First Hitch Installed on a Mach-E (Torklift EcoHitch)

[Colorider]

I just received a tracking number that my Torklift rack is shipping and I will have it on Friday (9 days before my car is scheduled to start production ). Did anyone else with a preorder receive a tracking number?
I was expecting a few week delay which is why I ordered it so early.

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[dtbaker61]

I just received a tracking number that my Torklift rack is shipping and I will have it on Friday (9 days before my car is scheduled to start production ). Did anyone else with a preorder receive a tracking number?
I was expecting a few week delay which is why I ordered it so early.

so.... you probably won't have your MME for 2 months....

Please DO post the installation instructions that come with the Torklift when you get it, and let us know what your local installer charges to do the job. I'm guessing it's going to be a 3-4 job to pull the bumper off and cut a hole in the diffuser....

 

[Colorider]

Will do. I reached out to Rack Attack who is listed as a certified installer on Torklift’s site and they quoted me $600 is typical. I installed the Curt myself on my MMH and for $600, I plan to try to install the MME as well

 

[dtbaker61]

Will do. I reached out to Rack Attack who is listed as a certified installer on Torklift’s site and they quoted me $600 is typical. I installed the Curt myself on my MMH and for $600, I plan to try to install the MME as well

it will not surprise me a bit if installers ask for $400-$600; I'm guessing this is a 4 to 6 hour job to pull all the bumper, diffuser, cut a hole in diffuser.... 10 minutes to install the rack, and the rest to remove/replace the bumper cover!

I will be VERY interested to see their install manual. The Service manual procedures make this look like a pretty 'involved' install, with lots of opportunities to break clips and trim pieces....

 

[Fat Mach]

it will not surprise me a bit if installers ask for $400-$600; I'm guessing this is a 4 to 6 hour job to pull all the bumper, diffuser, cut a hole in diffuser.... 10 minutes to install the rack, and the rest to remove/replace the bumper cover!

I will be VERY interested to see their install manual. The Service manual procedures make this look like a pretty 'involved' install, with lots of opportunities to break clips and trim pieces....

I would be surprised if the whole job takes longer than 30 mins if you have good tools. A little longer if you don't.

 

[dtbaker61]

I would be surprised if the whole job takes longer than 30 mins if you have good tools. A little longer if you don't.

wow, there are a LOT of clips.... from what I can see, you have to pull rear wheels, tail lamps, rear wheel trim, rear diffuser, rear bumper cover.... maybe 20-30 minutes to install the hitch itself... another 15-20 minutes if you add light harness, cut a hole in the diffuser, and put everything back together.

I'd be impressed with anybody who can install this in less than 3 hours and not break anything. In awe if it took less than 2 hours.

I will likely try it myself sometime in the next few weeks, so we'll see!

 

[Fat Mach]

wow, there are a LOT of clips.... from what I can see, you have to pull rear wheels, tail lamps, rear wheel trim, rear diffuser, rear bumper cover.... maybe 20-30 minutes to install the hitch itself... another 15-20 minutes if you add light harness, cut a hole in the diffuser, and put everything back together.

I'd be impressed with anybody who can install this in less than 3 hours and not break anything. In awe if it took less than 2 hours.

I will likely try it myself sometime in the next few weeks, so we'll see!

Ahh, I didn't know you had to remove the rear wheels. Well, see what it takes. In my experience, the bulk of the time is consumed by looking for the next tool needed, not the actual activity involved.

 

[mkhuffman]

a lot of people were waiting on this if the approximately 95810965871 posts about towing are any indication.

since Ford says not to tow at all (in the US), I wonder about warranty impact.

I am one of them and this was one of the big reasons I have not taken the plunge yet. This is awesome!!

 

[Dangerfish]

Here are the install instructions. Mine shipped out today.
I installed the hitch on my last car (Subaru Crosstrek) and it was no big deal. But ground clearance on the MME is less and I don't have a way to jack the car up. On top of that, I'm nervous about making the two cuts so I will probably take it in to be done unless someone here does a write up that shows its actually not that hard.

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

didn't seem too bad for do-it-yourself until "use a reciprocating saw on the bumper and be careful not to screw it up or you'll do like $1b worth of sensor damage"

 

[dtbaker61]

Ahh, I didn't know you had to remove the rear wheels. Well, see what it takes. In my experience, the bulk of the time is consumed by looking for the next tool needed, not the actual activity involved.

This is why I can't wait to see the installation instructions from forklift versus maybe the other one from stealth hitch. Everything I have seen so far is that it is quite a process to actually uncover what you need to get to install a hitch and possible light wiring

 

[Dangerfish]

This is why I can't wait to see the installation instructions from forklift versus maybe the other one from stealth hitch. Everything I have seen so far is that it is quite a process to actually uncover what you need to get to install a hitch and possible light wiring

I called the Stealth Hitch people yesterday to ask about theirs. They are months away from shipping but it sounds like install process will be very similar.

 

[lotharik]

Mine is, in theory, arriving next Tuesday. After reading those instructions I'll call my local torklift dealer and get a quote from them to install.

 

[Macheeee]

a lot of people were waiting on this if the approximately 95810965871 posts about towing are any indication.

since Ford says not to tow at all (in the US), I wonder about warranty impact.

Pretty funny. did anyone else notice this feature to test trailer lights in Ford Pass? I have no idea if it is new or I just noticed it today...

 

[pohdyb]

I installed this today myself. Took about 2 hours.

The only special tools needed would be a floor jack (and maybe a torque wrench if you want to make sure everything is tightened to spec). I couldn’t find anything online about where to jack the car, but if you feel along the underside, there are two arrows near the front wheel and two more near the back wheels which I think are meant to mark the safe jack area. There is definitely not enough room to work under car without it being raised. I cut the bumper and undercarriage diaper with a dremmel multi-max, but you could probably just use tin snips or a hack saw, those pieces are thin and not tough.

The cutting directions are a tiny bit larger than needed, if I had to do it again, I’d measure the receiver first and cut it to exact match. I’ll post pictures tomorrow when I have the light again.