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Draw-Tite Hitch Installed on my 4-Door Badlands

sasquatchrox

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Super excited to have first found out about the new Draw-Tite hitch courtesy of Bronco6G member and received it and installed it today (9/22/21).

I obtained it from etrailer: https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hi...icleID=20216004594#exp-productdetails=.photos and the experience was great except for the packaging (more on that later).

First off, I was going to get the OEM hitch ordered but ~$600 is expensive when my only use-case is for a heavy duty bike rack for my ebike. So, when the dealer indicated that the hitch was a commodity hold delay item (whether true or not, who the heck knows), I deleted it. I figured I can find a 3rd party hitch that would be coming out and they did....

I was first just going to get the Ford OEM hitch w/o wiring at Lasco Ford Part at a discounted price of ~$269.50 see link: https://www.lascoautoparts.com/oem-...vbmNvJnk9MjAyMSZ0PWJhc2UmZT0yLTNsLWw0LWdhcw==
But, then I read about the CURT hitches but they didn't seem in-stock and then I came across the chats about draw-tite.

The extended length on the draw-tite is awesome since it's still a tad less than the width of the big fat 33" spare so no interference with your shins etc but perfect for bike racks like mine that fold-up 90deg. You can always buy a 8" or 12" extender tube but my hitch has an integrated anti-rattle mechanism and with extensions, you'd have to add a separate anti-rattle clamp etc...

The etrailer status emails and tracking updates was awesome and I received the product in 4-days! The only pain point was that the heavy duty box with heavy gauge staples was all busted open. I was thinking how can this happen, but when I looked inside the box, I fully understood....Etrailer doesn't conform to the precision packing style that Apple does with it's phones but simple threw the big uneven hunk of steel into the box with zero support packing! A little bit of tossing around from UPS etc and the hunk of steel busted out of the box....it's a hunk of steel so no damage done but a bit annoying.

The end result is awesome, see pics below but the install of only 4-bolts wasn't trivial for me; I'm a little mechanically inclined but installing all 4 nuts was a bit of a contortionist activity for me at least. Etrailer has install instructions but the tolerences on the steel bumper and hitch and access area's wasn't that easy (note my custom nut holding tool {which is indeed legal now in the state of MI ;-) }.

In the end, all of you can figure it out and get 'er done. Torque-wrench it to 75ft-lb like it said and no worries whatsoever since not towing anything, only bike rack and 75lb ebike.

Let me know if you have any questions...for the price, this thing is a beast, very heavy duty, with metal tab for future electrical etc....




Ford Bronco Draw-Tite Hitch Installed on my 4-Door Badlands PXL_20210922_200553605

Ford Bronco Draw-Tite Hitch Installed on my 4-Door Badlands PXL_20210922_200612963

Ford Bronco Draw-Tite Hitch Installed on my 4-Door Badlands PXL_20210922_200809704

Ford Bronco Draw-Tite Hitch Installed on my 4-Door Badlands PXL_20210922_201144626


Ford Bronco Draw-Tite Hitch Installed on my 4-Door Badlands PXL_20210922_201315711


Ford Bronco Draw-Tite Hitch Installed on my 4-Door Badlands PXL_20210923_002719058


Ford Bronco Draw-Tite Hitch Installed on my 4-Door Badlands PXL_20210923_010318014

Ford Bronco Draw-Tite Hitch Installed on my 4-Door Badlands PXL_20210923_010327439

Ford Bronco Draw-Tite Hitch Installed on my 4-Door Badlands PXL_20210923_010350593


Ford Bronco Draw-Tite Hitch Installed on my 4-Door Badlands PXL_20210923_010407938


Ford Bronco Draw-Tite Hitch Installed on my 4-Door Badlands PXL_20210923_010549482


Ford Bronco Draw-Tite Hitch Installed on my 4-Door Badlands PXL_20210923_010612323
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2Jeeps&PatriotX1

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Its still a shin buster when you have the rear door open and walk up to load/unload something from the rear. Obviously with your rack on that wont be an issue.
 

Dads_bronze_bronco

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Its still a shin buster when you have the rear door open and walk up to load/unload something from the rear. Obviously with your rack on that wont be an issue.
I have one like this on my JK, and leave the hitch in most of the time to make it worse. You get used to it being there.

Also, a rubber end cap helps take the edge off a shin impact.

Look at how much beefier the steel is on this thing. It really looks like something you can rely on for the trail.
 

DirtMountainMan

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Thanks OP. Your pics also confirm our concerns with reduced departure angle. I am still thinking a receiver extender or longer hitch is the way to go. Your pics also show what appears to be carbon fiber / fiberglass composite components. Is the rear deck pan on the Bronco composite or is that maybe some sound deadening material?

gg.jpg
 

Seatmandan

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Thanks OP. Your pics also confirm our concerns with reduced departure angle. I am still thinking a receiver extender or longer hitch is the way to go. Your pics also show what appears to be carbon fiber / fiberglass composite components. Is the rear deck pan on the Bronco composite or is that maybe some sound deadening material?

Ford Bronco Draw-Tite Hitch Installed on my 4-Door Badlands
probably a heat shield
 

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Thed

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Thanks OP. Your pics also confirm our concerns with reduced departure angle. I am still thinking a receiver extender or longer hitch is the way to go. Your pics also show what appears to be carbon fiber / fiberglass composite components. Is the rear deck pan on the Bronco composite or is that maybe some sound deadening material?

Ford Bronco Draw-Tite Hitch Installed on my 4-Door Badlands
That's a heat shield, they're made out of thin metal.
 

DirtMountainMan

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That's a heat shield, they're made out of thin metal.
Ahhh...makes sense that its a heat shield. I just realized that the silver part is the muffler. Better let it cool down before a hitch install!

Ford Bronco Draw-Tite Hitch Installed on my 4-Door Badlands 1632402456499
 

Mr. Nice

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I question saving $300.00 from a fully wired multiple receptacle factor hitch. Any functional towing is lost along with this ugly extended look. Not helping departure angle or resale. Ouch on the shins.

Maybe folks can wire up their own after market signature headlights and save another few hundred bucks...
 

Dads_bronze_bronco

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I question saving $300.00 from a fully wired multiple receptacle factor hitch. Any functional towing is lost along with this ugly extended look. Not helping departure angle or resale. Ouch on the shins.

Maybe folks can wire up their own after market signature headlights and save another few hundred bucks...
I actually am ordering the factory tow package to get the integrated seven pin wiring, and will probably remove that wimpy underbuilt factory receiver and replace it with this one, or another heavier duty one like it.
 

2Jeeps&PatriotX1

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Thanks OP. Your pics also confirm our concerns with reduced departure angle. I am still thinking a receiver extender or longer hitch is the way to go. Your pics also show what appears to be carbon fiber / fiberglass composite components. Is the rear deck pan on the Bronco composite or is that maybe some sound deadening material?

Ford Bronco Draw-Tite Hitch Installed on my 4-Door Badlands 1632402456499
yeah the reduced departure angle is the killer for me.
 

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MayhemMike

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I too will mainly use the hitch to carry an extension for a cooler and such while surf fishing. However, by the time they can build my order the commodity restraints will be resigned to bar room folk lore. So I will spring for the factory install simply because one never knows when attaching a trailer may arise.
 

Bob 07064

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why not just trim the snout back to where the chains attach, re-drill the hole for the pin and source a longer ball holder?
 

dgorsett

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why not just trim the snout back to where the chains attach, re-drill the hole for the pin and source a longer ball holder?
The advantage of the Draw Tite was spare tire clearance with the long snout for racks etc.. If you don't want a long snout just get a Curt or Ford hitch.
 

RPF

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It's nice that this hitch, unlike the Curt, gives you a place to attach the wiring plug mounting bracket.
 

2Jeeps&PatriotX1

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The advantage of the Draw Tite was spare tire clearance with the long snout for racks etc.. If you don't want a long snout just get a Curt or Ford hitch.
My issue is, is that I need the top of the ball mount to be at 23ā€ after sag from tongue weight for my offroad trailer, which means ball mount will have to have a rise. Not sure how high I can relocate the spare tire up for clearance and would like to keep as much departure angle as possible when the trailer is disconnected. So I may have to go with an extended drawbar.
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