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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.
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.
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (663 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.I really nice custom fit for my Outback. The hitch seems like it's high quality and looks good on the car. Be aware however that you have to drill/make and absolutely enormous access holes in your frame rail to install this hitch. I would suggest that etrailer modify the instructions to require the use of the appropriate size step drill bit to make the hole. They should also include rubber grommets and perhaps touch up paint to seal up the hole you made. Otherwise things are pretty straight forward.
Installation was exactly as the video showed. Easy Peezy. Hardware kit even includes two fish wires that are needed to install the hardware. Make sure you have a nice new drill bit because the Subaru frame is super hard. Stoked. Thanks E-trailer !!
Item e98847 etrailer Trailer Hitch Receiver is NOT a confirmed fit for a 2018 Subaru Outback 3.6L touring vehicle. The spacing between the vertical supports does not clear the spare tire wheel well. The vertical supports also press against the rubber muffler hangers on both exhausts. Etrailer agreed that the hitch from their manufacturer was out of tolerance but could not provide me with sufficient details on whether or not a replacement hitch would fit any better. I would not recommend this hitch - try your luck with another brand.
Works good But I believe if the hitch was about 1/4" or 1/2" inch wider it would help in the mounting process. The bracket with was very tight on the sides of the spare tire between the frame due to the spray insulation.
This is a PERFECT fit for my 2017 Subaru Outback. It was easy to install after viewing the installation video. Thanks for providing that, rather than just paper instructions. And the fishing wire for the bolt and washer inside the frame is inspired and worked great. Same specs as the other "name brand" at a lower price. Thanks!
Fun to install for the DIY person. Powder coating is nice and the thing is sturdy. I’ve just used it for a bike rack so far but everything is good. It’ll be ready if/when I need to use a trailer for something.
Perfect hitch and the installation video was very helpful!
Good price and reasonable installation cost by my auto shop. Excellent product with a durable finish. No rust caused by salt road spray over its first winter.
Product arrived quickly, instructions were clear and product works great
Great hitch receiver. Needed a bike rack with enough capacity for 2 ebikes. Combo is perfect
I decided to go with the etrailer branded class 3 hitch for my wife's 2019 Outback after getting etrailer's recommendation on which one would be best paired with my Thule T2 Pro XTB bike rack, which is a great rack, btw. Main reasoning was that the hitch sits back on the vehicle a little more and gives better clearance for the rack when folded up. This would apply to other kinds of hitch mounted accessories too. The hitch is not quite as hidden under the vehicle as some of the others but I was more concerned about using the bike rack as intended.
Installation was not too bad, with the biggest challenge for me being the tight spaces around the muffler to drill the necessary holes even with the exhaust lowered as described in the video. I even considered removing the muffler for better access but was able to get it done without that. Main concern was damaging the exhaust system in the front if it was lowered too much. Using lubricant on the rubber exhaust hangers worked great for removing and putting them back on at the end. The tip for using a step drill bit worked great to enlarge the access holes the appropriate amount, as well. I was able to do the installation by myself with the help of a small rolling dolly on which to sit the hitch on while I bolted up the first set of bolts. It held the hitch up enough to work on one side at a time without having to support the entire weight of the hitch by myself. Having a helper would be better for sure. The 6 out of 10 installation difficulty scale seems about right to me.
The hitch itself seems to be good quality, nice welds, matte finish looks great on the vehicle too. It also fits like a glove around spare tire well. No adjusting really necessary, just install the first set of bolts in the existing frame holes and you are lined up. You do have to drill the 2 more forward set of holes but using the hitch frame as the template (it's already mounted on the vehicle at this point) of where the holes go, it was a snap from there.
I'll attach a couple of pics with the bike rack installed to show how much clearance there is. I also tested with a bike on the rack and was able to open the rear hatch all the way with the bike rack in the lowered position (a feature of the Thule T2). Hopefully, this will help others that want to use accessories that require clearance for bumper and hatch. Great communication and follow up from the etrailer team too!
Phil
5/15/2020
A year later and the etrailer class3 hitch still looks and works great. Very satisfied with eTrailer again!
I installed this myself. Excellent packaging on hitch as it arrived undamaged. All hardware and bolt fish wires were firmly attached to the hitch. Instructions and video were very helpful in making this an easy project. I used car ramps and backed m wife’s Outback on them to provide a comfortable work area. Only thing different that I did from the video instructions was to mount the hitch with the 1st two bolts, mark the location, and drop the hitch to drill the forward bolts with a step drill. All newly drilled surfaces were painted for protection. Also found a couple of elongated frame hole plugs from our ’67 Mustang project to seal the hardware installation hole.
IT WORKS GREAT FOR MY PURPOSE, WHICH IS TO CARRY A COUPLE 80LB E-BIKES. I PUT A HARBOR FREIGHT ELECTRIC WINCH IN THE ceiling of the garage and lower to the correct level and back my car in to hook it up.
So I recently purchased mountain bikes and knew I needed a bike rack and hitch. When making more expensive purchases, I research the product, competitors, pricing, customer services and reviews. I finally decided on the etrailer Trailer Hitch Receiver. I had it professionally installed and it looks great! I appreciate the help and assistance Teresa J. provided in helping me make my decision. Thank you eTrailer!
Dennis
6/24/2021
After one year, my hitch still looks and functions great! I love it so much, I ordered another etrailer Hitch for my other vehicle, a 2012 GMC Terrain and it works great on this and by 2015 Subaru Outback!
I love this hitch! I am using it exclusively for bicycle transportation.
Installation: it was relatively easy to install, but I did have to purchase some additional tools that added to the overall cost. Instructions were very helpful.
Sturdiness: No complaints at all! It has been holding up very well and I am glad I opted for the 600lbs tongue weight since I have since upgraded my bike rack to a much heavier one and my setup is now e-bike ready (much heavier than regular bikes).
Compliments: I was somewhat surprised to even have by passers ask about my trailer hitch. The little logo sticker came in handy, they could just take a picture of that after I recommended the product to them. :)
If the installation kit was modified to add two fish wires it would be even better. I pretty much messed up the fish wires after the first two bolts so having extra would have been helpful.
Straightforward install. One side was a little tighter than the other but manageable. Happy with the hitch
Perfect hitch. Just installed on my ‘17 Outback 2.5. The instructions says for the second set of holes to be drilled, to use 7/16” bit , but actually a 1/2” bit is correct. Also would recommend finding a rubber plug of some sort for the enlarged holes that will be left after enlarging the two frame rail holes to got the hardware. It has great fitment and passes the shin damage bumper test!
Got this to put on my Subaru Outback and had our mechanic attach it & he said it was very simple and easy to install.
Also it works perfectly for what I use it for!
Good and bad here. Installation took some know-how but was not terribly difficult. The hitch looks good installed and appears to fit well. Unfortunately, there isn’t ouch space between the structure of the hitch and the muffler. It is not obvious when stationary, but when driving, any movement of the muffler with bumps in the road results in an audible banging that is a little annoying.
Brooke M.
1/20/2023
The good new here is that there are a few different ways you can correct this issue. Essentially, you can bend the exhaust hanger, because the hangers dictate how the exhaust system hangs, bending the hangers at various points can allow you to raise or lower the exhaust. This can move it away from the hitch. Another way you could try is to reposition a bolt on hanger. This can be achieved by unbolting the hanger, flipping it and bolting it back to the frame. This can also be achieved by adding washers or spacers to lower the position of the hanger or to move it to the left or the right. A final way you could do this is to replace the rubber isolator. Replace the rubber isolator that serves as the link between the hanger welded to the exhaust system and the hanger attached to the vehicle frame.
Excellent hitch. Installation was straightforward. When enlarging the holes, be sure you’ve made them big enough for the carriage bolt heads to pass through, aka don’t get in a hurry. Also loctite!! I put a little automotive Krylon on the enlarged holes when I was done to hopefully hold off rust.
Hardest part was enlarging the holes, 2nd hardest was the exhaust hangers. Do yourself a favor and get new drill bits made for hard metal.
Install went completely as expected. Very good instructions and product. Happy with the end result.
This was installed on a 2016 Subaru Outback.
Since i installed the hitch without help, i rigged up a strap to hold the hitch in place to align it with the bolts and to secure the nuts to hold it in place.
The strap went around the hitch and thru the latch for the rear hatch of the subaru. i also used a 2x2 inserted in the receiver to correctly orient the hitch to the car. Its hard to explain, but i added photos to help explain what i did. This system worked better than i had expected to get those bolt holes lined up and the nuts tightened.
This was a super easy install. I don't have access to a lift, so I just used ramps I picked up from Home Depot for oil changes. I am a pretty good sized guy but this gave me plenty of room to work. No issues at all on the install. Instructional video was great and easy to follow. The only comments I have would be that if you are using ramps, be sure to have a long sleeve shirt on and safety glasses. The metal chips from drilling are hot and sharp. The pull wires worked excellent, I only used one of them. You do need to put a couple bends in the wire which they don't mention in the video. All in all I am really happy and would highly recommend this as a DIY install.
Josh H.
8/4/2020
A year later and no complaints at all. I have been happy to recommend this product and company to friends.
Easy install on my 2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R. Instructions look like they were photocopied back in the 80s. You have to trim your muffler heat shield(s) so make sure you got something to cut them with before you drop your exhaust. The fit is exact, nice hitch.
Been using this hitch for a year now. Installed it myself on a Subaru Outback which was fairly easy as long as you have the right tools. Not for everyone. Directions were spot on. Had to add an extension to get it out far enough for a bike rack. Added a wire harness and use it for small trailers as well. Still solid.
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Katrina D.
7/13/2023
If you are wanting something that is going to be less invasive, you can always check out part # C13410. This will not require any drilling and you will not have to adjust your muffler for this installation.