Best Ford Excursion Front Receiver Hitches

It is a great hitch I have a front rack that’s on it now to haul my generator and fire wood also I’ll be using it for my bike rack to haul my e-bike with , did lose my mind on the bolts I did get some help to get them in,tho my patience ran out, but all in all it’s a great hitch.

Added to use with a front winch. The install was not too difficult and the included instructions were spot-on. On my F250, the front tow hooks add to the strength of holding the hitch to the frame. On the F250 you do lose the OEM fog light location, but I used the wiring to add/relocate after-market fog lights. The set up has already proven helpful, pulling me out of a snow back while plowing. Just what I needed for some summer off road camping as well.

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!

I own two of these hitches on two different trucks. One hitch has been in use for 6 years. The other one is a year old. The older one has functioned flawlessly. The new one went together well. The only issue is that one of the self tapping bolts broke off even with the anti-decapitation bar. It's not a huge problem, however I will have to remove the entire assembly to re-drill the broken bolt out which will damage the threads, requiring larger bolts. Looking for grade 8 3/8 or 10 mm self threading bolts as replacements, which may not exist? Another thought is to drill all of the way through both sides of the antidecapitation bar and use nuts and lock washers. The hitch is great otherwise!

Unfortunately the item I wanted wasn't in stock at etrailer, but I had time before I wanted to install the item, a front mount hitch. The vendor was on time with supplying the hitch and etrailer shipped the hitch in a timely manner. It arrived yesterday evening and I installed it today. I've installed three front hitches, all from etrailer Curt and Draw-Tite I believe over the past few years. Two this year. The first picture is the front hitch on a 1998 E-450 class C motor home, the second picture is on a 2002 Ford F-350 pickup truck.

This hitch came quickly and I believe was priced fairly for what you get. Unfortunately, as some other have posted, this hitch is intended for my vehicle (1996 Ford E350 RV) but did not fit correctly. I had a problem with the front holes not being spaced far enough apart for the bolts to fit. The rearmost bolts go into a oversized and slotted hole in the underside of the frame so there was no problem with those, but the front holes in the frame have to be drilled out to 17/32" for the supplied 1/2" bolts per the included directions, and I couldn't get the bolts in both sides. The bolt holes in the hitch needed to be approximately 1/4" further apart. Also, there is a relief cut out of the hitch that I assume is to miss a bump on the under side of the frame. This cut out is in the wrong location to miss the bump in the frame. I went ahead and torched the slot for the bolt a little longer on one side and made the cut out for the frame bump bigger on both sides. A little grinding, a little touch-up paint, and back on she went. Had to notch the lower plastic valance just a little bit to clear the receiver, which was expected. Actually had to cut it a lot less than I thought I would. The two safety chain loops sit right under the valance, but I don't for see the need to hook anything to those, so I opted to not hack up the valance at this time. I intend to put a bike rack on the front, and also use the hitch to get drug onto the beach at Pismo from time to time. Hopefully the cuts I made don't weaken the hitch for that purpose. The directions call for this to be a 20 minute install. Granted, I took off the bumper, but even if I hadn't, and the hitch was fitted correctly, I find it hard to believe anybody could get this done in anywhere near that time. As another reviewer said, now that it's on, I'm a happy camper, but it was a little bit of a job to get there.

Worked great for hauling my motorcycle on the front of my motorhome. Lets me pull my boat and have transportation when I get where I'm going.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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~

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

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.

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.

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

Excellent from researching, ordering, fast shipment! Years ago I purchased a front hitch for my 2008 F-350 from etrailer. It was a no brainer to buy for my 2024 F-250. The videos make installation a breeze. Thank You

I put this on my 2022 F450 so I can carry a bike rack while carrying my slide in camper. Overall fit was great and the video on this site was very helpful. I did have to slot the brackets on the auxiliary cooler about 1/4" with a file so it could sit up higher so the hitch wouldn't put a lot of pressure on it. After that it all fit together nicely.

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.

This worked great on my F350 dually. We needed a front hitch to carry bikes while towing a 5th wheel camper. Instructions were easy to follow

This appears to be a great receiver hitch! The first one arrived bent because UPS employees threw or dropped it. e Trailer was fabulous in getting another one out ASAP. Assembly and fit was great as well. The only recommendation I would make would be to provide a template with measurements to cut the front rubber air damn to ensure a factory finish.

UPS was 8 days late for no good reason though it looks like they used the hitch as a crash test dummy. It’s a miracle the hardware bag made it but it did! I think this is superior than the other brands available. They always include these little threaded fish tape wires for getting the hardware into the frame. I’ve done a transit and now this. Saves a ton of time/headache. However the instructions just have a diagram. Took me about 20 min to get the first bolt in. Then 20 min for the rest of the install. So if you read this, you can probably get the whole thing done in 30 or so which is what i expected initially. Tools: 3/4” socket Torque wrench 1/2” drill bit & drill OPTIONAL: floor jack to lift hitch into place. Steps: - Drill forward holes to 1/2” and shoot with some rustoleum or equivalent paint. Let dry for 20 min while you eat lunch, take a dump, whatever. - send fish tape through forward mount hole and out front of frame rail. Figuring this is what slowed me down on the first one. the carriage bolt head won’t fit through any of the obvious openings. See pic. - put to bolt plate onto the fish wire then thread the bolt onto the wire. Pull em all through the hole and watch it assemble right before your eyes! - repeat on the other 3 bolts - jack hitch into place and finger tighten the washers/nuts on - torque down to 75ftlbs and boom! time to yank or be yanked! See all my pics and if this helps, send me an imaginary beer through the quantum field! Econolines rule!

I tried ordering this exact hitch off Amazon. Not once, but twice they shipped the wrong part number. Took a couple months to get my money back. Etrailer got it right the first time. I took about an hour to install on my 2006 class B+ E 450 motor home. The best advice I can give is take the 15 minutes to remove the front bumper (21 mm). With front bumper removed you won't need the wire chaser things. Jus stick your hand in the frame.

This receiver hitch fit my 2015 Ram 2500 fine, and looks good. However, Draw-tite quality control must be a bit lax, as now that I tried to use it, I find the hitchpin holes are not the same size and even a standard pin cannot go through both holes (so as is, I cannot use the now-mounted hitch). I am going to have to bore out the hole(s) to the correct size for a locking pin, to mount the hitch-mount winch I intended to use in my dump trailer and my truck. In addition to being the wrong (or mismatched) holes, the location of the holes is right next to a beefy weld that will make securing (whether by locking or non-locking hitchpin) difficult. I cannot justify removing the receiver after all the work it took to install, but definitely cannot give this a good review. I recommend test-fitting your pin(s), tow balls, winches on it before you waste time installing. However, as always, etrailer.com rocks!

I have always wanted a front bumper receiver but always resisted because I thought it would require welding, this unit is bolt on and went on my Ram 2500 with no problem at all, it looks like it was factory installed.