Curt Front Mount Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - 2"
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1997 Ford Van
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1997 Ford Van
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Easily attach a variety of accessories to the front of your vehicle with this corrosion-resistant trailer hitch receiver. Perfect for winches, spare tire carriers and more.
Features:
Specs:
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.
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Installed this on my 2018 F150 4x4 with 3.5 eco boost. The finished product looks great. With the eco boost engine, the install is a little more complicated . I jacked it up, put stands under it, took off the air dam just as the instructions said. But, when I started installing the hardware I realized there was only one hole available on each side big enough to slide in the spacers that the carriage bolts lock into (the oval shaped one in the picture). This also happens to be the hole that anchors the rear of the hitch. Additionally, there is a silver colored support that holds the charge air cooler that I had to loosen in order to get the wire& the bolts through (see picture of one end). Only remove the bolt from one side and then reinstall before removing the other side. One thing I did not see in the instructions is that the hitch wants to point down in the front because it is heaviest there. If you put a jack under it and push it up as far as it will go you gain additional clearance to the road. I ended up with 10 1/8 inches of clearance on a stock front end. Total install time was 1 hour, 15 minutes from when I pulled it in the garage. I plan to use to carry a bike rack & a fishing rod rack.
The hitch receiver has performed great! It has allowed me more flexibility in maneuvering my boat and trailer in and out of my very tight garage and driveway area.
Works great, I did add a leveling kit to the f150 to raise it up
I installed this so I could use my trailer hitch winch mount on front or back and not have it installed all the time. I've use it a couple of times off the front end and it worked great. Fairly priced product. It is a very snug fit, as I had the underside of my truck sprayed with industrial black paint to prevent corrosion and rust, so that might be part of it. If you want an affordable front end 2 inch receiver, this is a good way to go. I would recommend.
Chris D.
4/23/2021
Working out great!
Living in Northern Michigan with a long driveway I needed a front receiver for my HomePlow. The installation was relatively easy and the holes lined up with the frame. I did have to level the front end for the plow but the receiver works great.
This product is well made. Made in the USA. I thought instructions and diagrams could have been clearer though. Time estimates for installation were off. Took me 2 hours to install. I did it without help and a extra set of hands would have made it much faster. Pump jack a must. Love the product and if instructions and diagrams were a little clearer I would give 5 stars
David K.
8/23/2020
I have used my front hitch all season and it is beautiful. So easy to view boat and launch. A great help for two wheel drive trucks because power wheels are always high and dry out of the water. Should have done it years ago.
I bought the front trailer hitch for a bike rack while pulling my camper and that works great. I decided to try it pushing the trailer into my garage and really like that. Takes some learning since only very small adjustments in steering wheel make quick change in the trailer directions.
Installation was simple, but requires more strength than I have to lift hitch into position (tight fit) and bolt it in place. I found a local curt dealer who installed it for about a hundred bucks. Money well spent.
Gave it 5stars cause it was so easy to install…only potential issue is its height…but…. In fairness to drill and cut brackets to raise it would require cutting “upper valance” something I’m not prepared to do….yet
Gwendolyn Y.
2/12/2025
Install looks great, Jeff! What are you going to be carrying on the front of your Ford?
Gwendolyn Y.
2/14/2025
A spacer/spreader bar between the brackets would go a long way in preventing these from being bent during shipment. Mine was bent in over an inch. Luckily I have the ways and means to correct that as well as cutting and redrilling to gain an inch and a half more ground clearance on my 2018 f150 fx4.
Seems like these are made to cover many year models. Perhaps making them for more specific models would help.
Katrina B.
8/2/2022
It is common amongst hitches for the hitch to bend or flex during shipment, since the mounting brackets are made from a mild steel that allows the hitch to flex with the vehicle after installation. If the entire hitch was made of rigid steel, there would be a greater chance of the hitch being damaged and experiencing stress cracks. Such cracks could cause the hitch to malfunction. This flexing often times will cause the holes not to align. Because of this we do have a help article I have the link attached below that will walk you through the process of straightening the hitch.
I am giving this 4 stars because it sits much lower than I was led to believe from reading these reviews. The hitch is really strong and well made though. I hope it’s not too low.
I installed this on my 2018 F-150 3.5 eco boost yesterday. The install took an hour and a half. I elevated the front of the truck with ramps and supported the hitch with 2 jack stands. I also had my son helping me.
I started on the front attachment point by lining up the hole. I made sure the holes in the frame and the hitch were lined up by testing with a bolt. I then fished the wire. I started by trying to feed the wire in through the access hole and pull it out through the bolt hole but quickly reversed that and it was much easier. Once I put the coiled end of the wire through the bolt hole, fishing out through the access hole took 30 seconds. Then I put the metal spacer with the square hole on the wire and threaded the bolt on. Every thing was fed through the access hole and it came out the bolt hole easily. The second hole further back on the hitch was easier because it’s only a couple of inches from the access hole. I messed up on the first side because I didn’t put the metal spacer with the round hole between the frame and the hitch. I was able to correct it though. I repeated this for all four bolts and tightened them down with hand tight. Before I tightened them down, I added some thread locker and used my hydraulic jack to push the hitch as high as I could to maximize ground clearance. Then I tightened them down with my impact wrench and the torque limiter to 110 lbs.
The reason I’m only giving it four stars is because it is only 9” above the ground from the bottom of the hitch. I’m worried that is too low. Before I mounted it, I considered cutting 1”or 2” off the front tabs on the hitch and re-drilling the four holes. There is enough room between the hitch and the frame to raise it 2-3”. This would have given me another inch of clearance. But, I thought I’d just follow the instructions and see what happens. I figured if I don’t have enough clearance I can lift the front of the truck 2” to get rid of the factory front tilt. And I can take it off an modify it like I stated above. (I just am not sure how I will reverse fish the bolts and spacers out?)
The pictures show: the clearance in inches, the tabs on the front that would need to be cut off (and maybe the back too if you want to get maximum clearance). And the amount of space between the horizontal tube and the frame.
Pros:
Extremely stout
Great to mount the bike rack up front when pulling the trailer
Great customer service from eTrailer
Cons:
Installation instructions could be improved
Rear of the hitch was about 3/16" inch narrower than the front (read on)
First off, if I was to install this again, I would take a few minutes to block the truck and remove the front tires for easier access. Secondly, Curt has a video: Although it's similar, it is not the video for this part number.
I don't know if the hitch got bent during shipping, but the 3/16" difference in the width caused a significant amount of grief. After fishing the carriage bolts through the frame, the front holes mounted up fairly easily. When trying to line up the rear holes, I had use a mallet to line up the hole on the driver's side because the hitch frame was so tight: When doing that, the fish wire snapped and the carriage bolt and washer fell into the frame. I tried a magnet to get them but couldn't locate them. Fortunately, a buddy had a spare bolt and washer, and with a little work and "encouragement" we were able to thread it through and bolt everything together.
I want to emphasize that in the video, the plastic air dam appears to be trimmed from the top of the dam and the technician trimmed some tabs off of the dam. I didn't trim the tabs and after I did a preliminary line-up of the dam, I realized that I had to trim the bottom of the dam, not the top.
Like I said, the receiver is really stout, it's USA made, and great customer service. It will solve our dilemma about being able to take the bikes when we take the trailer. If I didn't have such a hassle with losing that bolt, I would have given 5 stars.
One last thing, I have 2018 F150 4x4 and with the hitch installed I have about 8 inches of clearance.
I walked away on my first attempt. Dang fishing wires were driving me nuts. Videos helped but I needed a night to visualize my attack plan.
Things the instructions didn't explain.
1) Elevate the front on ramps or put the truck on a lift for all you fancy dudes.
2) Widen the access hole with a hole step bit if needed. (Get a cheap one from China Freight or similar but make sure it's for metal) The rectangular steel brackets will now fit through the hole lengthwise. Check first, your frame may already have a wide enough hole. My frame did not. It drills out really easy. Alarmingly easy!
3) Use additional wire (heavier gauge) to snake the fishing wires through to their endpoints. Identify the holes where the bolts will permanently be. Fish your own wire from there to the access hole. Now attach the supplied fishing wire rigged up with all the hardware to your bootleg MacGuyver wire and pull the whole thing through. Dont pull the whole rig at once. Feed the bracket into the hole first followed by the bolt. I used electric fence dog wire and it made the installation a breeze. The factory-provided fishing wires are like guitar strings.
4) Use an ATV jack or similar to jack the receiver in place. Take your time lining up the holes, walking from side to side, and checking after every few pumps of the jack. Insert your hitch and ball into the receiver for a little extra leverage manhandling it into place. Now is when I decided to position the 2 square reinforcement plates. I simply used a little crowbar to flex the receiver just enough to slide them into position. No need to grind these like others have done. Snake the wires through the two plates and through the corresponding reciever's bolt holes. Use a heavy hammer and some 2x scrap lumber to bang the receiver into the final mounting place with all holes lined up. As soon as you have one hole perfectly aligned, pull your bolt through. Repeat for the next 3. and the rest is easy.
Not counting night 1, about an hour and 15 min solo installation time in the driveway.
Tools highly recommended: metal hole step bit (big one), heavy hammer, scrap 2x6 or similar for hitting, small crowbar, eye protection, hitch inserted into the receiver for leverage, atv/lawn mower jack, and 2-3 ft of flexible but stiff wire.
Easy install, after I found out the front holes in the frame are different locations. Use the back holes first and then the front. Was able to cut the hole in the air dam and slide it over the hitch to keep the integrity of it. For those that prefer it sitting higher of the ground for clearance. The mounting tabs on the hitch can be cut off and re-drilled to give more clearance.
A year later, I am still loving this hitch. It comes in handy for holding the fishing rod rack and the occasional trailer backing task. The hitch is all but hidden behind the air valance.
The kit was easy to install and it looks Great!
It wasn't as easy to install as shown online . i used ramps and a floor jack to position the hitch . Takes patience and good tool skills .
I wish it was higher up on the vehicle , it is as low as the front fairing .
Bike rack mounts just fine . Get your fav hitch cover to pop on there and it will be un-noticable
This thing is built solid. I am proud to show it off under the front of my truck. If I had known it would be this useful, I would have done it on every truck I ever owned.
David T.
11/16/2025
I bought it so I could mount a winch as needed without it being on the truck 247. It was easy to install and well it looks great. I find myself using it for so many things. Its really handy when Im placing a trailer in a tight spot. I love this thing
Installed on a 2018 F150 xlt 2.7 eco. The hitch sits about a inch lower than advertised. I just installed it today and will need to got to the lake to see if I can use it as it. Significantly reduces ground clearance on the front and it may be a problem for going up the driveway. The instructions need a lot of work and while they help a little the valance cutout measurements they give were wrong for my truck. My instructions said cut 3 x 2 5/8 inches and I had to cut 3 x 3 3/4 inch only left and inch of material on the front valance. I am not sure why the hitch needs to sit so low as there seems to be plenty of room to have it move up if it was redesigned. I paid the extra money for the CURT due to the ground clearance comments but it is hard to believe that anyone would design a hitch that sits any lower.
The fit on this for my 2023 F-150 XLT with the off-road package was terrible. This hitch rides far too low to be practical.
I am very impressed with Arthur D. of etrailer.com. He answered all the questions I asked in a very timely manner. We were heading out of town and needed the order to arrive in a timely manner. Arthur made sure and expedited the order and we received the shipment earlier than estimated.
I did have to drop a star, but I believe this is the fault of Curt Mfg. The way the item was boxed did not handle well in shipping. The flanges that mount to the frame of the truck had been bent, or sprung from possibly being dropped on the end of the box by the carrier. So what should have been an easy install took hours to spring the flanges back out to the necessary width to fit over the pickup frame. I believe this issue could be resolved by the addition of a pipe or 2x2 and a couple of lag bolts mounted between the flanges to prevent them from being bent. I used a bottle jack and a bar between the two to spread them apart, but this took multiple attempts along with having the jack and pipe pop loose and flying across the floor.
Good job on etrailer.com's end, but Curt needs to step it up.
This receiver hitch fit my 2015 F-150 perfectly. All mounting holes lined up great. Installed in about 45 minutes, no problems. Looks great, bottom of hitch sits about 1/2 inch below the air dam, and the front is about 2 inches back under the bumper. It looks factory installed. I couldn't be happier with my purchase and recommend this 100%. Also just wanted to recommed etrailer, I received my hitch 3 days after ordering. That is a great turnaround. Thanks etrailer
I am very pleased with this equipment. Bought it to carry two heavy E-bikes. Installation directions could have been clearer--but with the help of videos, I got it in just fine. Had to use a large crow bar to urge it in place though.
I use it for a front hitch-mounted dirt biking rack when I'm pulling an RV trailer on the back. Works great!
After trial fitting to locate correct frame holes with the use of my motorcycle jack, which was invaluable. The fishing of the bolt wire was the most trying. All in all it took me a couple hours to install. The jack was the key to the install. Happy with the result.
Perfect fit. 2 hour install in the driveway. Instuctions were challenging at first but once I understood the concept of pulling the bolts through the frame rails I made quick work of it. Really intuitive.
If you own a boat and where you store it is a tight place this fromt hitch is a godsend it makes it much easier to control when putting away your boat
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Kirk
7/13/2025
After 1 year I am still fully satisfied with this hitch. It works as expected.