Trailer Hitch

Cleaning Weld Nuts for Trailer Hitch Installation

Okay as you can see here on the drivers side, our weld nut has a lot of corrosion built up in there. And when we try to install our 10 millimeter bolt is not wanting to start at all, in fact it almost seems like the bolt is too big for the weld nut. It is a common misconception, again when the weld nuts got a lot of build up in there.

Class III Trailer Hitch and Weight Capacities Review

Traditionally a class III receiver hitch is good for trailers up to 5000 pounds and 500 pounds tongue weight. There are a few different variances from that, well show you that here in a second. Again were going to start with the stickers and show you the differences, as you can see here the max gross trailer weight is 5000 pounds as we discussed. The tongue weight looks to be 500 pounds, again about 10percent of your trailer weight. On the other side of the class III you will see a sticker for weight distribution. That is a specification when you use a device that goes in between the truck and the trailer that takes up the tongue weight. What it does is distributes the weight between the truck and the trailer and allows you to carry a heavier weight. As far as a class III hitch is concerned, that increases the rating the hitch can handle.

How To Tow a Trailer

Today we are going to review the components needed to pull a trailer. Basically, this video is designed for somebody who just decided they have a need for a trailer, so we will cover all the components in the most basic form, so you know exactly how to update your vehicle. What we are going to do is start from the truck and work our way back to the trailer. First off, we are going to show you the hitch itself. All vehicles require a hitch to pull a trailer. What this device does is makes an attaching point on the frame of the vehicle, or body components, and transmits the forces from the trailer to this one point here. This point here is the receiver part. Consequently this hitch is called a receiver hitch because this hitch can receive a draw bar, or also called a ball mount. It is held in place by this pin which we just ed, and this clip holds it in place. There are more fancier pins, like locking pins, but that is the basic thing you need right there to get the job done. 1:12

Hitch Class Receiver Sizes FAQ

Today were going to go ahead and review the various classes of hitches starting from the smallest working our way up to the largest.Some good terms to know about receiver hitches. Tongue weight. Thats the amount of weight of the trailer thats pushing down on the hitch ball. Trailer weight will be a larger number and that will include the weight of your trailer plus whatever is on top of it or in it.When you get to two-inch receivers, you can use whats called Weight Distribution. Which this is a separate device that goes between the trailer hitch and the trailer. It takes tongue weight, picks it up and what it does it distributes that weight over the axles of the truck and the trailer.

How To Clean Weld Nuts

A common problem that we run into with a lot of our vehicles that have existing weld nuts in the bottom of the frame is that when you go to try to put a bolt in them you have an excessive amount of road grime or rust built up in there and when you go to put your bolt inside the weld nuts you find not only does it not want to thread but it also appears that the bolt is too big for the weld nut. The first thing that typically comes to mind is that the bolts that I received are too big and 99.9 percent of the time this is not the case. What we have actually got here is an excessive amount of rust and debris built up in the weld nuts that are preventing the bolt from starting. We are going to show you how to get those thoroughly cleaned out so that we can not only get our bolt started but to get it threaded completely into the weld nut. 00:41

Weld Nut Removal and Replacement Review

So you are in the middle of doing your hitch installation and you are in the process of taking out one of your existing factory bolts. In the process you find that the bolt is not coming out due to the fact that the weld nut inside the frame has broken. We are just going to go ahead and show you a couple of things you can do to not only get the bolt out of the way but to also go ahead and continue on to be able to put your hitch in position without the weld nut welded inside the frame. The first thing that we obviously need to do is go ahead and get the bolt out of here. There are a couple of different ways you can do this. You can take a chisel, is you have one large and strong enough to do so, and possible grind the head of the bolt off. Or you can actually take a torch and torch it off. And that is actually what we are going to do on this application here. I am going to try to get most or as much of the head of the bolt off as I can. And we will take and push the remaining section of the bolt-weld nut combination up inside the frame. 0:49

Lowering Exhaust Example for Trailer Hitch Installation

The first step to do is to lower the exhaust and we will do that by taking off the rubber hangers on the front and back, and there is one hidden in the back.

FAQ Trailer Hitch Exhaust Rattle

Today on our 2010 Lincoln MKX were going to address the exhaust rattle issue. There are a couple of reasons for occasional contact between hitch and exhaust. One, the manufacturers have loose tolerances from mounting the hangers that suspend exhaust systems. Final placement of the exhaust can vary slightly from vehicle to vehicle. The flexibility of rubber isolator connecting exhaust hanger to the vehicle frame allows for more movement of the exhaust system relative to other vehicle components. An isolator can also stretch over time.

Drilling to Enlarge a Frame Hole for Hitch Install

On this hitch we have to enlarge this hole to a half-inch and there is one on the opposite side we have to do the same thing with.

How to Make a Thread Tap

Today we are going to show you a cheat. In some cases you are going to have a hitch that uses threaded holes in the bottom of the frame. Those holes are going to be probably corroded up within a few years of the vehicle being on the road with dirt, grime, salt corrosion, you name it is probably in there inside the fine thread. What you want to do is clean out the threads probably with an existing hitch bolt if it is lightly corroded and you can probably work it in and out a few times and do that. 00:20

Handle Nut Demonstration

Today we are going to show you the proper operation of a handle nut. Basically, a lot of hitch installs will use this type of device here. You can manipulate this handle any way you want to, to run this nut into an area that has a tight fit. You can bend this at will, basically. Just take it like this and bend it, and then put another hook into it, and make a handle like that. And you can thread it into the frame, where you can actually run your bolt through the bottom of it. All right, and now we will go ahead actually and install this handle nut on a typical application.

Class II Trailer Hitch and Weight Capacities Review

Now well move on to a class II receiver hitch. Well cover the weights on the sticker and cover a couple of differences on the receiver tube itself. You see here it says weight carrying ballmount that means the ballmount going into the receiver and the ball, that is what that means. You see here where it says weight distribution that is a separate device that allows you to carry heavier weights, that does not really apply to class II receiver hitches. Again by itself on the hitch its rated for 3500 pounds, that is the total weight. The tongue weight is listed at 300 pounds. On the details of the Class II hitch, there is not too many details on it compared to a class one. Basically all class II hitches have this ring that goes around the end of the tube. This is so at a quick glance you are working with a class II.

Class I Trailer Hitch and Weight Capacities Review

Were going to start off with this example here which is a class I hitch. Class I means this hitch is good for trailers up to 2000 pounds. What were going to show you over here is the sticker which shows the different weights and capacities involved. Well show you what those mean. As you can see by the sticker here, were going to show you some notes on it, these stickers will apply to any class hitch that you come across. Once you figure out what this means, you are home free. Starting here at max gross trailer weight which shows 2000 pounds. So that means the total weight you can pull with your trailer, for example if your load on your trailer is 500 pounds, you have 1500 pounds of weight to put on it so it remains at a safe capacity for this hitch. Moving on to this next number which is max gross tongue weight, it shows 200 pounds there.

Lowering Exhaust Hangers

Alright we will get started by lowering the exhaust. These rubber hangers here will need lubricant sprayed on them to make it easier to get them off. Before we lower the exhaust we are actually going to put a safety strap underneath here so we can control the exhaust as we lower it. See how we can control it.

Drilling a Spare Tire Pan for a Trailer Hitch Installation

What we will do next is tighten this down just enough to snug it to hold it in place, and then we will see where to drill or holes out using the hitch as a template. We will use the hitch as a template to drill or holes, so we will just use a drill and let the hitch do the work for us, we will punch right through this thin metal with a half-inch bit.

etrailer.com Trailer Hitch Installation - 2013 Nissan Rogue

Draw-Tite Max-Frame Trailer Hitch Installation - 2018 Jeep Renegade

Ryan: Hey everybody. Ryan here at etrailer.com. Today on our 2018 Jeep Renegade, we're going to be taking a look at and showing you how to install the Draw-Tite 2-inch Trailer Hitch Receiver.This hitch is going to function great for all of your Jeep needs. It's going to work good for accessories like bike racks or cargo carriers and it's also going to work great for any light-duty towing. The hitch is going to be mostly visible, but in my opinion, it matches that rugged look that the Jeep offers. The hitch is going to sit a little lower to the ground, but there are items available to make just about any accessory you have work without any issues.Something else you might want to check out to use with your hitch, whether you're going to be using it primarily for towing or for any accessories is the Let's Go Aero Anti-Rattle Lock.

etrailer.com Trailer Hitch Installation - 2016 Ford Transit T250

Ryan: Hey, everybody, Ryan here at etrailer.com. Today on our 2016 Ford Transit 350, we're going to be taking a look at and showing you how to install the etrailer.com Class III trailer hitch receiver. This hitch is going to function great for recreational purposes such as using it to carry bike racks, and it's also going to be a great choice for towing. A lot of these vans are also used to haul a lot of people, and when you have a lot of people in a van, you're going to have limited storage space. With this in place, you can now put a cargo carrier on the back and haul all your gear or equipment that way.If you're primarily going to be using this hitch for towing, something you might be interested in is some trailer wiring, that way your trailer has all the proper lighting functions. If your trailer happens to have electric brakes, something else that might interest you would be an ETBC7 and a brake controller.

Best 2019 Volkswagen Passat Trailer Hitch Options

Ryan: Hey, everybody. Ryan here at etrailer.com. Today we're going to be taking a look at some of our best trailer hitch options for our 2012 to 2019 Volkswagen Passat. Up top we have the EcoHitch. Here in the center we have the CURT. Down at the bottom we have the Draw-Tite.Now if I had to personally choose one of these hitches for my own Passat, I think I would choose the EcoHitch because it's going to be more versatile because of that 2" by 2" opening.

Best 2018 Volkswagen Passat Trailer Hitch Options

Ryan: Hey, everybody. Ryan here at etrailer.com. Today we're going to be taking a look at some of our best trailer hitch options for our 2012 to 2019 Volkswagen Passat. Up top we have the EcoHitch. Here in the center we have the CURT. Down at the bottom we have the Draw-Tite.Now if I had to personally choose one of these hitches for my own Passat, I think I would choose the EcoHitch because it's going to be more versatile because of that 2" by 2" opening.

Best 2017 Volkswagen Passat Trailer Hitch Options

Ryan: Hey, everybody. Ryan here at etrailer.com. Today we're going to be taking a look at some of our best trailer hitch options for our 2012 to 2019 Volkswagen Passat. Up top we have the EcoHitch. Here in the center we have the CURT. Down at the bottom we have the Draw-Tite.Now if I had to personally choose one of these hitches for my own Passat, I think I would choose the EcoHitch because it's going to be more versatile because of that 2" by 2" opening.

Best 2016 Volkswagen Passat Trailer Hitch Options

Ryan: Hey everybody. Ryan here at etrailer.com. Today we're going to be taking a look at some of our best trailer hitch options for our 2012 to 2019 Volkswagen Passat. Up top, we have the EcoHitch. Here in the center, we have the Curt, and down at the bottom we have the Draw-Tite.Now, if I had to personally choose one of these hitches for my own Passat, I think I would choose the EcoHitch, because it's going to be more versatile because of that 2 inch by 2 inch opening. It just going to give us a lot more options on stuff that we can use.All three of our hitches are going to have a lot of similarities, but first, I'd just like to point out some of the differences.

Best 2015 Volkswagen Passat Trailer Hitch Options

Ryan: Hey, everybody. Ryan here at etrailer.com. Today we're going to be taking a look at some of our best trailer hitch options for our 2012 to 2019 Volkswagen Passat. Up top we have the EcoHitch. Here in the center we have the CURT. Down at the bottom we have the Draw-Tite.Now if I had to personally choose one of these hitches for my own Passat, I think I would choose the EcoHitch because it's going to be more versatile because of that 2" by 2" opening.

Best 2014 Volkswagen Passat Trailer Hitch Options

Ryan: Hey, everybody. Ryan here at etrailer.com. Today we're going to be taking a look at some of our best trailer hitch options for our 2012 to 2019 Volkswagen Passat. Up top we have the EcoHitch. Here in the center we have the CURT. Down at the bottom we have the Draw-Tite.Now if I had to personally choose one of these hitches for my own Passat, I think I would choose the EcoHitch because it's going to be more versatile because of that 2" by 2" opening.

Best 2013 Volkswagen Passat Trailer Hitch Options

Ryan: Hey, everybody. Ryan here at etrailer.com. Today we're going to be taking a look at some of our best trailer hitch options for our 2012 to 2019 Volkswagen Passat. Up top we have the EcoHitch. Here in the center we have the CURT. Down at the bottom we have the Draw-Tite.Now if I had to personally choose one of these hitches for my own Passat, I think I would choose the EcoHitch because it's going to be more versatile because of that 2" by 2" opening.