Most Popular Draw-Tite for 2017 Ford Explorer

Due to the sales rep not ordering my wife's 2017 ford explorer with the tow package (always inspect what you expect) I was forced to search for a hitch. Initially etrailer offered it at $160 which was more than I was willing to pay. After waiting a couple months the price dropped to a comfortable level. The package arrived in good shape (my e-150 hitch had chipped paint due to the shipper's carelessness). The hitch bolted up quite seemlessly, though being a mortal, it took me 2:24 (more than the :45 suggested). The bolt leader for feeding the hardware was an awesome addition to the installation and the wiring harness I also ordered was a breeze especially with the instructional video. I would place the wiring harness between the frame and the hitch. I didn't and you can see the missed opportunity in my pic. Also, the carriage bolt shoulder IS too small and needs to be standard length. In hind sight, I'd buy a standard carriage bolt like suggested in another review, but made it work with a crowbar. Having ordered the 4-way harness, I realize that it doesn't include a reverse wire, so be aware of that. Also, you will want a deep well socket for the new bushing carriage bolts. Not knowing this hitch came with a mounting bracket I also bought the 4-way plug bracket. The 4-way plug bracket was also an awesome addition. Buy some vinyl tube for the outside carriage bolt on this bracket (for sound dampening) and you'll be a happy camper.

First off let me give the hitch a solid 5 star. It is solid and fits with no modifications involved. I used a little dish soap on the hangers and they slid right off my brand new 2017 Explorer. It looks good but does hang lower then the hidden OEM hitch but doesn't stick out as a sore thumb, so I consider this hitch to be well worth the money and would buy again and recommend it to others just read on for my complaint. I also used the CURT Manufacturing 56306 Custom Wiring Harness which was painless install except don't use the enclosed diagram of the plug connections as they don't match the plug color code they have on the plug, the color code works fine just follow the wire color and wire location. I added a 4 wire flat connector to the plug also and used wire ring lugs just in case the wires might vibrate loose. I also used the CURT 58000 Easy-Mount Electrical Bracket to mount the plug assembly which was also painless. I did the install alone and didn't have any problems installing it except for the below. It may help if you have a helping hand to lift and hold the hitch when the time comes to raise it but I had no problems by myself. Now the reason for the 2 stars I gave it. The bolt package is mostly good but the carriage bolts for the muffler brackets are a joke. The nuts are a locking type so they don't work off from vibration. That is well and good but the carriage bolts have a short shoulder, at least on the one's I got so when you try to tighten the nut it doesn't grab the square hole enough to let you tighten it. Hence the carriage bolt turns, I tried everything short of welding the bolt in place and gave up as I didn't have a welder. By this time the truck was torn apart and I had to find a store to get new bolts. Closest store to me, I live in a rural area, was about 1 hour away. Of course try to find a 7/16 carriage bolt, HD doesn't carry them. Next stop Farm Store, no luck there either. So instead of wasting any more time I just bought two 7/16 bolts. They did work in my case as there was clearance between the frame and mounting bracket and I could get a wrench on both sides to tighten to where it needed to be with the supplied nuts, if you go this route take the nuts with you to make sure you get the correct size bolt and the carriage bolt for length. So after a couple hours looking for bolts it took me quite awhile to install because of this. If the carriage bolts supplied would have worked I could have installed it in about 1/2 hour as I had the tools and place to install it. I WOULD ADVISE BEFORE YOU START ESPICALLY IF THIS IS YOU ONLY VEHICLE TO BUY THE BOLTS BEFORE YOU START. YOU WILL NOT KNOW IF THE CARRAGE BOLTS WILL WORK UNTIL YOU TRY TO INSTALL THE RUBBER MUFFLER ISOLATORS/HANGERS. Your vehicle is apart at this stage If the supplied bolts had worked and I didn't have to spend so much time looking for replacement bolts this job could have been done in less time that was stated for installation which is 45 minutes. Like I said a solid 5 stars for the hitch and 1 star for the hardware.

I brought this item for a 2000 Ford Explorer. When I received the package, it was in pretty bad shape. One of the mounting brackets was sticking completely through the box. The bracket was scratched but no major damage to the product. Other than that it's a great product. It was very easy to install, so easy I installed it by myself in 30 mins. I haven't tested it yet but seems to be very strong. Would have given it 5 stars but was not happy seeing my package delivered like that. Need to either pack it better or make sure FedEx knows to handle packages better. Hope this helps.

This hitch was very easy to install on my 2000 Ford Explorer. This summer I’ll be hauling my project car with this hitch so it’s going to be perfect. I have to get a brake control box and then I’ll be set.

Great customer care and service from Chris and the Etrailer employee's. Got back to me to let me know of a item was back ordered from a manufacturer, didn't try to over sell me on products, asked what I'd like to do. Helped me make changes to my purchase that I needed right away. Two days later they now have my business shopping loyalty from here on out. I can't thank you guys enough.

Ordered it at 9:30 A.M on Tuesday was sitting on my front step the next evening. Am thoroughly impressed with the delivery. Installed it on Thursday evening. took about an hour, fit and finish are excellent and I didn't drop the bumper on my self. Thanks

I was pleased with both the price and the packaging, as well as the product. Unlike some other vendors, the hitch receiver was properly boxed. Installed on 2022 Explorer, used video from 2023 Explorer. Installed it by myself with little difficulty. Quite happy with fit and finish.

Hitch seems good enough quality. Instructions failed to mention the slit you need to cut in the exhaust heat shields for the vertical portions of the mounting brackets. Instructions also suggested using a 21mm socket on a bolt with a 13/16" head. Don't do that, you'll round it off.

2021 Ford Explorer. Perfect fit! My concern was delivery time, spoke to Lori at etrailer, she assured me that the order would be processed and shipped in a timely manner as my hitch was “in stock”. She was right on the money. The instructions were simple and easy to follow. I installed the hitch in a parking lot with no problems. Thank you etrailer and Lori for a personalized experience as a consumer; something that is far too rare these days. HIGHLY RECOMMEND etrailer!!!

I had a little trouble starting out buy the etrailer team was patience and assured me that the trailer hitch fit my 22 explorer. To be honest I found a video for the installation and it showed the the couple pulling down the plastic trim and sliding hitch up into cavity above the trim cover.

Quality hitch and fair price

Well built hitch and easy to install. 2010 F150.

Well made, well finished and heavy duty product! If you are even halfway handy, you can install this yourself. Like anything, fitting is exact.

Product was all there but arrived with shipping damage. Might want to think about how to keep the heavy items from moving in the shipping carton or protect the outside edges with cardboard or something. I'll touch up the paint but wanted to give some feedback, you guys seem pretty receptive to input. Other than that there was good communication through the whole process. Fast service. Thank you.

It came within a few days of ordering. Packaged well, no shipping damage. Installation took an hour only because I had to cut the bolts to the bumper mounted hitch that was already installed. I also had to drill two holes due to my Ranger being the older model. After that it bolted right up with no issues. All the necessary hardware to install the hitch was included. Oh, yeah, it came with instructions, but who reads those!

This is the third time we have purchased a hitch from etrailer along with other products. Every time we have purchased from them we have been very happy. We really appreciate the helpful videos that show step by step how to install the products we have purchased. We also appreciate that they care enough to follow up and see how things are going. We bought this to replace a Hidden Hitch that had been damaged due to and accident. The original had been on the truck for many year and served us well. We were glad to find this hitch and that it is exactly like the original. We like that, other than the receiver, the entire assembly hides up behind the bumper making for a very clean install. It is on a 2001 Ford Ranger with the Edge package. The truck has a full size spare and the hitch does fit well even with the full size spare. When you install the hitch removing the spare makes for a much easier install. The spare fits right back in place when you are done. The hitch has been on the truck for about a year now. The finish has held up well and it does exactly what we need it to do.

Excellent product. and great service from etrailer . Shipping was very quick and price was right.

This is a nice, heavy duty hitch. Probably heavier duty than the 2011 Rav4 I put it on, but I like the 2" size reciever for the flexibility. You can always adapt down, but going up can be tricky. It was about a 20 minute install with about 40 minuets of up and down looking for a tool. Mine dod not have the bolt on muffler hanger the instructions referenced, but that was just a couple of bolts I didn't have to worry about. One trick I have learned with installing hitches on the ground by yourself is to use a jack to hold it up and in place while you start the bolts. The other is to run the bolts into the holes before you get the hitch into position. If the hole wasn't use, it ca be full of grit and road grime and it is a lot easier to deal with it before you have an 80 pound hitch hovering over you head. As always, eTrailer was a great source. I think this is the seventh hitch I have bought and installed from them over the years. I still the they need to include an "I got hitched at eTrailer" bumper sticker with every purchase, but I suppose solid service and affordable pricing is good enough.

Nice hitch. Unfortunately it broke through the box during shipping. UPS is tough on bulky heavy products but having zero packing material to keep it from sliding around in the box is more of the root cause problem in my opinion. This hitch has very little clearance at the receiver tube and bumper facier. I wasn’t able to use the anti rattle clamp that I also purchased.

Great hitch. Installed myself. Fairly straightforward. Recommend having something to hold the hitch in the up position while under the car to assist while installing. Only complaint, no torque rating for the bolts that hold the hangers. That would be helpful.

I bought the Draw-Tite for a 2018 Ford Edge Sport. I saw lots of discussion about throwing out the heat shield, which left the rear bumper flimsy. I was able to trim the heat shield, reinstall it, which firmed up the rear bumper cover. Attached are some pics showing how this was done. Basically, trim off the ends and center piece, anything that would extend back towards the hitch. I used a Dremel cut off wheel and Tin snips, worked great. Then, cut a 3 inch square next to the centerpiece opening. Do not cut the heat shield material. This allows the receiver part of the hitch to fit in the opening. Then, trim the ends by following the heat shield material. Slide the heat shield back in place starting from one end and pushing it across and back into place. Reattach all bumper cover bolts, that will firm up the bumper cover. Pull wires worked great. I used jack stands to hold the hitch in place and installed it myself. Just watch the video a couple of times, it was not that hard. I bought the Curt wiring harness as I wanted to keep the pigtail inside when not using, which will be about 95% of the time. Good product, easy install.

The install went easier than expected. 3 Hours start to finish by myself. There were a few bare edges where paint was removed during shipping, which will be the first to rust. I might try to touch it up but in past experience this doesn't help much. Adding some padding on the edges of the frame might prevent damage during shipment. To the install. I am a moderately skilled shade-tree mechanic, and anyone who can do minor car repairs should be able to tackle this install. Removing the trim was easy. Using a strap to lower the muffler was not too bad (even detaching the hangers wasn't too bad). I would definitely go this route instead of removing the bumper cover as some others have mentioned... much easier. The hardest part was getting the hitch frame in place without a helper. I ended up using some landscaping bricks and an old empty car battery to lay one end of the frame on while I attached the other. Having someone to hold one side while you attach the other would make this part MUCH easier. Still, I was able to tackle it without too much trouble. Note the frame IS heavy, so you won't be able to just hold it up while you get the bolts attached. After that, I tightened the bolts, re-hung the muffler, and put the trim back on and it looks and works great! Now I can go fishing again with my new Edge. Also of note, the backup camera and the automatic rear hatch sensor still work fine. You do have to "kick" to just one side of the hitch or the other... but it works no differently than before. Very satisfied with the product, as long as it lasts the life of the car without rusting to pieces... which time will tell on that front.