Best Towing Front Mount Receiver Hitches in 2022

Last update: December 28, 2022

At what weight do you need trailer brakes?

If your trailer weighs more than 1,000 lbs (453.6 kg) loaded, it must have brakes. The weight of the trailer is measured by weighing the trailer with all its contents. The weight of the trailer tongue must also be included in the measurement.

Can I install my own trailer hitch?

Can I put a tow hitch on the front of my truck?

Yes, you can put a tow hitch on the front of your truck. There are kits available that allow you to do this. This can be useful if you need to tow a trailer or another vehicle.

Can you put a trailer hitch on any car?

Most cars can have a trailer hitch installed, but some may not have the proper frame to support one. Check with a qualified mechanic or your car's manufacturer to be sure. Even if your car can support a trailer hitch, it may not be able to tow a large trailer. Again, check with a qualified mechanic or your car's manufacturer to find out what it can safely tow.


Reese 65005 Front Mount Receiver with 2" Square Receiver opening Review:


Without drilling, this did fit my 1995 Chevrolet K2500, and I was able to preserve the tow hooks. I installed it in about an hour and a half. Even though I adored the included springs for guiding bolts through the vehicle frame, using the longer bolts was time-consuming. Additionally, I had to cut the plastic skirt underneath the bumper twice because it was difficult to tell where to start and end. Though it is almost like a hidden front hitch, the extra time spent on installation paid off.



CURT 31311 Front Hitch with 2-Inch Receiver, Fits Select Ford F-250, F-350 Review:


installed on a rear-wheel drive 1992 F-250. Upon delivery, the highly sturdy, double-thick cardboard box made an immediate impact. If it weren't for the hitch being loose within the box, which allowed it to easily bounce around and damage the cardboard, I would have been impressed. I was dismayed to discover three areas on the hitch where the finish (chipped powder-coat) had been harmed by the hitch moving during transit or possibly during movement at the manufacturing. To stop rust from forming right away, I chose to just spray them with gloss black spray paint because the powder-coat chips were the size of my pinky fingernails. To keep the hitch stationary in the box, I advise Curt to attach it with high density polystyrene foam at all four sides. I would have happily paid an additional $3 to $5 for appropriate packing supplies.The feel and weight of this hitch gave me a second impression of its exceptional quality. The welds and square tubing are excellent. This hitch's (where it wasn't chipped off) smooth and thick powder-coat finish is particularly appealing. The hitch has a very substantial appearance and weight to it (as it should). Additionally, the gear appeared to be of a higher caliber than one could anticipate. I think the grade eight and anodized bolts and nuts were used. I usually purchase my own fasteners from the hardware store when installing hardware of this size on my equipment, but I have total faith in the provided fasteners.The installation will now follow.You MUST take out your bumper's attached flexible plastic front air dam if you have one. The plastic air dam/spoiler on my XLT Lariat vehicle was installed at the factory. Large rivets were used to firmly fasten it to the bumper's lower lip. That air spoiler had to be pryed, cut, or ripped off the bumper. With it there, the hitch will not fit, end of story. The receiver tube and chain hoops are located in the space that the spoiler occupies beneath the bumper.I have a small quibble with the way the hitch is made. On my particular application, the mounting flanges' front corners—where they really make contact with the bumper's bottom—would initially prevent a flush fit against the frame rails. The location where the OEM anti-sway bar bolts are used in the hitch is what I'm referring to (front two bolt holes). Before you can tighten the anti-sway bar bolts, the hitch makes contact with the bottom of the bumper due to the washout that is present in the vertical part of angle iron that is immediately below the forward-most section of the frame to mounting flange area. I essentially had to use a ballpean hammer to smash on the bottom lip of my bumper in those two spots to release the area and allow the hitch to attach flush with the frame rails. I'm merely referring to a difference in clearance that may be 3/8ths of an inch, but it is something to take into account if you anticipate a faultless installation.Overall, I am happy with this product, especially given how reasonably priced it was to buy (with free shipping). Because I work as a marine mechanic, I can assure you that if it weren't for the need to remove the front air dam, remove rusted anti-sway bar nuts, and manipulate the bumper for clearance, the installation would have been really simple. I took two hours to complete this project, but that is only because I'm careful, take my time, and struggled to remove the aforementioned components. For added rust protection, I primed and painted the frame rails where the hitch flanges contact them after sanding down their exposed surfaces. This project should take no longer than fifteen minutes, max, if you do not have the plastic air dam, rusted bolts, bumper clearance concerns, and a companion to hold up the hitch for you while you thread the bolts and nuts on.The chain loops dangle down just far enough to accommodate a large hook, and the receiver is flush with the bumper. The installation looks really clean and polished, in my opinion. The receiver doesn't protrude past the bumper's front face (no hitting your shins on it). I have four uses in mind for this problem. 1. A step with a Bully hitch mount that can be used to reach into the engine bay (as opposed to formerly standing on slippery bumper) 2. A spare tire carrier fitted up front. 3. A portable winch installed up front. 4. Moving boats in the marina by pushing them. This hitch will have paid for itself if I use it just once to complete one of these four tasks. I will put one on every new truck I purchase and wish I had bought one years ago.If it hadn't been in a battered packaging with chips in the finish, I would have awarded this product five stars. As always, Amazon's pricing and customer service have been very impressed.



CURT 31068 Front Hitch with 2-Inch Receiver, Fits Select Ford Expedition, Ford F-150, Lincoln Navigator Review:


A 2014 F150 Supercrew 4x4 with a 5.0 engine was purchased with this. The goal was to quickly and securely attach a slide-in hitch fashioned from 2X2X1/4 Square Tubing to a handcrafted Hatteras surf rack. It works well for that. With easily, it carried all of my gear and a large Grizzly ice chest filled with fish and ice. It was rather easy to install on this truck, although the frame was a pretty tight fit. The mounting flanges had to be "spread" with a little pry bar pressure, but it went up and lined with the desired attachment points. To do this, the air dam must be removed, and the receiver tube must be accessed by making a small cut in the secondary plastic air dam. The directions are rather simple to follow. It is difficult to do from one side of a ground level vehicle, therefore I advise hiring a partner to assist you. Even though I had the front end on blocks, it was still tight for me. It is best to raise the car at least a foot or more. I needed approximately an hour and a half to get the truck up and complete the installation on my own. There are numerous further applications for mounting various racks or a hitch with a 2X2 square tube slide in.



CURT 31408 Front Hitch with 2-Inch Receiver, Fits Select Jeep Wrangler Review:


Personally, I believe it is ugly as hell. The welding is quite strong and smooth, and the build is fantastic. This is unlike anything I've ever seen on the road. The four screws holding my bumper and tow hooks were easily removed. In order to reinstall my tow hooks, I did need to swap out the old screws for longer ones. The finishing touches are exquisite. It will be a bike rack or storage rack, therefore I won't be using it for anything that would reduce the amount of weight it can hold. view picks



CURT 31302 Front Hitch with 2-Inch Receiver, Fits Select Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC Trucks and SUVs Review:


While there are a few paint nicks, the product is of excellent quality. I installed it on my 1999 Chevy Silverado 1500 LT (my vehicle has the 2000's look; reportedly, there are two body types for '99). My problem is that it didn't fit as the directions showed.On each side of the frame, there should be two holes for the brackets to bolt into. The tow hook inserts into one of those holes, while the other one appears to be empty. On my truck, there was only a sizable access hole instead of the second hole depicted in the instructions " (roughly 1" dia). Nevertheless, the bracket's hole and the access hole were aligned.Although there are instructions that show you how to fish fasteners with the fishing wire, they weren't really applicable in my situation. I unbolted the tow hooks' front bolts. The tow hooks fit within the frame rail and are tapped to function as nuts. Although you probably shouldn't, I removed the hooks in order to remove the bolt. After removing them, I had to put the hooks back; it was challenging but not too difficult.The task is made simpler by using ramps or jackstands to support the truck. You first place two brackets in a slack position. The tow hook hole on the frame lined up with the slotted hole in the front position. The large access hole lined up with the back hole. The thick rectangular washers with the square hole in the centre that are included in the fastener package are used to attach the square neck of the carriage bolts inside the frame, thus creating a stud that stands out of the frame. The rectangular washer and carriage head bolt were inserted into the huge hole in my case using the fishing wire, and they were then pulled back out of the same hole. The bolts are drawn through the washer's square hole by the wire.The washer's size allows it to span the hole and prevent the carriage bolt from rotating at the same time. Although I'd prefer additional bearing surface behind the washer, I believe there is enough there to provide a strong clamp load. I threaded the carriage bolt into the front position after running the nut over it and turning the bolt into the frame's internal tow hook. Although I have a little longer bolt for the front tow hook hole, utilizing the current bolt should work just fine. Because it must fit into the tow hook, which is tapped for M12, you cannot use the English SAE bolts included in the package for this hole because it is an M12 bolt.The rest was simple once I had the bracket bolts loosely fastened. I started a few bolts and nuts while laying on my back, using my legs to support the opposite end of the square tube. The other side was simpler.At this point, I see the receiver tube is obstructing the plastic fascia beneath the bumper. The vertical flanges seemed to cause a little interference, too. By the way, I set the receiver to the low position, but it appears to be about 3/4 "the bottom of the flanges is about half too low to avoid the plastic trim, and both are too high. So, if you get on the ground and take a look, you'll see that the bumper is pushed toward the ground before bending over the receiver tube. Although it's not too awful and I could carve a notch around the tube, I'll probably leave it since the bumper is damaged from hitting a deer.I tried using a regular clicker wrench to tighten everything to 110 ft-lbs, but I was unable to gain enough leverage to click them all off. I should have used the impact wrench all along, so I yanked it out. To complete the final tightening, if you have an impact wrench, use it.I had tremendous success using the hitch to maneuver my boat trailer into a tight space. I would have given it five stars if it had fit a tiny bit better. Your truck might fit perfectly, but not on my outdated '99. I didn't have to drill any holes, at least.



Draw-Tite 36540 Class II Frame Hitch with 1-1/4" Square Receiver Tube Opening Review:


This hitch is excellent and well-made. It's not a job for a novice do-it-yourselfer, and you'll need assistance holding up the hitch. I am a reasonably mechanical person, and I have all the equipment I need to complete this project, which ultimately required a hole saw, a side grinder, a drill, automobile ramps, and your standard hand tools. I spent four hours on the installation as a whole. A ten-minute YouTube video that is useful but omits a few crucial details is available. "Trailer Hitch Installation - 2014 Toyota Avalon - Draw-Tite - etrailer.com" is the title of the youtube video. What the video omitted is as follows: The angle bracket that is displayed in the video at 3:15 cannot be installed again. Funny thing is, he is reinstalling the bracket around 9:38 in the video, and then it just vanishes. Additionally, the muffler hanger seen in the video at 9:11 has to be changed. It used to fit around the frame and has a lip that curves upward, but the new hitch has blocked that space. Since the video demonstrates how to reinstall it unchanged, I worried that doing so would eventually cause the bolt to budge. I used a side grinder to grind down the lip so it would sit flat against the new hitch. In addition to these points, the movie serves as a useful guide for installing the hitch. My only real criticism of the hitch is that the hole you must drill in your frame has to be little more in the middle.



Draw-Tite 76128 Class III Round Tube Max-Frame Hitch with 2" Receiver Opening, 1 Pack Review:


This morning, I put the hitch in place and tested it out by towing a trailer with a 300- to 400-pound load to see how it did. I suggest it. Installation didn't require much time because the instructions were quite clear. I could modify my assessment as I use it more, but on day one, it worked flawlessly and was incredibly simple to set up. I suggest it.Remember this information. A very cleverly concealed 10 amp fuse may be the root of your 2018 Honda CRV's trailer wiring problems. There is a little fuse box on your left, hidden behind a side panel, about two feet above the floor where the spare tire is, if you are facing forward and standing in the back where the hitch is. You could look for it all day long if you didn't know it was there. Why was it placed there by the Honda CRV crew?



CURT 31028 Front Hitch with 2-Inch Receiver, Fits Select Jeep Wrangler Review:


I was hesitant to purchase this. My 2000 Jeep TJ doesn't have enough space for everything you need when transporting a few people, so I wanted to add another rack for surf fishing.It went in fairly smoothly, but two people will make the process simpler. I made use of some boards and a jack.It fit in extremely tightly.Avoid installing advice:First, inspect the structure of your steering box outside where the hitch goes. Mine had a mounting area that was flared out. I removed part of that steel by grinding.Second, take off the top stabilizer bar cover.#3 Install or connect the driver's side first before installing. The steering box screws prevent the hitch from slipping up.I just used the front screws and two holes to mount item #4. Since I didn't have a 9/16 drill bit, I enlarged it using a die grinder. I let go of the hitch and filled the holes.Since they are large, wire leads #5 work wonderfully for the front mount holes. I fed the lead from the drill hole to the rear hole in order to get bolts on the freshly drilled 9/16 holes. worked perfectly.Even though I have a good grasp of mechanics, this took some time but wasn't really challenging.



Reese Towpower 65067 Front Mount Receiver with 2" Square Receiver opening Review:


strong structure as anticipatedAfter I install it, I'll update with photos.I'll see you then.3/22/19 Update:Okay, guys, excellent stuff, but here are some installation advice...Don't use the tape as directed on the instructions since it will make it difficult to slide the hitch onto the frame and the bolts will jiggle in the holes if the spacers are loose.For 2018 Ford F-150 models: Take off the spoiler and wait to cut it. The directions' measurements are incorrect. Nothing needs to be trimmed on the top spoiler (or air dam). The bottom air dam only has to be trimmed after the hitch is installed because it will then snap back into the top.Install the rear bolts and spacers while the hitch is in place and loose by using a jack and sliding the hitch into position. It will kink or hang up on the wire if you try to feed the hitch in after the wire (as suggested in the instructions); if you lose these bolts, you're stuck.After that, jack the front hitch into position. Use two washers on the driver's side and one on the passenger's side (don't worry about a little slop - otherwise it's too tight). The bolts will torque everything down. While the hitch is positioned, install the wires and bolts.The bolt will go in the forward hole on the driver's side and the rearward hole on the passenger side of this pretty inexpensive frame (I adore my Ford, but these new frames have frightfully thin walls).Fasten the front and let go of the jack. When the hitch is loose, pull it up and forward. To get it to sit, rock it back and forth. Torque and tighten....View picksA wonderful time! It takes roughly an hour if you take your time.


Does a hitch sleeve reduce towing capacity?

Most hitch sleeves will not reduce towing capacity, however it is always best to check with the manufacturer to be sure. Sleeves can be very useful in reducing wear and tear on the hitch receiver and can also make it easier to remove the hitch when not in use.

How can I increase the towing capacity of my truck?

There are a few ways to increase the towing capacity of your truck. One way is to upgrade the suspension. This will allow the truck to handle more weight and will also make towing smoother. Another way to increase towing capacity is to add a weight-distributing hitch. This will distribute the weight of the trailer more evenly and will make towing easier on the truck. Finally, you can also add a trailer brake controller. This will help to control the speed of the trailer and will make towing safer.

How can I tow without a hitch?

If you need to tow without a hitch, you can use a tow strap. A tow strap is a long strap that you can attach to the front or back of a vehicle. You can also use a tow rope, which is a shorter rope that is attached to the front or back of a vehicle.

How do you increase towing capacity?

There are a few different ways that you can increase your vehicle's towing capacity. One way is to upgrade your vehicle's engine. This will give you more power to tow heavier loads. Another way to increase towing capacity is to add weight to your vehicle. This will help your vehicle's suspension to better handle the weight of a trailer. Finally, you can also install a trailer hitch that is rated for a higher towing capacity. This will give you more flexibility when it comes to towing different loads.

How much does it cost to install a hitch on a SUV?

It costs about $200 to install a hitch on a SUV. This includes the cost of the hitch itself, as well as the labor required to install it.

How much does it cost to put a hitch on a car?