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Trailer Hitch

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Old 04-26-2007 | 05:49 AM
  #1  
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From: Michigan
Default Trailer Hitch

Just got my triler hitch... Worked great except...

The passenger side frame hole would not accept the bolt the hitch requires. It seems there is a reienforcement peice in the frame that is off center not allowing the bolt to get through.

Should I drop th exhaust and drill this out?
Tell the dealer to drop the exhaust and drill it out as it is obviously a defect?

What a pain in the A$$ for a bolt in product.
Old 04-26-2007 | 06:05 AM
  #2  
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I had the center tow hook and replaced with a Hidden Hitch (class 3). I believe there were 4 bolts for this piece of hardware and 3 of them went in no problem. The 4th bolt was also a major pain, I don't remember which one it was... but I also experienced that alignment problem you are having.

My solution was to keep trying. I had to really keep all other 3 bolts loose and push real hard on the trouble bolt while turning until it finally started to thread. After that they all went in completely and I was relieved.
Old 04-26-2007 | 06:10 AM
  #3  
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All four of mine went in no problem. I would take it to the dealer and see if there would be a fee for them to do the work. If not, your only option is to do it yourself for no fee.
Old 04-26-2007 | 06:11 AM
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No first hand knowledge yet, but I thought I read somewhere that one of the bolts or holes was slightly smaller than the other three. You may want to try it out on the hitch before mounting it to the bumper. Or I could be totally wrong. Either way it wouldn't hurt.
Old 04-26-2007 | 07:44 AM
  #5  
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Installed mine last week. The hole closest the passenger side of the vehicle is somewhat smaller. But if you have someone hold the hitch up to take any weight off of the other bolts, the fourth one will thread through the hole. It won't push through but it will thread. I didn't have to drop the muffler or drill out this hole. Keep at it, it should work.
Old 04-26-2007 | 08:06 AM
  #6  
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Originally Posted by skibum
Installed mine last week. The hole closest the passenger side of the vehicle is somewhat smaller. But if you have someone hold the hitch up to take any weight off of the other bolts, the fourth one will thread through the hole. It won't push through but it will thread. I didn't have to drop the muffler or drill out this hole. Keep at it, it should work.
I concur. closest to passenger hole is smaller but you can thread it through. That was the hole I started with when doing install by myself which was a royal pain. Then the other 3 went right through.
Old 04-26-2007 | 08:12 AM
  #7  
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Mine was the same. Just put the wrench on and keep truning, it will go.
Old 04-26-2007 | 08:17 AM
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From: Alabama
Default Hidden Hitch

I put on a hidden hitch class 3. One of the two middle bolts would not line up because the weld on the frame was sloppy and prevented the hitch from sliding into place. Get a file and hit te weld. It is a pain in the ass.
Old 04-26-2007 | 01:27 PM
  #9  
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I installed the hidden hitch two weeks ago.

Here's what I did:
1. I removed the 3-bolt hook, no problem
2. I removed the 4 bolts from the hitch, noticing that the manufacturer seemed to use a bolt with a smaller head in one of the outside holes - figured they ran out of one kind of bolt.
3. Held the hitch up and bolted the two bolts to the frame first - no problem.
4. Tried to thread the bolt on the far left, but it kept feeling like it would start, then strip out, so I eventually gave up and figured I could live with only three bolts.
5. Threaded that same bolt to the far right hole - no problem.
6. Noticed that I was left with the small-head bolt, so I figured, what the hell, and gave it a try on the left hole - it threaded no problem.
7. Tighted all of the 4 bolts - perfect fit, and figured out why they used a slightly smaller bolt on the left hole - for some reason Jeep made that hole slightly smaller and the manufacturer was smart enough to have figured this out.

Couldn't be more pleased with the strength, fit and finish of the hitch receiver.
Old 04-26-2007 | 01:32 PM
  #10  
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From: muskogee, oklahoma
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has anyone installed the wiring harness for the trailer hitch? did you have to buy it from dealer or where did you get it? thanks


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