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Full transcript: https://www.etrailer.com/tv-install-etrailer-trailer-hitch-receiver-2022-subaru-crosstrek-e98912.aspx
Hey, everybody, Ryan here at etrailer. Today on our 2022 Subaru Crosstrek, we’re gonna be showing you how to install the etrailer.com Trailer Hitch Receiver. Before we do that though, let’s take a minute, check it out, and make sure it’s going to be the right hitch for you. So when it comes to putting a trailer hitch on a vehicle like the Crosstrek, makes complete sense, people use these vehicles to do a little bit of everything. And whether you’re looking to tow something, use an accessory or even both, this hitch will definitely get the job done. There are several hitches available for the Crosstrek.

And if it was me and I was gonna put one on my own vehicle, this would probably be the one I would go with. I think it’s the best general-purpose, all-around hitch. And I think it is definitely one of the better looking ones as well. For the most part, you’re really not going to be able to see too much. The crossbar is pretty much hidden.

And just a receiver tube is essentially gonna be visible and has a matte black finish here. It matches the plastic on her bumper, and I think looks a little more modern, but that’s my opinion. There’s a CURT one available that looks pretty much identical. It just has a gloss finish. So if that matches your car better, that you could select that.

And there’s a Draw-Tite available as well, but that one’s gonna hang down. We’ll be able to see the majority of it, but it is a little more heavy duty and at least suited for primarily towing, at least in my opinion, but it really can’t go wrong with any of them. With this being a Class III hitch, it’s gonna have the two inch by two inch receiver tube opening, which is a good thing. It’s a super common size so a lot of stuff works with it. It is going to use the standard 5/8 pin and clip.

One doesn’t come included with the hitch. If you need one, not a huge deal, grab it here at etrailer. A lot of times too, if you end up buying a new accessory, it’ll come with one. So just something to look out for there. And the safety chain openings are a loop style, and you got quite a bit of room, and you should be able to use pretty much any size hook that your trailer might have on it. When it comes to the weight capacities, the hitch is gonna have some pretty good numbers. Maximum gross tongue weight rating is gonna be 525 pounds. That’s the amount of weight that is pushing down on the hitch, so that’s good for those one to four bike racks, give you an example. As far as a maximum trailer weight rating goes, it’s gonna be 3,500 pounds, or the amount of weight pulling on the hitch. So it is a weight of your trailer plus anything you might have entered on it. And one thing I do always like to recommend, never a bad idea just to grab your Subaru’s owner’s manual. That way, you can check in there and make sure that your Crosstrek can handle that much weight safely. We’ll grab a couple measurements now, and these will help us figure out what type of accessories will work best. So from the ground to the top inside edge of their receiver tube opening, that’s gonna be about 15 inches. So if you’re gonna be doing some towing, you could probably use a ball mount that has a straight shank or one with a very small rise in it, probably work out for most people, and it’s high enough up off the ground to where if your accessory has a straight shank, you’ll be fine. If it has one with the rise in it, even better. Buy you a little more ground clearance. From the center of the hitch pin hole to the edge of the rear bumper, that’s only about 2 1/2 inches, which is really good. So shouldn’t run into too many issues here, but if need be, you can use that. So you help figure out exactly if those folding accessories can be stored upright without hitting the back of your Subaru. So when it comes down to it, like I said, if it we’re me and Oscar could put a hitch on my Crosstrek, this would probably be the one. I think it looks really good and it’ll handle just about anything you want to throw at it. As far as the installation goes, it’s really not too bad. You are going to have to enlarge a couple of holes just a little bit to make ’em big enough to let the hardware go up into the frame, but not a huge deal. Even if you only have a hand tool, like a file, it’s definitely doable and it won’t take forever by any means. So just stay patient and and focused. You should be in good shape. With that said, why don’t we go ahead, pull into the garage, and get started on it now. To begin our installation, we’re gonna be working underneath the back of our Subaru, and we’re gonna focus