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This fully welded, corrosion-resistant vehicle trailer hitch receiver is perfect for your light-duty towing needs. Draw-Tite's Tested Tough guarantee ensures that this hitch exceeds industry standards. Drawbar sold separately.
Features:
Specs:
Draw-Tite's Tested Tough program provides testing standards far superior to those outlined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the go-to source for engineering professionals.
Each Draw-Tite trailer hitch receiver undergoes extensive fatigue testing and static testing with the ball mount that is either supplied or recommended for use with that particular hitch, thus ensuring results that are applicable to real life use. Fatigue testing is also conducted on hitches rated for use with weight-distribution systems.
In addition, Draw-Tite performs static testing on a simulated automobile, as opposed to the rigid fixture used for SAE testing, resulting in a more true-to-life scenario.
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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Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Today on this 2012 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen, we're going to install part number 24866 from Draw Tite. This is what the hitch looks like, when it's installed on a Sportwagen. Next, we'll give you some measurements to help you out in selecting some accessories, such as a bicycle rack or a cargo carrier. The top of the receiver opening, down to the ground, is about 10-1/4 inches. From the center of the hitch pin hole, to the edge of the bumper is about 3-3/4 inches. Now we'll go ahead and show you how the hitch is installed.
There's a pannel underneath the vehicle that we have to remove, to install the hitch. The bits we used to remove the hardware is a T25 Torque's bit, and a T30 Torque's bit. Now we're going to remove these two plastic fasteners with a 10-millimeter socket. We should be able to remove our pannel. Now for this particular install, that pannel will not be reinstalled.
I do like to reinstall this back. Next, we need to go ahead and lower the exhaust. There are two bolts we need to remove for the exhaust hanger going to the frame. We use a 13-millimeter socket on that. We're not going to lower it too much. There's plenty of tension on there, still, but we need to rotate this around the exhaust hanger, and these two tabs, we have to bend up this way, to make room for the hitch.
Just use a pair of pliers to go ahead and just move them up and out of the way. We need to get inside the trunk area and down in the spare tire. We need to remove the spare tire, to get down to the sheet metal, where the grommet eventually will have to get access to it. There's the grommet, right here, we have to remove. Typically, there is some sound-deadening material around here.
You may have to use a utility knife to work your way around it. We got lucky, in this case. At this point, we can go ahead and start installing our hitch. To do that, we're going to install this hardware inside the frame of the vehicle. We've got this block with the oval hole, and a 7/16 carriage bolt. We'll use this pull wire that comes with the kit, to run it through to the inside. This will go on the passenger side of the vehicle, from the inside of the frame, out through that hole in the hitch. Also on the hitch, on the outside of the frame, will be an extra spacer block. The spacer block will go on this side of the hitch. While we're at it, we'll go ahead and use some electrical tape to help hold it in place. You've got to leave some flexibility in there. This is the hole we're going to use. We'll go ahead and take a bolt leader, run it through and toward the front of the vehicle, out the large oval hole here. This will be our access hole. We'll take our block, run it through, push it into the frame. Now we'll put on our bolt. Then we'll use the pull wire to pull it through. It will probably get caught up in here, so you'll have to rock it back and forth to make it eventually pull through. Now that we have this pretty much set, we'll push it back in. We'll leave our bolt leader in place. We need to use that to pull through the block and the hitch. Now we'll take our exhaust bracket from earlier, and rotate it back into its original position. It might be a good idea to push it forward a little bit, because the hitch will go off and over it this way. Now we can go ahead and put the hitch into place. Definitely want to have an extra set of hands to help hold up the hitch. When we set it up, we'll go ahead and take a wire and put it through our block and our hitch. We'll just get it started up there for now, and then on our driver's side, we'll rotate the hitch into place. Make sure the hitch sits on top of the exhaust bracket. We'll take our bolt leader off, and then we'll put on the rest of our hardware, which will be our counter-tooth washer, . Make sure the teeth always facing towards the hitch. Now we'll go ahead and work on our fasteners on our driver's side. This is replacing bolt, another counter-tooth washer that will replace the hardware that we took down from the exhaust hanger earlier. This will go through the exhaust hanger first, then through the hitch, and then into the inaudible 00:05:05 inside the frame. This is going to be a really tight fit. We're using a screw driver to align the hitch and the exhaust bracket in the frame in one hole, and then we'll use an extension on our bolt for the other one. It works better to use an alignment tool or something with a tapered end. We found out when we put this second bolt in, that the hitch is actually sitting against this pannel right here, to prevent it from lining up. We took the hitch and rocked it back and forth this way, to help push that pannel out a little bit. That gave us just enough room to get our second bolt in. We'll go ahead and return our attention back to the passenger's side. We're going to install a piece of hardware here. This handle nut and block will go on the inside of the frame, and will attach the carriage bolt and our matching hex bolt. This hex bolt is a little bit on the short side, so you definitely want to make sure to have the hitch pushed up to help engage it. You can bend the handle as needed to work the block inside. We'll go back in the trunk and install our final fastener. On the inside of the trunk, we'll install our large block and our half-inch carriage bolt. That will go through the trunk pan and through our hitch. Then on the bottom, we'll get our counter-tooth washer and nuts. Now we'll go ahead and tighten down our hardware and the torqueables down, as sited in the instructions. Once our hardware's installed, it's a good idea to go back and seal up any cracks in the trunk area. We're using part number Lt37467 from Lock Tite. Then reinstall all our interior components; the spare tire, the tools, and floor covering. With that, that will finish it for our install, part number 24866 from Draw Tite, on our 2012 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen. .
Average Customer Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars (100 Customer Reviews)
This fully welded, corrosion-resistant vehicle trailer hitch receiver is perfect for your light-duty towing needs. Draw-Tite's Tested Tough guarantee ensures that this hitch exceeds industry standards. Drawbar sold separately.This hitch was installed easily and looks great on my JSW TDI! Ground clearance is perfect and it holds my bike rack very well. It arrived quicker than expected, too! I’m very pleased with this purchase and highly recommend it! 672951
Hitch shipped fast, box was not good one end open ,all parts there and looked good . Hitch install good . 579222
Mounting holes had to be widened to fit. Made of lightweight material. 663346
Happy with the end result, but install was a bit more difficult than the video makes it out to be (the bolt/spacer that needs to be fed thru the frame). 97722
Fit perfectly on my 2006 TDI. Install was a little fiddly on my own, but with a set of ramps and a bottle jack to hold the hitch up, it was installed in about an hour. Each mounting holes uses a different sized bolt and corresponding hardware. Spend a moment or two to make sure you have the right bolt in the right place. The instructions are a little vague, but the video on the product site is excellent. I installed the matching wire harness at the same time. Start to finish install time for the hitch and wiring harness was about 3 hours. I plan to use this to haul a small pop-up camper. 600470
. 608152
You get what you pay for. Nothing like dealing with metric and SAE hardware for an install. Also, they sent me a bolt that was way too short for the passenger side of the frame. I had to run to get my own so I could finish the job. Not a terrible install, once you get past the fish wire and mixed hardware. I did it myself with ramps without too much of a problem. Pre-drilled holes did not align easily....definitely get the exhaust bolts threaded first because there is no room to maneuver anything. It works for what I wanted it to do, which is carry a platform so I can transport deer without getting my interior messy. For the money, I think it has been worth it. But it won't last. Its pretty soft steel with a weak paint job...mine is already rusting. 609534
Once mounted, this seems to be a very solid unit. It is well built out of heavy stock. The time estimate of 1 hour for install was quite a bit less than what it took for me to get the hitch mounted up. Watching the install video helped although it is for a slightly different model and the instruction sheet was not all that clear on the first few readings (it made sense once I was done). My hitch took close to 3 hours for the complete installation. The two bolt holes on exhaust hanger bracket needed to be enlarged in order to align with existing mount on the car and longer bolts were needed to initially draw that side up to a point where the bolts included with the hitch would thread into existing holes. 39225
Delivery was outstanding. Product installed as intended, but can be tricky the first time. Product fits well and secure. The only issue is that the product's protective coating is weak and corrison starts within a few weeks. Overall good product for the price.. 594730
This is the second hitch I've bought from eTrailer, one for my wife's CRV and this one for my Jetta Sportwagon. No surprises, just a quality hitch delivered promptly by eTrailer. Installation process went just like the video explained. Thanks for the great service. 77750
Ron C - 05/30/2014There are a lot of anti-rattle devices on the market to remedy such a problem. There has to be a certain amount of slack in order to get the device in and out. It's not dangerous by any means, but it can be noisy and irritating. I've added a link to the anti-rattle devices we have. Make sure to look at the ones sized for your hitch.
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Patrick B - 6/4/2014Finish Quality: The finish of the part that shows was very good. The parts that you only see if you install this hitch yourself were not so good. There were chips on some of the corners where bare metal was showing. I was disappointed, but didn't want to hassle with sending it back, so I ended up repainting most of the hitch. Design Quality: I had a lot of trouble getting the 2 bolts on the muffler side started. I had started the bolts on the other side because fishing the bolts through seemed the harder task. Even with that side loosely bolted, it took a while to get enough alignment to start the bolts on the other side. I wonder if the dimensions were off just enough. Also it looks a tad crooked compared to the bottom of the bumper. Not awful, but enough that you notice if you look closely. Direction Quality: With the exception of suggesting starting the muffler side bolts first, the instructions were fine. 24248
Here's a picture of my new trailer hitch from etrailer.com on my VW Jetta, it was awful to install , but after 3 1/2 hours my cousin and I figured out what the instructions were attempting to mean 27516
Trailer hitch receiver is well built however I wish it would give a bit more clearance, seams like there is planty enough room between the bumper and receiver to mount it higher we will see how it will work in the winter 410223
This purchase was great on 2 of 3 aspects: 1. e-trailer service was very good. Again. 2. The hitch itself seems fine. It's beefy and mine was well painted. The design seems solid and inspires confidence and earned 5 stars. 3. Installation - not so much, resulting in at least a 1 star debit. Most of the blame goes to the instructions, as others have noted. Don't even attempt this without reading carefully and watching the video a couple times - either by itself is insufficient. Despite that, I had more trouble than with the difficulty 9 (of 10) hitch on my Golf. The issues: a. It's difficult to tell the hardware apart and there are quite a few pieces of similar size. Ditto with the spacers - there's no clear statement about which goes where and it's easy to use the wrong washer, etc., requiring back tracking. b. The written instructions say you must lower an exhaust isolator in front of the rear axle but doesn't indicate how (it's not obvious) ... the video doesn't even mention it. c. The pull wire must be fished empty, the bolt and spacer added, and then the wire is pulled back. The written instructions don't even hint at that (although the video shows it) and it's not hard to waste 45 minutes that way. Don't ask how I know. d. Both sets of instructions say to remove the spare tire well plug, but that leaves a much larger hole than necessary. You can cut just the center of the plug away ... and leave less room for leakage, etc. A smaller opening will be better sealed, e. The instructions say not to re-install the plastic fascia on the passenger side. Well, why not? Does Draw-Tite really think VW wasted money with that part .... or do they think a lower difficulty score is more important than maintaining the integrity of your car's design? Clearly, the panel improves aerodynamics under the car (fuel economy at speed) and keeps that area cleaner in bad weather with salty roads. Yes, you can cut the panel and put it back on, but that will take you a lot longer because Draw-Tite provided no measurements and they're difficult to take yourself. You'll need many sessions with your cutting tool (successive approximation) if you want to do a reasonable job. 565592
The ease of installation was by far the big selling point for the purchase. The issue I had with this particular hitch was that the receiver angles downward and when the tow bar was installed there was insufficient clearance when going in and out of drive ways causing the tow bar to drag with my Teardrop trailer attached (empty). On a positive note staff at etrailer.com were quick to to follow up. Another hitch was sent yet construction of the hitch was the same. They accepted the hitch back on a full refund and I ended up purchasing the ECO-hitch, much more time needed to install, yet provided the ground clearance. Completely satisfied with the service provided by etrailer.com. 725555
Victoria B - 11/20/2019Pics are from my Garage (Cave)Always quality from etrailer.com 666009
Super easy to install and fits perfect. It took less than an hour to install thanks to the helpful installation video on the website. Also, the customer service was great when I called in with a couple of questions about the hitch and 2” adapter for my 2012 Volkswagen Jetta Sportswagon TDI, and it came a day earlier than expected. 567520
Fit perfectly. Pain in the butt to feed nuts through the frame, but it worked as planned. The etrailer video was more helpful then the paper directions. 773494
I was surprised that the hitch arrived so quickly. It looks great and the finish is very good. I will get it on this next week (we had snow today). I am looking forward to using the hitch for many jobs with my light utility trailer. 771614
Overall a great product. I was able to install it without a lift or ramp, working off the garage floor. Watch the videos more than once to study the install. Test fit everything and then get to it. There are minor differences in the exhaust hanger and vapor canister location (not installed) on the TDI, but the differences are inconsequential. I used tin snips to cut a channel for the plastic underbody cover and reinstalled it after the hitch install was complete. Very responsive customer support. 764147
Nice fit and look - fairly easy to install but one bolt was quite difficult to get lined up. Note that on a VW sportwagon (which is already pretty low to the ground) this hitch is easy to ground out on moderate dips in the road. No damage to the assembly though - it is pretty well built. Wiring is difficult because VW won't give out any info on their electrical harness nor any fuse panel diagrams. Suggest having a trailer shop do the wiring. 738979
Great Product, install was kinda challenging, but got it done. After installing this hitch, we noticed it has really low clearance. It drags on the ground when driving through mild dips or speed bumps, or when we have passengers in the car. It would be awesome if the etrailer design was lifted just a few inches or so. 737189
No complaints at all about the product or service. It arrived quick and was an easy install (extra easy since I talked my 16-year old nephew into installing it for me). 732702
This is a well built hitch with nice welds and powder coat. For my installation, I needed to do no drilling, and all needed hardware was included. All needed holes lined up perfectly. The directions could be a bit clearer but they worked. I only plan on using it to haul my bike rack. I'm certain it's sturdy enough to haul a small trailer with but I have other vehicles for that. I don't feel the need to put added stress on my VW transmission. For the price, I say it's well worth it. 730073
This Trailer Hitch was relatively easy to install, just a couple hours start to finish, with basic hand tools. It did not require drilling which was a "plus". It has worked reliably since we installed it a year ago. We have an import so we could ONLY install a small Class I hitch to pull our small fishing boat and utility trailer. Which we've done many times and never had any problems with this trailer hitch. 719652
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