Trailer Hitch Installation - 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Series

Installation of a Trailer Hitch on a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Series

Today on this 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Series we are going to be installing Curt hitch part number 13322. We are underneath the vehicle and we are looking at the passenger side frame rail. I am going to point out the mounting locations for the trailer hitch. You can see at the end of the frame rail we have got an existing bolt that we are going to need to remove and we are going to be using that weld nut in the frame as an attaching point for the trailer hitch. Just forward of that we have got an existing hole in the frame and we are going to be ping a carriage bolt and block into place there and using that as the forward most attaching point. That is going to be the same on both sides of the vehicle. 00:34

You do have a center attaching point for the hitch as well. There are two existing weld nuts on the bottom of the bumper and we are going to be using new hardware provided to attach to those as well. The first thing we want to do is remove the bolts from the end of the frame rails. Next we are going to clean out the weld nuts on the bumper. Any vehicle that has seen at least one winter is going to have some corrosion built up in the weld nuts and it is going to make it difficult to get the bolts in. So we want to take a spray lubricant and soak the weld nuts down. Then we just want to take a wire brush and run that in there. That is going to help loosen up the corrosion and road grime that could be built up in there. It is also a good idea to run the bolts in and out a few times before we try to put the hitch up. 01:13

With the weld nuts cleaned out we can start putting our hardware into position. We are going to be using a 1/ 2 inch carriage bolt and block assembly into the forward most existing hole. Again that is going to be the same on both sides of the vehicle. When putting the hitch up into position, I am going to first attach the hitch to the carriage bolts and leave those loosely installed into each of the weld nuts not only on the frame but in the bumper. We are going to be using new 14 millimeter bolts along with a conical tooth washer that are provided with the installation kit. With all of the hardware in place we can start tightening the bolts up. Then finally we want to torque the bolts down. You will find the specified torque rating listed in the instructions. Now that we have got our hitch installed we want to give you a couple of final dimensions that will help make choosing your hitch accessories a little easier. From the top of the receiver tube opening to the ground is going to measure 20-7/ 8 inches and from the center of the pin hole to clear the rear edge of the bumper is going to measure approximately 2-1/ 4 inches. This will conclude the installation of Curt hitch part number 13322 on a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Series.