dhoerl

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I did leave the other hitch on my car when I sold it, a nice surprise for the next buyer...

I don't have any other pics because its dark, but installation #2 is in the books!

It took about 20 minutes less than the first time, but I was also able to do this one myself. One thing I did differently was NOT use the ramps to lift the back of the car off the ground. Last time I struggled because of the height, I wasn't able to prop the hitch on anything while I got the bolts connected and ended up needing to have a friend come over to hold one side in place. This time, with the car being lower, it was more manageable. I got one bolt on pretty easily, then propped the other side up with a box and got a 2nd bolt in - that did take some time simply because I didn't have a good angle to hold the hitch, the washer and the bolt at the same time. But, once I got that 2nd one on the other 2 were simple.

Hopefully, this is the last one I have to put on for a while; I plan on keeping this MME a few years!

IMG_8946.JPG
something is very different! Your notch in the rear cover is much narrower that others posted her. It appears lower to the ground. Was the hitch redesigned?
 

dhoerl

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Note that this car as designed has no rear tow location. Park it nose in, if the LV battery dies you are SOL. But with the hitch, no problem, can pull the car using the hitch!
 

hls811

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something is very different! Your notch in the rear cover is much narrower that others posted her. It appears lower to the ground. Was the hitch redesigned?
I’m not sure what you mean? The hitch is identical and the cutout in the bumper was the same. I had actually saved the original bumper cutout from the first one and used it as my template this time.
 

x petro

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Lots of very useful information on the Draw-tite hitch install. After swapping cars with my wife for over a year so I could use her car equipped with a hitch, i realize it's time to bite the bullet and just install it one the MME. Looking at the e-trailer website I see that Draw-tite now offers a "stealth" hitch design, removable receiver with fully hidden cross bar. It's also twice the cost of the conventional "visible" hitch but the idea of only seeing the receiver when I use the bike rack is intriguing. Does anyone have any experience with this new design? I'll be doing the install myself in either case. Thanks...
 

dhoerl

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Lots of very useful information on the Draw-tite hitch install. After swapping cars with my wife for over a year so I could use her car equipped with a hitch, i realize it's time to bite the bullet and just install it one the MME. Looking at the e-trailer website I see that Draw-tite now offers a "stealth" hitch design, removable receiver with fully hidden cross bar. It's also twice the cost of the conventional "visible" hitch but the idea of only seeing the receiver when I use the bike rack is intriguing. Does anyone have any experience with this new design? I'll be doing the install myself in either case. Thanks...
I installed the original, but a Stealth mode sounds great and I'd have used it if available. Since its two pieces, the weight should be less for the larger part that gets installed - IMHO it can only be easier to install. Good luck!

PS: the only other advice is that if you use a jack to lift it up, use plenty of rags between the hitch and jack. I inadvertently chipped a piece of the enamel, but fortunately found it and epoxied it back.
 


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Garbone

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When my 22' gets here I was thinking of not doing a hitch as the one on our 21' urks me a little for ascetics. I have used it a few times hauling fuel and such but the Stealth may be the path I take on this next one. I also will be getting a wire harness for the cars since it would be nice to tow locally in a pinch.
 

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Did any of the clips break? if so, which ones? I am planning on doing mine when my car arrives and want to buy them ahead of time in case I break them due to my lack of patience.
 

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Did any of the clips break? if so, which ones? I am planning on doing mine when my car arrives and want to buy them ahead of time in case I break them due to my lack of patience.
I'd love to know this as well. My hitch just arrived and I''m hoping to install it tomorrow. The OP's writeup was quite detailed, and I implied from it that no extra clips were needed?
 

dhoerl

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Did any of the clips break? if so, which ones? I am planning on doing mine when my car arrives and want to buy them ahead of time in case I break them due to my lack of patience.
I didn't break any. I'm a bit vague now on how I pulled them out, but I used some sort of pry tool and had no difficulties getting them out.
 

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I don't mind my hitch extrusion. I put a big ass bullet cap on it, which is appropriate because my car takes off like a bullet.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Draw-tite Trailer Hitch Receiver Install 20220729_203957
 

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It took about 20 minutes less than the first time, but I was also able to do this one myself. One thing I did differently was NOT use the ramps to lift the back of the car off the ground. Last time I struggled because of the height, I wasn't able to prop the hitch on anything while I got the bolts connected and ended up needing to have a friend come over to hold one side in place.
I have the Draw-tite ready to install, and I've read the instructions and everyone's very helpful information here. Just quick question: Is it really possible to install this without lifting the car? Did you do it all from the sides? The standard ground clearance is pretty tight, but maybe it's workable after the cover is removed?
 

hls811

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I have the Draw-tite ready to install, and I've read the instructions and everyone's very helpful information here. Just quick question: Is it really possible to install this without lifting the car? Did you do it all from the sides? The standard ground clearance is pretty tight, but maybe it's workable after the cover is removed?
I’ve installed 2 of them, - on the first one I did use ramps to get the car lifted up and the second time I left the car on the ground.
Lifting it does give you more room to maneuver obviously, but at the same time you’ve got to life the hitch more which was a struggle (in doing it alone).

I found it easier keeping the car on the ground, even though the space was tighter.
 

awp0

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I’ve installed 2 of them, - on the first one I did use ramps to get the car lifted up and the second time I left the car on the ground.
Lifting it does give you more room to maneuver obviously, but at the same time you’ve got to life the hitch more which was a struggle (in doing it alone).

I found it easier keeping the car on the ground, even though the space was tighter.
Thank you! This is hugely helpful, and I'm going to give it a shot.

By the way, I think the OP has a different hitch than ours, or maybe it's been redesigned since. Just comparing the photos in OP's post #13 with your photos in post #26. His hitch has two hitch pin holes, and a backing plate (at the end of the receiver tube) that doesn't seem to exist in ours. It looks to me like he also was able to get away with a comparatively smaller cut in the fascia.
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