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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: 4.9 out of 5 stars (279 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.The hitch is very ruggedly built. The installation video was excellent. I only used the paper instructions for the torque specs.
I used my wood pellet bags to support the bumper while removing and reinstalling since I was working alone.
The only problem I had was with the muffler being in the way of the carriage bolt. There was no way to get the torque wrench on it unless you moved the muffler. I did the best I could with an open-end wrench and guessed at the torque.
The hitch is holding up very well after one year, I love that it's hidden behind the bumper. I use it to attach a Thule bike rack. The installation video is excellent, take your time and everything will be just right. This hitch also came with the fish wire so you don't need to order one separately like I did.
Andy
11/25/2024
After one year, the hitch looks great and I have not had any issues.
GR8 Hitch Receiver with exception of inaccurate directions and video and, especially... TOTALLY Annoying drilled mounting holes with... Zero slack!
Barely able to get bolts in no matter how much fiddling...
Slotted holes but... Wrongly templated...
Begging for cross-threaded bolts...
Kenneth
10/20/2024
Once I fiddled it on... Works GR8!
Very happy with the service, quick shipping and product support. Installation was a piece of cake with the included instructional video. If you can change your own oil or rotate your tires, you can knock this out in an hour or two. Trickiest part for me was getting the torque wrench on the bolts directly above the exhaust, but managed to push the mufflers with my knees just enough to get access without having to drop them entirely. After lots of consideration, I felt this model had the best form and function for the price. Sure, the OEM hitch sits maybe 1.5 in higher and is slightly more concealed in the bumper, but that wasn’t worth over 2x the price for me. Looking forward to testing it out with my small trailer next week.
I ordered this hitch for my 2024 Limited XT Outback. The hitch kit arrived early and in good condition. I had ordered a fishwire only because the product information did not show that this was included with other parts. I found 2 videos for 2024 Outback installations and watched them several times to get familiar with the procedure. The removal of bumper and cover went well. I did have to remove mud flaps per instructions. The hitch was a tight fit, but I was able to get all bolts started before tightening. I got confused with some of the socket sizes needed and the torque settings differed from one of the videos. I was unable to torque the carriage bolts due to the muffler locations. I may give this another try. The reassembly went OK and I am pleased with the appearance of the hitch.
I bought my car 5 weeks ago and I was really hesitant about removing the bumper facia and possibly screwing it up. But after reading all the reviews I decided that I could do it. I hadn’t needed to worry. It went just like demonstrated in the video. Easier in fact as the newer model had no wire connections to worry about. I bought a tool to remove the pins that hold the bumper in place but a medium sized screw driver would have worked fine. Also, when removing the pins on the sides, it may be wise to take a picture of where the pins go because there are more holes than pins. I was able to do the whole job by myself without any problems. That said, it was useful having a helper for dropping and reinstalling the bumper facia. Overall, while the thought of removing the bumper facia was intimidating, it was actually quite easy as was the rest of the installation. I’m very pleased with how it turned out.
Alan S.
8/15/2024
It’s been a year since I installed the hitch to my car and I’m very happy! The finish is still nice, although you really can’t see much of it but that is the point of this hitch.
2025 Subaru Outback Onyx: Installation was much smoother than expected. Everything lined up well. Took 2 hours, you don't need to be an expert to do this, but removing the fascia can be a headache if you haven't done it before. The part of the fascia that has to be cut is very minor and not visible from above. If you have the XT or wilderness its probably more cramped around the larger exhaust and might take longer.
Kuat Base 2.0 hitch rack fits perfectly fine, but the trunk gate bumps it on the way down when folded in the up position. Not really an issue for me but figured I'd mention it.
Installed as expected on 2024 Subaru Legacy. Watched a video first. After installing the hitch, the bike rack went on nicely, also purchased from etrailer. Fast delivery and great communication.
As usual, great product from etrailer. This is my 4th trailer hitch in addition to 2 bracket setups for towing our car behind our Motorhome from etrailer. We bought a new 2022 Subaru Outback and needed a Class III hitch for our bike rack & my utility trailer. This one was cheaper that the Curt unit, but was rated the same and was mounted the same so why pay the extra $ ?
Installation was pretty straight forward and if you have any questions just watch the install video. My only concern was there were NO fishwires included in the kit. I had saved 2 from previous installs so I had that covered. As it turns out you can get away with out them IF you have some long needle nose pliers because contrary to the instructions you simply insert the bolts from the rear opening rather than up through one hole in the frame rail and down into another like some other installs require. Look closely at the picture and you can see what I mean. The holes are cut pretty precisely in the hitch and the 7/16” bolts wouldn’t drop fully down until the other mounting bolts and nuts are tightened down. I did lower the rear muffler some for easier access to the nut on the 7/16” bolt.
When it came time to cut out the bumper cover I measured exactly as shown in the instructions, but found the cover was tight against the driver’s side of the hitch and interfering with the position of the cover. I had to remove the bumper cover and trim off another 1/4” on that side. My recommendation is to measure over 3.75” instead of 3.5” so it clears the receiver. Even if you cut too far you’ll never see it it’s so low and tucked under.
Took me about the time they said, but I was in no hurry. Looks great and far cheaper that the $[XX] for the factory hitch! ??
etrailer will continue to be my go-to place fro all things hitch related!
Chris B.
5/30/2023
Itself been a year now & the hitch still works like a charm!
The printed instructions are not the best, you need to watch their video and others if you’ve never attempted a hitch install before. This was my first. I watched videos before ordering.
Tips: This took me about 4 hrs total. Started Friday night and finished Saturday morning. It was not warm in the garage.
Spray WD-40 on muffler hanger bushing. The muffler won't drop but will move side to side just enough to tighten the nut on both sides.
Take your time pulling the bumper off!
Do tape like suggested. Don't think oh I'll be careful. Just tape.
The holes when sliding the hitch into the square tube won't line up perfect, don't panic. You may need to tighten the factory bolt to pull it tighter. Just get the carriage bolt through that hole and it will drop perfectly later. I tightened these last.
Pop the inner plastic bumper pin and then pull entire pin out. If you don't, you will break the pin. When reinserting the pins, pull the inner pin out, slide the pin into the holes and push in the inner pin.
2024 Outback Limited XT
My wife and I installed it today. The installation went well and it looks good. The printed directions that came with the hitch are OK, but I found the online video of an installation much more helpful. This is the third ETrailer hitch that we have installed on our cars over the years. I would definitely recommend ETrailer products.
Howard
5/15/2024
We use our hitch primarily for a bike carrier. After one year of use the hitch still looks good, works good, and I have no complaints. Great product and I recommend it.
The product itself is as expected. However. The packaging was terrible. No product protection, all sides of the hitch were scuffed up to bare metal, requiring touch up paint to prevent early rusting.
Katrina D.
8/29/2024
Ugh, I completely understand that frustration and am sorry about the inconvenience it has caused. As you said, it will require paint to cover the bare metal. We highly recommend using a Rust-Oleum type of paint to cover the metal and prevent early corrosion. Check out the link below for more information on this if you would like. I will also be issuing you a paint credit to cover the cost of the paint that you now have to get for this hitch.
Helpful Links
Fairly easy to install and looks better installed and keeps factory crash resistance better than hitches that attach to the bottom of the frame. I had a problem with the passenger side mounting. One bolt hole was slightly off and I couldn't get the bolt in, so I used a bottle jack under the hitch to get the bolt in-possibly the hitch was slightly bent in shipping. Would have given 5 stars if not for that. Don't be intimidated by removing the bumper cover since that part of the installation is easy.
I have a '25 Outback Onyx XT. I installed a hidden hitch on a 2017 GTI a few years ago and removing the facia and bumper was similar so I was prepared for this. Install took 3 hours by myself. I removed 10 retention pins to remove the facia (instructions say 7). I also had to move the mufflers to tighten the carriage bolt nuts. For the mufflers I unbolted them from the exhaust pipe and slid the rear bushing off. The mufflers hung securely from the front bushing after that. I had no other issues with the instructions. Cutting the plastic on the facia can be scary. Measure twice cut once as they say. Mine turned out fine.
This trailer hitch fit wonderfully on my 2023 Subaru Legacy. It took 3 hours to install because I do not have a wide verity of tools.
Great quality and having the etrailer install video for the 2023 Outback made the install really straightforward. Our clip types and quantity were slightly different from the video, but that didn't throw anything off. We're really happy with the final fit and really appreciate that it has minimal impact on ground clearance. We'll use this primarily for hauling our mountain and road bikes, and likely for occasionally small camper trailer hauling. Most of all we appreciate all the money we saved purchasing from etrailer and self-installing.
Had installed on a 2022 Outback Wilderness and it's excellent. Opted for a local trailer shop to do the install and it went perfectly. Thanks!
Joe
7/26/2024
Hitch is still working well. Thank you!
You guys are so great. I am always ridiculously nervous to do this myself but your videos/instructions give me the confidence I need to get it done correctly. I had previously bought 2 curt class III 2” hitches from yall for my crosstreks. Simple installs really. Now I have a 2024 outback wilderness and purchased your etrailer brand hitch this time. The install is more complicated on this than the crosstrek so I was a bit nervous. I almost, almost dropped the $500 at the dealer to have them do it. I’m glad I didn’t and your helpful videos walked me through the entire process. I did not install the fascia that Subaru sells. I cut the square out like in the instructions. Everything just came out perfect. Yall are such a kick ass company. It showed up like 2 days after I placed the order. I thoroughly appreciate your products, hard work and customer service. If you’re like me and are nervous to do this job, don’t be just follow the instructions and take your time. I’m not very mechanically handy. I did it in about 2 hours and I was moving pretty slow
Super solid hitch. Install was straightforward and fits seamless with a tiny trim to the wilderness bumper cover. Tucks up nicely to still give you good clearance. My second one I’ve purchased from etrailer for 2 diff Outback’s. Factory one is way overpriced in my opinion.
The hitch appears sturdy and fit onto my 2024 Subaru Outback. There were a few paint scratches on the edge due to the hitch penetrating the end walls of the box in shipping. The hitch can move around a lot in the box.
The paint appears to be relatively thin and I suspect will begin rusting quickly requiring touch up.
Installation was relatively simple except for getting access to the carriage bolt nuts. The Outback XT has two mufflers and removing the rubber mounts did not provide sufficient access to the nuts because the muffler could not be moved enough. Removing both mufflers is required to correctly torque the nuts.
Everything arrived in great condition and a lot sooner than I expected. I was even able to install it over the weekend.
I love the way most of the hitch is tucked away, out of sight. Can't wait to tow my boat and get back on the water.
The trailer wiring harness was super easy to install and tuck's away while not in use.
All in all, I am super satisfied with the whole experience. From the high quality of the product, timeliness of delivery, and minimal or low level of effort to stall the whole thing.
Thanks for everything. I attached some before and after photos.
Easy install onto my 2020 Legacy. Only difference from instructions was my bumper and bumper pillars where separate and I had a couple extra bolts to remove but easy enough. Very smooth bumper removal and hitch install with instructions provided. Will be using for hitch mounted bike rake which I also purchased from e-trailer!
Perfection!! Super high quality powder coat. Simple installation and no BS, just the stuff you need. So glad I went with this instead of OEM. Fantastic value for the money
Was able to tow a trailer for a cross country move. Have been using it for a bike rack since. The installation videos were so helpful.
This is a great solution to enable easy/quick placement of bolts into difficult to reach holes. Glad I read some customer reviews for the hitch I purchased to understand that these would be so critical for my vehicle/hitch.
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James
4/29/2024
Ive used it many times with no problems