Video Transcript for Blue Ox Class III Trailer Hitch DIY Installation - 2023 Ford Transit T250

Hi, I am Daniel with etrailer, and, today, we're gonna take a look at, I'm gonna show you how to install the Blue Ox trailer hitch on our 2023 Ford Transit 250. These Ford Transits are great vehicles. They're capable of serving you on the job site as well as they're great for conversion vans. So adding a hitch is gonna be a great idea so you can haul some heavy duty stuff, or you can put a bike rack back here or even a cargo carrier and use it that way as well. This hitch is going to have a tongue weight of 900 pounds, and that is the weight pushing down on the hitch receiver. So that's good to know for accessories, like bike racks or cargo carriers, and with that weight, you have no problem having even a motorcycle carrier back here.

Now, the total towing capacity is going to be 6,000 pounds, and that is gonna be the trailer plus what's packed inside of it. Now, this is compatible with weight distribution systems, so if you're using that with your trailer, that will bump those numbers up. So your total towing is gonna be 8,000, and your total tongue weight is gonna be 1,200. Speaking of towing, you will need to add some trailer wiring, and this hitch does have a bracket where you can put that four-pole right there, which is a nice feature, and as you can see, it does have a nice black powder coat, which is gonna be resistant to rust corrosion over time. Now, you will need a five-eighths-inch pin and clip to secure your accessory in your hitch.

This won't come with your hitch, but, usually, it comes with the accessory when you get one. Now, I would recommend getting a locking pin, just you have the extra security when you're out on the trail or you're on the job site, no one can come and take your accessory. Now, in the bottom here, it's got these pretty thick safety cable loops, so we can put an S hook or a clutter style in those easily. Now, I'll get you a couple measurements here, but from the ground to the top of the inside of the hitch receiver is gonna be 15 and three quarters. Now, that measurement's good to know so you can level out your trailer.

So you just wanna measure your coupler height with your trailer level, and that'll help you determine if you need a rise or drop for your ball. The next measurement is gonna be from the center of our hitch pin hole to the outside of the bumper here, which is gonna be about four inches. Now, that's gonna be good to know for folding accessories like a bike rack, and you wanna make sure that doesn't hit your bumper when you have that folded. Now, we do offer bike racks that do swing out to the side instead of folding up, so you can still have access to your back doors here. I personally really like this hitch, and it's definitely going to serve you whether it's recreational or if you're using this as a work vehicle.

Now, please let us know how you're using it and how you like it and review our comment. Now, as far as the install goes, it is pretty straightforward. You are having to self tap some of the holes out in the frame, so you will have to pick out a tap and dice set. Now, if that's not something you're interested in getting or you don't have the time or tools to do this yourself, check out our dealer locator. We can find a professional in your area to get this installed for you, but if you're looking to do it yourself, follow along, and I'll walk you through it. First thing is to remove our tow hook. I got a 15-millimeter socket. I'm just gonna remove these two bolts. (tool whirs) Now, there's gonna be three locations where we're gonna put our hardware, and these two we're gonna need to tap out. So you will need to pick up a 12-millimeter tap and get these threaded so our hardware can fit in. (tool creaks) Now, once you get them tapped out, it's always a good idea to grab your hardware and just thread this in. Make sure you do it by hand first so you don't cross throw 'em, and then I'm just going to make sure they're going in nicely. Passenger side here where our tow hook was, one of the two holes is gonna be threaded already. Now, it is always a good idea to clean that out or since you're already self-tapping 'em, I'm just gonna clean it out with the self tap. (tool creaks) I will just take our hardware, and I'll just make sure that this goes in nicely using a 16-millimeter socket. (tool whirs) And that looks good, so now, I'll self tap the one closest to the cap. Now, I'll take our fish wire that comes in the kit. I'll take the coiled end, and this hole closest to the front of the vehicle, I'll put in. There's a big opening on the back of this, and I'll just take our carriage bolt and our rectangular spacer block and I'll get this threaded on. Now, we'll just put all this inside our frame (item clangs) and get that pushed through, and we'll just repeat that process on the passenger side as well. (item clangs) We can lift our hitch into place. I got Scott over there to give me a hand, just wanna get the fish wire and feed it through the hitch (item clangs) and we can lift that into place, and I'll take our other hardware, and I'll just get this threaded on. (hardware scrapes) And once you got one on either side, it'll hold the weight of the hitch, and you can get the rest of the hardware in. (hardware scrapes) We can take our fish wire off. (scraping continues) I'll take the nut and get this threaded on. Now, it kind of helps to push it to one side, so it'll keep the bolt from spinning. Now, I'll repeat this on the other side. Now, we can tighten and torque everything down. I'm gonna take a 16-millimeter socket. (tool creaks) Get these snug down, and this one that just has the flange nut, that's going to be a 19-millimeter. (tool whirs) Once they're all tightened out, I'll come back through and torque 'em down to the spec instructions, and if you don't have a torque wrench at home, you can usually rent one from your local auto parts store or you can pick one up from us at etrailer. (tool creaks) (tool beeps) Now, once you got everything torqued down, you're good to start using your Blue Ox trailer hitch on your 2023 Ford Transit 250.