# 1
Curt Front Mount Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - 2"
1994 Jeep CherokeeHi George, I received your email and didn't realize it had been a year already. I'm afraid I don't have anything to say that you want to hear but I will tell you anyway. I spent about a week researching this hitch and read numerous reviews about it and how easy it is to install with installation times of 30 minutes to an hour, so finally I bought one. I read the instructions when I got it, looked simple enough. I've been building cars and motorcycles most of my life, a few hot rods and drag raced Harley's for 8 years, and I had to fabricate a lot of parts on the drag bike splus I've been a CNC Machinist for 30 years, and having just retired this project was on my list of things to do NOW! Well its been a year and the hitch is now sitting in the corner of my dining room. Either I have a Jeep Cherokee that is an odd ball or its just my crappy luck. In the directions it says to use the fishwire for putting in cm-sp1 and the bolt. I can supply pictures if you want but there is no access hole anywhere near big enough to get the sp1 spacer in the frame and the end of the frame isn't open either as the directions suggest. Apparently its either butcher the frame with a hole big enough to these spacers in, which I really don't want to do, or try to sell the hitch for whatever I can get and say the hell with it, except I really need that front hitch. I realize most people are very happy with your product, but I'm sorry to say I'm not at all. You asked!
Nothing Wrong with the Product it is the Installation Directions , I have a 1999 Jeep Cherokee it Fits as directed but i had to remove the front Bumper there were a slot on the frame to fit the CM-SPI through with not using the Fish wire did need to Drill a hole in the frame to get Carriage bolt to fit thru like it says . The Directions covers lot years and Vehicles not very well i worked on many Vehicles in my life and equipment any one how has no real mechanical training or experience be very confusion by them .
# 2
Draw-Tite Front Mount Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - 2"
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
1996 Jeep CherokeeHitch went on well, no missing or incorrect hardware. One bolt (RH front) was a little tricky, ended up pulling the bumper away a little to get it started, but not a big deal. Thickness of materials and welding are good. Had to notch the air dam plastic piece in three places, easily done with tin snips and a utility knife. Very happy overall. Tucks up in tight, doesn't hang down, not even noticeable. Now I have a winch mount, but even more importantly I have a really good pull point on the front, which these Cherokees lack. Would certainly recommend.
# 3
Curt Front Mount Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - 2"
I bought this after years of struggling to get a race trailer in the backyard. When I decided to move it about 12 feet to the right, I knew there was no way my F350 4X4 crew-cab could make the tight turns that would be required. After being able to position it on the first try, I realized I should have bought it 20 years ago. The installation took two tries. Not sure if it because I’m 66 or trying to do it by myself. The key for me was to hook a couple of straps to it, unbolt it, and then put the bumper on the engine compartment. The first attempt was by trying to do everything from the backside. Once I removed the bumper completely, I was able to do everything from the from, so I was not completely blind in installing the two side bolts. The straps not only made it easier to reinstall it, they were useful in pulling up on side to level it. I will be buying my son one for his 2016 F150 4X4
I should have done this when I first bought the truck.
Jeffery - 06/17/2021Very pleased! Quick shipping and the hitch fit well. Only problem (on Ford, NOT etrailer!) was that several of the bolts/nuts were hard to torque due to the positioning of the holes. Do-able but it took a while! I've purchased several other hitches from etrailer and never any problems! I would definitely recommend etrailer to anyone!
# 4
Curt Front Mount Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - 2"
Okay, first things first. I installed this hitch on a 2006 4Runner, even though the hitch wasn't specifically for that model year (Curt says the hitch fits 2007-09 4Runners). The 2006 4Runner's front tow hooks are angled down, which is a requirement for this hitch to fit (see the picture). One snag I ran into was that the four bolt holes along the top of the hitch didn't quite line up with the bolts on my 4Runner (the holes were not quite far enough apart) so I took the hitch to a machinist who elongated the holes for me. I don't know if this mismatch was a manufacturing defect in the hitch, or whether it was due to the difference between a 2006 4Runner and the 2007-09 models. Once I fixed the hole spacing, the hitch installed fine. Seems like a solid hitch. Planning to use it to push a trailer around when parking it.
This thing is great! Its so much easier to push a trailer around using a front hitch than it is to back it with the rear hitch. I can push this thing up a long curvy driveway with no trouble. Definitely recommended.
David - 08/08/2021I installed this on my 2008 Toyota 4runner in order to back my pop up camper down an inclined very tight drive. It was difficult to use the rear hitch because I did not have enough room to straighten out the 4runner. I did it with the front hitch on the first try! My wife says it saved our marriage! Putting the camper away was the most stressful part of the trip before this. I did need to buy a longer ball hitch of a different height because the front hitch sits lower and further under the bumper. Etrailer quickly shipped exactly what I ordered
I just used it again today, and it is still working great. Glad I got it.
Bruce - 09/04/2017# 5
Draw-Tite Front Mount Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - 2"
The #65053 front trailer hitch fitted perfectly to our 2019 Ford E450 Jayco 31F RV. Thank you for a precision product with the necessary hardware and draw wire to make the installation straight forward. Removing the front grill completely, made it easier to measure and cut out the square hole than is shown in the instruction video. A 2 3/4 inch square opening fits easily behind the flange of the hitch when remounting the grill. Remove retaining screws and plastic retainers to dismantle the front grill. The plastic retainers are removed by lightly knocking out the square centre pins with a suitable punch. See photos. The instruction video shows the removal of one lug on the number plate mounting to relocate it. This is not necessary. Simply separate the grill from the chrome bumper with a screw driver at that point and push the mounting with attached lug between the two.
The hitch has been very useful on several occasions. Always consider air flow through the grill and obstruction of headlights. When driving, be aware of extra distance in front.
Bill Anderson - 04/06/2022The Draw-Tite Front Mount Trailer Hitch Receiver was easy to install, the installation video was very helpful. Works great for carrying our ebikes on the Kuat bike carrier, and leaves our van doors in the rear more accessible. Bombproof mount. Also great customer service as always from etrailer.
Still works great, after a year and 10,000 miles of travel in our motorhome van.
Greg - 01/28/2022# 6
Draw-Tite Front Mount Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - 2"
Shows up with nuts and bolts sitting on the ground and was told tracking number is not applicable for a damage claim. How do I know it’s all there for install until I get started?
Service and shipment was excellent and very much appreciated. Install was less than two hours in the driveway. Other videos were right about directions making the hole to large but other than that fairly simple install. Looking forward to putting it to use!
Its Great being able to use the front hitch for the tilt-n-go and freeing up my back hitch. Good value for money!
GPIC2323 - 12/07/2021# 7
Curt Front Mount Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - 2"
One problem with the front of many vehicles is the inability to find an attachment point, whether for the front of a canoe on your roof or for a tow strap. A solution is to install a front hitch receiver with or without tow loops. A front hitch receiver then offers the ability to install a variety of other helpful devices such as a winch or bike rack greatly increasing the utility of your vehicle. I installed the Curt Front Hitch Receiver C31033 on the front of a 2013 Dodge Durango. I was happy with the results. Some points to note in this application are that the hitch receiver is completely hidden behind the front air dam requiring cutting a hole through the plastic molding to enable inserting a hitch or other device. Further, the tow loops, while accessible, are also completely behind the air dam, so unless you further cut openings for the tow loops, a straight line pull would push up on the air dam. The provided bumper trim diagram only indicates cutting access for the hitch receiver, not the tow loops. Other observations during installation are that two of the "square hole spacers" had to be trimmed by 0.25" on one end due to a restriction inside the frame which otherwise would not allow the bolts to be aligned with the holes drilled in the required locations. Also, the trim diagram for the underbody panel supplied with the directions while detailed and specific, would not have worked in my application. I found it best to trim a little bit of plastic off at a time while fitting the panel in place multiple times to obtain a custom fit. Finally, plan on drilling at least one new attachment point for the underbody panel due to restrictions introduced by the hitch receiver.
Still working out fine. While no fault of the front hitch mount, when mounted on the 2013 Durango, it is closer to the ground than desired and devices ed in the receiver may rub the ground when driving into steep driveways etc.
Walt D. - 09/26/2018Fit perfect, only problem i had was finding someone to do it. [moving company] wouldnt just let u know. Found a shop that installs snow plows that did it. Took them 2 1/2 hours
# 8
Draw-Tite Front Mount Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - 2"
I ordered product for 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee front end so I could mount a winch. This hitch receiver fir my Jeep perfectly and was easy to install with no modifications required.
The hitch is working perfectly and has a 12,000 lb Badlands winch with remote control mounted. The hitch was a super easy install and was made for my 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4. When my son is ready for one on his Jeep you can bet well be ordering from you. Great customer service and product!
Ray Garrison - 07/07/2015Bolted right up to my 97 Jeep Grand Cherokee
# 9
Curt Front Mount Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - 2"
Everything stated onsite was valid. Easy install, all the necessary parts and instructions were with the hitch receiver. Excellent Curt quality. I wanted a front recovery system for my Jeep that was more versatile than just tow hooks and this fit the bill perfectly. The receiver is so discrete that it is hardly noticible.
# 10
Curt Front Mount Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - 2"
This is my second purchase of this product. etrailer shipment was fast and delivered ahead of scheduled. Easy fit and installation. I did modify OEM engine plate for future engine oil service.
I bought and installed the front hitch to my 2014 Toyota Tundra because I did not want to use my travel trailer's rear bumper. The 2014 Toyota Tundra has a skid plate that has to be removed for oil changes and this front hitch installed would also have to be removed each time the oil is changed. I decided to cut a square hole in the skid plate allowing access to the oil filter so that the skid plate along with the front hitch would not have to be removed to get to the oil filter. The skid plate has 5 bolts and 3 screws and drops down for oil changes. To completely remove the skid plate after removing the bolts and screws you have to hold the skid plate and move it to the drivers side to unhook two hooks which are "L" shape facing the same way towards the passengers side. Do not leave the skid plate off because too many hoses and lines will be exposed and can be damaged while driving. It took me less than 20 minutes to install the front hitch and I also bought a Hitch Extender for a 2" Trailer Hitch 7" which made the hitch come even with the front bumper on my 2014 Toyota Tundra. I bought several other accessories to go with the front hitch which I can use when needed. I did buy this hitch mainly to use to carry my 2 beach cruiser bikes and it works perfect. Now all I have to do is insert the bike carrier into the receiver hitch and load the bikes and I am off with no worries about the bikes being in the rear of my travel trailer or trying to keep them steady in the bed of my Tundra. The bikes look really good in front of my Tundra and my driving view is not blocked at all with the bikes on. With the 7 inch extender the bikes are nowhere near the truck and with the Anti-rattle with lock on the 7" trailer hitch receiver there is no swaying while on the road or on the freeway at any speed. Thanks etrailer.
# 11
Curt Front Mount Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - 2"
It was a great price to solve my problem of how to take my bike camping when I’m pulling my teardrop trailer. Installation wasn’t that difficult with the exception of the top bolt on the drivers side. The brake booster pump was in the way. Keep trying and you’ll get it in eventually. It took me about an hour to install.
What can I say that you haven't already heard? etrailer.com made this such a painless and straight forward process for selecting the front hitch for my 2015 Jeep Rubicon Unlimited that I can't believe I didn't do it sooner. The Curt front hitch for my jeep arrived quickly and in great shape, very well packed. On unpacking I found my hardware and instruction firmly secured to it so it didn't get mixed up with my rear hitch, good forward thinking. The hitch is robustly built and you can see the care that goes into the quality, all the welds are neat and tidy and the finish is excellent. The hardware is all coated for long lasting performance and the fish wire is beyond handy. For the installation of the front hitch the instructions are a little lacking. This is not to say bad or confusing, just lacking a little more how to. The etrailer video on installing it made the process go smooth and easy. On my Rubicon model you do have to fight with the sway bar motor on the passenger side and the vacuum unit on the driver side, it is a pain but if you take the top frame trim off it is much easier to work. The bolt hole on the drivers side, pass a drill through it to make sure the ft is right because its very tight to work in that area and close won't work. Other than that, it installs exactly like the video. The only thing that would complete the package would be a template for clipping the front plastic shield, the Curt instructions include a sketch that gives you an idea but a simple temporary adhesive template would make it super simple to drill the corners out and then connect the dots with a tool of choice. But hey, that's just me. The hitch tucks up real nice and doesn't kill approach angle or ground clearance which is great for my application as its for carrying a winch when I need it. I would recommend etrailer.com without hesitation and strongly urge the Curt line of products based on what I've seen so far.
# 12
Curt Front Mount Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - 2"
I wanted a front mounted hitch receiver for my 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee to allow me to mount a surf rod and cooler carrier. The Jeep is already low hung in the front so I was concerned about the hitch receiver causing me to loose some clearance if it hung too low beneath the air dam. The installation instructions, reviews and pictures I found didn't seem to assure me either way. In my case the receiver ended up only about 3/8" below the air dam which I had cut an opening in as directed in the instructions. This was satisfactory for my needs. The instructions were mostly clear and easy to follow but I found that additional trimming of the air dam was required due to interference with the front legs of the hitch receiver. The area trimmed is not visible but this added a couple of hours to the installation while I checked and re-checked to be certain trimming was required. I found a "copping saw" useful to trim the air dam. One nit regarding the instructions is that there were "Options" mentioned like "enlarging" the pre-existing holes" and using alternate "fish wire" techniques, but there was no explanation of why you might choose to use the options. The manufacture has some useful videos on their web site but the "technical support phone number" listed on the instructions (800-798-0813) did not work for me but failed in various ways and resulted in various error messages/results. The hitch receiver seems well made and very sturdy and arrived in just a couple of days. Originally I was hoping to find a receiver that mounted so as to be in the opening above the air dam giving it more height and not affecting ground clearance. That was not available but this works almost as well and I have an adapter that will permit additional height for the mounting of the surf rod and cooler carrier. This receiver will also provide a "recovery point of attachment" for my Jeep.
Curt Front Hitch arrived promptly. By next day we installed. I have 2 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee. It was an easy install on basic Laredo. Would have been more involved on Rocky Mountain model. Instructions were very useful. Neighbor recommended use of grinder on plastic body cover. Body is more stable/secure than before install.
# 13
Draw-Tite Front Mount Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - 2"
I received it and it bolted right up to my 1990 Jeep Wrangler. I only needed to do a little trimming on the plastic cover which sits above the bumper to make sure it was down solid on the frame. I used my pneumatic cut off wheel to trim the plastic. It above the bumper so it is easy to attach my winch carrier.
Front hitch was received in a timely manner. The Hitch itself does not line up with the bumper of my 2002 Jeep Wrangler X. It is close but no cigar. Will have to make some type of adjustment to align the bolts. This I thought was a bolt on installation. Disappointed but will keep the hitch. Hitch is to be used to move trailers and to mount winch that can be used on the front or rear of wrangler.
# 14
Draw-Tite Front Mount Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - 2"
1. Not sure why the box needs to be so big for this hitch? This hitch is long and narrow, but the box looks like it’s for a 55-inch TV! What a waste. There is so much room in the box, the hitch was not secured, broke loose and penetrated the box. The hitch had some minor damage. Not worth to return it. 2. I read reviews from other web sites that this hitch and or the truck may need to be modified to get the hitch to fit. This is true for me. I had to cut and file notches on the driver’s side frame bumper plate to get the new hitch bolts to line up. 3. Overall, if it wasn’t for the modification, it would have been an easy install.
First time I used it, my F-250 was knee-high mud, the Draw Tite held together and with the winch pulled me out, so I need another one for my F-150. 110% Satisfied, highly recommend it.
Finish is holding up well after all year outside. still very satisfied with this hitch mount.