How To Tow a Trailer

Today we are going to review the components needed to pull a trailer. Basically, this video is designed for somebody who just decided they have a need for a trailer, so we will cover all the components in the most basic form, so you know exactly how to update your vehicle. What we are going to do is start from the truck and work our way back to the trailer. First off, we are going to show you the hitch itself. All vehicles require a hitch to pull a trailer. What this device does is makes an attaching point on the frame of the vehicle, or body components, and transmits the forces from the trailer to this one point here. This point here is the receiver part. Consequently this hitch is called a receiver hitch because this hitch can receive a draw bar, or also called a ball mount. It is held in place by this pin which we just ed, and this clip holds it in place. There are more fancier pins, like locking pins, but that is the basic thing you need right there to get the job done. 1:12

Using Fish Wire for Trailer Hitch Installation

Now we have to get the bolts inside of the frame. What we will do is we use the fish wire here. Put it through this hole, put it out the big hole, and then pull our hardware from the outside in and then back out this way.

Trailer Hitch Classes and Weight Capacity Comparison

Today were going to cover a common question, what does class I, II, and III mean and what does it mean to my vehicle. Were going to go through them all and show you what the differences are, some are subtle and some are rather apparent. Basically, well make it easier for you. Were going to start off with this example here which is a class I hitch. Class I means this hitch is good for trailers up to 2000 pounds. What were going to show you over here is the sticker which shows the different weights and capacities involved. Well show you what those mean. As you can see by the sticker here, were going to show you some notes on it, these stickers will apply to any class hitch that you come across. Once you figure out what this means, youre home free. Starting here at max gross trailer weight which shows 2000 pounds.

Cleaning Weld Nuts for Trailer Hitch Installation

Okay as you can see here on the drivers side, our weld nut has a lot of corrosion built up in there. And when we try to install our 10 millimeter bolt is not wanting to start at all, in fact it almost seems like the bolt is too big for the weld nut. It is a common misconception, again when the weld nuts got a lot of build up in there.

How To Clean Weld Nuts

A common problem that we run into with a lot of our vehicles that have existing weld nuts in the bottom of the frame is that when you go to try to put a bolt in them you have an excessive amount of road grime or rust built up in there and when you go to put your bolt inside the weld nuts you find not only does it not want to thread but it also appears that the bolt is too big for the weld nut. The first thing that typically comes to mind is that the bolts that I received are too big and 99.9 percent of the time this is not the case. What we have actually got here is an excessive amount of rust and debris built up in the weld nuts that are preventing the bolt from starting. We are going to show you how to get those thoroughly cleaned out so that we can not only get our bolt started but to get it threaded completely into the weld nut. 00:41

How to Make a Thread Tap

Today we are going to show you a cheat. In some cases you are going to have a hitch that uses threaded holes in the bottom of the frame. Those holes are going to be probably corroded up within a few years of the vehicle being on the road with dirt, grime, salt corrosion, you name it is probably in there inside the fine thread. What you want to do is clean out the threads probably with an existing hitch bolt if it is lightly corroded and you can probably work it in and out a few times and do that. 00:20

Class I Trailer Hitch and Weight Capacities Review

Were going to start off with this example here which is a class I hitch. Class I means this hitch is good for trailers up to 2000 pounds. What were going to show you over here is the sticker which shows the different weights and capacities involved. Well show you what those mean. As you can see by the sticker here, were going to show you some notes on it, these stickers will apply to any class hitch that you come across. Once you figure out what this means, you are home free. Starting here at max gross trailer weight which shows 2000 pounds. So that means the total weight you can pull with your trailer, for example if your load on your trailer is 500 pounds, you have 1500 pounds of weight to put on it so it remains at a safe capacity for this hitch. Moving on to this next number which is max gross tongue weight, it shows 200 pounds there.

Class III Trailer Hitch and Weight Capacities Review

Traditionally a class III receiver hitch is good for trailers up to 5000 pounds and 500 pounds tongue weight. There are a few different variances from that, well show you that here in a second. Again were going to start with the stickers and show you the differences, as you can see here the max gross trailer weight is 5000 pounds as we discussed. The tongue weight looks to be 500 pounds, again about 10percent of your trailer weight. On the other side of the class III you will see a sticker for weight distribution. That is a specification when you use a device that goes in between the truck and the trailer that takes up the tongue weight. What it does is distributes the weight between the truck and the trailer and allows you to carry a heavier weight. As far as a class III hitch is concerned, that increases the rating the hitch can handle.

Lowering Exhaust Example for Trailer Hitch Installation

The first step to do is to lower the exhaust and we will do that by taking off the rubber hangers on the front and back, and there is one hidden in the back.

Drilling to Enlarge a Frame Hole for Hitch Install

On this hitch we have to enlarge this hole to a half-inch and there is one on the opposite side we have to do the same thing with.

Drilling a Spare Tire Pan for a Trailer Hitch Installation

What we will do next is tighten this down just enough to snug it to hold it in place, and then we will see where to drill or holes out using the hitch as a template. We will use the hitch as a template to drill or holes, so we will just use a drill and let the hitch do the work for us, we will punch right through this thin metal with a half-inch bit.

Weld Nut Removal and Replacement Review

So you are in the middle of doing your hitch installation and you are in the process of taking out one of your existing factory bolts. In the process you find that the bolt is not coming out due to the fact that the weld nut inside the frame has broken. We are just going to go ahead and show you a couple of things you can do to not only get the bolt out of the way but to also go ahead and continue on to be able to put your hitch in position without the weld nut welded inside the frame. The first thing that we obviously need to do is go ahead and get the bolt out of here. There are a couple of different ways you can do this. You can take a chisel, is you have one large and strong enough to do so, and possible grind the head of the bolt off. Or you can actually take a torch and torch it off. And that is actually what we are going to do on this application here. I am going to try to get most or as much of the head of the bolt off as I can. And we will take and push the remaining section of the bolt-weld nut combination up inside the frame. 0:49

Lowering Exhaust Hangers

Alright we will get started by lowering the exhaust. These rubber hangers here will need lubricant sprayed on them to make it easier to get them off. Before we lower the exhaust we are actually going to put a safety strap underneath here so we can control the exhaust as we lower it. See how we can control it.

Handle Nut Demonstration

Today we are going to show you the proper operation of a handle nut. Basically, a lot of hitch installs will use this type of device here. You can manipulate this handle any way you want to, to run this nut into an area that has a tight fit. You can bend this at will, basically. Just take it like this and bend it, and then put another hook into it, and make a handle like that. And you can thread it into the frame, where you can actually run your bolt through the bottom of it. All right, and now we will go ahead actually and install this handle nut on a typical application.

Class II Trailer Hitch and Weight Capacities Review

Now well move on to a class II receiver hitch. Well cover the weights on the sticker and cover a couple of differences on the receiver tube itself. You see here it says weight carrying ballmount that means the ballmount going into the receiver and the ball, that is what that means. You see here where it says weight distribution that is a separate device that allows you to carry heavier weights, that does not really apply to class II receiver hitches. Again by itself on the hitch its rated for 3500 pounds, that is the total weight. The tongue weight is listed at 300 pounds. On the details of the Class II hitch, there is not too many details on it compared to a class one. Basically all class II hitches have this ring that goes around the end of the tube. This is so at a quick glance you are working with a class II.

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Trailer Hitch Installation - 2008 Kia Sorento - Hidden Hitch

Today on our 2008 Kia Sorento we'll be installing Hidden Hitch, part number 87425. This is what our hitch will look like once it's installed. Next we'll go ahead and give you a couple of measurements to assist your selecting accessories for your new hitch such as a ball mount, bike rack or cargo carrier. The center of the hitch pin hole is even with the outermost edge of the bumper. The top of the receiver tube opening to the ground is 14 inches. Now we'll go ahead with installation.

Trailer Hitch Installation - 2013 Nissan Xterra - Curt

Today on our 2013 Nissan Xterra we're going to be installing the Curt Hitch, part number 13514. Here's what our hitch looks like installed on our vehicle. Now we'll go ahead and give you a few measurements to help you choose some accessories for your hitch such as a ball mount, bicycle rack or cargo carrier.From the center of the hitch pin hole to the edge of the bumper is approximately a half inch past the edge of the bumper. From the top of the opening on the hitch to the ground is approximately 19-1/2 inches. Now we'll go ahead and install our hitch. To begin with we went ahead and already removed the spare tire so we'd have a little more working room.