Trailer Hitch Installation - 2005-07 Ford Escape Hybrid
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Trailer Hitch Help
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This Product Fits The Following Vehicles
2005 - 2009 Ford Escape
2005 - 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid
2005 - 2009 Mazda Tribute
2005 - 2009 Mercury Mariner
Products Featured in this Video
Installation of a Trailer Hitch on a 2005-07 Ford Escape Hybrid
Today we are going to do a hitch install on a Ford Escape Hybrid, built 05-07. And we are going to use hitch number 75281 and it is a class III receiver hitch and we will get to installing it. The first step that we are going to do is to make things easier on ourselves. We are going to go ahead and disconnect the rubber exhaust hangers on the exhaust. We will lower it down just to give us a little bit more finger room. Now we have a lot more working room. What we will do next is pull our bolts through the frame. We will start by running our leader through the bolt hole itself and then out the access hole. Then we will pull our bolts back in through. OK, lets do the other side, the same process. OK, notice how the bolt got caught. What you need to do is just roll it back and forth until it twists around and falls into place. Do not pull too hard. And you see how the plate came through first, which is good. Then you can pull the rest through.
OK, next what we will do is go ahead and hang the hitch by two bolts we installed. At this point, you want to get a helper to help you hang it up there. And we will hang the hitch by two bolts and then we will start pulling the other bolts through. Lets work on the other side. Just to point out that you have to watch out for the lines here, this hitch will be snug fit right past. Sometimes if you pop it through it will not be a big deal. You notice that we just dropped the washer. That is OK because we are just going to hold the hitch up to get our other bolts in for now anyways. Now that we have our bolts up, a good trick to do is you just tighten these bolts up by hand or with a wrench and you can usually get the hitch to stay right where you need it to so it lines up the holes here and here. That way, you have less fidgeting with the hitch. Most of the time it works. It is something to try.
OK, and this is the point where you want to be careful. Grab a hold of this when you take your leader off so that way it will fall back in. You can also hold the bolt by pushing down on the washer to keep it from going anywhere while you spin the nut on. Grab it by the bolt and use your other hand to pull out the wire. Get your washer. And then go to the other side. Now we are down to our last hole for installing a bolt. When it gets down to that, sometimes you might want to move the hitch around because sometimes the bolt will not line up, like it will catch on the edge. What you want to do is probably loosen it or wiggle it, something like that. Get a few test runs and then wiggle the bolt to go through. And once you get it the way you want it, go ahead and just hand tighten. Test it. It looks like it is good. We will go ahead and use our stove wire and do it the old school way.
Now what we will do, if you notice torque up the bolts. We will use a strap to pull the exhaust out of the way. To get it straight onto the bolt right here. The bolts do get torqued down to 75 foot pounds. Now we will come free this muffler bracket back up and check our clearance. We have about 3/4 of an inch clearance, that should be good enough. This will conclude the install of our hitch on a vehicle. A couple notes to point out, on the kit you will notice that you will have 4 extra bolts like this there. On the Mazda vehicle, I believe, the bolts will be put in horizontally. They have threaded holes already, so you will not be pulling bolts through the frame. And that is pretty much it.
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How to Install a Trailer HitchTowing System ComponentsTrailer Hitch Classes ReviewTrailer Hitch TypesSpecialty Trailer Hitch ReviewHow to Determine Your Hitch SizeQuestions and AnswersTrailer Hitch Help - Videos
Handle Nut DemonstrationDrilling to Enlarge a Frame Hole for Hitch InstallDrilling a Spare Tire Pan for a Trailer Hitch InstallationUsing Fish Wire for Trailer Hitch InstallationLowering Exhaust Example for Trailer Hitch InstallationLowering Exhaust Pipe on Vehicle with Rubber HangerUsing Stove Wire as a Bolt Leader DemonstrationClass III Trailer Hitch and Weight Capacities ReviewClass II Trailer Hitch and Weight Capacities ReviewClass I Trailer Hitch and Weight Capacities ReviewTrailer Hitch Classes and Weight Capacity Comparison
