Curt Trailer Hitch Install Woes

[smcBronco]

I stalled the wire harness yesterday and went to tackle to hitch today. Couple of problems..

The holes on the side of the frame rail are too small for the bolt heads(or the bolt heads are too big for the holes, ;^] ). Also, I have some felt/paper partitions that attach where the hitch attaches, (the hitch would be covering up the small holes for the partition.)

And the printed instructions are lame, does not show how to get the hitch between the exhaust heat shield and the bumper cover.

Any suggestions?

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[Jamie]

I stalled the wire harness yesterday and went to tackle to hitch today. Couple of problems..

The holes on the side of the frame rail are too small for the bolt heads(or the bolt heads are too big for the holes, ;^] ). Also, I have some felt/paper partitions that attach where the hitch attaches, (the hitch would be covering up the small holes for the partition.)

And the printed instructions are lame, does not show how to get the hitch between the exhaust heat shield and the bumper cover.

Any suggestions?

I ordered the factory hitch from the Ford dealer. You have to remove the rear bumper cover and then you remove a beam that covers the frame rails. The factory hitch slides in to the frame rails.

 

[incavulator]

See this post for how I handled the bolt heads being too large. Mine is not a 25MY but I think the problem and solution will be the same.

https://www.broncosportforum.com/forum/threads/oem-tow-hitch-vs-aftermarket-curt.6848/page-3#post-268766

 

[smcBronco]

See this post for how I handled the bolt heads being too large. Mine is not a 25MY but I think the problem and solution will be the same.

https://www.broncosportforum.com/forum/threads/oem-tow-hitch-vs-aftermarket-curt.6848/page-3#post-268766

Thanks. I had read that post but missed the bolt head "adjustment". With the 25MY, there are partitions that attach in the same place as the hitch would. So I sent back the hitch and ordered the correct Curt one for the 25MY. It is like the Draw-Tite, in that it replaces the rear inner bumper. It was about the same price +/-.

 

[incavulator]

Good luck. Taking the rear bumper cover off is not for the faint of heart. It's not difficult.... just difficult to do without breaking anything, especially those fasteners behind the wheel lip moldings.

Again, I can't speak to the 25MY, but there were some really good YouTube videos demonstrating the entire process. You might try checking those out if you haven't already.

Hope the next one works better for you!

 

[Major Kong]

I stalled the wire harness yesterday and went to tackle to hitch today. Couple of problems..

The holes on the side of the frame rail are too small for the bolt heads(or the bolt heads are too big for the holes, ;^] ). Also, I have some felt/paper partitions that attach where the hitch attaches, (the hitch would be covering up the small holes for the partition.)

And the printed instructions are lame, does not show how to get the hitch between the exhaust heat shield and the bumper cover.

Any suggestions?

memory is straining - '22 installation
and as we all know strainers are full of holes

bolt head:
if angled at the just right positioning the bolt head will fit through the hole going in head first
now you have to manage to shove the entire bolt (and washer?) with the wire/spring puller in place and still manage to feed the loose end of the pull wire through the frame
think I used a secondary strand wire puller attached to the primary wire puller to get the job done
make sure the first bolt you insert goes to the furthest hole away from insert point
otherwise you'll be trying to hop over bolts installed earlier
recall this was just on one side of the vehicle
the other side was no trouble and was a breeze

exhaust shield:
loosened exhaust fittings and lowered muffler slightly to strap tension

good luck OP

 

[Mallardhunter]

I installed the curt hitch on my 2025 big bend. It's not easy . I used the U-Haul video. It's the best one I found.
You do have to remove the bumper cover. Be careful of the clips on the bumper fender intersection. They're easy to brake. If you do brake them get the replacement at O'Reilly's They're cheaper than the dealership.

 

[smcBronco]

I installed the curt hitch on my 2025 big bend. It's not easy . I used the U-Haul video. It's the best one I found.
You do have to remove the bumper cover. Be careful of the clips on the bumper fender intersection. They're easy to brake. If you do brake them get the replacement at O'Reilly's They're cheaper than the dealership.

Thanks for the video suggestion. I'll check it out. The hitch should get here Wednesday.

 

[Mallardhunter]

Thanks for the video suggestion. I'll check it out. The hitch should get here Wednesday.

Let me know if you need anything. I'll do what I can to help. Just make sure to get your clip tool completely under the clip on the fender covers and pry easy on them. I broke 2 of mine.

 

[Mallardhunter]

Thanks for the video suggestion. I'll check it out. The hitch should get here Wednesday.

This is the link I used for the install.

 

[smcBronco]

The hitch showed up yesterday and I installed it today. Everything went fine, no broken clips, and best of all, no "extra" hardware left over!

 

[incavulator]

Congrats!!! I should have hired you to do mine!!! Getting to those bolts behind the fender flares was a real PIA!!

 

[Mallardhunter]

The hitch showed up yesterday and I installed it today. Everything went fine, no broken clips, and best of all, no "extra" hardware left over!

Great glad it went well for you!

 

[smcBronco]

Congrats!!! I should have hired you to do mine!!! Getting to those bolts behind the fender flares was a real PIA!!

Yes, I agree. Those were a pain!

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