etrailer | Setting up the Draw-Tite Max-Frame Trailer Hitch Receiver on a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLB

Click for more info and reviews of this Draw-Tite Trailer Hitch:
https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitc...
https://www.etrailer.com
Don’t forget to subscribe!
   / etrailertv  

Full transcript: https://www.etrailer.com/tv-install-d...
Hello neighbors, it's Brad here at etrailer and today we're taking a look at installing the Draw-Tite Trailer Hitch Receiver on a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLB. Now this is what your hitch is gonna look like when it's installed on your Mercedes and overall it's a very clean look and that's because it's a hidden cross tube, meaning the only thing that you're gonna see is the functional part of the hitch here where you're gonna be loading things up so you get a nice clean look and all the usability of your hitch. Now this one is a 2 inch by 2 inch receiver tube opening, which is gonna be great for a number of different accessories. It's kind of the standard size. So when choosing ball mounts, bike racks, or cargo carriers, you're gonna have tons of options. Now all of those accessories are gonna stay in place with a 5/8 pin and clip.

Keep in mind this does not come with the hitch. A lot of times your accessories will have them included. If you plan on leaving your accessories on your vehicle, I would highly recommend picking up a locking pin and clip. That way you can lock it in place and know that no one's gonna walk away with your accessories. Rolled style safety chain loop makes it nice and easy to hook up your safety chains, whether you have a standard S hook or even a larger clevis style is gonna go on there nice and easy.

And speaking of towing, you're gonna wanna adhere to the weight capacities of the hitch, which are gonna be rated pretty decently. You have a gross trailer weight rating of 3,500 pounds, which is the weight of the trailer plus the accessories loaded onto it. Your tongue weight rating is coming in at 525 pounds, which is gonna be the downward pressure put on the inside of the receiver tube opening. That's gonna be your suspended accessories, like your cargo carriers, your bike racks, and with 525 pounds, that means you can get a four bike bike rack loaded up and you shouldn't have any problems. Now keep in mind, just because the hitch is rated at that, you do wanna check the vehicle's owner's manual to see what it's capable of towing.

Compare that with the hitch as well as all the components that you'll be hooking up to your trailer. Make sure that you're staying under the weight capacities of all of them. From the center of our hitch pin hole to the furthest point of the rear fascia, we're coming in about 4-1/2 inches and that's gonna be important for folding accessories. You should be able to fold those in the stowed position and not have any clearance issues with your fascia. Now keep in mind when they're folded up, you're probably not gonna be able to open up your hatch, but not to worry if there's nothing on 'em, you can lower those down and still gain access to your hatch.

Also important is your ground clearance. And this one is pretty low here, so it's coming in at 11 inches. So when choosing accessories, you might want to get one with a raise on the shank. That way it gives you a little more ground clearance. It's also gonna be important for choosing a ball mount. So with that measurement you can compare against the coupler on your trailer and determine the rise or drop necessary. And now also keep in mind when you have suspended accessories like cargo carriers, bike racks, as you go up inclines, those wanna tilt towards the ground and you don't want those to bottom out. So just keep that in mind when you have those loaded up. As far as the installation goes, this one's actually not too bad. You are gonna be lowering down the exhaust and you're gonna have to trim out a heat shield and also drill a hole in the frame, but none of it's terribly hard to do. So I think overall this could maybe take about an hour or so. I'm gonna walk you through step by step. So let's get your hitch installed. To begin our installation we're gonna remove our lower splash shield and it's gonna require an 8 millimeter socket. The instructions say 10, but turns out these are 8 and we're just gonna kind of work our way over. So we start here. (drill grinding) And then just kind of follow your way over. You're gonna find that you'll have more as you go along. Now throughout this process we're gonna be removing quite a bit of hardware, so I recommend having a nice organized spot to keep all this. It makes reinstallation that much easier. (drill grinding) We also have plastic push pins that are on each side, so you're gonna want to try to pry on the center. A flathead screwdriver will work pretty well here. I'm using a trim panel tool, but we're gonna accomplish the sa