EcoHitch Hidden Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class III - 2"

The hitch itself is well built. Do I think it should be double the price of the others.. probably not. I went with this hitch to have more clearance from the ground. I also didn't cut the bumper and it still looks and fits nicely without doing that. I figured if I wanted to cut it out after I could. The ONLY problem is that some of the hitch coating was scratch and rubbed off from shipping.I took some rust protection and spayed it and called it good in thos spots. Here in AZ it should last forever. I did put it up by myself using even four limbs, help it recommend.
Overall shipping was fast and the hitch has quality. Should do the job and last as long as the rav4 does. If I had any downside is the price.1356313

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Big J.

8/14/2023

The hitch is good. No rust. Probably bc I live in Arizona. I did end up taking the bumper off and cutting the slot in the bumper so the hits sits flush with the bumper. Looks factory. I use it all the time for a 4x8 trailer and I may of used it for a car dolly for 35 miles. Nothing I can say bad about the hitch besides the price still. I think they would sale more if they would just lower the price a tad .

I'm excited about the product, but it arrived with scrapes/chipped paint, which may cause rust issues down the line. Based on the location of the scraps, it doesn't appear to have happened during shipping, which means etrailer didn't do a very good job of checking that it was customer ready.1563087

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Katrina B.

5/10/2023

I am sorry that your hitch arrived with scratches on it. We recommend covering up any scratches or scuffs with a rust-oleum type of paint. There is a link below for your reference. I have sent your information over to our customer service department for them to look into getting you a paint credit.

Helpful Links

faq-rust-prevention-maintenance.aspx

Great looking product. Annoyed it showed up with a 2 inch long area of missing paint because it was scratched off in shipping. etrailer will say to just spray paint it but why do I need to paint a $[XX] hitch? Guess where it is going to rust first?1695160

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Nice hitch. A bit overpriced compared to the other offerings that are similar in size/amount of material. However I wanted the extra 2" of ground clearance so I bit the bullet and payed the extra amount.
However I wanted the clean look and clearance so went ahead and cut it.

One suggestion: After getting it laid out correctly according to the instructions using removable painter's tape, I first drilled 3/8" holes in the top corners to make a rounded more finished look. Also I was a bit afraid about cutting so the corners were "sharp" and the possibility that due to vibration and fatigue over times the corners could start tearing.

After drilling the corners I used a utility knife and steel straight edge to cut the rest of it and then sanded to finish. Turned out well.

I haven't mounted it yet as I have some vertebral compression fractures from rock climbing so can't lift it up into place underneath the car. I'm scheduled to have U-haul install it in a couple days. They install Curt hitches all the time which are virtually the same 4 bolts and same process. They only charge $[XX] to install the Curt hitches on a Rav4 so I'm hoping it will be similarly - especially since I went to the trouble of cutting the fascia myself.1582873

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The hitch arrived in good shape. Even though the box was heavy duty, and the hitch was secure inside, the hard points of the hitches metal edges caused some box tears. Luckily the finish was intact (I think a testament to a durable coating on the hitch.) Installation went very easy and I was able to do it on my own and just used a jack to lift it in place. The mounting bolts were easily accessible. When finished I have a full 12" clearance from the ground to the bottom of the hitch.1656027

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Overall solid hitch. Need to install it yet. Biggest issues: finish is absolutely garbage so I'm coating it with heavy duty rustoleum enamel and truck bedliner. Second, shipping box/how it is shipped is not good. The thinner edges need to be wrapped because they will and did punch through the box. So, if you get this hitch, just be aware that you'll have to completely reboot it before you install it. I was aware of the poor shipping box issues, but was a bit surprised by the really poor quality coating.1687141

Fit nice and tight under the bumper on my 2023 rav4. I didn't cut the bumper at all despite instructions calling for a cut. I did remove the tow hook on the passenger side to get the hitch in. Very easy install and more than strong enough for a vehicle that can tow 2500lbs. I intend to use it for mounting my bike rack.1687734

by: Felipe10/09/2023

Works great makes a little bit of noise but that is normal because of the receiver has play with hitch.1678971

Jenny N.

10/10/2023

When you are taking about that it makes a little bit of noise due to play, I believe that you mean when you are using a hitch accessory like a ball mount, bike rack, or cargo carrier. It sounds like it is not that much noise for you however can use an anti-rattle device like part # rm-061 to tighten up the shank in the hitch receiver.

Ordered the trailer hitch and wiring harness on 7/17/23. Apparently due to high demand of the trailer hitch, delivery was delayed approximately 5 weeks. When the order arrived, the wiring harness was missing (it was listed on the packing list) as the box was opened and taped shut by UPS. There are plenty of videos on you tube showing installation. The passenger side bolts were difficult to install, due to the lack of room.1659675

Installed on a 2023 Rav4 Prime. Overall I like the hitch quite a bit. Compared to the oem hitch, it sits about 2 or 3 inches lower (inline with exhaust) but is much easier/less involved to install and $[XX] cheaper. I had to uninstall the shipping tie down that was on the frame first.

I docked a star because the item’s coating was damaged in multiple places upon arrival. To prevent it from rusting prematurely i applied a rust encapsulator on those areas, which seemed to work well. Not worth returning since these areas are all non-visible once installed. The packaging pipeline needs more care and attention to detail to prevent this type of damage from happening. Other reviews did mention this problem so a bit disappointed that this issue has not been resolved yet. At a bare minimum the packaging should have foam blocks on the edges of this hitch to prevent damage during transport, which it did not.1695551

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The product shipped fast and seems solid after install. And I like the look and clearance better than the options that are fully below the rear bumper plastic.
Unfortunately, my product came from a manufacturer that did not add any extra packing or bracing for the shipment. It was just in a single corrugated box...which was badly damaged of course. The brackets of the hitch were punctured through the box. Some of the scratches on the product appear to have occurred before shipping as they did not align with any damage to the box
10 pieces of hardware were missing (bolts, washers, nuts). The hardware bag was sealed, so I don't think the shipping damage was the cause of the missing hardware. Hannah in customer service was very responsive1382859

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Hitch receiver fit and finish was excellent. However, as others have complained, packaging for shipment was lacking and resulted in damage to the finish. Needed to spot repaint to avoid future rust.1697462

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I haven't had a chance to pull anything yet but the installation was really easy. The hitch sits tight against the bumper and the plastic bends enough that you can install the hitch without cutting anything. The bend in the plastic is not noticeable unless you crouch down. The hitch sits higher than other aftermarket options and I think it looks great (even better than OEM). If you have two people, it's easy to maneuver the hitch into place without lowering the exhaust. It's also helpful to support the hitch with a jack while putting the bolts in. Installation was super simple, we didn't even need to lift up the car.
The longest step was borrowing a torque wrench.1573769

by: Eric02/27/2023

Toyota RAV4

This hitch has been working great on our 2021 RAV4 Prime. I've used it to pull several U-Haul trailers, and also to mount a hitch-mount bike rack, using the hitch reducer because the rack is 1-1/4" size (to fit our other car). I like the "hidden" style - it looks good on the car. I had it installed professionally by a local shop, along with the wiring harness.1526644

Good product, but neither the install video, nor the written instructions tell you that the hitch occupies the same physical space as the liftgate sensor on the 2021 RAV4 Prime and that you probably should not try to reinstall the liftgate sensor as it originally was. This will severely bend the sensor housing if you manage to get the fasteners back in. I just used loosely tightened zip ties to reconnect the sensor without bending it. Liftgate sensor no longer works, I imagine because it's looking in the totally wrong direction now. But at least I can restore the sensor if I remove the hitch.1221025

Thomas M.

12/21/2021

I reached out to my contact at Torklift and he told me that you should still be able to use the liftgate sensor. He said to wave your foot to the right or left of the receiver to activate the sensor.

Jonathan

12/12/2022

Over the last year, the hitch has provided many happy trips to biking destinations.

Hitch was exactly what I was looking for. Yes, the box had some damage, but it was easy to remedy as I already had some anti-rust spray paint. It was super easy to order via ETRAILER, and order was delivered before expected ETA. Thanks, would highly recommend ETRAILER.1306352

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Jenny N.

6/2/2022

You have already done what I recommend by touching up the affected areas with a rust resistant paint. It is beneficial to have the paint on hand for regular hitch maintenance.

Helpful Links

faq-rust-prevention-maintenance.aspx

Like others, the box came mostly destroyed and there was a good bit of paint damage to the hitch. I hit it with some spray enamel to cover it but wasn't overly concerned but did drop a star since this seems to happen to many people.
Install was easy, did myself in about an hour and the hardest part was taking the tape off the holes in the frame. Not sure what the Toyota engineers used to make it but it was definitely on there. Otherwise, all good.1584198

Receiver arrived damaged due to packaging. Shipping put the Ball, Ball mount and other items loose in the box. The receiver should have had extra cardboard around the parts that can push through the box and they did and then the finish got damaged. the ball mount bounced around inside punching more holes in the box, chipping the finish on the receiver in more locations and smashing every other item in the box.

hitch parts (other than wiring) are heavy duty and will be functional but I live in a an area that gets much road salt, the chips in the receiver will need to be addressed so as to prevent excessive rust.

this is too bad. I went with etrailer due to great selection and install info. people shipping just don't seem to care about the product. it would have taken very little to package this so it would not damage other items, but no effort was made to ensure shipping would not cause damage.1530600

Hitch arrived. Box destroyed. Bag with installation parts was cut open and nuts bolts washers were scattered around in the box and multiple missing due to the massive tears in the box.1597516

Best looking easiest job I’ve done. Great installation videos. Thanks Etrailer for making me look like I know what I’m doing! My only suggestion is it fits without cutting the bumper, and looks more professional. Extremely happy. Did experience the bad box packaging issue but it’s awesome!1580156

I originally had the Curt class III hitch, but it hangs to low and the draw bar would scrape on some hills around my house. I bought this as a replacement because the ground clearance is almost 2 inches higher. The actual hitch fits tight to the body and seems well built. It didn't come with the installation hardware, but that was delivered about a week later. etrailer had to get hardware from eco hitch. The main issue with this product is rust. After three weeks of being installed, I had alot of surface rust. I reached out to eco hitch to find out why. They said there warranty doesn't cover rust and recommended steel wool and paint, but, I could send pictures for review. I never heard back. They have an option on their site for custom powder coating, but the the stock coating is terrible. This hitch is twice as much as the Curt and doesn't appear to be corrosion resistant at all. If you go with this hitch, prior to install, paint it. With no warranty to speak of, I now have to uninstall the hitch and paint the hitch, and reinstall. I have had 4 hitches from hidden hitch and Curt, but never seen anything rust the fast. Eco hitch should be embarrassed by the quality of the coating and lack of support.973320

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by: Daniel 11/15/2023

The hitch fit perfectly, installed it myself. It’s pretty heavy, as it needs to be, so that was awkward but not difficult. A year later it’s still fine, and the finish remains good. Recommended!1693245

I bought this to use for a bike rack on a 2023 RAV4 hybrid. I chose it over the cheaper Curt hitch as it has about 2" more ground clearance.

Install on a 2023 RAV4 was straight forward and took about an hour with the help of my 14 year old son. We did not have to remove the exhaust or cut the fascia. The two of us carefully pivoted it around the exhaust and put on blocks. A jack really helped hold it in place with lining up the holes for the bolts. The hitch barely touches the fascia, not sure why they recommend cutting it.

The only issue was with torquing the passenger side bolts to spec. I bought a cheap dogbone but it was too short for one of the bolts. Need a longer 19mm dogbone to get it in there. It would be nice if Etrailer sold an appropriate dogbone.1692356

Fit well and installed with very little hassle.1561816

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I installed the hitch myself. I took the exhaust completely off. The job was fairly easy.1668779