Best 2012 Ford F-350 Super Duty Front Receiver Hitches

I buy practically all my towing accessories from etrailer. One of the reasons why is that you can tell that they take the feedback of their customers seriously. I read a lot about previously shipped products having fell out of the box in certain areas. etrailer heard that feedback and my shipping box was reinforced in just the right areas that were talked about getting punched through in shipping. The tech notes video on the 2012 F-250 applied exactly on my 2016 F-250. All the measurement specifications were correct as well. This is a job that can be done by one person, albeit you'll have to be careful. Your second set of hands can be jack stands, as it was in my case. If you take your time in positioning everything - installation will be a breeze. I do agree with previous reviews - it would be nice to have a second fishing wire as it does get stretched out when pulling the first bolt through. That, or a heavier duty gauged wire - that's just a small detail however. If you're really concerned about it, you can buy a secondary fishing wire at around 5 bucks. I spent more time taking out and putting back in body clips than I did with the install of the hitch receiver hardware. I really like the way it looks and I'm excited to use it.

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I plan on installing it tomorrow, however first impressions are not good. The box it item was shipped in was extremely damaged. Torn, ripped and taped up on all sides. The delivery person said that due to the sharp edges and the face it wasn't secured in the box (lose) led to the damage. It appears the item was not packaged properly. I just hope all the parts are there. More to follow.

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I installed this on the front of a 2018 F350. Fit an finish is great. Install was easy and directions simple to follow. Having another set of hands was very helpful, else it would be a balancing act I imagine. No drilling needed except for the cutout in the valence. My use is a cargo basket for four bikes and a kayak rack when pulling my fifth wheel. I have a receiver splitter that allows me to have both the basket and Yak rack mounted at the same time. Load up the toys and go...

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A tight fit with the bash plates on my 2023 Ford F250. I also cut a 3 inch square air dam hole instead of 3 1/2. But had to extend the top of the hole due to the slope of the dam. The hitch pin hole barely clears the air dam. The hitch pin clip will rub on the air dam.

Do not follow the instructions for cutting the air dam. I cut mine 3" wide and 3 1/2 " tall. It was still a little wide. It goes without saying "you can always enlarge it but can't make the hole smaller." The poor instructions kept me from giving it 5 stars. I was able to put black silicon around the cut. Other than that it went on fine and seems to be sturdy. I chose the curt because it was lower and a bicycle rack would not stick up as high,

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Delivery was quick, a really easy installation I did myself. Perfect for carry rack, spare tire, winch and moving my trailer!

I went with this hitch since I have an after market front bumper. I wasn’t sure if it was going to fit but since this hitch was a bolted connection it gave me 2 options to have a chance it would fit. One I received the package the box was damaged but all the hardware had been taken to the hitch, so everything was there. I installed the hitch by myself and took me about 2 hours but that was due to the aftermarket bumper and dealing with that hardware at the same time otherwise the install went smooth. Tha last phot is to show this hitch worked with this bumper.

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Mounted this hitch about a year ago and really like it. We pull a fifth wheel camper so this affords us the ability to haul our bikes or kayaks(tall T stand) up front. Was easy to install and looks good to boot.

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Let me start by saying this is not the first front receiver I've purchased from etrailer all my trucks get front receivers for winches. This time though the box shows up on time but the corner is blown open and the receiver is hanging out. Also the bag of bolts has been ripped open and half the bolts are loose in the open box but to my surprise after counting everything, they were all there.spray foam packing would have mitigated all that. Moving on. Went to install the receiver and the end mounting plates are 1/4 inch too tight. Won't fit the frame rails. Had to spread each side 1/8 out with a Hydraulic bottle jack. Apparently using a jig during the manufacturing process is optional these days. After all that I finally got it to fit good. It looks good and the welds seem adequate. I think it could have been installed in an hour by myself if not for having to "adjust" it but was still done in under 2 hours.

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Mounted the EcoHitch hidden front mount trailer hitch on 2011 Ford F 250 with a Ranch Hand Grill Guard. The Ranch Hand uses two of the same holes as the EcoHitch's four mounting holes. Getting the pieces lined up is a bit of a challeng although no modifacations were necessary.If I have the need to do it again I would let an installation shop do it. etrailer's customer service and commuication are excellent, shipping time and delivery were very fast.

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Added to use with a front winch. The install was not too difficult and the included instructions were spot-on. On my F250, the front tow hooks add to the strength of holding the hitch to the frame. On the F250 you do lose the OEM fog light location, but I used the wiring to add/relocate after-market fog lights. The set up has already proven helpful, pulling me out of a snow back while plowing. Just what I needed for some summer off road camping as well.

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I chose this product because it was among the more inexpensive front hitches I could find. I plan to build a t-bar for it and use it in conjunction with a homemade headache rack to carry 16 foot garage doors. Like other reviews and vids I have found, the bolt up is hard. I reversed the bolts and use the new ones on the outside, as well as removing my grill. My truck is a 2003 - so not much room like the 2008 and newer trucks.

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Great customer service and product.

The quality and fit is exceptional. So much so that this is the third hitch assembly I've purchased and installed. This one was for my brother in-laws 1999 F350. I also put a 10k winch on a slider that works perfectly with this assembly. Other vehicles I purchased and installed assemblies on are a 2011 F350 and a 2016 Class C motorhome. Very happy.

Fast shipping. Great solid HD front hitch. No drill. Easy installation. No snaking bolts, no rerouting any transmission lines. 2022 F350 dually 7.3 gas, this is the one

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The fit and install was easy and the instructions almost perfect. My 2022 F350 has fog lights, engine heater plug and an airbag sensor in the bumper. The instructions didn't mention these components and disconnecting them. I also unplugged my batteries before the installation out of caution for any sensors.

Just what I was looking for. Thank you.

I ordered these two, front and rear for a 1990 GEO Tracker 4 wheel drive that I am rebuilding. I believed they would fit, I finally got around to mounting them and they don't fit, to large. I think I have had them to long to return them.

Unfortunately the item I wanted wasn't in stock at etrailer, but I had time before I wanted to install the item, a front mount hitch. The vendor was on time with supplying the hitch and etrailer shipped the hitch in a timely manner. It arrived yesterday evening and I installed it today. I've installed three front hitches, all from etrailer Curt and Draw-Tite I believe over the past few years. Two this year. The first picture is the front hitch on a 1998 E-450 class C motor home, the second picture is on a 2002 Ford F-350 pickup truck.

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The video explaining the install was very helpful, thank you! One additional step, which I had to do, REMOVE the front bumper. Four bolts, and it is off. This makes the removal of the front leaf spring nut MUCH easier, esp. if working alone. Now the disappointing part. My winch, which is a Re-Con, Brute force (17,500 lb rating) was half a hole short from being able to pin. I removed the winch carrying handles and the front licence plate. This allowed the stinger to slide forward in the receiver the extra little bit. It now fits fine. I have other vehicles the winch mounts on, so I elected to go this route and it will be fine. It is a bit of a pain, but only will have to deal with it once or twice per year. I just threw the plate in the front window in case I get pulled over. My truck has towing loops which extend through the bumper, so I can not slide the plate to the side of the winch.

Needed a front hitch for a 2006 Ridgeline Honda truck. I found it on etrailer.com and a better price for same hitch on another online store. As I talked with the customer service agent, I was also offered a discount which was quite a surprise. Shipping was very fast. Had it installed on my truck so I could attach a mounting hitch and snow blade. I am extremely happy with this hitch and etrailer.com.

We live just south of Buffalo and Put this on our '11 Honda Ridgeline with a snowsport plow and a week later it snowed, and snowed and snowed... 5 feet in 24 hours and it's still snowing.... It's not good.... It's AWESOME! Not one driveway or even our street is clear... Except ours. It was easy to put together , easy to install and works exactly like it's advertised! It's November and it paid for itself already. Communication with etrailer was exceptional. We could not be happier with the whole setup.

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Fit nice. I haven't used it to move a trailer yet. I didn't have tow hooks and the factory ones are high so I paid the extra to get the hitch instead.

The product itself is great. One star deducted because 1) the wrong installation manual was provided. Credit to etrailer because once I notified them, they sent me the correct one within 24 hours. 2) A tremendously oversized box was used for shipping. Consequently , the item which is heavy as you would expect shifted during shipping and caused a huge hole in the box. Fortunately, the bolts were bagged and taped well to the item but this does give a slight passibility that the bolts could be lost in shipping.

Works good with my snow plows.

I just had a chance to finally get it mounted to my truck. The fit is perfect. I have never had any issues with anything that I’ve ever gotten from etrailer.

Great products, great prices, fast shipping and a great company to do business with. Easy install, and it took longer to trim the air dam than installing the hitch.

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Terrible, they sent the wrong hitch and now want me to pay shipping for the return

Review for truck front hitch receiver I finally Installed the front receiver hitch today, I pulled it out of its package and found all parts wrapped to the receiver hitch good call as there was a hole in the box. The license plate holder received some damage it was bent some. Installation. I reviews the video prior and read the instructions. Had to purchase a 4 inch hole saw and a torque wrench that added to the cost of the hitch. Installation was for the most part straight forward, when the video cuts from shot to shot I now know all the cussing and swearing are done during that time as it’s very difficulty to get the hitch in over/under the exiting hardware, solo installer took me 3.45 hrs to install, tight fit under the truck to maneuver under the truck. Bolts back into original tow hooks was a total Pain in the A$$ trying to hold up the hitch and the hooks while trying to maneuver the hold back in. (Had to take it out as I inserted on the wrong side) I will say that installation is doable by novice front yard mechanic but with a difficulty of 7 out of 10, trying to get the bolts torqued to specs is difficult due to clearance and angle of the bolts. Make sure you have deep well sockets because the new bolts for the hitch and long and a standard size socket will not be able to grip the nut as you tighten it down to specs. Put the bike rack on the hitch receiver and found that the hole that we drilled out to put the hitch in is not big enough. The bolt for the hitch goes in from the right and there was barely enough room to get it in the hole, used a wrench to tighten it but it was slow going, the other issue was that on the left side there is a hitch lock I struggled to get it on, but then could not reach in to remove the key. So final outcome was I had to drill out another 4 inch section of the bumper to get to the key. If your hitch has a bolt on bike rack like the swagman e-bike rack you want it to be secure so the bolt is a must this option may not be the best option. The bikes block the headlights so no night driving with the bikes on the rack. The handlebars need to be folded down otherwise the bikes will ride too high on the front and obstruct your vision. If I had to do it again I would have gotten the hitch that is lower and would not have to drill out my bumper, and it would have given me more visual clearance. I did take a shot drive with the bikes in front it will take a bit to get used to them being in the front as well as making wide turns while towing the RV that I don’t take out the car in front of me.

My friend installed the hitch and I helped . But mostly by staying out of his way!?? Everything worked out perfectly!!! Thank Y’all for the Great Service

I chose Draw-tite because they are built very well and this one is no different. The welds are done well and I have no fear that this product will serve me well. The install wasnt to bad for a DIY type like me and the fit was excellent, only took a few hours. Knowing that I can now be pulled out of a bad situation or pull someone else out is comforting with the help of a hitch mounted winch. The Price was right and etrailer shipped it out fast although packing could use a smaller box . Oh yeah, UPS sure tested the toughness of this receiver ! . Great product and great service from etrailer

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im very satisfied with my front receiver. ive used it as a recovery point,to move trailers, and as a mount for bike rack and cargo holder. if i had a winch platethat would be very handy too. etrailerhad a fair price, quick shipping, and overall great customer service. i would use them again andrecommend to a friend as well.

I bought this receiver to add front mounted 'accessories' on my 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara. I plan on using this to add an extra bicycle rack, a cargo basket, a receiver mounted winch or other 'accessories' needed for my Jeep when I take my family camping. It will also be useful for "front launching" a boat or parking a trailer in tight spots. It took me about an hour to install, although I had already previously removed the lower wind deflector cowling, so did not have to spend time removing it or cutting it for a finished look. Detaching and moving the top trim panel between the grill and the bumper is a must to facilitate the installation. The receiver fits pretty close, although you do have to manipulate it to get the holes to line up with the frame. Follow the instructions and do not tighten any of the bolts until you get it lined up and all the bolts in loosely, then torque it down. As noted in the instruction sheet, the driver's side of the receiver does not sit flush against the frame, there is about a 1/4" to 5/8" gap. The instructions say to use the extra split washers (in the kit) as filler, but they would just rattle around loose in there and provide any benefit, so I omitted them. Once tightened down, the receiver tube was not parallel to the ground, it is slightly higher in the front, sloping towards the rear. It is not off enough to affect my intended use, but may be bothersome to those with type 'A' attention to detail. Overall a good product that will add a lot of flexibility to my Jeep~

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Relatively easy install. Just have to be mechanically inclined. We use the hitch to carry a fish rack/cooler on a 2011 Jeep Wrangler. So far so good.

Great product,easy installation and dealing with etrailer has been a real good experience.

This was one of the easiest accessories I’ve installed on my Tundra. It is a front receiver hitch so I don’t use it very often. Mostly just for bike racks when towing a trailer, but when you need it you need it.

Straight forward and perfect fit on my 2008 Toyota Tundra!!

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Road tested 4000 miles & off-road, Solid, Great ! I always wanted a front hitch, it is rad ! We had a great experience across the board. Ordered the front hitch mount and had a mechanic (Weld Tech/San Diego) install it, because they already had our van to install their lift kit. They charged me one hour labor. I can see that it fits well and is solid. We went on a 4000 mile adventure with a small motorcycle on the front hitch. etrailer has been a good source for for a few things now.

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I own a 2003 Ford E-450 RV cutaway and wanted a front hitch to carry our bicycles since our rear hitch is used for a trailer. I originally tried to mount the equivalent Curt front hitch, because of its cheaper cost, onto the vehicle. However, the Curt hitch wouldn't work because it can't adequately accommodate the slight downward hump in the truck's frame. This hump can barely be seen between the two hitch mounting bolts. The hump is on both the left and right side frame rails on my vehicle. If your frame is not totally flat (has even a small hump) you cannot use the Curt hitch. The Curt's small indentation on its mounting flange will not adequately accommodate the frame's hump. This Draw-Tite hitch, 65001, mounted perfectly on my vehicle and the installation procedures I used were exactly as depicted in the etrailer video for the E350 van. In the video, the technician uses a rotary file to expand the rearward holes to allow the insertion of the bolts. I had to do the same thing and bought a rotary file for my drill at my local home improvement store for less than $3. I did not have to use the rotary file on the forward holes. In addition, I have the larger Roadmaster front sway bar and steering stabilizer and as you can tell in the photo, there is plenty of room for the hitch.

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