etrailer | How to Set Up Your Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver on a 2021 Ford Explorer

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Hey everybody, Ryan here at etrailer. Today on our 2021 Ford Explorer, we're gonna be showing you how to install the Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver. But before we do that, why don't we check this out, make sure it's the right hitch for you. When it comes to the Ford Explorer these are actually pretty capable SUVs and having a hitch on the back of it just makes sense. This one looks right at home. By having this back here it's going to really open up your opportunities.
Whether you're trying to use a bike rack or a cargo carrier, or even pull a trailer around, this is going to allow you to do that and get the job done. And not to mention too, this one, I think it looks really good. For the most part, it's gonna be completely hidden. Really, the only thing you're gonna be able to see is a receiver tube opening and so at least in my opinion it almost looks like it's a factory option. I do want to address one of the big questions that we get asked quite a bit and that is, are you still gonna be able to use the hands-free lift gate assist feature And the answer is yes.
Still good to work. Let's go ahead and unlock our vehicle here. And all you're gonna have to do is kick your foot to either side of the hitch. Might take you a few tries to find that sweet spot, but once you do, you'll get used to it and everything will work properly. With this being a class 3 hitch, it is going to have that two-inch by two-inch opening.
That is a super common size and a lot of different things are gonna work with it. End of the receiver tube, is gonna have a reinforced collar for a little bit of extra support, and it's going to use that standard five eights pin and clip. Keep in mind though, pin and clip don't come with the hitch. If you need one, not really a big deal. The safety chain openings are a loop style and they're gonna be big enough to allow us to use just about any size hook that our trailer might have on it.
Now I'm gonna give you a couple of measurements and you can use these to help figure out which hitch mounted accessories will work best. From the ground to the top inside edge of the receiver tube opening, that's going to be about 15 inches. So if you do plan on pulling a trailer around, chances are pretty good. You could use a ball mount that has a straight shank. From the center of the hitch pin hole to the edge of the rear bumper, that's gonna be about three and a half inches and you can use that measurement to help figure out that if any folding type accessories you might have can be stored in that upright position without contacting the back of your Explorer. Just to compare this hitch to some of the other ones available, they're all gonna be very, very similar in terms of how they look and what you're gonna be able to do with 'em and everything else like that. Probably the main difference is just gonna be the finish. So this one is a gloss black. I believe there's a more of a matte black type one which would probably look really good as well. And then semi-gloss so you got a few different choices to pick from there in terms of what style you like and everything else. But as far as getting the hitch installed goes, it's not too bad. If you do have that kick sensor there's a couple more steps you're gonna have to do not a huge deal. We have that sensor on our car today so you'll be able to kind of follow along and hopefully what we do here can help you out and make your experience a little bit better getting the hitch on. But with that said, why don't we go ahead and do that together now. To begin our installation, we're gonna be underneath the back of our Explorer and if you happen to have an underbody panel that runs along through here, you're gonna need to remove it. In our case, we don't have that so obviously we're not gonna worry about it, but if you do, I'll refer to your instructions it'll tell you what fasteners to take out. But moving on, now we need to lower our exhaust arm some to give us some room to work. Before we do that, though, what I like to do is take a strap and just run it from side to side, that way we can kind of control how fast and how far we'd let the exhaust come down. So you let the exhaust come down on each one of our mufflers so right behind the tailpipe up along the frame if you look, we have our rubber hanger there and it's kind of tricky to see, but at the top of it you're gonna have a 10 millimeter head bolt bolting that hanger into the frame. And so you'll obviously get a 10 millimeter socket and get it removed. So once we get this one out, we're gonna do the same thing on the other side. And from this point on anything we do to one s

[@BuckreetInsurance]

Great video. Helped out a lot.

[@etrailer]

We're glad to hear that!
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