Hidden hitch Install

[jsun3701]

I installed a hidden hitch this afternoon, total piece of cake.

[Mystery]

I installed a hidden hitch this afternoon, total piece of cake.

 

 

Which hidden hitch did you install? (Model #) I am looking to make a purchase and install one myself but am looking for one that doesn't require me to drill on the frame. I beleive the hidden hitch models all work with the existing holes. Does the hitch hang below your bumper or is bumper modification required? And lastly did you have to drop your muffler for the install?

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

Mark

[Lex Talionis]

Which hidden hitch did you install? (Model #) I am looking to make a purchase and install one myself but am looking for one that doesn't require me to drill on the frame. I beleive the hidden hitch models all work with the existing holes. Does the hitch hang below your bumper or is bumper modification required? And lastly did you have to drop your muffler for the install?

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

Mark

 

well.. the ford one is welded on.. and the after market ones - Curt, Hidden, etc - use the holes in place - 2 per side. IIRC, the Hidden brand just uses those 2 avalable holes while the Curt has 3 attachment points per side so if you want to use the Curt you must - or must not if you decide not to - drill 2 more holes, 1 per side. So, they both use existing holes and Curt goes the extra mile with a 3rd hole per side. Technically, you could bypass drilling the 2 extra holes and still use the proven Curt.. or not and drill or just get the Hidden that might only have the 2 holes per side.

 

best thread on this topic

[Mystery]

well.. the ford one is welded on.. and the after market ones - Curt, Hidden, etc - use the holes in place - 2 per side. IIRC, the Hidden brand just uses those 2 avalable holes while the Curt has 3 attachment points per side so if you want to use the Curt you must - or must not if you decide not to - drill 2 more holes, 1 per side. So, they both use existing holes and Curt goes the extra mile with a 3rd hole per side. Technically, you could bypass drilling the 2 extra holes and still use the proven Curt.. or not and drill or just get the Hidden that might only have the 2 holes per side.

 

best thread on this topic

 

 

Lex,

Does the Curt hitch hang below the bumper or is the cross bar concealed behind the bumper? Thanks for the info.

Mark

[Lex Talionis]

Lex,

Does the Curt hitch hang below the bumper or is the cross bar concealed behind the bumper? Thanks for the info.

Mark

 

it hangs below... my Gallery, and that thread above, have some photos of how it looks (which is great). Frankly, I personally think it looks WAY better than the baby Class I ones that come stock and have the cutout in the bumpers..

[Mystery]

it hangs below... my Gallery, and that thread above, have some photos of how it looks (which is great). Frankly, I personally think it looks WAY better than the baby Class I ones that come stock and have the cutout in the bumpers..

 

Persoanlly I agree. I can't even beleive that 1.25 exist. I laugh every time I see and Explorer with the 1.25". But I guess someone smarter than me knows that they must function OK or they probably wouldn't exist.

 

Does anyone know if drilling holes for the Curt hitch has any negative implications to the factory warranty? That would be my only fear of installing that hitch over one that does not require drilling.

 

Thanks for your help again.

Mark

Edited June 13, 2008 by Mystery

[Lex Talionis]

Persoanlly I agree. I can't even beleive that 1.25 exist. I laugh every time I see and Explorer with the 1.25". But I guess someone smarter than me knows that they must function OK or they probably wouldn't exist.

 

Does anyone know if drilling holes for the Curt hitch has any negative implications to the factory warranty? That would be my only fear of installing that hitch over one that does not require drilling.

 

Thanks for your help again.

Mark

 

I don't know if anyone can say for sure really. I am sure Ford could make a case if they wanted, but I would be surprised if they did or even noticed it UNLESS you had some sort of claim in the same vicinity and relative to a structural issue with a frame rail. point is, I would not worry, and did not, about this. Heck, if you wanted, get the hitch, bolt it on, do not drill the holes, and at the end of the "warranty" - drill it up. kind of a PITA, but that way, you only use the existing holes if your that concerned. or have it welded on like theirs no holes then

[Mystery]

I don't know if anyone can say for sure really. I am sure Ford could make a case if they wanted, but I would be surprised if they did or even noticed it UNLESS you had some sort of claim in the same vicinity and relative to a structural issue with a frame rail. point is, I would not worry, and did not, about this. Heck, if you wanted, get the hitch, bolt it on, do not drill the holes, and at the end of the "warranty" - drill it up. kind of a PITA, but that way, you only use the existing holes if your that concerned. or have it welded on like theirs no holes then

 

Thanks, just curious.

Mark

[Mystery]

I found this trailer hitch on ebay. According to the downloadable instructions it is the Curt CLass III hitch. These are the u-haul version but according to an e-mail reply I received back they are made by Curt. I ordered it for $115 including FREE SHIPPING.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FORD-EDGE-L...emZ140241765758

 

I will confirm after it is delivered that it is the same Curt as the rest of you got.

 

Mark

[Lex Talionis]

great price... has a Curt sticker.. and is square tube, looks like a Curt to me but the chain connect points are totally different than mine at least.. but I know things change so you should be all good.

[Mystery]

great price... has a Curt sticker.. and is square tube, looks like a Curt to me but the chain connect points are totally different than mine at least.. but I know things change so you should be all good.

 

 

Just got it today and it definately is the Curt. It does not look like the photo on ebay either. It is the hitch that has the two downward sloping angles and the receiver part becomes more horizontal hanging below the bumper. I am sure this is the same as what you have. I guess because I am on the East Coast it only took two days to get here. I hope to do the install this weekend.

I will take some photos when I am done!

Mark

Edited June 19, 2008 by Mystery

[zhotster]

Just got it today and it definately is the Curt. It does not look like the photo on ebay either. It is the hitch that has the two downward sloping angles and the receiver part becomes more horizontal hanging below the bumper. I am sure this is the same as what you have. I guess because I am on the East Coast it only took two days to get here. I hope to do the install this weekend.

I will take some photos when I am done!

Mark

 

Mystery, I ordered the same hitch as you and received it yesterday. The Curt plant is about 80 miles a way, so I got the hitch before I got the tracking number from the reseller.

 

$115 is a steal for this hitch. I'd highly recommend this eBay seller. What a deal, shipping included. It's a Curt, which is a rock solid hitch!

[atoy74]

I installed a hidden hitch this afternoon, total piece of cake.

 

I'm just about to get mine. Any tips or suggestions?

[Daves43]

Hi,

 

I'm considering installing a hitch on my MKX but was wondering about the lowering of the exhaust system. Once it is disconnected from the hangers do I need a jack to lower and support it? I appreciate any details you can provide.

 

Thanks,

Dave

[PSUFetch]

Dave,

 

When I installed my hitch, I drove the rear of the car up onto ramps to give myself some extra room. Then I lowered the exhuast by unhooking the 3 rubber supports at the rear of the car. I found that if I let the exhaust hang down, it was stretching out the rubber hanger in the middle of the car too much. It might have been ok, but I was worred it would rip the hanger. I used a jack to support the exhaust near the middle of the car so that the stress was relieved from the middle hanger. It still left plenty of room to work on the hitch.

 

This might not be necessary if you try to install the hitch without elevating the rear of the car, but I think it was alot easier with the extra room.

 

Good luck if you decide to install one. I went with a Curt hitch and I'm happy with it. Very easy to install.

 

Rich

Edited April 8, 2009 by PSUFetch

[atoy74]

Dave,

 

When I installed my hitch, I drove the rear of the car up onto ramps to give myself some extra room. Then I lowered the exhuast by unhooking the 3 rubber supports at the rear of the car. I found that if I let the exhaust hang down, it was stretching out the rubber hanger in the middle of the car too much. It might have been ok, but I was worred it would rip the hanger. I used a jack to support the exhaust near the middle of the car so that the stress was relieved from the middle hanger. It still left plenty of room to work on the hitch.

 

This might not be necessary if you try to install the hitch without elevating the rear of the car, but I think it was alot easier with the extra room.

 

Good luck if you decide to install one. I went with a Curt hitch and I'm happy with it. Very easy to install.

 

Rich

 

Thanks, this was one of the questions I had. What you described is exactly what I had in mind.

 

Another question was how difficult is it to fish the bolts + washers into the frame rail?

[PSUFetch]

Thanks, this was one of the questions I had. What you described is exactly what I had in mind.

 

Another question was how difficult is it to fish the bolts + washers into the frame rail?

 

 

The toughest part was getting my hand behind the bumper cover to access the opening at the end of the frame rails. Other than that, I was surprised how easy it was. I found that it was easier for some of the smaller holes to start by fishing the wire backwards (the coiled end in first) through the hole and let the coiled end come out the end of the frame rail. Then I slipped on the washer and threaded the bolt into the fish wire. I already had the other end of the fish wire through the mounting hole, so I just had to pull it back through.

 

I found that if I dind't do this, I'd have a hard time if I started by fishing the wire through the frame rail opening and then trying to grab the uncoiled end of the fish wire through the small hole in the frame rail.

 

Trimming the heat shields was no problem. A decent set of tin snips will take care of it. I had to trim slightly more than the instructions illustrated, but it's really easy to see what has to be done once you get under there.

 

I watched a couple of videos on YouTube of how to install the hitch and it made it easier for me. I couldn't find one for an Edge/MKX, but if you look at one for a minivan, it's very similar. Etrailer.com has quite a few on YouTube that demonstrate the installations. I'm a visual learner, and the videos were a big help.

[Daves43]

Dave,

 

When I installed my hitch, I drove the rear of the car up onto ramps to give myself some extra room. Then I lowered the exhuast by unhooking the 3 rubber supports at the rear of the car. I found that if I let the exhaust hang down, it was stretching out the rubber hanger in the middle of the car too much. It might have been ok, but I was worred it would rip the hanger. I used a jack to support the exhaust near the middle of the car so that the stress was relieved from the middle hanger. It still left plenty of room to work on the hitch.

 

This might not be necessary if you try to install the hitch without elevating the rear of the car, but I think it was alot easier with the extra room.

 

Good luck if you decide to install one. I went with a Curt hitch and I'm happy with it. Very easy to install.

 

Rich

 

 

Rich,

 

Thanks for your input. It is what I was looking for and is much appreciated.

 

Dave

[bluetexan]

Unless you're hauling something that this thing was never designed to haul, you don't need to drill an extra hole per side, and you don't need a class 3 hitch. Max towing capacity of this vehicle is only 3,500 lb, so the Edge should be mated to a class 2 and not a class 3 unless you're planning on exceeding the 250lb tongue weight max (which again is not recommended). I think a third hole (and a 2" hitch) is over the top, but of course, this is IMO.

[PSUFetch]

Unless you're hauling something that this thing was never designed to haul, you don't need to drill an extra hole per side, and you don't need a class 3 hitch. Max towing capacity of this vehicle is only 3,500 lb, so the Edge should be mated to a class 2 and not a class 3 unless you're planning on exceeding the 250lb tongue weight max (which again is not recommended). I think a third hole (and a 2" hitch) is over the top, but of course, this is IMO.

 

 

For a lot of people here, the Class 3 hitch is preferred because they want to use hitch-mounted accessories (bike racks, cargo boxes,etc) that require a 2" receiver. If you didn't get the towing package and need to add a hitch, then why not add the one that will allow you to use most of the aftermarket accessories without having to adapt from the 1.25" up to the 2" receiver?

 

In my case, the trailer that I wanted to tow weighs 3000 lbs and has a 2 5/16" ball. The majority of ball mounts out there for the Class 2 hitch only have a 3/4" mounting hole for the ball. The 2 5/16" ball requires a 1" hole in the ball mount. While I was able to find a ball mount that worked for my application, I decided to upgrade the Class 2 hitch to a Class 3 so that I could use a weight distributing hitch for improved stability....again a 2" receiver is required.

 

Also, page 227 of the 2008 Ford Edge owner's manual says that max tongue weight on the Edge is 350 lbs with the towing package, 200 without.

[bluetexan]

Reese sells all the accessories that you could ever want for either a 1.25 or a 2" receiver. IMO if you need to tow something with a weight distributing hitch, you need an Expedition or F150. I don't think I've ever towed something 3,000 lb or less and thought about a WDH. But, then again I live in some pretty flat country. If I was in rocky or hilly country, I'd probably use a WDH to pull jet skis. I get your drift, but I was just curious why you wanted to put 22's on the 87 Buick.