Reese Towpower 37042 Class 3 Multi-Fit Trailer Hitch, 2 Inch Square Receiver, Compatible with Selected Models (Please Verify VEHICLE APPLICATON)

I needed a Class 3 (2" hitch) for a Ford Focus in order to put a rear rack on, but you can't buy a Class 3 hitch for Ford Focus, so this was my only option. It took 1 1/2 days to install and it pushed the limits of my skill and my luck but it worked. There are three main challenges. The first is positioning it under your car so that the two longitudinal brackets are positioned directly underneath the two square beams that frame your car. This is not easy because its quite heavy, will take several jacks and hammering to slide it in place correctly, and you have to get it out of the way of any attachments of obstrusions, in my case the tailpipe. The second challenge is drilling holes in the support beams, that wasn't too bad but you will need 1/2 inch bit and maybe smaller ones to get started. The third challenge is threading the bolts and support plates through the end of the beam and into it so they stick out and you can attach the hitch (the bolt locks to the plate with a square hole so it won't rotate when you tighten it). This was much easier than I thought and was very pleasantly surprised because when I got the kit and saw the difficulty I was almost ready to throw in the towel. There is a provided wire that you can thread the bolt in, then you take another wire and push it through the hole in the beam and out the end, attach it to the provided wire and the bolt, and pull it back in through the hole, hoping that it will get through correctly with the bolt seated in the plate (this always works, to my surprise) . You will have to do this at least 4 times, and in my case I also manufactured a piece to attach the rear bar to the car vertically, which is how the commercial Class 1 hitches work for a Ford Focus (do your research on commercial hitches that fit your car so you know how it should work first). The instructions are good if your car is one of the supported ones, but as I say the Ford Focus is not, so I had to figure all this out. Miraculously it worked, and I now have a 500 lb rear cargo rack on my Ford Focus which doubles my cargo space and which all cost me $200 ($150 for the hitch and $50 for the rack). Eureka! Adding the electrical (in case you want to tow as opposed to adding a rack) isn't too hard either, check Uline.

It installed just great on my skoolie.One problem I ran into is the tolerances for the bolts and nuts is off quite a bit, and as a result many of the nuts couldn't go on the bolts, even with an impact driver/drill. I had to take a lot of time trying to match bolts to nuts, and in the end I couldn't use the carriage bolts on one side because the nuts just didn't fit. The kit only comes with 2 different sized nuts, 1/2" and 3/8", so it wouldn't have been hard to fit them on. I'm not sure if it's the nuts themselves that are off, or if the bolts are off, I'll have to test the nuts on other bolts that I get from lowes and see how they fit.Beyond that, it was EXCELLENT. Once you understand that there is a "fishing wire" that helps you to get the bolts into the frame of the hitch, and that on each side they offset the holes so that the bolts don't get in each other's way, it was easy to do alone. I did use a jack to hold the hitch up so I could drill the holes in the frame in the correct spot, but that's more a strategy to know I did it right, which this is a skoolie, so of course I will have to do manual work, and that is not a flaw with the hitch itself.It came with more then enough hardware to mount it to whatever vehicle you had. The instructions weren't the clearest, but it was enough that you could figure it out. If I had something more difficult than a skoolie, I think the instructions would be much harder to understand.I did find it kinda silly how they packaged this from Amazon. They had used a big box, about 1.5 feet longer than the hitch box and about 4 inches too wide, and with no padding, to deliver it. Not really a big problem, but is annoying as I had to carry this in a wagon, and had I known the outer box was that big in comparison I would have opened it and saved myself some trouble.

The original hitch on my Tahoe was badly rusted so in looking for another I found the Reese Towpower 37042 Class III hitch on Amazon. The price seemed OK so I bought it. It wasn't too hard to get my original hitch off (with a breaker bar) and right off the bat I noticed a couple of differences. My original hitch was one piece and this one is actually 5 pieces that are bolted together. Also the original one bolted to the back bumper with two large bolts and this one does not, in fact it is lower that the original and doesn't fit right under the bumper. I guess this is because it is made to fit a variety of vehicles. It was pretty easily to install if you have some mechanical ability and are able to place it on the frame, because it is pretty heavy. It isn't as heavy duty as the original, but it is rated at 5,000 pounds, which should be OK for me as I no longer plan on towing anything over that weight. If you do need to tow over 5,000 pounds this isn't the hitch for you. However, it only took me a couple of hours to have a shiny new hitch on the truck, so I guess it is fine.

If this is the hitch designed to fit your vehicle it is worth buying. The holes to drill is the hardest part. Frames are really tough to drill.You need to really have to want that hole in in order to drill it and I recommend drilling fluid.My installation was on a Dodge Grand Caravan but this hitch fits many, many makes.I have fit things like this before as was very disappointed. This hitch is a masterpiece for the price.Make sure to follow the instructions for your make and get all the tools ready.If you are doing it for the 1st time and get part way in you will think, this will never work... But it does!If someone who does it all the time is installing they will have NO problem.This is only my 4th reveiw out of a thousand products.An expert designed this hitch and instructions.As long as you don't mind having 10 Lbs of left over parts this hitch is for you. Very well built