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Easily attach a variety of accessories to the front of your Ford Expedition with this fully welded, corrosion-resistant trailer hitch receiver. Perfect for winches, spare tire carriers and more.
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Specs:
At etrailer.com we're committed to the products we sell, and to our customers. Our experienced and knowledgeable staff are available via both phone and email to address your questions and concerns for the lifetime of your hitch. The technicians at etrailer perform hitch installations on a daily basis, making them a valuable resource for do-it-yourselfers. The one-on-one, personal service you'll receive comes straight from an expert in the towing and automotive field. We've installed it, we've wired it and we've towed with it, so whatever your question, we can answer it.
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This started when I had to buy a new/used truck last fall and it needed to have some upgrade improvements in the towing package wiring system that I require, because I have learned to be very particular and solve a lot of problems before they develop. If you will check my purchases from your company you will see that the first purchase was for some electronic items that I determined years ago were wise on a prime mover (towing vehicle). Trailers are notorious for being piles of problems in the wiring department and the best move I could make was to install circuit breakers in the system, and not on each trailer but on my vehicle. No one is allowed to attach any trailer plug on my truck except in the breaker box. NO EXCEPTIONS. This prevents the trailer from blowing the fuses in the truck. All connections are made with solder on connections. Nothing clamp on as they will work loose and corrode thus not working. My truck presently has three trailer connectors a Round Pin 7 pin, a Round Pin 6 Pin and a 4 pin. All connect through the Circuit Breaker Box. This box is not water proof but is water resistant so the circuits are well protected from reasonable weather. I have my eye on a Trailer Brake in your line and I was pleased when I read the instructions and learned that there should be and was a line installed at the factory for the Brake and one for the Auxillary power to the 6 and 7 pin plugs and so simple to tap into either with solder connections or using the adapter listed. For me the equipment and the instructions make the job so easy to accomplish that it just is not necessary to go to some (Professional).
My hitch arrrived yesterday evening along with the instructions and the rain. Sorry I am 70 and do not roll around on the ground in the rain so the front end hitch is not installed yet. Having read the instructions and previously looked at the frame I feel confident that the 30-60 minutes install time will be very close to right, even for an old dude. This hitch will be used to move a Boy Scout trailer into and out of some tight places when going camping with our Troop. The lock is a lock which you have to have.
Your company:The customer service has been exceptional and I have been kept advised of the status of my orders in a timely manner. I would say this is a 5 star company.
Keep up the good work.
2003 F-150 4X4 Lariat. I accomplished installation alone in about 1 hour as a complete newbie. Here are my tips:
1. Read instructions and other comments ahead of time.
2. Spray the tow hook bolts a day or two ahead of time with a penetrating oil spray.
3. There is nothing to hold the factory nut plate (inside the frame rail) when the tow hook bolts are removed. After I removed the first tow hook bolt and loosened the other one for some "working room), I threaded a thin piece of flexible wire through the bolt hole and nut plate, out another nearby hole on the side of the frame rail and twisted it together to keep the factory nut plate in position. Then, I removed the second tow hook bolt and the tow hook. Leave the flexible wire in place for now. Do the same on both sides of the vehicle.
4. You have to temporarily remove the tow hooks completely but I did not have to remove any other trim / fascia.
5. The fish wire is essential. I passed the empty threaded portion of the fish wire through the bolt hole for the new bolt from below and advanced it toward the front of the vehicle. There is enough room once it comes out of the front of the frame rail to thread on the new bolt ... with the new nut plate included ... then pull it into the inside of the frame rail behind the bumper fascia ... then wiggle / "jimmy" it back until it drops into position.
6. Once the new bolt / nut plate was in position, I used a few drops of super glue to tack the nut plate into position through another nearby square hole where the new nut plate was visible. Do the same on both sides of the vehicle.
7. I used a hydraulic floor jack to position the receiver under the vehicle. A little metal lip at the center of the receiver fit right into the notches on the cup of the jack.
8. I carefully raised the receiver into position with the jack. I started a little bit toward the back of the vehicle. This let the front lip of the receiver slide forward into the fascia opening for the tow hook. Once the front of the receiver was through that, I lined it up, raised it and the new bolts (with the super-glued nut plates inside the frame rail) came through the receiver mounting holes perfectly. I put the two new nuts on the two new bolts "finger tight".
9. I raised the receiver a little further but leaving a few mm of space between the front of the receiver and the frame rail ... where the flexible wire mentioned above was coming out. The holes should line up at this point. Leave the flexible wire in place for now.
10. Use one hand to hold the tow hook in position. Thread one of the original tow hook bolts through the the tow hook, the receiver, the hole in the frame WITHOUT the flexible wire and into the nut plate inside the frame rail "finger tight". This will "grab" the factory nut plate inside the frame rail. Now, you can untwist / pull out the flexible wire through the other tow bolt hole and thread that bolt as well. Repeat the process for the other side of the vehicle.
11. Now, all 6 bolts / nuts are threaded in position "finger tight". Tighten / torque them sequentially ... and you're done!
The Curt front hitch is great. However, I received the hitch without the necessary fish wire. So, the one hour installation took me three hours.
went in easy. sturdy/heavy part. Customer service was wonderful in getting me the correct part, after i initially ordered the wrong one. thank you for all your help!
Installed this hitch on my 2000 Ford F150 4x4. It fit perfectly. No facia needed to be removed and no frame drilling was necessary. I simply removed the tow hooks and skid plate and bolted up the hitch and reinstalled the tow hooks. I notched the edges of the skid plate to clear the hitch frame (small angle grinder worked fine for this) and reinstalled the skid plate. Installation was simple and straight forward. The attached pictures may be a little dark but I attempted to show the hitch tucked up against the factory facia.
Daniel C.
2/16/2021
I have had this for about a year and have used it numerous times. It works great. Wish I would have installed it years ago.
Product fit as it should. Was very easy to install, I did not need to modify anything, just bolt it on!. It fit my winch just fine, looks as though any winch receiver mount will fit just fine. Very sturdy, good welds, solid design. Only downside is that it does decrease your approach angle (if you are a off road guy)... but not by much. etrailer.com was very helpful with my questions, and their answers were accurate.
Steve
10/25/2018
Still mounted, not rusted, looks brand new still. Only used it a few times and it did its job just fine.
I got to say I'm one of the picky shoppers. I must see all reviews thoroughly, check it out from every angle and see multiple pictures before even being convinced to buy something online. I'm a welder and I was thinking about fabricating my own. After considering all the time for mounting breaking ,the plates drilling slotted holes. Steel price and then powder coating. This right here was an absolute supreme option all the work is done guaranteed to fit. So I took the Gamble and bought it and are not disappointed with their quality. Just like everything says I put it together in 45 minutes me and my 13 year old son. It is quite heavy lifting overhead to bolt up. Recommend having another person help you lift one side while fastening the bolt. The hardest part was getting the bolt to go through the sq punch out with the spring coil wire attachment that pulls the bolt through the frame. End result I'm extremely happy I did not have to cut any plastics or modify anything on my truck whatsoever. My truck is a 2001 Ford F-150 four-wheel drive crew cab. Now I have me my 9,000 lb winch on the front of my truck.
Perfect fit thank you
The delivery was excellent. All four packages arrived early. Curt instructions were not clear for my f150. The third bolt spreader was too short but I got it tighten down. The only thing Curt needs to tell you is to insert something in the front hole of eye. It keeps the spreader in line while installing the hitch.
Fit perfectly, easy to install. The fish wire is brilliant! Very stout receiver, good welds and paint. No modifications required on my 2001 F-150 4x4 crew cab. Bought it to move my camper around and for a winch when I am off road.
Fit perfect. Exactly what I wanted. Tha nks
My factory bolts were not long enough to reach through the tow hooks and the tow hitch mounting plate. I left the tow hooks off for now until I purchase longer bolts. Other wise it fits fine.
Great hitch, fast shipping, easy installation. On my truck I did have to notch a steel protective plate so the hitch would fit. Not a big deal. I'd definitely order from etrailer again!
Scott O.
1/21/2019
Im still satisfied, thanks!
The front hitch was everything I was expecting. The order process was easy and quick. The hitch showed up in just a few days and was ready for installation. It was obviously well made and solid. The instructions were straight forward and easy to follow. It took me (alone) about 45 minutes to install the hitch behind my pull hooks. And some of that time was spent trying to get the screws and bolts out of the old 2003 truck. I used a small floor jack to lift it up and wiggle into place. Worked very well. Even the bottom skirt fit back on nicely. Obviously on the front, this doesn't get a long haul evaluation. But it has been great around the yard with my short yard trailer. The front hitch does reduce your front end angle of climb some (it will dig in), but not real bad.
I think this hitch is top notch and the instalation kit made the install really easy like
I dont have any actual use data for this review. I purched a HF 12K winch i wanted to use occasionally on the front of my 2001 Expedition but the HF mount was such that the setup required an 8" extension to clear the Expedition big front bumper assembly. I deemed "that" array as too weak and wobbly to support the 80pound winch. I'm 100% sure the CURT receiver is more than adequate for the task, its the extension I have questions about.
This was the easiest purchase i have ever made. Customer service was top shelf. Product fit right in place no problem at all. Looks
just like photo on net. Installing was a breeze. Fit was perfect, also made in the usa, even better! This will make using my winch and other items very ez.
Dewayne S.
1/27/2015
this product works and performs above my expectations I have put it through some real tests I used it for when seeing many cars out during a snowstorm also my friends out of mud and moving trailers around it works very well its built very well and it installed as easy as they had shown. I have no complaints with this from receiver hitch it is awesome I would recommend it and have to my friends.
thanks was a perfect fit and delivered on time
Tha product is easy to install with the directions . This was my third truck to put a front hitch on and all worked well.
Scott J.
2/19/2023
Still working great. No problem. I had one on my other truck and the corners cracked. I got another one and sold the truck with it . I have actually purchased 3 front hitches over a 5 year period . All easy to install.
Etrailer shipped to me in less than a week (In a really big box).
I bought this hitch to maneuver my travel trailer into camping spots more easily. I installed the hitch yesterday. It fit perfectly. I removed the trim piece on the front end of my pickup but later found out I didn't have to. Took me about a half hour to finish. The fish wire is really cool.
It sits about four inches lower than the rear hitch so I got another ball mount to use on the front that's the right height. This is going to make 'backing' so easy!
Before purchasing this item I read some of the reviews about it. One reviewer said it only took him 30 minutes to install. Being handy, mechanically inclined, I was hoping I would be one of those. Well it took me about 2 hours but that was because of multiple things....1) I was doing it by myself, a little hard to handle by yourself, 2) I thought I had to remove the lower 1 1/2" aero trim, you don't but I started to, 3) I have only used a fish once before in my life, after I did the 1st bolt I figured out how to do the 2nd one easier/quicker.
It really shouldn't take you 2 hours, you are only talking about 6 bolts, maybe an hour on average. I suggest reading ALL the directions BEFORE starting, having someone to help you, unpack the parts taped to the front of the hitch before installing and also, feed the fish wire "backwards" so to speak....feed it in the hole the bolt will go thru first then out the end of the box frame, much easier than the other way.
It was truly easy and I could probably do another one in 30 minutes now....it's not hard. If you need a front receiver hitch I would recommend this one if it fits your vehicle.
Hitch works great but required some cutting of plastic bumper trim to install.. had to cut out around the tow rings on 99 f150. If you don't have tow rings or hooks already installed, you will need to buy mounting clips. Much cheaper to go to junkyard and get.
You could improve your communications on shipping. No one knew how it was shipped or when it would be here until it was on the truck delivery yesterday.
James
6/26/2022
Just fine
Trailer hitch is perfect for moving hitchable items around the property. Works great with my winch also. Very stout and installation was a breeze. I also remember I received it very quickly. Love it, use it all the time. Great company that I would recommend highly!
Very Fast Shipping, Very Good Price, Hitch was easy to install! Excellent transaction.
Tyler M.
12/11/2018
Still great after one year, no issues, definitely would do over again!
So far, I'm very pleased with both the buying process and the product...and I have high expectations, as this looks like a high quality product. First off, delivery was promised for Friday and it arrived on Thursday...nice to have a day early! So, when the rain let up for a couple of hours today, I figured I'd see if I could do it before going into work. I followed the instructions included, using my socket sets and a torque wrench. On my '03 F-150 4wd Crew Cab, I removed the little (worthless) plastic skirt, and then used a metric socket to remove the tow loops. The fish wire is perfect to place the new bolts & lock plate in the frame (just rearward of where the tow loops mount). I use medium strength (blue) threadlocker on my motorcycle, so put some on the six mounting bolts for good measure. I used a motorcycle floor jack to raise the Curt receiver, threaded the nuts onto the new bolts, and re-mounted the tow loops with the stock bolts -- I made the fasteners finger-tight, so all would self-align easily. As I said, the Ford stock bolts are metric, but the bolts provided with the Curt receiver are SAE, so you'll need that socket set, too (normal for a Ford). Anyway, once all was snug, I tightened them to 45 ft-lbs (new Curt bolts) and 70 ft-lbs (larger tow loop mounting bolts). All done in about an hour, with plenty of time to clean tools, shower & head off to the salt mine. All-in-all, it went pretty easily. I'm looking forward to using this new receiver to help me move the RV & horse trailers I often move about, as well as an easier-to-use front tow hook when I off-road, etc. Thanks, etrailer, for the great service and very competitive price! p.s. If this allows, I'll post pics later.
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David G.
10/17/2024
A year has gone by and going strong! It allows me to pull my pop-up camper and load my bikes on the front of the vehicle. Its also handy to use as a pusher to place the trailer into a tight space with full forward visibility.