etrailer | Installing the Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver on your 2019 Ford Escape

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Hello neighbors, it's Brad here at etrailer and today we're taking a look and installing the CURT Trailer Hitch Receiver on a 2019 Ford Escape. This is what your hitch is gonna look like when it's installed, and the great part is it is a hidden cross tube. So really the only thing that you're gonna see on the exterior of the vehicle is gonna be the receiver tube opening and the safety chain loops as the rest of it does hide behind the fascia. So you get a nice clean look and all the usability of your hitch. And this one being a 2 inch by 2 inch means that you have tons of options for ball mounts, bike racks, and cargo carriers as this is kind of the standard size that you see on many hitches. And all of your accessories are gonna stay in place with a 5/8 pin and clip.

Now this is not included with the hitch so you are gonna need to pick one up. A lot of your accessories though will come with a pin and clip that you can use. If you want to get a lock-in version those are really nice too. You can leave your accessories on, lock this in place and know that no one's gonna walk away with your accessories. Now if you do plan on towing you have a rolled style safety chain loop here.

Super easy to get your standard S hooks or even a larger clevis style can go on there with no problem. And speaking of towing, there are some weight capacities that you're gonna want to adhere to. And this one out the gate is gonna be a gross trailer weight rating of 3,500 pounds and that's gonna be the weight of the trailer plus the accessories loaded up. You also have a tongue weight rating of 350 pounds which is gonna be the downward pressure that's put on the receiver tube opening. So that could be the tongue weight from the trailer or it can be your suspended accessories like your cargo carriers or bike racks.

So with 350 you should be able to load up almost a four bike bike rack no problem. So again, you have some good capacities. Now it can be used with a weight distribution hitch and that's gonna really bump the numbers up. You have a gross trailer weight rating of 5,000 pounds with that and then a tongue weight rating of 500. But it's also important, keep in mind that just 'cause your hitch is rated at that and it's not exactly what you want to tow without checking the vehicle's owner's manual.

And also making sure that you have the right ball mount and ball that's gonna work with that combination. So take the lowest of all those numbers just to make sure that you're not overloading and you're staying safe while towing. When choosing accessories for your hitch you do wanna make sure that they're gonna work well with your vehicle. And measuring from the center of the hitch pinhole to the furthest point of the rear fascia this one's gonna come in right at about 4 inches and that's gonna be important to determine how far out you may need the shank of your ball mount to go. Also, it can also come into play with some of your folding accessories. Some of your cargo carriers and bike racks in the stowed position can get pretty close to the fascia but this one should be okay, you just want to double check that when picking accessories. Now as far as ground clearance goes we have right at about 14 inches and that's gonna be important mostly for your ball mounts. You can determine if you need a rise or a drop by measuring the coupler height of your trailer that you're gonna be towing and then you can account for that try to make it as level as possible. It's also good to know that it's fairly high up but if you have a cargo carrier or bike rack on the back of your vehicle, it is gonna extend past it. So as you go up an incline those are gonna get pretty close to the ground. Just something to keep in mind when you have your accessories loaded onto your hitch. Now as far as the installation goes this one isn't too terribly bad. You do have to lower down your exhaust and those bolts are gonna become a mounting point for your hitch and that's gonna allow you to get the hitch up. And once you have that out you do have to do some trimming on a heat shield as well as enlarging the hole just to kind of get your hardware in place. But overall, none of it's too terribly bad. It can definitely be done in your driveway or garage. And I would say give yourself an hour maybe a little bit longer and you probably want an extra set of hands to be able to raise that hitch up in place. But I'm gonna walk you through all the steps so that way you can follow along and get your hitch installed. Our installation is gonna begin by lowering down our exhaust and this one has some isolators that actually b