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This custom-fit trailer hitch with a hidden cross tube installs behind your Subaru Forester's rear bumper, leaving only the receiver visible beneath it. Aluminum and steel alloy construction is durable and eco-friendly. Powder coat finish resists rust.
Features:
Specs:
The EcoHitch Hidden trailer hitch is designed to be as inconspicuous as possible. The hitch's cross tube bolts onto your vehicle's frame, behind your rear bumper. No drilling or welding is required. Once the hitch is installed, only the receiver will be visible beneath your bumper. This means that your vehicle can maintain its stylish, from-the-factory look, and you won't have to do any major modifications to its body or frame.
With a combination of aerospace-grade aluminum, steel, and stainless steel, each EcoHitch is made of a strong metal alloy that will withstand the test of time. The lightweight alloy is composed of recycled materials. Traditional steel hitch manufacturing can use coal or oil, which can contribute to harmful gas emissions. The EcoHitch's recycled materials limit the carbon footprint during manufacturing, so you get a sturdy trailer hitch while also helping the environment.
This EcoHitch trailer hitch is tested for durability and sturdiness. Using Finite Elemental Analysis (FEA), individual points of stress on the hitch can be detected and remedied. Designers can accurately test the hitch to ensure that it will meet or exceed SAE J684 standards. The EcoHitch Hidden trailer hitch is carefully researched and strength tested for a durable, high-quality hitch that can resist damage while on the road.
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.
Tech Tip
Heat shields will need to be removed, trimmed, and reinstalled. No drilling required for installation , Requires temporary removal of bumper/fascia during installation , Exhaust must be temporarily lowered for installation , Fascia trimming required
Complete Towing Package for 2022 Subaru Forester
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Average Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (109 Customer Reviews)
This custom-fit trailer hitch with a hidden cross tube installs behind your vehicle's rear bumper, leaving only the receiver visible beneath it. Aluminum and steel alloy construction is durable and eco-friendly. Powder coat finish resists rust.Only reasons for the four star rating is the hitch arrived slightly scuffed/scratched on a couple corner from shipping, this is not a big deal to me as the majority of the hitch is well hidden, used some good paint to touch up the scratches to prevent rust and corrosion, also two of the lock washers deformed and broke while tightening the fasteners to spec, again not a big deal to me as I had some on hand to replace them.
The short and sweet of it is the product feels very well made, the installation went smoothly, and everything you need—parts-wise—is included in the kit (even the little fishing wire for the bolt.) One thing I'd highly recommend is watching the videos. They are very well made and helped a ton!
From start to finish it took me about 3 hours with normal hand tools. As long as you have a metric deep socket set and a torque wrench you should be able to get everything off and re-installed.
The only other tool that might be helpful is a Dremel or some tin snips for cutting the heat shield and bumper. When cutting the bumper I found it helpful to create a positive template out of cardboard first, place that on the bumper, and trace around it with a sharpie.
I'd say the only "negative" in this whole experience was the way it was packaged. It doesn't affect the product itself, which is why I'm still giving it 5 Stars, but it felt a little chintzy. They did their best to wrap it up, but some areas of the plastic/bubble wrap did wear away to the metal. Again, no fault of the product or how it performs, but it definitely could have been packaged with a little more care.
All in all I highly recommend this hitch receiver if you like a clean, hidden look.
It has been a solid receiver it does shows some rust around the welds I don’t know why but will see in the long run,the manufacturer doesn’t include important info as the receiver has degrees to compensate for off roading so when you mount your bike don’t expect to be completely straight flat.
It tends to lean towards the back glass and if you add a swing arm it’ll be more noticeable(Yakima hold up evo and the Yakima swing arm) due to the fact that Yakima also tend to compensate and prevent dragging whatever you attached to it. I don’t know what it was but the Yakima hold up whenever I’ve installed on my Tacoma it hold quiet and solid but on the eco hitch tends to be a tad loose and tend to rock up and down even do the knob is tighten as it was on my Tacoma.
I’ve ended up changing my rack with different brand and that seems to fix the tilting issue but otherwise I’m good with the hitch.
Should I be concerned with that rusty spot?
Heather A.
10/15/2020
Thank you for your review. In order to prevent the rust from spreading I do recommend to lightly sand it with a fine grit sand paper and spray the spot with a rustoleum type of paint. This will cover the spot and prevent any further rusting.
Installed on 2023 Forester in about 3 hours (2 people). Followed the included paper instructions as well as the 2022 Forester install video - the most difficult step was removing the muffler from the rubber mounts - silicone spray a must.
Super solid - Looks Great!
This was a relatively easy install. The installation video is outstanding and makes it easy to follow along. My neighbor has a special tool to help remove the rubber exhaust hangers that makes the job easier. One small problem was trying to torque the downward facing 1/2” nuts to 75 ft-lbs; the bolts kept turning. I used an electric impact wrench to get it tight. I also used a high temperature clear spray paint to coat the bolts to reduce corrosion.
Mark
6/5/2022
I love how it works and looks on the car. Installation was pretty simple.
Super heavy duty hitch! Part of it was sticking out of the box upon arrival, but you could probably drop it off of a building, and it wouldn't bend! It was a fairly easy install too.....I was pleased about that. This hitch may be better than the factory one....just guessing though. Great Purchase!!
It fits really well and looks good on the van we use it to haul our bikes and small trailer
I’ve purchase multiple trailer hitch receivers from etrailer over the years and each time they exceed my expectations !
Video was a GREAT HELP! II was a bit anxious, but then had no problems at all other than a frustrating time disconnecting one of the two tailight wiring harnesses. Glad I spent the extra $$ for the hidden hitch. Looks just like factory installed. Been carrying two bikes (one is a 60 lb e-beast!) all summer, including a 4,000 mile trip out to Denver and back from Vermont. Highly, highly recommended!
I love the look of this hitch. The crossbar isn’t visible when mounted to car. I was able to install it myself without any major hiccups. It took me roughly 4-5 hours total to complete. I started at night and finished up in morning. Most of this time was spent going slow making sure I didn’t cause any damage to the car. There are a couple of good YouTube videos showing how to install this hitch on the 2019 Forester. I would definitely recommend watching the videos before attempting this on your own unless you have good experience these kind of projects. The instructions were decent but the videos made some of the steps more clear. I plan to use this with a Thule bike rack. So far so good!
First of all, it's no joke that they meant it will take 2+ hours for the installation. My took 3 hours to be exact, I am grateful for the video instruction. Because the paper version is in B/W, so it's hard to make out what the picture is pointed to. And it would be great the instruction can include an exact measurement of where to cut on the bumper, and not just find a mid point to mark.
But all in all, it was a great buy and everything fits like a glove and it is solid like a rock. Have not had time to test the hitch with load yet, but I'm pretty sure it will handle the job with ease.
This is my 3rd hitch for a Subaru. My 2nd for a Subaru Forester in particular. My previous hitches were your standard round tube hitches that sit underneath the car. Once your install is completed, you're going to have a factory looking hitch that sits noticeably higher than a round tube hitch. This extra ground clearance will come in handy when your Forester is loaded down. All I can say is, this EcoHitch ROCKS!! It's beautiful and was easy to install, well I guess that's relative.
Yesterday with bikes on the back, it didn't bottom out on a driveway spot my Curt hitch on my 2018 Forester used to bottom out on. That little extra ground clearance does come in handy.
A few quick notes about my particular install that may help someone. If you follow these simple recommendations, I think your install will be a lot easier.
- Watch the "Torklift Ecohitch Install 2019 Subaru Forester Sport" install video on YouTube by a user named Lucrativesoldier
- Spend $8 and get a plastic fastener remover
- Use ramps if you have them. It makes it so easy to get underneath the car. Of course, use car stands for additional safety.
- Remove the muffler. It's not on the instructions but it's only 2 - 14mm nuts and bolts and gives you a LOT more room to work with. Oh and trim the heat shield before putting it back on. It's the last thing noted on the instructions which make easy to miss.
- My install took a little over 3 hours at a very moderate pace and even taking a brief break.
P.S. I'm using my hitch for a Thule XT 2 Pro bike rack. I was a bit concerned that the receiver tube wasn't long enough but it's 4" and no issues with the Thule rack.
Looks good and does exactly what it’s supposed to do. Fairly easy install. Only suggestion for improvement would be a built in spot for the 4 pin connector to attach. That’s minor though.
This hitch is perfect fit for my 2019 Forester Sport. The only part that made me nervous was cutting my existing bumper fascia. Just make sure you measure twice before making your cuts and you’ll be fine. The included instructions with this hitch are EXCELLENT and include PHOTOS. My only modification to the included instructions would be to disconnected the muffler from the exhaust line in order to remove it from the hangers. Saved me a lot of hassle. Loving the look of the final install. The end result, if done correctly, is a hitch that looks like it came installed from the factory.
Best hitch on the market
Rating would have been excellent but 4 bolts to mount hitch in bumper area were missing from hardware pack. Luckily [hardware store] had what I needed. But still unnecessary time and expense required. Used 2020 Forester video to install hitch on 2019 Forester Premium. Packaging leaves a lot to be desired but no issues other than the bolts. Definitely recommend it.
Product is as described. Takes about 2 hours to install. Muffler hangers gave me a bit of a problem, but nothing that can’t be solved. Looks good after installation.
Tolerances are off, receiver is oversized and there is alot of motion/noise. Only uses one bolt per side for installation when there is more that could have been used like the OEM.
Pros mounted it for me as it was a little beyond what I was comfortable with, Came out looking great! Folks at etrailer helped me order all the right stuff. This is mounted on a 2019 Forester.
This hitch and it’s ease of installation is everything you said it would be. Thank you for your speedy service and a super product.
I got this to add a bike rack to our Forester. Install was a bit extensive, but overall pretty straightforward with the videos! It looks good, and I’m excited to use it.
This hitch has worked out great for my 2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness. It was daunting to install but not difficult. I definitely enjoyed the challenge but it is a hard thing to disassemble a brand new vehicles rear panels etc.
Great hitch to upgrade to 2” hitches and open the door to better cargo/towing of our 2021 Subaru Forester.
The install took me a moderate 3 hours and I did have to uninstall 1 1/4” factory installed from Subaru. The only really tricky part was having to fully disassemble the 1 1/4 hitch crossbar to be able to pull out the hitch.
After that small snag, it was quite easy to “plug n play” the new hitch. We got the 2” to carry better bike racks and the occasional cargo tray for adventures as our 2 Labs hog the back of the car!
Fully recommend this hitch and straight forward install to the mechanically inclined.
Johnny
12/22/2022
Love the hitch! Still performs as awesome as it is intended to do so! No complaints
Really easy to install. The online tutorial was spot on! Reminder body panel clips suck so buy a box of them before starting this project.
This was installed on a 2019 Subaru Forester. It was pretty simple, just normal "work" to take the bumper off and such. The install went smooth, with a very minor issue. As I recall the vehicle wiring was not where the instructions called out, but it was actually easier in the location it was. We have used this several times for our 4 position bike rack with no issues. I have even had another Subaru owner stop and ask where I got it because he thought it was factory installed but he knew Subaru did not offer a 2" hitch. I would certainly recommend this to anyone that wants a nice attractive hitch on their Subaru!
Jeff C.
9/10/2021
Still a great product!
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Richard
11/23/2024
Works great for our cargo carrier, appearance and finish has held up well.