Best 2018 Ford Explorer Front Receiver Hitches

Worked out great.. A little trimming on the facial of the bumper.. The fish line awesome little tool... Thanks

I have a 2005 Ford Explorer and this hitch fit well. There are three holes on each side of the hitch. The front two matched perfectly to holes existing on the frame of the Explorer. I had to drill into the frame for the third hitch hole but it was not too difficult. The hitch comes with a fishing tool to get the bolts where they need to go in the frame but it works pretty slick. Much easier than some fishing I've had to do with electrical work. I am not a mechanic but do handyman jobs around the house and was able to install this hitch by myself in 1.5 hrs. After placing the two front bolts, I propped the hitch up on boarts to where the bolts came through the hitch holes then screwd on the nuts to bring the hitch up & into place. For the third bolt, I drilled with hitch in place then put the bolts in the third hole.

I ordered these two, front and rear for a 1990 GEO Tracker 4 wheel drive that I am rebuilding. I believed they would fit, I finally got around to mounting them and they don't fit, to large. I think I have had them to long to return them.

Hi George, I received your email and didn't realize it had been a year already. I'm afraid I don't have anything to say that you want to hear but I will tell you anyway. I spent about a week researching this hitch and read numerous reviews about it and how easy it is to install with installation times of 30 minutes to an hour, so finally I bought one. I read the instructions when I got it, looked simple enough. I've been building cars and motorcycles most of my life, a few hot rods and drag raced Harley's for 8 years, and I had to fabricate a lot of parts on the drag bike splus I've been a CNC Machinist for 30 years, and having just retired this project was on my list of things to do NOW! Well its been a year and the hitch is now sitting in the corner of my dining room. Either I have a Jeep Cherokee that is an odd ball or its just my crappy luck. In the directions it says to use the fishwire for putting in cm-sp1 and the bolt. I can supply pictures if you want but there is no access hole anywhere near big enough to get the sp1 spacer in the frame and the end of the frame isn't open either as the directions suggest. Apparently its either butcher the frame with a hole big enough to these spacers in, which I really don't want to do, or try to sell the hitch for whatever I can get and say the hell with it, except I really need that front hitch. I realize most people are very happy with your product, but I'm sorry to say I'm not at all. You asked!

This thing is well built, it fit perfect, This will come in handy for my needs. Instructions are very clear. If I was to rate the install on a 1 to 10 scale it would be a 5. Fishing the bolts thru the frame with the wire provided was much easier than I expected. I do recommend this hitch.

the install went very good but i do have one suggestion and see if your maker can put a notch in the middle hole to look like the tow hook it would make the install way more user friendly also had a little problem with one of your bolts after i had fished it down the hole the treads were burred and the nut wouldn't go on all the way so i had to fish it back out what a pain that was but got it done and replaced with one of the other bolts that you supplied me with and it went on great. now i have a ? about the hitch height mine only sits up at about 11 inches and change will that work with your snowplows that say they need 13 inches or will i have to do something different? but thanks for the great turn around time in getting it here quick.

Works well, fairly easy to install.

Easy installation on my 2007 GMC Sierra 3500 dually. I installed the hitch to transport e-bikes. Works great and solid.

After struggling with the answering menu, Steve Z. was instrumental in locating a hitch to fit my van which was not specifically identified in any data search. Weird year, 2005, of popular Chevy Express van, my luck! Using manufacturers dimensions I purchased #31016 on 12/21 and it arrived on 12/24. It's a very well built, USA built, unit. It arrived rapidly, but was missing half of the mounting hardware. The remainder of the hardware was rolling around in the box. Zip lock baggie ripped apart spilling them. I used a hydraulic jack to elevate hitch into place, and an additional jack to push the drill up to drill the 6 mounting holes necessary. No factory hole alignment. All the nuts for the bolts were lost in transit, but by a Christmas day miracle, I found 2 metric nuts to fit supplied bolts that survived the delivery. I will acquire, and install remaining missing 4 tomorrow. The installation went smooth and easy using this technique. It took around 3 hours with much of the time searching for hardware.' Thanks Steve Z. and etrailer. .

The product works great. However, I was told that this front hitch receiver would bolt to existing holes on my 98 Four winds RV. That was not true, so installation was double the cost of what was estimated by the shop I took it to.

I purchased this front receiver hitch for my 2010 Ford E350 RV to use for a utility basket, launch a 16' boat and now also for a motorcycle carrier. The quality is excellent and full weight rating, one year later and the finish is perfect. Installation was exactly as stated in the directions and the modifications were minor, requiring existing holes in the frame forward of any critical mounts drilled larger and the plastic under the front bumper where a tag goes has to be cut slightly to allow for receiver. The directions called for removal of under carriage splash guard but I was able to trim and reinstall. I am perfectly happy with the purchase. When hauling a motorcycle on the front the RV rides so much smoother and better planted on the road without being overloaded.

Have been an e- trailer Cust for most of my hitch and trailer needs for years. The RAV4 hitch and air bags have been a real plus cause the Mrs uses it like a mini truck. The hitch attachments and extensions we’ve bought all top notch - expect nothing less from this front mount hitch for our c class Rv. Recommend you always check with them first before buying elsewhere.

Great products, great prices, fast shipping and a great company to do business with. Easy install, and it took longer to trim the air dam than installing the hitch.

Great solid piece, as you would expect. Extra longer bolts are included in case you have the factory tow hooks, a nice touch and saves $10 at the hardware store. Not a complaint, just info; you have to remove the bumper to fit the front bolts, they won't drop in past the bumper brackets at least on my '95. Cut a hole and some minor trimming, and it works with the factory air dam as well.

Requires permanent removal of the front air dam. Requires temporary removal of the front sway bar. May decrease offroad performance by lowering the approach angle. Has 2 Sturdy retrieval loops.

I chose Draw-tite because they are built very well and this one is no different. The welds are done well and I have no fear that this product will serve me well. The install wasnt to bad for a DIY type like me and the fit was excellent, only took a few hours. Knowing that I can now be pulled out of a bad situation or pull someone else out is comforting with the help of a hitch mounted winch. The Price was right and etrailer shipped it out fast although packing could use a smaller box . Oh yeah, UPS sure tested the toughness of this receiver ! . Great product and great service from etrailer

I use Curt Front Hitches from ETrailer with pintle hitch plates to make my own front protective bars and also rear protective bars in a rear truck, SUV. Or van hitch to protect my vehicles from bad drivers. Much stronger than bull bar or offroad front bumper bar protection

We live just south of Buffalo and Put this on our '11 Honda Ridgeline with a snowsport plow and a week later it snowed, and snowed and snowed... 5 feet in 24 hours and it's still snowing.... It's not good.... It's AWESOME! Not one driveway or even our street is clear... Except ours. It was easy to put together , easy to install and works exactly like it's advertised! It's November and it paid for itself already. Communication with etrailer was exceptional. We could not be happier with the whole setup.

2nd hitch, both fit up great. Left off the roll pan and built our own cover for the sway bar disconnect.

I bought this receiver to add front mounted 'accessories' on my 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara. I plan on using this to add an extra bicycle rack, a cargo basket, a receiver mounted winch or other 'accessories' needed for my Jeep when I take my family camping. It will also be useful for "front launching" a boat or parking a trailer in tight spots. It took me about an hour to install, although I had already previously removed the lower wind deflector cowling, so did not have to spend time removing it or cutting it for a finished look. Detaching and moving the top trim panel between the grill and the bumper is a must to facilitate the installation. The receiver fits pretty close, although you do have to manipulate it to get the holes to line up with the frame. Follow the instructions and do not tighten any of the bolts until you get it lined up and all the bolts in loosely, then torque it down. As noted in the instruction sheet, the driver's side of the receiver does not sit flush against the frame, there is about a 1/4" to 5/8" gap. The instructions say to use the extra split washers (in the kit) as filler, but they would just rattle around loose in there and provide any benefit, so I omitted them. Once tightened down, the receiver tube was not parallel to the ground, it is slightly higher in the front, sloping towards the rear. It is not off enough to affect my intended use, but may be bothersome to those with type 'A' attention to detail. Overall a good product that will add a lot of flexibility to my Jeep~

Perfect hitch for those needing a rack for extra space. I used a heavy duty vinyl bag to enclose my tools, cords and generator on my 12k mile trip to alaska. The held that 500lbs extremely well across the permafrost damaged Alaskan highway! No twists, no bends and no worries!

Looks great

The front hitch solved a storage problem that I was having with my truck camper.It fit perfectly. I added a Stow Away hitch frame and a UWS small aluminum storage box for my small generator. The photo shows a test fit before installation.

This was one of the easiest accessories I’ve installed on my Tundra. It is a front receiver hitch so I don’t use it very often. Mostly just for bike racks when towing a trailer, but when you need it you need it.

Plastic trim that direction stated to be trimmed were not even close. Had to majorly trim plastic in bumper center section. Other than that it was straight forward

Just what I wanted. Been wanting to get this and install. Pretty straight forward for my boy and I. Took about 2 1/2 hours. Hardest part was the cutting of the plastic and marking everything but we got through it. Only thing wrong the license plat bracket was welded crooked, I don’t need it was going to run so it’s hidden. Could not ocd got me.

UPS was rough on the box but everything still lined up without having to pry but was snug on the back bolts. Install was very straight forward and did it myself in my driveway in just about 90 minutes from pulling the air dam to putting tools away. Used my floor jack to support the hitch in the center and started with the front bolts on both sides and then pivoted the hitch into position for the back bolts and then snugged up all four mounting bolts to the 110-ftlbs torque spec. Hints. made sure that front of the hitch was just a a hair pointed up from level before tightening down all of the mounting bolts. I pulled the air dam completely off and then lined it back up in position lying on the hitch so I could marked it, so I knew exactly where I would need to trim it and then used my Dremel tool with a cutoff wheel to trim it to fit. Then bolted it back into position and was done. I'll try and update this post once I take some pictures other than the shipping box

Please read: I am not happy with this product. I have a 2023 F-150 with a 2” leveling kit up front. My properly installed hitch only has 8-3/4” of ground clearance sitting on my flat garage floor. It definitely appears to be the lowest point throughout the whole bottom of my truck.I didn’t even have to cut my air dam for the unit to align with the mounting holes in the frame. Like anyone else I wanted this to sit as high as possible, forcing me to cut as much air dam as possible. I believe the mounting holes in this hitch were drilled way too high, and now I’m either stuck with terrible clearance or I need to take it off and re-drill the holes lower on my own. Plus it points downward out the front and not on the same parallel plane as my truck. I put an accessory in it and it was barely above the ground out front. Super irritating. See photos. If anyone has help I’m certainly listening. The shipping and ordering was super fast and easy otherwise this would be 1 star.

The fit was a bit too tight but we were able to make it fit. The shipping packing was pretty lacking. Since being installed we have been using it with a spare tire mount. That works great and it makes the spare tire more accessible compared to the standard under the bed mounting. When fully loaded with a camper and towing a boat moving the spare tire to the front improves the weight distribution.

Curt actually recommended that we use etrailer. They even gave me the confirmation that the hitch would work and told us you have a video. Thanks!

This front receiver mount is exactly what I needed. Great build quality and easy to install. Thanks for getting it to me in a timely manner.

After a year of having this on my truck I can say that I wish I did it sooner! The installation is easy as can be. The hitch is super handy as both a tow point and also as a kind of skid plate/bumper. I have contacted multiple ecology blocks and other objects in my truck, the hitch is the first thing to touch so nothing on the truck gets damaged! This is a super strong, affordable, and versatile addition to any vehicle!

This hitch was very easy to install....I had to trim the lower air dam to fit around the receiver and that gives it a clean neat look. I didn't like that I had to remove and leave the shields around the tow hooks off. But overall I'm very pleased. I plan to use this hitch for maneuvering a camper in a narrow spot beside my home, and for a bike rack when towing a camper.

I gave this hits only 4 stars since all of the available information indicated it would bolt right on to my 2003 Avalanche 1500 (All Models) with no modification, but it wasn't quite that simple. First off, my Avalanche has the plastic cladding. The end brackets of the hitch push the bottom of the air dam under the bumper down a bit and make it bow out. I had to remove the bracket that secured the air dam to the center of the frame. I mounted the hitch in the upper position since I didn't want it to be so low, and the receiver ends up being 8" back from the bumper facia. I had to order an 8" extension to bring it out past the bumper. Other than that, I'm happy with the hitch. I just wish the fitment guide was a little more specific.

Excellent instruction video! I would hope on future videos the dark black parts might be contrasted, they are taken from below and I am sure my lighting was lacking under an un-jacked jeep! The plastic rivets on vehicle are two part and in a restricted trough which were a pain to replace other than that issue everything was great!

Fits perfect and works just as I needed it to. I use it for my SnowSport plow set-up on a 2022 Gladiator Sport Max Tow. I’ve been using front receivers for this same plow for the last 24 years. It’s been used on 5 different trucks and this front receiver mount plow is the BEST. *** When installing on a Gladiator(possibly the Wrangler as well), the front plastic trim below the bumper needs to be cut for receiver clearance. I wanted a tight and “factory looking” install, so I took my time with a vibrating cutter and very sharp utility knife. After trying to put it back in place, the hole is not just square, it’s shaped more like. “T”. I suggest you make small adjustments/cuts as you go forward. It may take several times fitting and cutting to get it right and tight, but in the end it does look like it came that way from JEEP. On the Max Tow package, there is also a metal skid plate that does not get reinstalled. Unfortunately that piece is where the back of the plastic fascia mounts. I ended up securing it with some long heavy-duty zip-ties and it’s worked well for a year now. Just an FYI for those installing the same receiver on their same vehicle.

Review for truck front hitch receiver I finally Installed the front receiver hitch today, I pulled it out of its package and found all parts wrapped to the receiver hitch good call as there was a hole in the box. The license plate holder received some damage it was bent some. Installation. I reviews the video prior and read the instructions. Had to purchase a 4 inch hole saw and a torque wrench that added to the cost of the hitch. Installation was for the most part straight forward, when the video cuts from shot to shot I now know all the cussing and swearing are done during that time as it’s very difficulty to get the hitch in over/under the exiting hardware, solo installer took me 3.45 hrs to install, tight fit under the truck to maneuver under the truck. Bolts back into original tow hooks was a total Pain in the A$$ trying to hold up the hitch and the hooks while trying to maneuver the hold back in. (Had to take it out as I inserted on the wrong side) I will say that installation is doable by novice front yard mechanic but with a difficulty of 7 out of 10, trying to get the bolts torqued to specs is difficult due to clearance and angle of the bolts. Make sure you have deep well sockets because the new bolts for the hitch and long and a standard size socket will not be able to grip the nut as you tighten it down to specs. Put the bike rack on the hitch receiver and found that the hole that we drilled out to put the hitch in is not big enough. The bolt for the hitch goes in from the right and there was barely enough room to get it in the hole, used a wrench to tighten it but it was slow going, the other issue was that on the left side there is a hitch lock I struggled to get it on, but then could not reach in to remove the key. So final outcome was I had to drill out another 4 inch section of the bumper to get to the key. If your hitch has a bolt on bike rack like the swagman e-bike rack you want it to be secure so the bolt is a must this option may not be the best option. The bikes block the headlights so no night driving with the bikes on the rack. The handlebars need to be folded down otherwise the bikes will ride too high on the front and obstruct your vision. If I had to do it again I would have gotten the hitch that is lower and would not have to drill out my bumper, and it would have given me more visual clearance. I did take a shot drive with the bikes in front it will take a bit to get used to them being in the front as well as making wide turns while towing the RV that I don’t take out the car in front of me.

It was delivered on time in 2 days. The installer mentioned that it was packed very well in a nice box. It is strong enough for various uses. The magnetic Lic. plate holder covers the hitch when not in use, you would never know what's hidden behind it. I used it for a bike rack this weekend and will be using it for a cargo platform next.

Mounting went well,video direction were accurate.

Overall, my experience with etrailer was good. There was an initial delay in shipping, but once I talked to someone, everything went well. The help page was invaluable. The biggest help was the installation video. While there are slight differences between the 2011 GMC and the 2013, the process was the same. I am very pleased with the product and the support. Picture attached.