CURT13147 Class 3 Trailer Hitch, 2-Inch Receiver, Fits Select Subaru Forester

I installed this in my 2012 Forester Touring. This receiver is very well made. All welds looked great and the metal is a heavy gauge. Comparing this to the factory receiver is no contest. The vehicle will rot away before this thing does. The installation was relatively easy (I'm rather mechanically inclined, but this can be done by any novice. Just make sure to take your time.).I would advise to anyone installing this to check out the tutorial on [...]. They have detailed instructions as well as a how to video. Some reviewers say to remove the exhaust from all of the hangers and lower it, but trust me its easier just to remove the rear mufflers. Just remove the two bolts at the flange (be careful to preserve the gasket), then remove the muffler from the two exhaust hangers (squirt some wd-40 on each hanger for easy removal). Repeat for the other muffler. With hand tools it takes about 4-5 minutes per muffler. Once you have the two mufflers off you have access to everything. You'll need to enlarge the rear holes (described in the video). TIP: Make sure to enlarge the rear holes slightly larger than you think you'll need. You have to snake the bolts through the holes. Just because the bolt appears to fit through doesn't mean it will fit with the snake attached. Notch the front holes with drill bit to fit the plates and the head of the bolt to fit through. When it comes to snaking, I advise watching the video again to see how they do it. Its extremely easy to do. Just make sure you do it right the first time because fishing the bolts/plates back out would not be fun. Once you have the bolts through, have a friend help you hold the receiver in place to start threading the nuts (BE CAREFUL NOT TO PUSH THE BOLTS BACK INTO THE FRAME!). After that, crank it down and re-install the mufflers (reverse the uninstall directions).Minimal tools required:- Socket Wrench (both muffer and receiver)- 14mm socket (muffler removal)- 14mm wrench (muffler removal)- Socket for installing receiver nuts (can't remember the size)- Small flat screwdriver for removing hole plugs- WD-40 or other aerosol silicone based lubricantAdditional Recommended tools- Torque Wrench. Instructions say torque to 75lbs. As long as you tighten them securely with out going to wild you can get by without it.Happy installing! Feel free to leave a comments or questions.Note: The maximum vehicle trailer weight allowed by this receiver is 4000lbs and has a maximum tongue weight of 400lbs. I would advise not going past your vehicles limits. My 2012 Forester says not to exceed 2400lbs trailer weight and 250lbs tongue weight. Check your manual for details.

Bought the trailer hitch to tow a camping trailer for my Subaru. The price was perfect 105. Uhaul wanted to charge me 180 for the tow hitch; not including the install. The package was damage but the product was not. I expected that since the hitch is bulky and 20plus pounds. UPS is good but not that good with heavy packages. Everything you need comes with the product. After watching several yourtube videos on how to instill the hitch. It took about an hour. Not that hard. You might need a second person lifting and holding it as you screw on the bolts. If you going to install your self. Do yourself a favor and watch a few videos first. So you have the tools on hand and know each step pretty well. Also, if you plan on doing the 4pin wiring for the tow hitch for a Subaru. It easy as well. The wiring took 20min tops. I hope this helps.

I hated the idea of paying U-haul so much to install a hitch, but I was a bit apprehensive about doing this project. The thought of dropping the exhaust and drilling into the frame was a bit daunting. Overall it was pretty easy. My car is 3 years old and so the exhaust hangers were a little sticky.DID:1. worked alone - the only hassle is situating the hitch. I put the aft most nuts on first (just to hold it) and then laid under the hitch and finished.2. used a torque wrench (borrowed one from a friend.) 75 ft-lb is more than I would have thought.3. used Loctite RED4. did use "Neiko 3-Piece Titanium Step Drill Bits Set M2 Steel - 28 Sizes, SAE". These stepper bits were perfect. The shorter bit style made working in a tight area perfect. I used the 9/16th size for the whole expansion. I also used 1/8th to 1/2 bit to make the slot for the bolt head. Just like the vid from etrailer where the guy uses two different different bits I did it with the stepper. SHOCKINGLY EASY. Also my grinder is corded so sticking with the drill made the whole thing faster. These are $12 on amazon.com.5. FORGET TO ALIGN IT - what! I was done and realized I had paid not attention to the alignment. There is not a significant amount of play available in the slots, but enough make it a little cockeyed. I loosened it up and used the screws that were visible through the additional hitch holes to approximate. this worked well.DID NOT:1. lift the car. it was fine on the ground. plenty of room. I rested the exhaust on concrete block while i drilling, but it would not give me enough room to get the hitch in. So I took the blocks out for a short time while i was bolting it. I was unsure about the amount of play in the exhaust, but it seemed to be fine.TIP: In the vid the guy fishes the wire from the small hole to big one. I forgot this and tried it the other way for a few minutes. Big difference. ALSO I bent the back end of the wire (like a 1/2" "V") this caused the wire to catch on the "goal hole" and prevented it form pulling through while I was working on the spiral end.

Purchased this hitch for my 2011 Subaru Forester Premium X for a fraction of the price that UHaul was quoting. Installation was fairly easy, although not as easy as the hitch I installed on our 2009 Pontiac Vibe which had the nuts welded into the body. Total install time was approximately 1.5 hours including getting all the tools, setting up the workspace and actually reading the instructions. They aren't the best instructions out there, but they are adequate. Fishing the first bolt was a little nerve wrecking; subsequent bolts/washers went in like nothing. I've already used the hitch to carry bikes (Yakima 4 bike rack) and tow a trailer. Receivers and accessories fit nicely although the pin location is a little awkward. The hitch does stick out below the bumper (duh) but not so much that it obtrusive. I would argue it looks proper on a Subaru. Very happy with the purchase!

Don't let the "30 min to 60 min install time" fool you. It is at least double that. Just taking off the exhaust mounts of a Subaru is such a pain: they are hard to reach, and stubborn.Also, Curt advertises with "no drilling" on their website: which is not true for this product.A big thank you to the reviewer who recommended drilling from above. So much easier!I strongly suggest you strip the boot of the car, and then drill from the top, feed the nut+washer from the top, and vile the notches from above.Instead of 17/32" I used a half-inch drill, and a vile instead of a dremel. This works perfectly.Installing is a 2 person job. Also: I made the mistake of initially removing only 4 rubber exhaust mounts, but you need to remove a fifth as well.You will need road-side maintenance ramps to lift the car, otherwise this whole operation is a no-go in my opinion.Don't attempt if you are not at least a bit handy. It will take a few hrs, but you will get a lot of satisfaction when it is mounted.The product itself is solid as a rock. It did come with a few chips off the coating, but that doesn't bother me. Also, I would have LOVED this in orange, instead of black. One of Curt's instruction videos uses an orange one. Too bad I had no choice of colour.

Perfect, as usual. Fitted my 2009 XT Forester perfectly. Think it took me about an hour all done. The most time consuming part was the removal of the exhaust hanger rubbers. Just spray them with WD40 or similar spray and it's possible to wiggle them off, just.

Easy and fun to install, works fantastic.

Solid, fit perfectly

Good Quality