Arrives before Christmas To see if this custom-fit item will work for you please tell us what vehicle you'll use it with.
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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: 4.9 out of 5 stars (98 Customer Reviews)
Perfect for light-duty towing, this custom, vehicle trailer hitch receiver features fully welded, gloss powder coated steel construction. Drawbar sold separately.The hitch is great and works as intended, its the install that sucks! I've installed hitches on half a dozen cars and this one might have been the most difficult. The instructions dont mention anything about moving the middle exhaust hanger, which is basically in the way of getting the hitch into position. The hitch used 3 bolts per side, with two bolts using existing holes, but the 3rd requires you to cut the opening in an existing hole bigger, and also drill a NEW hole in your frame. If you dont have the right tools its not very DIY friendly. I noticed the 2" hitch model is 100% bolt on. I think it might be worth the extra cost to have a 2" receiver AND an easier install.
Ultimately the hitch looks great and works as intended, just with unnecessary extra effort on the part of the installer.
Installed on a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. Very easy to install. The directions were very easy to follow. The only part that took some time was widening the hole for the carriage bolts because I didn't have the necessary tool for it. I use a round file & finally got it widened.
Here are some pictures on how this hitch will be used.
Ken F.
10/9/2014
Marco I got a StowAway2 Hitch Rack with Swingaway Frame for a 1.25 hitch. Not suppose to put more than 100 lbs in the cargo basket but it works great for 2 fold-up dog kennels and their food and other light items. I have 2 German Shepherds.
Got the product in no time and it was exactly the right hitch that I needed. There was a model change the year my car was built but etrailer employees knew exactly which hitch I needed. I have nothing but praise for the business. Kudos.
Purchased this hitch for my 2014 Ford C-Max Energi. Only reason I did not give it 5 stars is because I feel this could have gone so much smoother with a little more research on their behalf. It would of cut me lots of time of not needing to drill/ream into a perfectly good frame rail. The instruction step number 3 says to: Enlarge access holes to allow 7/16"-14 carriage bolts and SP7 spacers to pass through. Fishwire 7/16"-14 carriage bolts and SP7 spacers through the enlarged access holes and out the holes drilled in Step (2). I did this and it was so stressful. It occurred to me, why would you want to drill into a perfectly fine frame rail when it will take a lot less time and also a bit safer to remove the bumper and reinforcement bar? So I took the bumper and re bar off and it was definitely a lot cleaner of an install. Plus it does not advise you to put some sort of corrosion protection once you drill into your frame rail. You have two huge access holes on each side of the frame rail once the bumper is removed. Simply drop in the bolt and spacer provided. No need to drill into perfectly fine metal. Makes the job look a lot cleaner too. It would be nice for them to give this type of suggestion in their instructions. Also, I am aware that each vehicle is different but for my Ford C-Max, this would of been a lot better of an option. Other than that issue it went very good and really like the hitch. Seems very solid. Long story short, product is great instructions on installing the product could have been better. Next is wiring!
Installed a trailer hitch on my CMax Energi so I can carry a bike rack. It took me about 1.5 hours to install. It was fairly easy. Would recommend having another set of hands if you are not able to lift anything a little heavy. I would also recommend leaving the fish wire on the bolt until you have the bracket in place with one bolt. The function of the hands free tailgate was not effected at all. Great product.
Good quality product- very solid piece of steel. A little more challenging than the video indicated, mainly because I didn’t have a good grinding tool to enlarge the hole quickly. I ended up fishing the fishing wire backwards from the instructions because I just barely made the hole larger so I put the metal plate and the bolt through one at a time. I also sprayed the holes I made/enlarged with a bit of spray paint to prevent corrosion- completely unseen once the bracket is bolted on. I’ll be using this hitch for a cargo tray and later a bike rack.
This hitch has worked perfectly for me; I use it exclusively for holding my E-Bike rack and it has done the job. The E-Bikes and rack weigh quite a bit but the hitch handles the weight easily and securely.
This hitch receiver worked great. I needed helping hands off another person. Required drilling 2 holes. Well built
We initially went to a local trailer hitch place to have it installed and they declined, wanting to sell their own fabricated piece saying theirs was superior toy your product.
Then took it to our ford dealership, Galpin Ford and they installed it with no issue. It's been fantastic ever since!
Thank you for providing a great product and having an informative website.
Perry H.
3/13/2018
Still happy as a clam! Thank you. We have a new car lease coming up at end of year so if we change lines well be back for another!
Installation was easy but took me 2 hours compared to the estimated 20 minutes. I would recommend leaving the fishing wires attached to the bolts when installing the hitch bar so it's easier to get the bolts through the mounting holes in the hitch.
Rob S.
8/5/2016
Im still using the hitch to hold my bike rack, and it works great
I love this hitch. After receiving it, I went to a hitch dealership and they installed it for $60.00. A handyman could probably do it himself. I use it on my Ford C-Max for holding my truck bed extender which serves as a very handy and easily accessible kayak rack. I am a spunky 68 year old woman who can no longer do the roof rack thing, and I don't drive a pickup, so this is a great way for me to continue kayaking. Picture my car with the hatch up and tied down onto my 2 kayaks which are sticking out the back of my car, resting on the truck bed extender (which Etrailer also sells). I also use this set up for hauling long things, for example a table, etc from the thrift store. The sales person, Adam E. was very helpful. I am extremely satisfied with this purchase and with the great price.
What's to say, other than I don't even notice it! It's been trouble free, it's tucked up out of the way, and it's easy to get my Kuat rack either mounted to it or removed. It's been a great product.
Sara
12/16/2020
Perfectly! The finish is still great, the carrier folds up and down as it should, and the draw tite bolt holds the carrier perfectly still in the hitch receiver. Im very pleased!
EXCELLENT PRODUCT - easy install, looks great, using it to carry a 2 mountain bike rack on my Ford CMax - makes the car much more usable due to its none existant space for bikes
Perry
2/7/2016
Do you have the hands free lift gate on your cmax? Is the Curt hitch compatable?Thanks
Unfortunately for owners of this C-Max vehicle, the Rcvr does not simply bolt in to pre-exisitng holes and 2 additional ones must be drilled, however, the E-Trailer instructions that I read beforehand already made me aware of this so the installation was pretty straight-forward with no surprises. Very sturdy and securely attached to the C-Max frame so am not expecting any problems.
Another thing about the C-Max vehicle is that no "plug & play" wiring harness yet exists for it so one must crimp into existing wires to make the connections. Not a big deal, but hopefully better support will be provided by Ford down the road for future owners. Again, the E-trailer instructions were very clear about this too.
Overall great complete kit! Everything needed was included. Total install time for me was approx 1.5 hrs for both rcvr and wiring. I've used E-Trailer kits in the past for other vehicles and def recommend their products.
I purchased this product to install on a Ford C-max to allow me to carry bikes when camping. The installation process was easy and can be done in just over an hour. The only problem I have is that the receiver hitch blocks the sensor for the foot operated rear lift gate. When I have a little more time, I'll relocate it at the limit of the wiring harness and I expect it will work there.
Works fine. One complaint/issue. When you slot the Pin into the Drawbar, the hole the clip, clips into is at an odd angle due to the Hitch chain loops block the pin from rotating enough to allow you to clip the clip in easily. So, you have to really work to get the clip in. Annoying, but doable!
This Curt branded hitch is pretty solid. The only reason why I can't give 5 stars is that it was kind of a pain to have to drill through the frame for the two bolts. Users should plan to have a solid drill and tough drill bits to work their way through the ~12gauge steel undercarriage. I found that using a slow 6 bit step up approach worked better for me than just trying to use 2 or 3 bits to force the hole open wider. If I had a better drill set maybe fewer drilling sizes would be fine. I eventually got there, but it took me around 2 hrs to finally get everything installed. I had a basic 1.5ton car jack and was able to have plenty of access to the undercarriage for install lying on my back with about 5-6" wood blocks for the back wheels to be elevated on. If you have a full lift this job would definitely be a lot easier. I highly recommend using a clear coat sealant to cover the drilling holes and any other filing you need to allow for a proper install to help reduce future corrosion.
This hitch seems like it would be easier to install on newer models of CMax's (or cars that haven't endured cold winters and road salt) as there will likely be less corrosion occurrences on the underside of the frame to which this hitch supports too. On my 2016 C-max I found a bit more difficult to clear out the threaded holes to allow the 4 smaller bolts go through due to corrosion issues. I found that a strong pipe cleaner with a dab of vinegar helped clean out the holes fairly well, then as the instruction video shows adding a blast of grease into the holes helps get the screws to go in easier.
After I got everything attached I was very pleased with the end result. The hitch stays pretty well hidden underneath the C-Max, my cargo carrier fits nicely with it without limiting the hatch opening. This is a good buy as long as you are either willing to pay for a professional install or have the time, patience, and tools to install yourself.
The installation went as expected and was quite easy.
The hitch is very nicely made and well finished. I have yet to install the wiring harness but that should be pretty easy too.
After I installed the hitch. I measured the height of the top of the receiver socket and found it was 12". I needed this detail to order the right draw bar and that's on the way now too.
I plan on using it for the first time in March so maybe we'll have a photo then!
This hitch has been great. Pretty easy to install. I was a bit concerned about drilling into the frame, but it was pretty easy following the instructions. Our CMax Doesn't have much (any) towing capacity, but I've been using the hitch for a bike rack.
The information prior to purchase was very detailed. Better than any other website that sells Curt products. The multitude of pictures from previous customers helped in purchasing the correct hitch for my vehicle. The ordering, shipping notification and delivery of the product was very timely. The PDF installation instructions were also quite helpfuI along with the customer comments concerning their personal installation experiences. It gave a realistic picture how long an installation takes based on each person's mechanical skill level. l was surprised it arrived so quickly. I plan on using my hitch in conjunction with a rear cargo carrier. For me it is a better option than pulling a trailer behind my Ford C-Max. This option allows for open road tolling and eliminates having to stop at toll booths due to hauling a trailer.
My e-trailer is set up with my 1up bike rack and it is flawless. I have no complaints. Keep up on the videos...that is what sold me on your hitch.
This hitch has been reliable and frankly that is the most important thing to me in a hitch. I only use it for my bike rack- so I've never really towed anything substantial. My husband was able to attach it without too much trouble. I would buy it again!
I installed two hitches this weekend. This unit on a 2013 Ford C-Max and another hitch sold here on a 2016 Ford C-Max Energi. The curt hitch install was very easy. It took about 30 minutes of actual install time. I could easily torque the bolts and nuts. In the end this would be my preferred unit on a car without the auto foot activated lift gate. However, I was nervous about some of the comments that this unit could interfere with the auto foot activated lift gate which is why I put the other unit on my 2016 Cmax with the auto foot activated lift gate. Admittedly comparing the two installs I don't see how this unit could interfere with the foot switch but I felt it better safe than sorry.
This hitch has been working great on my 2013 Ford C-Max Energi! I've used it a half-dozen times with a motorcycle carrier to carry my electric cargo bike with no problems. Highly Recommend
Item and Instructions were spot on as advertised. Delivery was super fast 2 days all items needed were in the box. Well built solid product.
Marc L.
11/25/2021
Perfect..no troubles after a year..durable
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Marco F.
10/6/2014
What modelbrand cargo basket is on your c-max?