Installing etrailer.com Trailer Hitch Receiver on 2018 Ford Transit T350

Updated 09/25/2019 | Published 09/24/2019

Question:

My Transit Van was a rental van, and there seems to be inserts in to the 4 threaded holes in the frame that are preventing the bolts from going in. I can see the threads behind these hollow inserts. The bolts I received are labeled as self tapping, but they are not self tapping. Just regular bolts. Help!

asked by: Ben S

Expert Reply:

Based on my research the mounting holes on the frame rails of your 2018 Ford Transit T350 aren't actually weldnuts so they aren't really threaded. The bolts included with the etrailer.com Trailer Hitch # e98842 are self-threading bolts (the install manual does incorrectly label them as self-tapping). We don't recommend using an impact wrench to thread the holes but instead recommend using an M12 x 1.75 tap to thread the mounting holes appropriately.

Once this is done the hardware should thread in without issue.

expert reply by: Chris R