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This fully welded trailer hitch receiver bolts onto your Subaru Forester's frame with no welding required. Matte black, powder coated steel is durable and corrosion resistant and creates a rugged look.
Features:
Specs:
The sturdy steel construction is protected with a matte black finish for added durability. This unique powder coating gives etrailer hitches a carbide-like appearance and a rugged look that sets them apart from traditional glossy hitches. In addition to being rust and corrosion resistant, the tough matte coating hides dirt, scuffs, and dings better than a glossy finish.
At etrailer 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
Underbody panel will need to be removed and reattached. No drilling required for installation , Access holes may need to be enlarged by drilling, filing, or rotary tool , Exhaust must be temporarily lowered for installation , Heat shield must be permanently removed for hitch installation
Complete Towing Package for 2022 Subaru Forester
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Average Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (383 Customer Reviews)
This fully welded trailer hitch receiver bolts onto your vehicle's frame with no welding required. Matte black, powder coated steel is durable and corrosion resistant and creates a rugged look.Great deal for a quality product! Subaru wants $[XX] plus labor for a hitch and I can't imagine it's that much better than this for under $[XX]. I unbolted the muffler and disconnected the rear hanger rather than dropping the exhaust, plenty of room even without jacking up the vehicle. Step drill made quick work of enlarging the hole, hook tool made fishing the wire a breeze and floor jack with a zip tie made it a one man job. Took me a little over an hour with no unexpected surprises.
I purchased a new vehicle and had this new e-trailer hitch installed so I could continue to use my deer hauler that I’ve been using for a few years.
I was very disappointed when I went to attach the deer hauler.
I started to slide it into position but the hitch is designed that its sits to far under the SUV and the hauler hits the back of the vehicle before the holes line up making it impossible to attach the trailer hitch pin and clip when the hauler is in the upright/travel position.
John
12/31/2024
I dont like it at all it sits to far under my vehicle making it impossible to fold up my hauler unlike any other hitch I had on all of my SUVs.
I was sent additional mounting materials that don't correspond with my hitch or my bike rack. See the photo below. Are these materials for my trailer Trailer Hitch Receiver Item #e83ZR?
Katrina D.
8/7/2024
Huh, that is weird. It doesn't look like any hardware you should have received. Is that white piece a plain piece of plastic? Can you take a couple more pictures from some different angles? Was there a number on the packaging for this kit?
Top quality receiver, installed by a friend who is a car body specialist. This will enable attachment of a bike rack on the back end of my vehicle vs. roof rack; Much easier for me at this stage of my life.
Mgs
10/9/2023
I am sad to say the trailer hitch has not gotten much use. The bike carrier was a hand-me-down and would not seat securely, making transport very unstable. It will take a newer bike carrier and I will then be able to report back. There have been family issues preventing me from prioritizing a new bike carrier this past year.
Mike L.
11/2/2023
Mike L.
11/2/2023
I’ve lost track at how many tow hitches, etc. I’ve gotten from etrailer.com over the years all of which have been excellent. This was no exception. The video was far better than the written instructions. Even though they included 6 fishwires, I was able to complete the job with just 1. Fairly simple to install and looks great!
Please package this better for the next person. The parts where the paint has been removed from the shipping process will now rust. Take a little more pride in your work.
Jenny N.
5/29/2024
I will let our shipping department know how the hitch was delivered. We will be in contact with you as we can send out a can of paint to touch up the hitch to protect against rust.
this is the 3rd or 4th etrailer hitch I've installed and they fit and install great every time. This is one job that doesn't turn into a nightmare, and many do so it's always nice to start something that goes as planned and no surprises. Fit and finish is always top notch, love etrailer hitches.
This is the second etrailer unit (different car) that I got, and both were well designed and straightforward to install. The 22 Forrester had a little more complicated install because the muffler unit had to be moved during install. Honestly, that part wasn’t too bad. Watch the excellent video to see how to support it. It didn’t require moving rusted bolts, but just slipping three rubber grommets an inch off a metal rod, then the entire muffler assembly lowered and shifted a few inches that were needed to access above it. I used a crowbar to provide the little leverage and angle needed to move the soaped grommets. I was able to do the install on my back with my car up metal ramps.it was slow but worked. Don’t mess around with any makeshift attempt to raise your car over you. If you don’t have legitimate ramps, get it to a garage with a lift. Removing the plastic shield behind the wheel was a little more challenging than it looked in the video but it was a missed clip that was holding it, and the contoured catch spot that was hard to separate. Remembering the orientation during removal helped in reinserting it. The only real problem I had was when I removed the heat shield from above the muffler, two of the four bolts had rusted in place and they sheared off. I ended up using two pieces of electric conduit copper wire (without coating) to tie it up to the small brackets so it wouldn’t rattle. The hitch solidly held the shield in place on the other side along with the one bolt that had space. The entire install on my back took an entire afternoon, but it behaved like a champ trailering the trailer that weekend!
Gwendolyn Y.
10/21/2024
Hey Rich! I Love the ramp tip. I don't think I would have thought of using some till I was getting on the ground to shuffle under the vehicle.
Exactly what we needed for hauling bikes, cargo trays, and other toys behind our Subaru Forester. Installation was easy and straightforward, and I know it was installed to my expectations. The installation videos really helped. Saved quite a bit by installng it myself instead of the very expensive dealer install.
Install took about 2 hours (I don't have a lift). The video was very helpful to show the steps. All of the parts were exactly as I expected. NOTE: the plates that the bolt heads stick through up in the frame rails are directional - the square holes punched through the plates deform the material in a way that the bolt head rests flat on the plate better in one direction. Overall happy with the kit.
Took 1/2 hour to install. Fit like a glove. Packaging sucks though and UPS had to tape up the box during transit. etrailer is a great company. Let's step up the packaging quality.
I just finished installing this hitch on to my 2022 Forester, and I couldn't be more pleased with it. The installation was just like the video that is posted to your site, and the wire feeding tools made it a breeze!
I did not have to modify the plastic underbody panel on my 2022. It fit back under the car, and I added a self tapping screw to hold it in place. Thanks for making it so easy!
Glenn D.
4/26/2023
My hitch receiver is great! We mostly carry bikes on the back of our car with it, but I have occasionally used it to pull a small flatbed trailer, hauling mulch, dirt, etc.
Hitch is solid, holds a bike rack with 2 50-lb e-bikes with no trouble at all. The install took a few hours, easy to moderate difficulty. The hardest part was expanding the frame holes to fit the bolt heads. Make sure you have a grinder/hole enlarger and something comfortable to lay on while you grind. Dropping the exhaust is a must, be sure to spray some soap on the rubber hangers to get them on/off, and support with muffler with a strap so you can lower it down slowly. I had enough room to work with the car backed onto one layer of 2x10 lumber.
The hitch was shipped in a heavy cardboard box. All hardware was included and complete. Install was a breeze thanks to YouTube videos. It fit perfectly, it looks great and will be very useful for my needs.
Thanks
Was just thrown in a box. No packing or dunnage to keep it from tearing through the cardboard. It was about half way out of the box. Fortunately the other item in the box didn’t fall out or get crushed. Hitch was 3/4” to wide. Couldn’t get the bolt through the slots. Had to use a come-a-long to pull the sides in. This was the 3rd hitch I’ve gotten from etrailer. This was the absolute worst between the oversized hitch and the other part of the order never shipping when they claimed, and now arriving a week to late. Very disappointed
If there was ever a website that should be used as a reference it's etrailer. They have everything you need to succeed in tackling an install. Their videos and other people's comments made this install for me easy. I did the install myself and the tools I used besides the ones shown in the video was a step bit to widen the whole to pass through the hardware, I would advise wearing safety glasses and long sleeve shirt due to the metal bits falling on you, and a jack to hoist the trailer hitch into position.
I have ordered 2 hitch receivers over the past two years and both times the packaging was terrible. Parts of the receiver were sticking out of the box with chipped paint when it arrived. I’ll do the hard thinking for you guys… PUT WOOD LINER IN THE BOX!!! Problem solved. Also, I’m not drilling into a 40,000 car that has less than 500 miles on it. The guys over at U-Haul have the same hitch receiver with the same weight rating and the bolts fit right through the access hole. Take some notes and do better
I can't give this rating more than 2 stars. Simply because of the fact that when this item was delivered the entire Hitch was hanging outside of the shipping box and parts(bolts and nuts) literally taped to the hitch. I don't know if the shipping box was not adequate enough or what but it's completely un acceptable! Very disappointed.
This is the second hitch I have ordered this month. I really love the install videos. I am a pro now. I purchased a nice bit to make the access holes slightly larger and I use two 4 ton jack stands to help lift in place solo.
Just installed on our 2024 Subaru Forester. Took several hours but I am 64 and do not have a lift like they do in the video. Also the etrailer instal 2023 Video is much better than the 2024.
Trailer hitch arrived unsecured in a cardboard box. The hardware was just taped to the receiver. The hitch had punctured the box in two places and lost some powder coating in the process. The install wasn’t bad. But I would highly recommend saving yourself some frustration and spending $[XX] on some exhaust hanger pliers.
The trailer Hitch was well built and very strong. The delivery was extremely quick. I am very pleased with the product and the service. This is the second Hitch I have purchased from E Trailer.
The trailer hitch was perfect and all the parts arrived together. But big thumbs up to the time and effort your team buts into production of the video clips for installation.
Thank you
The video instructions left out parts about the driver's side bulkhead removal. The last piece was "reinstall the bulkhead," but it needed modifications and I had to fabricate a bracket. Usually the videos are great, but this was nit accurate at all.
Prompt delivery and the installation video was very helpful. Matte finish looks great and makes it less prominent than the gloss finish of my last hitch. Time saving tip - on my 2025 Forester I did not have to fully remove the plastic shield, after removing the bolts and some clips the plastic bends enough to just move it out of the way to get the hitch in place.
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Joel
6/3/2024
After one year, the hitch has hit no unexpected surprises, works great though it usually just gets used for a bicycle rack