Customer Reviews - Honda CR-V Trailer Hitch, 97-01 - Class III
[13314]

$380.90 $346.27

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by Cody Pegg | Date Added: Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Product Rating

This trailer hitch was easy to install and it looks good. Hitch Source shipped it super fast too.

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by Rafael Fiol | Date Added: Friday, August 31, 2007

Product Rating

Installation was not quite as smooth as expected due to shipping damage but still reasonable. Even with a somewhat bent hitch from shipping, I was able to install this unassisted in about two and a half hours. Here are a few additional tips for easier mounting:

Get some bailing wire and make some individual fishwires with long tails for each bolt You will leave these wires on the bolts while aligning the hitch to the frame. After fishing the bolts through the frame hole, run the extra-long tails of the fishwires through the hitch mounting holes. This way, if your hitch arrives somewhat bent from shipping, you won’t have any problems with pushing the bolts back up into the frame because of misalignment. If they get pushed in, you can simply pull them out again. If you didn’t use them, you could easily (and permanently) loose one or more of your carriage bolts in the frame tunnel.

Ignore the instructions regarding the U-bolt. Loosely mount it first, not last. It will help you support the hitch while you straiten it (if required) and align the holes.

If your hitch arrives bent as mine did, do not sweat it. According to HitchSource, this happens occasionally and they did offer a no-hassle replacement. It can easily be bent back to alignment provided its not more than just a couple of inches out of whack. Simply mount the side that goes over the exhaust first (tighten down but not to final torque spec). Once mounted, you can bend the other side against the mounted side to straighten it and align the holes. I found that a section of 7/8” galvanized pipe came in real handy as a pry bar (it fit into the big hole in the frame and the hitch. This is where the extra fishwires came in handy in keeping the bolts from being pushed into the frame (permanently).

Overall, I am satisfied with the hitch and HitchSource. The product is well made and the helpdesk support was both helpful and friendly. The only suggestion I would offer is that they charge just a bit extra and brace the frame a bit better for shipment (maybe a 2x4 bolted to the front holes).

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