Defective Amazon hitch

[user 423]

I just wasted 3 hours installing a Curt front receiver hitch on my '93 Econoline. OK, I did get this for half price because it had "minor cosmetic" damage to the powder coat. A little spray paint would take care of that ,no problem.

So it's delivered and I see that it is packed poorly with no protection for the ends where the bolt holes are located. These hitches weigh about 35 lbs. so if they are dropped, they can be damaged. This one was dropped on both ends somewhere along the packing/delivery pipeline so each end was bent in about 3/8"-1/2". This prevented the front 2 bolt holes from aligning with the ones on the van's frame. Since I got it cheap, I decided to go with it and do a little adjustment with a big hammer and I also opened up the holes a little with a grinder.

So I get all installed and then notice that the receiver tube is not square with the main tube! It's way off and my motorcycle hitch when plugged in was about 4" lower on the left end than the right.

The good thing about Amazon is that they do no-cost returns that are pretty painless. Not so this one.

Anyway, be careful when buying used stuff on Amazon. Grrrrr....

BTW: The Curt hitches are made in the US and not China. Very poor quality control on this one. Somebody must have been drunk while tacking it up.

It makes me wonder if some things on Amazon are factory seconds?

 

[AmargosaWayne]

Defective Curt Hitch purchased through Amazon.

I have installed Draw-Tite hitches as a business, and on my own vehicles, never any issues with the hitches.

What are you planning to haul on the front end?

Bob Wells hauled a Honda Rebel on his front end, later he ended up needing his front end rebuilt. Maybe a connection, maybe not.

 

[user 423]

What are you planning to haul on the front end?

Bob Wells hauled a Honda Rebel on his front end, later he ended up needing his front end rebuilt. Maybe a connection, maybe not.

Actually I had a couple of things in mind with this hitch. First is hauling a small dual-sport motorcycle and that will be an experiment. I have a swing-away cargo carrier at the rear of the van and the weight of the contents would counter what's up front. But yeah, might not be so good on the front end. I only travel half of the year so maybe I'd be OK.



If that doesn't work so well I might then use the front hitch to mount a spare tire carrier. By relocating the spare from under the rear of the van, I would then have room to install a 20 gall.or so black tank. Possibly a future project.

A front hitch can also be used to mount a winch or a vise. I probably won't need to mount a winch but I do have a 4" vise that I use occasionally. It mounts on a plate with a 2" receiver insert.

 

[Sofisintown]

Your bike seems to be blocking your headlights....

 

[user 423]

^That's a pic I copied that gave me the idea in the first place. I've checked online quite a bit and it seems lots of folks have done this. I never drive at night when I'm road tripping so it normally wouldn't be a problem. There is some adjustment for up/down placement of the bike depending on the hitch and type of bike. I'd probably think more about the signals being blocked and might add some auxiliary lights.

 

[Malamute]

I ordered a folding hitch adapter for a cargo basket, I got it in hand, was at the welding shop to set it up, and it was cockeyed. Welded together twisted. I didnt have time to mess with it, I needed to get on the road, so we cut it apart and fixed it. It probably cost as much as the unit did, but waiting for another one that may be the same wasnt in the cards.

 

[user 423]

I have installed Draw-Tite hitches as a business, and on my own vehicles, never any issues with the hitches.

I've been so used to shopping on Amazon lately, I didn't shop around much. I just ordered a Draw-Tite from Autozone and it was even $20 less than Amazon.