Best Truck Front Receiver Hitches

Ordered the same hitch from Amazon, and showed up not J-Pin ready, with (1) hole drilled for a hitch pin against the weld. Can't run the nut flush because of the interference with the weld bead, and no 7/16" hole present. Returned it. Ordered another one from etrailer direct. Called in the order to make sure they QC'd prior to shipping. Assured me they would. Box never opened, and the same nonsense showed up. Not happy, trying to work it out.

Fit Perfectly, super easy to install, and super fast shipping! Holds Hollywood Bike Rack Great and very solid for my two E-bikes. Thank you etrailer!

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I buy practically all my towing accessories from etrailer. One of the reasons why is that you can tell that they take the feedback of their customers seriously. I read a lot about previously shipped products having fell out of the box in certain areas. etrailer heard that feedback and my shipping box was reinforced in just the right areas that were talked about getting punched through in shipping. The tech notes video on the 2012 F-250 applied exactly on my 2016 F-250. All the measurement specifications were correct as well. This is a job that can be done by one person, albeit you'll have to be careful. Your second set of hands can be jack stands, as it was in my case. If you take your time in positioning everything - installation will be a breeze. I do agree with previous reviews - it would be nice to have a second fishing wire as it does get stretched out when pulling the first bolt through. That, or a heavier duty gauged wire - that's just a small detail however. If you're really concerned about it, you can buy a secondary fishing wire at around 5 bucks. I spent more time taking out and putting back in body clips than I did with the install of the hitch receiver hardware. I really like the way it looks and I'm excited to use it.

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I plan on installing it tomorrow, however first impressions are not good. The box it item was shipped in was extremely damaged. Torn, ripped and taped up on all sides. The delivery person said that due to the sharp edges and the face it wasn't secured in the box (lose) led to the damage. It appears the item was not packaged properly. I just hope all the parts are there. More to follow.

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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.

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I chose this product because it was among the more inexpensive front hitches I could find. I plan to build a t-bar for it and use it in conjunction with a homemade headache rack to carry 16 foot garage doors. Like other reviews and vids I have found, the bolt up is hard. I reversed the bolts and use the new ones on the outside, as well as removing my grill. My truck is a 2003 - so not much room like the 2008 and newer trucks.

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The hitched arrived three days early and I was able to install it in less than 2 hrs with a little help from my wife and a floor jack. Perfect fit!! No shimms necessary Vwrry happy.

The hitch installed easily on the front of my truck and has given me more versatility in using my truck. In the summer I carry 3 bikes on a hitch rack when I go camping. I also hook up a 12000 lb. winch when needed. Sometimes I use the front hitch when moving my boat. This is a very sturdy and reliable hitch. Etrailer customer service is excellent.

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Got this on my 2006 2500 Ram. I did avoid drilling the holes over 1 inch (suggested in the directions) by loosening the bumper bolts and prying out some brackets in the frame ends temporarily (just to get the bolts fished thru). I pushed the brackets back in after getting the bolts in place (and believe the bumper bolts will squeeze them to hold them), but I did bend some tabs that I can't get back to original. My bumper bolts on the driver side wouldn't go in far enough (hitting a cooler) to be totally flush for a completely vertical lift into place, so I had to swing it up there first, then do the passenger side. The first pair of bolt fishing went good, but then I had trouble getting the wires off the bolts (they were tight enough that the more I tried to twist them off, the tighter they gripped it). So instead of them coming off like twisting a nut off, I ended up peeling them off (with the bolts staying stationary and my peeling the wire around them). That slightly bent the wires so they were slightly bigger than the threads and while fishing the second set, the wire didn't stay in the threads and jammed the bolt in the hole a bit (but I still got them in place). So watch how you treat the fishing wires until done. I already have a winch mounted on a hitch bracket, but may use this for more things besides that.

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It wasn't fun to install by myself, but managed to do it in a few hours. Worked out great so far, I've hauled motorcycles on hitch carrier for about 2k miles so far and had no problems.

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This hitch is high quality and fit perfectly. Install was relatively easy. I needed this hitch because I tow a travel trailer and need to carry my bike rack and bikes as well. I can move the bike rack to my rear factory hitch when I'm not towing, very simple. The pictures show my truck / RV with my bike rack installed in the front hitch.

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This is the third Curt front receiver hitch I have used on vehicles. The hitch was good quality with clear instructions included. It definitely helped during installation that I had a friend and shop to do the install as the ends had to be spread a hair to slide around the frame rails. We had the hitch installed in about 20 minutes. The reason for the average rating is that this is supposed to fit the 2010 Ford F150 Raptor. Although it does fit, you cannot reinstall the skid plate without sever modifications and then, the skid plate would just be for looks. The end of the hitch also sits behind the bumper requiring me to purchase a hitch extension in order for me to install my receiver mounted winch. I bought the RM-071-1075 from etrailer in order to mount the winch. Recently I had to use the winch and had no issues with this set up doing a straight pull. When we tried to pull at a slight angle, I was afraid of exceeding the capacity of the hitch due to the extra leverage caused by the extension (big heavy Raptor on 37's buried in mud and snow). Overall I would have given the receiver hitch 5 stars if the description mentioned that there would be issues installing on a Raptor. I probably would have done a traditional bumper mounted winch but I like being able to move the winch front to back (which is how I ended getting out of the situation).

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Shipping was fast and packaged good with no scratches. I modified my 2010 Tundra skid pan for oil filter changes before mounting. Replaced all 4 OEM tow ring bolts using anti-seize with new longer M12-1.25 X 40MM class 10.9 zinc finished hex cap screws along with new M12 X 24MM OD HARD WASHERS and torqued all 4 to 79 ft/lbs. Mounted new Thule EasyFold XT 2 Hitch Bike Rack and it fits in front without using the hitch extension. All went together as planned and can now take E-Bikes with us while pulling our camper. We are happy campers!

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Fit perfectly with tow hooks on my 2016 Tundra. Had my mechanic install it and cut the hole in the skid plate. The receiver is shown with the Kuat Hi/Lo hitch extender and a bike rack.

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It installed as advertised and fits perfectly. I haven't used it yet, but it will make positioning my trailer in my backyard much easier!

Would like to just take a moment To thank etrailer for getting our draw tight front mount hitch and our swagman bike rack to us. It certainly solved our problem. For sometime we have wanted to take bikes camping with us and have not had a proper place to haul them. The camper has a molded bumper and I certainly didn't want to haul them in the camper. So my hat off to you on both products

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Thank gooness eTrailer was able to recommend a local hitch installer! Evidently somewhere along the line shipping or possibly the factory the receiver got "tweaked" and the installer couldn't easily line up the holes to install the bolts holding the receiver to the truck frame. I didn't ask about what type of "tuning" was required but suspect there were likely some hydraulics and chains involved. Great installer, without a lift and special "tuning tools" and experience, there's was NO WAY i could have installed the hitch with jack stands and conventional tools-thank you etrailer for sourcing local installers! Also I had to buy a separate ball and hitch as my rear hitch was significantly larger (and too lower in the front) when installed in the front receiver. Using a smaller hitch enabled me to easily move and disconnect from the trailer. Other than the unexpected "tweak" somewhere either in mfgr or likely shipping, I've been very pleased with the Draw-tite receiver. Excellent installation instructions with some clever installation methods.

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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

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This has been a great purchase that has enabled me to maneuver my trailer better in the space I need to park it in my backyard off a fairly narrow alley. I installed it on the front of my '98 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 V10. It is stout and secure and was not too difficult to put on. I think most of my installation issues were factors of my truck's age, or mine, but who knows. As I recall, I had to attach bolts in a particular order so that the holes would line up right and I wasn't sheering the threads. After I figured out the order it snuggled up great and feels as solid as if it were factory installed. My front plate bends a bit at the bottom to compensate for the receiver sticking out, but no so bad as it isn't readable. It does not stick out much more than the bumper so I have not run into it when walking across the front of my truck. I love it to push my trailer in to my yard and I can't wait to put a boat in the water with it. I would buy one again, if I were to ever get a different truck...but why would I do that?!

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My front mount receiver hitch for my 97 Dodge Ram came in perfect shape and in a timely manner, the installation went very smooth and instructions were very easy. Only thing I recommend is a little longer sway bar bolts would be nice, just a little hard to get started. Other than that perfect easy company to work with and shipping was great I will be using etrailer for future purchases thank you!!

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I installed this on the front of a 2018 F350. Fit an finish is great. Install was easy and directions simple to follow. Having another set of hands was very helpful, else it would be a balancing act I imagine. No drilling needed except for the cutout in the valence. My use is a cargo basket for four bikes and a kayak rack when pulling my fifth wheel. I have a receiver splitter that allows me to have both the basket and Yak rack mounted at the same time. Load up the toys and go...

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A tight fit with the bash plates on my 2023 Ford F250. I also cut a 3 inch square air dam hole instead of 3 1/2. But had to extend the top of the hole due to the slope of the dam. The hitch pin hole barely clears the air dam. The hitch pin clip will rub on the air dam.

The hitch came packaged in a double box. The outer box had some damage but the hitch did not. I read the instructions, making sure i had the correct tools, and jacked my truck up. The install took three hours as i was layiing on my back with simple hand tools. The parts all fit and i am happy with the outcome. Good price, simple instructions, good fit.

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Excellent product. Always pleased with Curt products. Quality built with easy to install video provided by etrailer. Shout out to Alex at etrailer for getting me the exact fit for my 2007 Chevy Silverado. Good job etrailer. Received with 4 days of order placement

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I installed this myself with no help and I'm rapidly approaching 70. All the parts were included. Yes, it took me a bit longer, and, yes, it wasn't fun laying on the ground or getting up and down from such positions. The hitch works as it should. Some of the bolts were a bit inaccessible for my torque wrench with the various extensions I own but I'm sure they're very tight. It works great with my snow plow. Sorry, but I have not taken any photos.

Overall everything went well. The box arrived with a few holes in it, but the hitch and all bolts were there and just a couple of minor scratches. Installation was pretty much straight forward, a little more difficult on the ground as opposed to doing it from a lift but that is generally accepted by do it yourselfers. Tool list is more extensive if you torque the bolts properly, for instance you will need a crows foot that fits your torque wrench as you can’t get a socket on a couple of the bolts. I’m a tool crazy person so that is no problem for me! I preferred the Draw-tire brand as I could put the rock and gravel Shield back on my 2010 Toyota Tacoma. Looks good fits great and etrailer.com did a great job of delivering the product at a good price. Thanks etailer.com!

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Picked this up from etrailer for a great price, so i can put a hitch-mounted winch on the front of our race tow vehicle (and perhaps use it to get the trailer into tight spots). As always with etrailer, it was delivered quick (and free!). One of the arms was just slightly bent (perhaps from shipment) so I had to whack it a couple times with a heavy hammer to get the holes to line up, but after that it fit perfectly. The little "fishing" tool included is extremely handy for installing the two bolts that need to come from inside the frame of the truck. All in all, quality is great and this particular one fits with my factory skidplate/splashguard with a small amount of trimming with some metal shears. PS - we also have stuff from etrailer on the rear end. Highly recommend anything you buy from etrailer!

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My hitch arrived quickly and my mechanic installed it in 1.5 hours for me a few days later. The factory skid plate fits nicely with 2 holes cut as a modification. His only concern is he will now have to use hand tools instead of his air tools on some bolts holding the skid plate at oil change time. But no big deal at all. I keep a 16 foot boat in my warehouse and maneuvering room is very tight. The door is narrow and there is a building across from my door that leaves very little room to maneuver my truck in. With my new front hitch I put the boat in the warehouse in less than a minute the first try. The front hitch makes it easier in 2 ways: 1) visibility-you can see what you are doing. You are closer to your work and you are looking straight at it. 2) with the trailer closer to the front wheels you can do things in tight quarters that just can't happen working with the rear hitch. Using the rear hitch the front of your truck would hit the wall of the opposite building. My only regret is not getting this ten years ago. I recommend a front hitch to anyone who needs to maneuver a trailer in tight spaces.

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Delivery was super fast, instructions and instructional video was excellent. Installed my new part in less than 40 minutes

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Install went perfectly. It all bolted up just how the instructions said it would. The hardest part was navigating your tools in the tight spaces. Having the deep sockets as suggested is definitely worth it. I was also able to utilize a cordless impact wrench and it helped a ton. This will work great for our bike rack.

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I finished installing my new front hitch a few weekends ago. All in all I'm very satisfied with the new hitch, primarily as it solved a long standing problem and the right price. The construction and fit of the hitch is excellent. It does take a bit more than an amateur to install however, so below are my comments with photos attached to help the next guy: 1.) Front bolt - The existing hole on the frame it too small to accept the new bolt. This needs to be drilled out (only with a 90 deg. Drill), or replace the existing bolts in the opposite direction...which is what I did, (photo 3). 2.) Middle bolt - The existing frame hole does not align with the hole on the hitch. You need to dry fit it and mark it and cut an approx. 1/2 - 5/8" chip out of the frame. 3.) Rear bolt - Rear bolt ends up with about a 1/4" gap between the frame and hitch. I shimmed the gap and torqued it snug. There's also no way to install the internal washer, without losing your sanity. I eliminated it and used a vise grip on the bolt end as I tighten the nut. Additionally, you have to remove the bumper kicker brace to install this rear bolt. Once the hitch is up, there is again no way to reinstall that kicker brace without disassembling the whole assembly at the bumper. My problem with that was that my existing bolt were old and rusty and probably won't come off or go back on easily. Instead, I fabricated an extension bracket and reassemble that kicker brace just above the new bolt (photo 2). - Photo 1: Before install, after removing lower spoiler - Photo 4: After install, before cutting and reinstalling lower spoiler

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2001 2500 sport fit on the frame was perfect with no drilling. Had to notch the cover and metal support at the bottom but would rather that than hang to low.

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Installing onto my 2014 Silverado 1500 was a breeze. The only thing that caught me off guard was that I needed to cut a portion from the center of my splash guard for the rear bracket to be able to mount. I was only expecting to trim/remove the air dam as etrailer explained in the item description, which I still had to do. Other than that it was a perfect fit and I'm happy with the results. I plan to use this for a snow plow, winch, and many more interchangeable items for it.

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I installed this front hitch by myself on a 2016 Chevy Suburban in about 3.5 hours with no floor jack. I use it to carry my mountain bikes when we are towing the trailer. The hitch sits 8.25” off the ground and extends out past the air dam about 3.5”. Once installed, the hitch is not very noticeable. A couple notes on the install: 1. The most difficult part is figuring out where to make the hole in the splash shield for the rear mounting point. I removed the splash shield and determined roughly where to cut a 1.5” hole based on the existing holes in the cross member. 2. To cut the air dam, I drilled small holes the the corners then used a utility knife to score and cut out the section. 3. I mounted the rear point first which gave me leverage to install the front easier. 4. The tape method for the 9/16 hardened washer and cone washer did not work for me. I had to finagle them into position as I was tightening the bolts (huge pain) 5. I had 4 extra 9/16 hardened washers. These are apparently supplied in case you need additional washers to fill the gap in the frame. I am very satisfied with this product and would definitely recommend it to others.

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How it was received; either is was mail destroyed or UPS did this in the process. No telling what parts are missing, waiting for UPS to come pick this and E-Trailer to send out replacement. I thought these product would be packaged better from the factory for shipping resilience.

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Of the many hitch receivers I have purchased, the front mounted ones have never failed to surprise me of their usefulness! From bike racks, to carrier for coolers, to my chainsaws, gas and oil, they make it work. Recently while cutting wood for a hunting lease engagement, I put a second ball on the front and used it to drive a 16' trailer up a hill to get the wood where it was needed for offloading. Backing it up had resulting in damaged trucks, trailers and numerous attempts. Using the front hitch it was a one and done deal! Love it! I have even used it to pull trees over when felling. I don't have enough fingers and toes to count the uses! If you have ever thought about it, just stop and order! You won't regret it!

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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!

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VERY Easy install - not quite centered but that's no biggie - Used it already to fine tune the travel trailer into it's tight parking space. Also will be used for carhauler/utility trailer parking and canoe hauling and bike hauling and winch mount - Multi use deal! ; )

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Work great, was easy to install, instruction that it came with weren't great, but video online helped. Going to use it for a bike rack and Winch. There was some scratches on the hitch when I received it, I think you need to rethink you packaging, putting metal on metal and wrapping it Saran wrap just doesn't keep it from rubbing, I will have to touch it up. Thanks for the fast shipping.

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My front hitch for my 2008 Tacoma got to me within 3 days very fast service. I installed it in 30 minutes and was able to put the front skid plate back on without doing any other changes to it. Very good product. I will be using it to put my rod rack on front of truck to use it at the outer banks of North Carolina for surf fishing this coming fall. Thanks for a very good hitch.

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