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Full transcript: www.etrailer.c...
Hi everyone. Aiden here at etrailer. Today we're gonna be taking a look at, and showing you how to install this Draw-Tite Class Three custom fit trailer hitch receiver on our 2023 Kia Sportage. Now a Class Three hitch is going to be my preferred choice, especially for the Sportage here, because that two-inch by two-inch receiver tube opening is going to give us the widest variety of options for accessories. Whether you've got a ball mount in here, towing a small trailer, like our neighbor is today, or you're looking to install a cargo carrier or a bike rack, that two-inch by two-inch opening is going to be the most versatile and work with the most accessories. So whether you're looking at bike racks, cargo carriers, or ball mounts, this should get the job done.
You just wanna keep in mind the weight capacity. It's got a gross trailer weight rating of 3,500 pounds. That's how much weight it can pull. And 525 pounds of maximum tongue weight. The maximum downward pressure on the end of the receiver tube there.
So for a small utility trailer, just make sure you're keeping it within that gross towing weight rating and make sure that your vehicle can handle that kind of weight too. And for that tongue weight, of course, keep that in mind for trailers, but also for something like a bike rack or a cargo carrier. Lots of cargo carriers are rated to handle 500 pounds. So if you put one of those in here, just know that you're not gonna get the full capacity out of it because you're limited by your hitch. Underneath, these safety chain loops are gonna be pretty easy to use and give plenty of room for your standard or these clevis-style hooks.
And it uses a standard five-eighths inch hitch pin and clip. It's not included with the hitch, but most accessories will come with that and you can always pick up locking pins if you'd prefer. Now it's gonna be hard to see, but one of my favorite things about this hitch is this bracket right here. When paired with a small bracket you can find here at etrailer, it serves as a great mounting location for four-pole wiring, which is actually what our neighbor today is going to be using for their small utility trailer. And a few measurements to keep in mind.
From the ground to the top inside edge of the receiver tube opening is gonna be 13-and-a-half inches. That'll let you know what kind of ground clearance you can expect from certain accessories if they stick straight out, or if they have a rise in the shank. Or if you're looking for a ball mount, what kind of rise or drop you need out of that to be towing level. And then from the center of the hitch pin hole, to the outer edge of the vehicle, it's gonna be five inches. That'll let you know on something like a bike rack, or a cargo carrier, what kind of clearance you have with the vehicle. A lot of bike racks will fold up for easy storage when they're not in use. And that five inches of clearance will let you know if you have the room to actually fold it, or if it would make contact with the vehicle. And the finished product is something that looks really nice. Because it's a little bit more recessed under the back bumper there, it's gonna look really clean. The cross tube is hidden, and the only thing showing is the receiver tube. And honestly, from standing right here, I can't see it at all. So you'd have to step back quite a bit to see it. And even then, I don't think it's very unsightly. But probably the best part about this is that it's a really easy install. It uses factory weld nuts and it's gonna be able to be done pretty quickly with maybe an extra set of hands to help lift the hitch once you have it all prepped. But we'll walk you through that process right now. Now we're starting our installation off up in the air. But you can totally do this on the ground at home. There's a lot of room to work under here and the installation's really straightforward. We're gonna start though, coming to this underbody panel at the very end, where there's going to be a series of push pin fasteners that you can remove with a flathead screwdriver, or a trim panel tool. On the outside, there's four in total, so we'll just pop the center section of those out and they might just fall out on their own. And if they don't, we can just go to the base and pop those out. Now none of this is gonna get reused, so you can toss this in the trash if you don't want it. You can hang onto these for spares if you need them. And these little indents here, just ignore the ones in there. Those aren't the ones we're looking for. And once that's done, you can see we've