/
Curt/
Frame Mount Hitch/
22 - 72 Inch Wide Frame/
350 lbs TW/
Bolt-On/
Weld-OnItem # 13703
Retail:$438.78
Our Price: $246.95
You Save: $191.83This item qualifies for Free Shipping
Adjustable trailer receiver hitch designed for use on RVs can be bolted to the vehicle frame or welded on for a no-drill application. Powder coated steel is sturdy and corrosion resistant.
Features:
Specs:
Notes:
Installation Details 
Video of Adjustable Width Trailer Hitch Receiver for RVs, 22" to 72" Wide
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Speaker 1: Today on this 2017 Forest River Rockwood Mini Lite Trailer, we're going to review and install the adjustable width trailer hitch receiver for RVs, part number 13703. This is what the hitch looks like when it's installed on the back of our RV, here. Notice, it does sit pretty far back, due to the construction of the trailer. With our opening, right here, we got plenty of room between the bumper and the hitch. That will give us a lot of room for any accessories you put into the hitch.As you can see, here, a customer has another hitch mounted to this tube, right here. However, the problem he's running into is that his accessory is too heavy and it's actually twisting his bumper as he goes up and down the road.
This is a very good replacement for that problem.The weight capacity on our hitch is going to be rated for 350 pounds, which the weight pushing down on the hitch, like here. If this was on a motorhome, you could actually use this for pulling a trailer, and it's got a pull weight of 3500 pounds. I'll give you some measurements that will help you out in selecting some accessories. From of the receiver opening, down to the ground, will be about 19 inches, and from the center of the hitch pin hole, to the edge of the bumper, not counting the spare tire, if you have one, is going to be about nine inches.Now, our hitch is going to be a universal fit. It does require some drilling, in fact, you're going to drill about eight holes, counting both sides, and then two more for the hitch to your brackets.
This is a universal fit, so you can also use this on other recreational vehicles or motorhomes. You can see on our trailer here, this works quite nicely with the I-beam construction of a trailer frame. On other trailers, if you try this out, this will work on C-channel frames as well as box frames, as well.The first part of our install is we have to get underneath the RV, and there's an under panel at the very bottom, you have to remove to get out of way, so you have easy access to the frame on the inside. These screws that hold the panel in place require a three-eighths socket. We'll remove them all the way across, taking this piece off.
Now we'll make our way down the side of the frame, removing these fasteners. Now these fasteners are using a Phillips head bit, so it comes off pretty easy. There's a mixture of fasteners on this trailer. Sometimes the fastener they're using here is just actually just shot into the steel, so you have to break the head of it and reinstall a new fastener in a relatively close area to it.We'll continue on, going all the way down the side, probably about three or four foot. We'll do this on both sides of the trailer.
We have this fitting, right here, that we have to loosen up. It's just got some screws holding it in place, as well. We'll be using a three-eighths socket to remove them, and we'll temporarily move this out of the way. We'll take this panel, now that it's loose, and we'll simply push it down and out of the way.Let's take one of our brackets, that come with the hitch, and do a quick test fit to see if there's anything in the way. We'll look at the passenger side. This bracket is intended to sit up on the inside edge of the I-beam, here. We'll hold it up against it and then slide it back as far as we can, to give you an idea where it's going to mount up at. We got plenty of room, here, on a passenger side. On our driver's side, here, we got the wire harness in the way. So I'm going to use a three-eighths socket one more time to remove it.We'll just let that stay loose, for now, and leave it just like that. We'll double-check with our bracket to make sure it fits okay. Okay, it looks like we've got plenty of room to install it. Let's grab the center section of our hitch and put it loosely into the end brackets. We're just going to slide them in loosely, just like that, for now. We'll do the other side, as well. Let's take our hitch down and grab an extra set of hands. We'll carefully pick it up, slide the brackets into the frame, and make sure it doesn't come off the center section, and we'll clamp it in place using some clamps. There.Now, when you put this up there, we'll try to slide it as far to the back as possible. If you look on the outside edge of the frame, you'll see this gusset, here. This may get in the way of the holes that you drill for the hitch to come out this way. To make room for that gusset, I'm going to take the hitch and scoot it back about one inch. Still get us pretty close to the gusset, but still have enough room for hardware. Once we're satisfied of the position of the hitch on our trailer, we'll go ahead, and mark, and drill our holes out, here. I'm going to use a 17-32nd drill bit, which will help us center it best into the existing holes of the hitch.Just enough to find our center, I'll drill my pilot hole. The pilot hole could be anything, like a quarter inch, or so, like that. Then come back at it with the same bit. With one hole drilled out, to make things a little bit safer, so I don't have to rely on the clamps anymore, I'll go ahead and put some hardware, one on each side. We're going to use the supplied carriage bolt, the block, put it through, and on the other side, we'll get another block and a flange nut. I'm going to repeat this process for the remaining holes going into the side of the frame. We'll end up having to orient our blocks, like this, to make sure that they don't overlap each other, as well as, make room for our gusset, right here, too.All my hardware on the side plates now loose and installed, so we can still maneuver the center section of the hitch, left and right, so we can center it on our trailer. Once you have it centered the way you want it, I also measured on the outside edge to bracket, to those hanging out a little bit, make sure that's even, as well. Once that's settled up, going towards the bracket, here, you see four holes. There's one, two, you can see right here, three and four. We're going to use two of these four holes, on each side, to install our hardware. We'll mark and drill our holes before. We'll drill it out with a quarter inch bit, back to our 17-32nds bit, all the way through the tube, here. We'll use this on here, and I'm going to use one on the bottom, as well.We have one piece of hardware installed, right here. I'll show you how I do it. We use the supplied bolt leader. I'll push it through the hole and out the end of the hitch. Take one of our blocks, slide it into place, and take our bolt, thread that on. Take the bolt, this is the trick, slide that onto the bolt and then make sure it stays ahead of the bolt as you rotate it pushing in. As long as it stays at the head of bolt, you can barely get this through. Again, our block will go into place, and then our nut. We're done with our passenger side, and repeat all of this hardware, exactly the same, over on the driver's side.With all our hardware installed, now we can go ahead and tighten down the bolts. We'll use a three-quarter inch socket and then torque them down, as specified in the instructions. Last thing we need to do is put this underbelly panel back into place. I roughly did about four inches wide by, about, 15 inches long cut, and I'll tip it over the tube of the hitch and put it back in place. This part will make room for this part. Reinstall our fasteners, working our way towards the back. Don't forget to put our line back up into place. We'll work all the way around and we'll be good to go.That will finish it for the adjustable width trailer hitch receiver for RVs, part number 13703, on this 2017 Forest River Rockwood Mini Lite Trailer.
Average Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (170 Customer Reviews)
Adjustable trailer receiver hitch designed for use on RVs can be bolted to the vehicle frame or welded on for a no-drill application. Powder coated steel is sturdy and corrosion resistant.Very well made. Heavy duty. Took some modifications to bolt onto I beam of my 5th wheel. The ledge of I-beam wasn't as deep as the bracket so therefore I had to install with a few less bolts. Appears that it should still be strong & hope to give it a try by towing our golf cart behind camper in the next few days. Takes some time and numerous drill bits to get the job done. 715046
After figuring out how to mount this hitch on our camper it was evident that it would not bolt up to the existing brackets. We dropped the underbelly and ground off the brackets existing on the trailer and had a welder come in and weld the brackets that came with the hitch on the trailer! We are very pleased with the hitch. We are going to use it for our bike rack and maybe later something heavier! 703203
Item allows me to pull trailer behind camper.i can make one trip to the campground. 658911
I installed on my new 5th wheel to pull a motorcycle trailer. Very heavy duty, finish is holding up nicely. Fitting onto RV was easy and all parts went together nice. I recommend! 446297
Got it pronto. Just what I needed to feel safe pulling my bass boat. Very good quality and strong. Installed on a 2011 Rockwood 30' 8280 WS. The only modification was to move stabilizer jacks forward 3". 258430
I received my Hitch in only a few days after ordering and all the parts were in the box! I am 72yrs. and rather slow so it took me a few hours each day for several days to get the hitch fully installed on my Artic Wolf 5th wheel RV. The 72 inch wide hitch fit fine and looks excellent. I had no parts left over so I'm good to go. NOTE; the carriage bolt and square hole spacer system worked great for installing some of the hitch bolts inside my "box beam" where access was limited. 556020
I like the product but the mounting flanges wouldn't work on my trailer. On each side of the trailer I beam there are the jacks, a bottoming out scrape protector, and then the black water tank. These are all fastened on the inside. If the flanges could mount on the outside it would work. While they can be reversed, then they stick out wider then the i beam and are too far apart to attach the main body tube as they are now wider then 72". What I am doing is welding a 1/4: 6x9 plate to the main bottom tube and then will bolt this to the bottom of trailer i beam. If I can edit my review, I will attach photos of the issue for me and my solution after it is done. Overall, I am still happy with the product. It would have taken more time and money to design my own and then take it to a weld shop. If I was able to weld myself, then I would have built a custom hitch. 469590
A lot longer than an hour to install and my son is still not done. 435557
Received the hitch in 3 days. Welded it on in about two hours. Fit perfectly on my 1999 Jayco trailer. 214581
This is the 3rd one of these I've put on my trailers. The first one I had welded on and it worked great. The 2nd one was my next rv and I bolted that one on and towed an additional trailer behind it with no issues either. The one I just bought will be installed on my new 5th wheel so I can tow my golf cart behind THIS trailer now too. I'm actually cutting off the factory installed 2 inch receiver to install this one in its place because I'm more confident in this one for towing than the beefy one installed by the factory. Great product! Fast shipping! Easy to install provided you have a drill, bits for steel, and a torque wrench. 575786
Arrived as ordered. Very easy to read instructions. The pieces fit together well. The quality is great. Looks great on my RV. Highly recommended. etrailer.com was an easy to use app and customer service is the best 602373
Quality product. Was shipped very fast. Installed it myself with help from a jack and C-clamp. Looking forward to hooking up the boat and go fishing. Thanks 636274
I am reviewing the Curt Adjustable RV Hitch (13703). I purchased the Curt Adjustable RV Hitch for my Fifth Wheel Durango camper. I want to thank the etrailer staff for their assistance with this purchase and especially Kim who did some research on it to answer my questions. This is the third purchase I have made from etrailer.com and I'm always impressed with the assistance and technical information I receive from the staff. I received the hitch very promptly and in good condition. This hitch is a very sturdy hitch in my opinion. I did not find installation instructions with the product when I received it, so I went to the etrailer.com website and found the installation instructions on the product's etrailer webpage, ready to download, which I did. The installation of the hitch required more than the 60 minutes listed on the instructions page. I bolted the hitch on a box frame support under the fifth wheel, which took much longer than welding it on. I would suggest using a half-inch drill as a three-eights drill is just not heavy enough. Using C-clamps, I clamped the hitch in the correct position. I had to drill a couple of extra holes on each end of the hitch brackets due to the proximity of the manufactured holes to the edge of the box frame I was bolting it to. The bolts used are not what is listed on the parts list, which is one-half inch by 2 inches long. The bolts are actually two and one-quarter inches long, which made them too long to place inside the box frame support and be pulled through the drilled holes. I had to cut about three-eighths inch (or four threads) off of each bolt (12 in all) that was placed inside the box frame to be pulled through the frame bracket. These same bolts (4 bolts/2 on each end) also would not work when placed inside the main body tube which was bolted into the frame bracket. Trimming these bolts is what took so much time to complete the project. There is a unique way used to pull the bolts from inside the box frame support through all the drilled holes using a "fishwire'. My hitch came with two fishwires which are used by placing through the drilled holes, screwing the bolts into the wire, and pulling the bolt (with square hole spacer) through the hole from the inside of the box frame support. This process would have been much easier if I had had two inch bolts. The instructions also note that the bolts have to be torqued to 110 ft-lbs. But, it is now mounted to my fifth wheel securely and I am very happy with the hitch and how it fits my camper. Again, thanks to Kim for helping me with questions about the hitch before I purchased it. 462932
Product as advertised. However, packaging was damaged and half of the hardware was missing. Contacted customer service and company will mail missing hardware. 456351
Working great!
JOSE R - 12/01/2018Item arrived as scheduled and just as described, who can ask for anything more. Installation was as easy as directions portrayed except for the ab workout that comes along with drilling the holes, haha. 185087
Great add on to my Alpine 5th wheel . Can now haul the bikes using a hitch bike rack instead of hanging them on the ladder. The hitch looks factory installed. Love it. 554505
The product, shipping and customer service were great. Don't expect this to be a 1 hour job though unless everything is prepped. I installed on a Jayco 243 5er with a boxed frame. Some trimming of water tank cover required. Also found on this 2 in wide frame that trimming the bolts by 3/8 in. helped in fishing the bolts through. One person install, just a little longer than planned. Good heavy duty unit. 129031
Excellant. 10000 miles towing a jeep with no problems. Highly recommend this product.
Paul S - 05/08/2015Hello PaulI also happen to have a Jayco 243 RKS 5er. Mine is a 1998. My water tank is located at rear of trailer.I am concerned that the water tank would pose a problem for install. Since the frame a is a box style, wouldnt the bolts have to be 3-4 long to pass through box frame? Do you have any pics and suggestions on the install? If you could email me some pics or post them to your post that would be much appreciated.Thanks!!!
-- comment by: Chuck N - 03/08/2016Chuck N.The bolts do not go all the way through the frame, only the outside. The bolts are fished through a hole you will drill with a hole saw on the inside at the rear of the water tank. A special fish tool is included. The demo video and instructions cover it pretty well. Also note on my original review that cutting a small amount off the bolts will facilitate fishing them through. With a little wrestling I was able to do it by by myself but a helper would be nice. Preferably someone with some mechanical experience. Good luck and be sure to pre read the instructions.Paul
-- comment by: Paul S - 03/14/2016Install went smoothly, had to relocate the manual scissor jacks that are used to level the RV. Receiver hitch was heavy duty with quality bolting hardware included. 423075
The receiver hitch could not have fit better if it had been custom made for my fifth wheel. Every part was right on, even the lock washer for the bolts were ingenious Thank you. Also orderd and received a wiring harness for my RV and it was perfect 141795
Great No Problems
Mike S - 07/17/2015Mike,Did your Fifth Wheel RV have a box frame or a I-beam frame? If a I-Beam frame was it hard to install?ThanksRobert
-- comment by: Robert - 11/09/2015Good product; not so good installation instructions. Bolt length a bit long; access hole of 1.5 inches a bit narrow making it almost impossible to fish bolts through 2 X 4 rectangular tubing. I was a bit at fault in not checking the dimensions of the side plates. If the hitch is installed as indicated, realize that trailer clearance will be drastically reduced. 135039
pics 436376
Really like the hitch. Love the positive lock system, no question if its hooked and locked. Id buy it again every time
Randy C - 09/25/2018THIS IS POSSIBLY THE ONLY WAY TO PUT A HITCH ON A FIFTH WHEEL. IT FIT LIKE IT WAS MADE FOR IT. I USE IT TO TRAILER MY HARLEY AND IT WORKS GREAT. I AM NOT AFRAID OF IT FALLING OFF DOWN THE ROAD. GREAT HITCH!!! 258058
Like so many other that have written a review on this product......I have no complaints. The hitch is massive and I know will do the job intended. Just make sure you have four to five good sharp drill bits and use the step approach in drilling the holes. I was by myself using jacks and c-clamps to assemble the hitch but only took about 2 1/2 hours. With two people, could probably reduce that time. Overall, completely satisfied. 462910
Excellent heavy duty hitch. I mounted it on a 2012 Flagstaff Classic 5th wheel and it works great. 495728
Just received the hitch haven't installed it yet but looks like it's going to work. I was shocked when it showed up in two days, never had that fast of delivery. As soon as I can get it installed I'll update this review with pictures. I can say it is of solid construction and made to last, thought my wife would never get it in the garage. Again Wow on the delivery. 223330
I was going to install the hitch on my 2005 21 foot Ameri-lite trailer today. I watched your video on installing the hitch on a similar trailer so I had a good idea of how to proceed. Problem #1: The frame on my trailer is 2X4 box tubing. I believe the mounts are for a 2X6 box frame. I have about 1.5 inches of my side mounts below the bottom of the frame. Problem #2: It is a tight fit to get the drivers side frame mount in position because of the sewer dump. I had to remove the stabilizer legs to attempt the install. This was not a problem as I intended to replace them with jacks anyway. Since I never intend to tow double this is to be used for a luggage rack for my generator and other items. I believe for my purposes I can have a machine shop remove the 1.5 inches from the top so the mounts will fit the frame solidly. I will also have them drill a hole between the two already in place and remove a small portion of the left mount to allow for the sewer line. The rear bumper is light channel iron and I felt a bumper hitch was pushing my luck which is why I ordered this unit.?????????????????????????????? 595500
I was very pleased with the ordering process, the very quick delivery date, and the installation process. Although I did have to relocate my stabilizer jacks about 4 inches, this was no real issue. The hitch fit like a glove and I was able to install it myself. It took me a little longer than most others because I'm 68 yrs old and also have Parkinson's Disease. So If I can install it, I figure most anyone can. I've included a picture. Thanks etrailer for a great experience. 443026
Its been a year since I installed this hitch. Ive pulled my boat several times with no issues. Great hitch and also - NO RUST.
Larry C - 10/16/2018I installed this hitch on the rear of my 2017 BigHorn fifth wheel. This hitch is really designed for installation on a motorhome, but worked quiet nicely being installed between the I-beams at the rearmost of my fifth wheel. We've mainly used it to carry a bike rack, but have used it to pull a boat twice and plan to pull a cargo trailer with motorcycles soon. The only down side to this hitch is that the weight rating is rather low (3500#) and the short non-adjustable length receiver needs an extension in order to project the hitch far enough out from under the trailer to make it usable. 496583
Although its designed to be used on a RV, the Curt 13703 can be used on your Ram, as long as you observe the 3500 lb towing/350 lb tongue weight capacity. Keep in mind that using a hitch extender will lower the capacity of the hitch by half.
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Mike L - 04/16/2018This is the closest receiver hitch I can come to that will fit my travel trailer. I can't use it the way it shows on the web site due to a fresh water tank in between the I beams there. I will modify the mounting brackets and have it welded to my frame by a pro to ensure it stays without any problems. 389534
I have hauled my carrier attached to my camper several times with this hitch and it is perfect. Love the quality and its ridgidity. I mounted it on my 2015 Jayco and it looks like it came on it from the factory.
Herman S - 06/06/2018Installation photos 464336
This product is high quality and solid Well designed and fit frame like a glove. Easy for a do it yourselfer 726223
Great quality! It wouldn’t have taken so long if we didn’t have to move the jack stabilizers first. I am very impressed with the look and feel of the motorcycle carrier as well as the adjustable hitch. Fit perfectly. Love it. My son is stoked. 724810
Works great. Shipping box was damaged and several small items must have fallen out. etrailer made it right by shipping the missing parts right away. Excellent customer service! 719249
As usual you did it again excellent service delivery and product. I have bought alot from you over the years and always the same out come EXCELLENT thanks for everything. 715328
Very good quality. Fit correctly. I would recommend this product. 715059
Delivered fast , hitch works great. Had to remove 4” bumper and raise 1” to clear receiver 698994
Well designed and high quality product. I mounted it on a Cougar 5th wheel (I-Beam frame) using the supplied bolts rather than welding. etrailer shipping was timely and box arrived via UPS in good condition with all the hardware and no damage. 696551
Fast shipping. Good company to order from over the internet. Parts fit as expected. This adjustable hitch fit great on back of my 5th wheel. 695614
The hitch arrived early, the transaction was fast and simple the product is well built and looks very strong. Will work great for pulling my M. C. trailer behind my travel trailer. 692980
Overall I am satisfied with the receiver hitch. I faced a few challenges installing the hitch. Mostly to due with the location of the bolt holes and the width of the lock nuts. I had to trim the lock nuts to clear the available space. It was an exercise of trial and error. I use the hitch to tow my 2,300 lbs. 16' Deep-V fishing boat behind my 5th wheel. The receiver has performed perfectly. 692164
Great hitch 686639
Takes more than an hour to install. Took 2 of us around 3 hrs by the time we got holes drilled and the wiring done. Was easy to install with 2 people. We are using it to tow either at trailer for a Ranger 4 wheeler and supplies or a boat and trailer. This hitch went on our 5th wheel camper which is 36 ft long. Hauled the Ranger and supplies from Northern Iowa to Utah and back without any problems. Trailer trailed perfectly. I would suggest getting the ball receiver after installation as you might need one that is longer than a standard one. I would recommend buying this manufactured unit as it is certified and rated for load capacity so you don't have to worry. 683082
Great product and even greater service! By the time I hung up the phone, the shipment was at my door. Ok, just kidding, but the trailer hitch did arrive in only a couple days and that's the kinds of service everyone enjoys. Thanks Rose. Pete 680441
Quality product that came super fast! The brackets didn’t work for my application but was still able to weld it to the frame and have it work. Thanks for a great product and fast shipping at a good price 669850
This hitch is as good as they get. Great workmanship. And it got delivered very quickly. Thank you etrailer for a job well done! 669081
Very happy with my purchase! 668206
Just finished the install and all went well. This is one sturdy hitch. Helped my friend put his in, ordered mine and today he helped me. 666119
The Curt hitch I installed on my 5th wheel works great ! 665163
The Curt hitch was better than I expected and was very easy to install myself with help from a friend. I was shocked at the speed of delivery from when ordered until delivered. I would highly recommend this product but also e-trailer for great customer service. 661732
just what I had expected. it fit my 2008 Durango. It mounted to the frame with minimal drilling 657442
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