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Easily attach a variety of accessories to the front of your vehicle with this fully welded, corrosion-resistant trailer hitch receiver. Perfect for winches, spare tire carriers and more.
Features:
Specs:
Draw-Tite's Tested Tough program provides testing standards far superior to those outlined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the go-to source for engineering professionals.
Each Draw-Tite trailer hitch receiver undergoes extensive fatigue testing and static testing with the ball mount that is either supplied or recommended for use with that particular hitch, thus ensuring results that are applicable to real life use. Fatigue testing is also conducted on hitches rated for use with weight-distribution systems.
In addition, Draw-Tite performs static testing on a simulated automobile, as opposed to the rigid fixture used for SAE testing, resulting in a more true-to-life scenario.
At etrailer.com 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.
Customer Satisfaction Score:
90% were satisfied with this product
10% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
I have a 2016 Ford F 450. It is actually a Winnebago 327Q. But I ordered this hitch to be able to use a bicycle rack. Everything looked great except the needed holes for the front section of the mount were no there. Returned for full credit including shipping. Took pictures of the frame that showed to forward holes as not there to be able to mount the hitch. Katrina in customer service was excellent.
D Deemxs
This worked great on my F350 dually. We needed a front hitch to carry bikes while towing a 5th wheel camper. Instructions were easy to follow
It was exactly what I wanted gor a removabywinch mount and moving trailers in tight spaces. I also made a slide in step for under the hood maintenance which worked great. I would definitely recommend it.
Install took me about two and half hours by myself laying on my back plus 30 minutes to run to Auto Zone to borrow a 24mm deep socket. Manager let me borrow one since I only needed it for 10 minutes to torque the four bolts. Etrailer shipped same day provided me with tracking and two full business days later hitch showed up. Measure five times and cut once on the air dam.
The hitch came quickly and wrapped up nicely. The hitch along with the hardware are all high end and work together perfectly. Installation took around an hour with standard hand tools and help from a friend holding it place as you slide the bolts through the truck frame. No drilling was required and everything lined up perfectly. I would highly suggest the hitch and plan on using mine for my spare tire when traveling with my camper.
Installed 65049 on my 2015 F350 DW 4 WD. All went good. Put a strap around bumper and receiver to hold in place while I got a couple of bolts in. Removal of front air dam was also helpful. I had to loosen two 15 mm bolts on the stabilizer in order to get driver side in. Was either grind a little off or loosen u shaped stabilizer. By my self about 4 hours (just hand tools).
Fit great when installed, it just had to much paint inside receiver part, hard to put hitch in it
As usual with an Etrailer order, shipping was free and fast. I had the product in hand 2 days after ordering. I ordered the 2 wheel drive front mount hitch 65049 for a 2012 Ford F350 dually. Installation was pretty straight forward with only one minor glitch. I did the install alone, using a floor jack. Possible, but I would urge you to get a buddy to help. I believe installation would be smoother, quicker and easier with a buddy to help. My truck has a stabilizer bar which required that the hitch be tilted up into position. The plastic air dam would not allow me to tilt the hitch enough to clear the stabilizer bar. Believing the web site (and foolishly not measuring) that said the air dam didn't need trimmed on a 2 wheel drive, I removed the air dam with the intent of replacing it after install. Once I had the air dam out of the way, the install was relatively painless. The hitch fit perfectly, the front bolts are a bit of a challenge because you're working in a very restricted space. The rear bolts are a piece of cake. The little "fishing" wire they include works perfectly. After finishing the install, I went to replace the air dam and discovered it needed a small notch cut out of the bottom. Not much, probably about an inch and a half, the width of the receiver, but I maybe would not have had to remove the air dam had I known this going in. So, in summary. Excellent product, install is pretty easy, If you have a 2012 F350 Dually, you're going to have to notch your plastic air dam.
This is the second Draw-Tite front hitch I have owned. I installed this one on my 2008 F-450. It took about 2 hours total mainly because I removed the front air dam valence in order to cut a square hole for the receiver to come through ( I was going for a little cleaner finished look). I used a Dremel and a box knife to cut out the hole. At first I thought I was going to have to remove the front sway bar but the hitch fit up along the frame perfectly. The bolt threader worked great as well and made it a snap to get the rear carriage bolts into place. It did take a bit of effort to get wrenches on each of the nuts but it worked out well. I highly recommend this hitch for your SuperDuty truck.
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.
This has been a great hitch. I use it mainly to haul my bicycles when we go camping. I would recommend adding the Malone Anti-Rattle Hitch Lock System MPG908. This stopped all bouncing and made the hitch very stable while in the receiver.
I bought this front hitch receiver because I have a 35' trailer that I had to back into a very narrow space. Attaching the trailer to the front of the vehicle puts the steering wheels at the pivot point makes maneuvering the trailer MUCH easier! It also places the driver facing the direction of travel instead of looking in mirrors or over the shoulder while backing.
I found this front hitch receiver to be a high quality, well built product. When I first attempted to install it on my 2016 Ford F-350, I found that there was a 3/8" gap (total for both sides) between the receiver brackets and the vehicle frame. I called etrailer and was told that it was acceptable to use washers to take up that space. I installed one 1/8" thick washer for the front holes and two for the rear. Installing the bolts in this thing was difficult enough. Trying to slide washers into the tiny space between the brackets and the frame seemed impossible.
After some thought, I made an exact duplicate of the brackets from sheet aluminum. I applied packing tape between the steel, the aluminum and the washers to prevent dissimilar metal corrosion. I then used the same packing tape to attach the sheet aluminum and washers to the brackets with all the holes lined up. It went in like a dream, no holding, fumbling, wrestling and dropping parts. Installation of the bolts presented their own problems. I found that it was near impossible to fish the lead wire for the rear bolt through the front of the frame to the bolt hole. So, I fished hanger wire through the bolt hole out the front of the frame. I twisted a loop at the end of the lead wire and pulled it, and the bolt, through easily. Photos are attached.
As always directions are bad guessing game. But good product. Lots of cussing but got it done.
Gwendolyn Y.
7/9/2025
We’ve all been there, some colorful words are sometimes part of the process. Glad you got it done even though the instructions didn’t make it easy, David.
Hitch should be shipped with 2 wire bolt threaders instead of one. Hitch is about 1/2 inch too wide for my 2014 Ford F-350 single rear axle. I may go back and add some washers. About 3 hr install with all the tools. The 18 mm bolt is a oddball size. Most wrench & socket sets don’t come with this size.”
Mike L.
4/1/2019
According to the hitch manufacturers, its perfectly acceptable to use washers to take up the extra space between the hitch and the frame member.
Nice fit, pretty good instructions, could use a 2nd wire bolt puller. Suggest install using an ASSISTANT! I did mine alone, in a garage, no lift......3 hours. You NEED to take off the facia/air dam. FYI-Ford uses an 18mm nut to hold on the 2 brackets that need removal. Cut out for receiver on airdam using a Dremel tool,.
Paul S.
11/7/2016
Excellent, use it a lot in the fall putting boats into storage units
Install took about an hour. I cut the air dam down in front with a dremel and then put weather mouldings around it to give it a finished appearance. A floor jack made this a pretty painless one man job. I will use it for moving a boat around and for the occasional recovery point. The instructions are easy to follow.
Kyle
4/6/2020
One year now and not one issue with this hitch. I move my boat with it very frequently and there has never been an issue. I was thinking about the fact that this was a VERY simple install with all the parts being a perfect fit. Thanks etrailer, great product.
Easy installation. You may want to use two people, but one can do it. Took a little over 90 minutes doing it by myself.
Instructions are clear and concise.
I plan to use the front hitch for a bike rack when pulling our pop up camper. Or will also make putting it in the garage easier, as it can be pushed in.
Meets my needs perfectly.
John C.
6/17/2017
Still working great. Still pleased with it.
Love the front receiver for my F250 Super Duty
Putting the boat in the backyard between trees and into the building can be like threading a needle. Pushing it makes all the difference. Having the trailer pivot point just a few feet from the steering tires makes this job super easy. First time everytime.
Super easy install. Watch the install video once and you know everything you need to know.
David C.
8/14/2015
Still great. I use this every weekend.
I purchased this item online. The experience was good from start to finish. Order was easy to make and arrived at my door in about three days to my part of Canada. Cost delivered with the exchange rate was still 30% less than purchase would have cost at a local off road supplier. The quality and finish of the product is good and has resisted our corrosive winter driving conditions. It looks a lot better mounted below the fender than a friends unit on another F350 that is cut through the top of his fender. I have since wired the truck for an 11,500 pound receiver winch.
We have used it to pull firewood logs out of the bush and as security option with the winch up front for access to a remote Lake property and Hunting Areas. We will wire in a battery at the tailgate so the winch can be installed at the back of the truck. A safer place to pull wood from. I will install one on my next truck. Mike M.
Michael M.
4/13/2020
Hi Patrick. Still love the front mount hitch. Means my winch works front or back now. But I also use the front hitch to put my boat I the water and to move trailers around my property with a ball mounted in the receiver. A stub with a large marine shackle is a very useful rig with a rope wrapped in it to pull wood out of the bush. Best small investment I have made. I recommend the Draw-Tite Front Mount Hitch!! Have a good day.
This review is for my 2015 F350 4x4 Platinum. Thanks etrailer from start to finish. Found my front hitch easy, Arrived on third day. The box was torn open from shipping, however thanks etrailer for the protective end cover and wrapping hardware with heavy tape. No scratches or missing parts (yay) installed by myself with a pump jack. Perfect fit as if Ford made it. Thanks for the follow up on day it was delivered thanks George (nice touch) This was my first buy from e-trailer and I'm very satisfied. I wanted an easy website to find and feel confident the part needed was the exact fit for my truck, name brand part, free shipping, and a decent price with excellent customer service. Found it!!!
Joe
8/26/2018
No problems at all, Use often
This is the third front hitch I have bought from etrailer. I use it in the winter for a snow sport snow plow and in the summer for a bike rack. I had one on a Nissan titan, and a Chevy silverado, plus other various hitches and hardware for cars and trucks. I have never had an issue with any of it. etrailer is by far the best hitch and towing accessory place I have dealt with. Never any issues with fit, form, or function. Plus they have excellent on-line help. And shop around if you find it cheaper else where they will refund 110% of the difference. You can' beat it. Only thing was I didn't just cut a hole in the lower valence because I didn't want to remove it so I had to slot it but no biggie. Plenty of ground clearance and it is a convenient distance out so you can't hit anything while it is not in use.
Glenn C.
3/27/2021
A year later it still is working as expected. Pushed a lot of snow this winter and this summer will be used to suspend kayaks from the from of my truck.
Needed a front receiver to put a bike rack on my 2015 Ford F-350 (2WD) for use with my slide-in camper. Price on the details page I was viewing changed overnight when I went to place my order, but etrailer honored the earlier price. Order was placed 6/12 with a 3-5 days estimated delivery. It arrived on 6/14. Very fast service & shipping! Installation took me about 3 hours, working alone & without power tools and a pause to re-view the installation video. My truck did not have the brackets referenced for possible removal. Would be nice if video showed how one installs the front bolts with the limited accessibility between frame and bumper that I had in to 2015 F-350, with the installed tow hooks. Front left nut had limited clearance between frame, which affected my ability to use a socket and torque wrench. Finished installation provides about 9" ground clearance and requires about 3" hitch length to clear the bumper and grill. Otherwise, installation was simple, pretty much as described in the 2012 Ford video.
Craigb
6/27/2018
Yes the hitch works perfectly for my needs of carrying our bikes when we travel with our camper.
It bolts up like it should. The only thing I had troubles with was the front grill guard bolts in the same location. I had to loosen and adjust the mounts to fit them both. I am extremely happy to have my plow back.
I bought this because my truck is so big that to reach the engine oil dipstick I needed a way to get up there. Another use is for me to put my dirtbike on the front of the RV. I'm very happy with it
Mike L.
2/12/2026
Thanks for checking in, Chris! The photos are awesome....
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Kate F.
12/3/2025
Install looks great Walter! Looks like quite the set-up, where are you off to?