Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver with Drawbar - Custom Fit - Class I - 1-1/4"

Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver with Drawbar - Custom Fit - Class I - 1-1/4 - 11083

by: Paul from New Mexico07/13/2011

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It fits like "SOCKS ON A ROOSTER!" ...Precision engineered to fit my '02 V W Jetta Wagon perfectly. This hitch is solid. I am impressed. That "handle nut" is the coolest thing since sliced bread. This is my first encounter with such a thing. I plan to use this hitch primarily with the #63120 2-bike folding bicycle carrier which I also purchased etrailer.com. To install, I allowed myself a block of time after a good breakfast (way more than the forty minutes for a "pro"). I backed my car up on steel ramps, got out the milk-crates, a 12" dia stump of firewood, a small hydraulic jack, an antique scissors jack, short blocks of 2x4s, and the required wrenches and drilling equipment. Expecting the worst--moving the muffler out of the way--I was loaded for bear! I did watch your informative video tutorials. Is that guy is a magician? I positioned the hitch atop the milk-crates, stumps, 2x4s, etc. Then I positioned the two jacks under the hitch and lifted the whole apparatus up and into place. I used a C-clamp to persuade the alignment of the first hole to be used (as per your instructions) by the towing loop on the North-West corner of the Volkswagen. A word of caution here: DO NOT use your pinkie-finger to test the alignment of that hole; use the bolt so kindly provided. ( If anything shifts, you will leave behind 0.75" of said pinkie!) Also, do that hole FIRST. It becomes the keystone and pivot point to get this done correctly. This is where you use that handle-thing-a-ma-jig nut. (Again, just like the instructions say! So...read 'em, people!) Well what-do-you-know! The left mounting-plate was well far North of the muffler! (My car-port sits North & South.) My corded 3/8" electric drill (no bulky battery pack) was easy enough to jockey around above the two little, short factory-bent tailpipes that exited the North end of the muffler. (Usually it's the "South-End," but I backed in today, remember?) Drilling the four holes was a breeze. One thing I did NOT do, purposefully, was that I left all the plastic tray storage bin in place. I drilled all the way through and into the inside space, then used a hole-saw (same O.D. as the fender washers) and cut away beautiful, round ports to easily insert the bolts with washers. I put some clear silicone sealant / adhesive under each bolt and washer then inserted through the holes to nut-up on the outside. The sealant prevents rust, noise, dirt, exhaust fumes, red ants and spiders from getting inside the car. The last bolt I did was back over by the tow-loop. As everything else was snug, not yet torqued to specs (...Instructions!), and I had to drill this, I waited 'till last, as I knew perfect alignment had been achieved. (No endangerment to even a dummy's pinkie!) I drilled the hole, again all the way into the inside of the car, and used the hole-saw. The little space of approximately 3/16" between the tin floor and the solid tow-loop bracket was easily and neatly scrunched together when properly torqued to the specs. The tin floor pan yielded and became as one with the tow-loop bracket without out me fishing around for nut in a dark tunnel. I properly torqued the remaining fasteners and shot some BBQ-black spray-paint on the bolt heads and washers inside the car just for esthetics. I'm the only one in there anyway. To end a rather satisfying and pleasurable morning I would suggest that anyone installing one of your excellent products remember to remove all the crates, firewood, jacks, etc. before driving away. Good products from a good company! --Paul from New Mexico19369