Trailer Hitch - Helpful Videos and How To Articles

Trailer Hitch Installation - 2009 Subaru Forester - Video

Today on our 2009 Subaru Forester, we are going to install part number 13147 from Curt. All right we will go ahead and show you, the hitch mounts up to the body of the vehicle and to get started we are going to have to actually lower the exhaust so we have more working room. All right also what we are going to do is put on a little safety strap, you can use a wire or something, just to control the exhaust so when we take it off the hangers it will not come falling down. All right we are just going to spray them down with some lubricant. And there is one up towards the front of the vehicle we will need to undo also. You are going to do the same two on the passenger side. Now with the exhaust out of the way you get a better view of the frame rail. What we have got to do next is go ahead and remove the rubber plugs here and here. We will just pop out this one here. With that one I think we can just grab a pair of pliers and pull straight down. All right we will do the same thing on the passenger side. more

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Posted: 8/17/2009 9:42:10 AM

Trailer Hitch Installation - 2001 Subaru Forester - Video

Today we are going to install part number 12038 from Curt, and we are going to install this hitch on a 2001 Subaru Forester. First thing we are going to do is we have to take down some parts off the vehicle to install the hitch. Take off this tie-down hook. We will have to temporarily lower this carbon canister. Now we are just going to lower it we are actually not going to take it all the way off. All right, we will just leave it like that. We do not have to worry from here on out. Now we need to go ahead and take down this bolt here for this bracket. What is going to happen is this bracket will go back in place with the hitch installed. The hitch is designed to fit around it, and the carbon canister will go back up when it is done. And on the drivers side, this rear tie-down mount will get removed and left off. And this rear hanger for the exhaust comes off temporarily and goes back on when we are done. What is going to happen is that, in the end, this is going to actually get bolted back to the hitch itself, and this exhaust bracket is going to stay off. more

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Posted: 6/8/2009 3:31:34 AM

Trailer Hitch Installation - 2005 Subaru Legacy Wagon - Video

Today we are going to install part number 87446 from Hidden Hitch, and we are going to install this on a 2005 Subaru Legacy Wagon. Just to show you where the hitch is going to mount up, it is going to mount up on the frame rail right here. That means is we are going to have to have access to it, so what is going to happen is the hitch is going to have to go through here between the trunk pan and the muffler. To get it up there, we are going to have to lower the exhaust to get up to it. And it is going to be identical on both sides. Before we lower the exhaust, we actually put a strap around the exhaust, just just to keep it from falling down so we do not damage anything further up the pipe, basically. Now we will go ahead and just disconnect the rubber exhaust hangers on the mufflers and lower everything down. To give us some more room, we undid this hanger going toward the front of the vehicle, too. more

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Posted: 5/11/2009 6:20:46 AM

Trailer Hitch Installation - 2009 Subaru Forester - Video

Today we are going to be installing hitch part number 75650 on a 2009 Subaru Forester. This hitch installation will also apply to the Hidden Hitch part number 87493. We are underneath the vehicle now, and we are taking a look at the passengers side frame rail. The first thing we are going to need to do is to lower the exhaust on both sides of the vehicle. And there are five total hangers that we are going to need to lower in order to get the exhaust down. On both exhaust pieces, we need to remove the inboard and the outboard side hangers. And then there is one here more forward on the vehicle, right forward of where the two merge. And there is one here that we are going to lower as well. That is going to give us access to the bottom of the frame so we can get our hitch installed. So we want to go ahead and do that first. more

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Posted: 3/27/2009 1:18:09 PM

Trailer Hitch Installation - 2004 Subaru Forester - Video

A few of the parts that have to come out to make way for the hitch on the passengers side are the tie down bracket here and the cannister here. With the cannister, these bolts and this bolt and one in the back will have to come out to lower this. So we can get to that bolt, so we can take it out. This will all go back up when were done. Next will do this center support. The bracket wont go back up there, but we will reinstall the screw for safe keeping if the hitch ever comes off more

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Posted: 7/23/2008 11:38:07 AM

Trailer Hitch Installation - 2007 Subaru Forester - Video

This hitch is also know as part number 36311 from Hidden Hitch and 06975 from Reese. This will cover the same applications. First thing we have to do is lower the passenger bracket take that off completely, and lower the carbon cannister out of the way. Also this bracket has to come down loose, it will get re-installed later. Next this bracket for here for the fascia support will have to come off, the hitch does provide support for the fascia when were done. Next we have to remove this tie down bracket, disconnect the exhaust from this bracket, and this bracket will be taken off the vehicle. Now we can install the hitch, its a good idea to have an extra set of hands at this point. As you can see, it takes a couple of hands to get the hitch up there. With a little bit of fidgeting, you can get it up there relatively easy. Theres just one thing you have to make sure of is that this bracket the hitch goes through and that its the hitch then the bracket, and then the frame itself, thats the order it goes in. more

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Posted: 8/7/2008 11:30:20 AM