Trailer Hitch Installation - 2006 Mazda 6

This Product Fits The Following Vehicles

2006 - 2009 Ford Fusion
2007 - 2009 Lincoln MKZ
2006 - 2006 Lincoln Zephyr
2007 - 2008 Mazda 6 4 Door Sedan
2003 - 2006 Mazda 6 4 Door Sedan and 5 Door Hatchback
2006 - 2009 Mercury Milan

Products Featured in this Video

Installation of a Trailer Hitch on a 2006 Mazda 6

Today we are going to install part number 60846 from Hidden Hitch on our Mazda 6, 2006 model year. On some models, two holes have to be drilled out, basically in this general area here and right here. There is a bolt and plate that gets installed right there. Some models will have the hole pre-existing, but in this one we will have to drill them out. Our next step is to go ahead and lower the exhaust to a level where we can do our install. There are three rubber hangers to be removed: this one right here, one back in the center and then one on the passengers side also. We also put in this temporary strap here so when we lower the exhaust we have something to control it as it comes down and we can actually support it at a specified height.

All right, as you can see, we have lowered the exhaust and our strap is holding it at the correct height that we want so we do not put too much stress on the rest of the exhaust system. Now this inside bolt we have started already. This one comes out, and there is one on each side. All right, at this point we can start installing the hitch. We are going to hang the hitch at the location of the bolts we just took out. The hitch comes with new hardware to replace the factory bolts. All right, the next thing we need to do is fish wire our bolts from the end of this bumper out through this hole here. It is kind of hard to tell, but this hole is not exactly lined up. So what you want to do is either tighten or loosen these bolts to bring the hitch in or out, as needed, to get the get the bolts installed in the bumper. All right, next we need to fish wire our bolts from the end of the bumper here out here. And you do that with a piece of safety wire or basically any wire that is stiff and you can form it into a whole new shape.

Basically you are going to run it through here, out the side, wrap it around the bolt and pull back through. We have one that is already pre-formed here. Bring it out the bumper install a stiffener plate first, and the block. It is kind of a good idea to get the right in there first and then follow up with the bolt. Once you have your wire pulled through, go ahead and set your block on. And then thread your bolt into your wire form. And then, as you put it inside the bumper, put the plate about halfway on the bolt so it gives it a proper angle to pull it through. And that comes right on through. You might have to wiggle it to control it a little bit to get as much as you can through. And then, once you tighten it down, it will bring the bolt straight. And you have just got to repeat it for the other side.

OK, with our bolt installed, we will go ahead and loosely install the conical washer and the nut. We will do the same thing for the other side. All right, now we we are at the point that we are going to drill our holes out in the bottom of the spare tire well here. We will use a half-inch bit and go right through. And this is the reason we took out our spare tire. All right, with our holes drilled through we will go ahead and install our hardware from the inside out. First we are going to put a little bead of silicone around it just to seal it off from any exhaust fumes from sneaking in. It just takes a very fine layer. All right, at this point we can actually start tightening up the bolts. It is a good idea to have somebody in the trunk well area here holding the wrench on these bolts while somebody else on the bottom tightens the nut. All right, we will go ahead and install our hardware. We will go ahead and snug them down first and then give them their final torque.

Next we will do our bumper bolts. To get a straight shot at the bumper bolts with our tools, it is a good idea to loosen this rivet here and pull the fascia out just a little bit. It is a good idea to refer to your instruction manual to find the proper torque. OK, now we go back to the bumper bolt. All right, let us go ahead and put our rivets back into our plastic fascia here. And then we can go ahead and reinstall our exhaust hangers. All right, and that covers our install of part number 60846 from Hidden Hitch on our 2006 Mazda 6.

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Trailer Hitch Help - Videos

Handle Nut Demonstration
Drilling to Enlarge a Frame Hole for Hitch Install
Drilling a Spare Tire Pan for a Trailer Hitch Installation
Using Fish Wire for Trailer Hitch Installation
Lowering Exhaust Example for Trailer Hitch Installation
Lowering Exhaust Pipe on Vehicle with Rubber Hanger
Using Stove Wire as a Bolt Leader Demonstration
Class III Trailer Hitch and Weight Capacities Review
Class II Trailer Hitch and Weight Capacities Review
Class I Trailer Hitch and Weight Capacities Review
Trailer Hitch Classes and Weight Capacity Comparison