Trailer Hitch Installation - 2011 Ford Explorer - Draw-Tite

Installation of a Trailer Hitch on a 2011 Ford Explorer

Today on our 2011 Ford Explorer, we're going to install the Draw-Tite Hitch, part number 75710. Here are a couple of measurements that will assist you in selecting accessories for your new hitch. From the center of the hitch pin hole to the outermost point of the bumper is 3 inches. From the top of the receiver tube to the ground is 15-1/4 inches. This will assist you with selecting accessories such as a drawbar, a bike rack, or a cargo carrier. Now, let's go ahead with the installation.

First, before we can install the hitch, we're going to need to lower the exhaust. For the exhaust doesnt fall completely after removing the hangers, we're going to put on a safety strap to support the weight. Now, we've got three hangers that will need to be removed, one behind each muffler and one just forward on the exhaust pipe. To remove the hangers, we're going to take a little spray lubricant and spray each one of the hangers so it's easier to remove and reinstall later. Now with our exhaust lowered, we're going to go ahead and remove the exhaust hanger brackets.

These brackets will come off and will not be reinstalled. However, we will be using the rubber isolator of the exhaust hanger so we're going to go ahead and take that off also. Each process we do here on the exhaust will be repeated identically on the opposite side. Now with our exhaust hangers out of the way, you can see the two weld nuts in the frame. These will be the forward two weld nuts on the passenger's side and the only two attachment points on the driver's side.

The third and rear attachment point will be in this hole here. We'll be using a block and bolt as our rear attachment point here on the passenger's side. Let's go ahead and install our block and bolt now. To do this, we'll be using a reversed pull method. We'll take our pull wire that's provided with our install kit and go ahead and thread our block and bolt onto the pull wire.

Then we'll feed the bolt up into the hole first and then our block. Once we have them both into the frame, we'll go ahead and pull them back to the same hole into position. I'll go ahead and leave my pull wire on as it will make it easier to install the hitch without pushing the hardware back up into the frame. All right, now before we go and install our hitch, we need to go ahead and reinstall the exhaust hanger isolators that we removed earlier from the exhaust hanger brackets. To do this, we'll be using our 7/16 carriage bolt. We'll feed it through the hitch and into the isolator, then we're going to add a 7/16 flat washer and a 7/16 lock nut. We'll tighten that down and then repeat the same on the opposite side. All right, now that we've got our hitch ready, it's a good idea to get an extra set of hands to help you hold the hitch in place while you install your fasteners into the framed weld nuts. We'll be using the 12-mm bolt and conical toothed washer with the teeth of the washer facing the hitch. Remember on the passenger's side that you'll need to feed the pull wire to the hitch for the rear attachment point. For each of our fasteners, we'll just install them finger tight until we get them all in place. I'll do all four framed weld nuts and then go back into our carriage bolt by removing the pull wire. Now with our hitch in position, we're going to go ahead and reinstall the exhaust. Once we have all the exhaust hangers reinstalled, we can go ahead and remove our safety strap. That will complete the install of our Draw-Tite Hitch, part number 75710, on our 2011 Ford Explorer.