer Hitch - Towing 101 - CURT

Stride-past-Step Hitch Installation Guide

Installing a trailer hitch is a relatively easy automotive job. A typical tow hitch installation may involve some of the following steps: removing the spare tire, lowering the frazzle, removing existing vehicle hardware, lifting the hitch into position and torqueing the hitch hardware to the correct values.

In this guide, we''ll cover stride by step how to install a hitch. We'll also respond questions about toll, fourth dimension, warranty and offer some pro tips. CURT hitches are especially easy to install because most are no-drill and require only a few simple tools. If you'd prefer to take your vehicle in for professional person installation, CURT also has a complete network of dealers and installers.

Example hitch installation video

Towing Tip!

Earlier purchasing a hitch, await upward the installation instruction canvass or installation video online for the hitch you are considering, and then decide if it is something you lot can handle on your ain or if you volition need to bring information technology to a professional installer.

Can I install a hitch myself?

Yes, yous can install a trailer hitch by yourself as long as you have the right tools for the chore. DIY hitch installation is a great way to save money on the trailer hitch installation cost.

CURT custom hitches are engineered to brand installation as like shooting fish in a barrel and equally minimally invasive as possible. Near Short hitches can be installed with common hand tools, right in your own garage.

six Pro Tips for Hitch Installation

How to Install a Trailer Hitch in 8 Steps

Step 1: Read the instructions

The beginning step to installing a trailer hitch receiver is to read the instructions. Familiarizing yourself with the steps involved in the installation will give you confidence in your work and will help you determine if you're upward to the task.

You can observe the installation instructions for each hitch using the CURT Installation Sheet Finder or on the number page. We as well recommend checking out our installation video library on YouTube.

Pace 2: Gather your tools

Before yous begin, prepare aside the tools necessary for the tow hitch installation. These may be different depending on your specific hitch, just in general, a hitch installation only requires some basic tools found in the average practice-information technology-yourselfer'southward tool box.

The following are some of the tools used during the installation of a trailer hitch:

Tools used in hitch install:

Download tools list

Shop light
Socket fix
Ratchet
Ratchet extension
Hinge socket
Work gloves
Condom glasses
Torque wrench
Jack and stands
Pry bar
Tape measure
Torx bits
Trim tool
Screw driver
Paint pen
Die grinder
Carbide drill bits
Cutting lubricant
Box wrench ready
Power drill
Rotary cutting tool
Penetrating lubricant
Rat tail wire brush
Masking tape
Utility knife
Metal sheers

Footstep iii: Chock your wheels and jack up your vehicle

Next, you volition need to place wheel chocks on your front wheels. You may as well need to jack up your vehicle, depending on your particular hitch and work space.

Jacking up the vehicle is not necessary for near hitch installations -- even a car hitch installation -- but it does provide extra infinite underneath the vehicle to piece of work. Make certain the emergency brake is activated, that your vehicle is at a rubber top and that you use jack stands to ensure the vehicle is properly stabilized.

Step 4: Ready a work low-cal

It always helps to take extra low-cal when working underneath the vehicle, and information technology volition help when referencing the installation instructions during the install. Position the lite so that information technology illuminates your piece of work space without obstructing what you lot're doing.

At this time, you tin can familiarize yourself with the various bolts, holes and other components y'all will exist accessing during the installation.

Step five: Remove the spare tire, if necessary

On some receiver hitch installations, the rear spare tire stored underneath the vehicle will exist in your way as you install the hitch. If specified in the instructions, remove it and prepare it aside.

This may besides be the time to lower the exhaust. A small number of Curt trailer hitches crave the tailpipe and part of the frazzle assembly to be lowered during the installation.

Step 6: Remove bolts, plugs and other parts, as specified

Some trailer hitch installations crave certain bolts and safety plugs to be removed to brand fashion for mounting the hitch frame. Others crave modest panels or a rut shield to exist removed or trimmed. Withal others may crave drilling into the frame.

For some hitch installations, the existing vehicle hardware may be used to bolt the hitch into place. Any the instance for you detail hitch, all necessary hardware volition exist included for a complete installation.

Footstep seven: Position the hitch and adhere hardware

With your vehicle and hardware prepared, yous can motion the hitch into position. You may need assist at this indicate as trailer hitches tin can weigh upwardly to 50 lbs. or more. This is specially of import for a truck hitch installation considering truck hitches tend to exist heavier.

For the hardware, typically you volition merely demand to tighten the nuts and bolts enough to concord the hitch in identify. Once all trailer hitch bolts are fastened and paw-tightened, y'all can move on to torqueing.

Step 8: Fully tighten the bolts

When all of the trailer hitch bolts are in place, torque them to the values specified in the installation educational activity. The amount of torque required various by the size of bolts. Some hitches only crave effectually 100 human foot-pounds of torque, while others require 150 pes-pounds or more. Make certain y'all have the proper tool to safely torque your hitch into place.

Towing Tip!

If your tow hitch installation requires you to feed bolts in through a hollow frame and you accidentally lose a commodities inside, getting it out can exist extremely tedious. Even so, it Tin be washed. Insert a telescoping magnet in through the hole, and lure the bolt to the hole until you can pull it out.

Trailer Hitch Installation Near Me

If you'd prefer a professional bear upon and you're looking for where to get a trailer hitch installed, the CURT Where to Purchase folio provides a complete list of local dealers and installers. Simply put in your address.

You can scan installers by distance and service level, view their address and phone number, navigate a alive map and get directions from whatever address.

6 Professional person Tips for Hitch Installation

#1 Cleaning the weldnuts

The underbody of a vehicle is exposed to a wide variety of outdoor elements, causing corrosion over time. Some hitch installations use pre-existing weldnuts on the vehicle to mount the hitch. If these weldnuts take rust on them, it will exist incommunicable to properly thread the trailer hitch bolts.

Earlier starting the installation, notation the condition of the weldnuts. For minor rust and buildup, use a penetrating lubricant and wire brush to clean the threads.

For heavier rust, use a thread tap to make certain the threads are clear. The tap must be perpendicular to the weldnut to avoid stripping the threads.

#two Fishwiring bolts through the frame

A hitch receiver installation may require hardware to be fishwired through holes in the vehicle frame (fishwire will exist included with your CURT hitch, if needed). To do this, laissez passer the coiled end of the fishwire through the mounting hole and out the access pigsty. Install a spacer onto the coiled terminate, so thread the commodities onto the coil.

Adjacent, pull the other end of the fishwire through the mounting hole so the bolt stud passes through the spacer and out the mounting hole.

Finally, elevator the trailer hitch assembly into position if it is not already in place, feeding the fishwire through the correct mounting hole on the hitch. Carefully remove the fishwire from the bolt and employ the appropriate nut.

#3 Contrary fishwiring bolts

To reverse fishwire hitch hardware onto your vehicle's frame, begin by threading the bolt onto the coiled end of the wire. Then, insert the bolt into the mounting hole, head commencement (the hole may need to exist enlarged with a die grinder first).

Adjacent, feed the wire through a spacer and insert the spacer upward into the mounting hole. Then, pull the wire down, allowing the commodities stud to pass through the spacer and out the mounting hole. The spacer should keep the commodities head stuck inside the frame.

Finally, position the hitch and pass the wire through the appropriate mounting hole on the hitch. Then, carefully remove the fishwire from the bolt and utilise a nut.

#4 Temporarily lowering the exhaust

To ensure a tight fit against the vehicle, some hitch installations require the vehicle's exhaust arrangement to be temporarily lowered.

To lower the frazzle, typically all you need to practice is carve up the rubber isolators from the exhaust hanger rods. Begin by supporting the tailpipe and exhaust system with wire ties or rope at the hanger points. Exist sure to leave a few inches of slack then the frazzle can be lowered.

And then, squirt the connection points with a soapy water mixture or lubricant. Side by side, use a pry bar to carefully pry betwixt the prophylactic isolators and hanger stops.

#five Drilling into the frame

While it is rare for Brusk hitches, some installations may require drilling into the frame, particularly if at that place are not enough pre-existing mounting holes to adhere the hitch.

Begin by marking the drill locations with a paint pen, using the hitch as a guide. And then, drill a small pilot hole. Cobalt drill bits and cut lubricant are recommended.

Gradually increment the size of the hole using larger and larger drill $.25 until the correct size for the bolt is reached. Yous tin can also use a step drill chip for this procedure.

Some hitch installations may likewise require the hole to be enlarged to accept a spacer. For this, a die grinder is recommended.

#6 Trimming vehicle fascia

A tow hitch installation may require plastic fascia panels on the vehicle to be cutting or trimmed to make infinite for the receiver tube.

To begin, mark the areas to be trimmed using masking tape. Then, use a utility knife, rotary cutoff tool or aviator shears to cut off the marked areas.

Remember to go slowly! If using a utility knife, we recommend scoring the cut line and and then making multiple passes to ensure a clean cutting.

FAQs

How much does it cost to install a hitch?

A professional hitch installation tin can cost anywhere from $l to over $250, depending on the labor rates of the automotive shop and the difficulty of the installation. Some hitch installations are more intensive than others, increasing the toll as more time is required.

How long does a hitch installation take?

Hitch installation can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours or more than, depending on the level of expertise of the installer, the tools being used, the condition of the vehicle and then on. For a helpful guideline, check the installation instructions for your specific hitch.

Volition installing a trailer hitch void my warranty?

Installing a trailer hitch volition non void a vehicle's warranty. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, passed past Congress in 1975, ensures that consumers can install aftermarket parts without the fear of voiding their warranty. One stipulation is that the installation must be done properly. An improper installation will not be covered (eastward.1000. commodities holes drilled too shut together, different hardware used, etc).

Learn more on the Federal Trade Commission website.

How do you lot attach a trailer hitch?

To attach a trailer hitch to a vehicle, have a friend help you lift the hitch into position. If you don't have a helper, you tin can hang the hitch from the vehicle frame, using a length of wire or rope. With the hitch suspended, begin to thread the mounting bolts until the hitch tin remain in identify without aid. Then, torque the bolts to the correct values.

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Source: https://www.curtmfg.com/trailer-hitch-installation

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