Trailer Hitch Installation - 2015 Mazda CX-5 - Hidden Hitch

How to Install a Trailer Hitch on a 2015 Mazda CX-5

Today, on this 2015 Mazda CX-5, we're going to review and install the Hidden Hitch Class III 2-inch Receiver Hitch, part number 87686. This is what the hitch looks like when it's installed on our CX-5. As you can see, there's really not all that much to see but the receiver opening itself. This is our 2-inch opening here. This has a rounded collar around the edge of it. This is actually reinforcing for a tube.

We'll see 2-hitch pin holes. The larger hole is 5/8 of an inch diameter. The small one is actually designed for use with a J-pin stabilization pin. That works with accessories that do not have their own anti-rattle device built into it. On the bottom here, we have the tow loops. This will culminate a variety of different types of simple chain hooks that are out there.

Our receiver opening here is actually welded to the cross tube, which is hidden entirely behind the bumper. Once it's behind the bumper, it uses existing holes that are in the vehicle. No drilling or any other modifications are necessary. It has a tongue weight, which is the weight that pulls down on the hitch, of 525 pounds. It has a pulling weight of 3,500 pounds.

Always double check your owner's manual or your manufacturer to make sure your vehicle can handle these kinds of weights. Next, we'll go ahead and give you a couple of measurements to help you out in selecting some accessories such as ball mount, a bicycle rack, or cargo carrier. From top of receiver opening, down to the ground, would be about 12 1/4 inches. From the center of the hitch pinhole to the outside edge of the bumper would be about 4 1/4 inches. Now I'll go ahead and show you how we install the hitch. To start of our install, we need to lower exhaust to get it out of the way, to make things easier to installing the hitch. Before we do anything to the exhaust, we'll go ahead and put a strap underneath it to help hold it when we lower it down.

I'm just using a cam buckle strap, but you can use anything that'll help to hold up the exhaust. To remove the exhaust from rubber hangers, we'll spray them down with some lubricant. It will push pull to pry them off as needed to remove them. There are 2 on each side of the muffler, one here and here. We'll use a pry bar to help push on the rubber hanger to run it off the rod it's stuck on. One down, three to go. Then we'll use our strap to help lower it. With the exhaust out of the way, we can show you where the hitch inaudible 00:02:43 to the vehicle. You'll notice these two holes here and one large hole up here. Your hitch will line up with this whole and this whole. Inside the frame, we're going to install hardware. It will be this block and this bolt. Those would be installed into the larger hole here and out this back hole. The same set of hardware will be in place in this hole as well. To help us get the bolts into the frame, it comes with 4 bolt leaders. We'll take the bolt leader, run it through the whole we're going to use, and then out our larger hole here, also known as an access hole. Take our block, threat it through, push it into the whole. Then we'll take our bolt and threat it on to the bolt leader. Push it into the frame, we pull out the hole. Now, you can leave these on or off, personal preference. If you lead them on, in case you pushed the bolt back in when we put the hitch in place, you can pull them back out. For our larger hole here, it could be a little bit different. We'll actually do everything on the outside, put it all together, then push it through the hole. Once the block is in place, go ahead and pull our bolt back through. This is our driver side. We'll repeat the same process back over on the passenger side. Before you put your hitch back up into place, we'll make sure that your exhaust hanger is still attached on this part right here. Because the hitch will sit up against here and trap this. If you leave this off, you won't be able to put it back on. Next, we're going to share the rest of our hardware before we put our hitch into place. You'll notice a conical tooth washer here, with the teeth, the teeth always face towards the hitch, and then the nut goes behind it. All right. With an extra set of hands, we'll go ahead and put our hitch up into place. Work in position, then we'll install our hardware. It helps to push the bolts to one side of another to help hold it, and you can install the hardware. One piece of hardware on each side holding up the hitch, we can go ahead and install the rest of our hardware. All right. With our hitch loose installed, we'll go ahead and tighten it down using a 3/5 inch socket. Then we'll torque the bolts down as does find in instructions. Okay. With the hitch tightened down, we'll go ahead and put our exhaust back up. It will be a bit of a tight fit. There. Cool. It may help to have an extra set of hands pull the exhaust to one side as you line this side up. we'll put our exhaust back into place. We can go ahead and remove our supporting strap. With that, that will finish it for Hidden Hitch Class III 2-inch Receiver Hitch, part number 87686, on this 2015 Mazda CX-5.