Draw-Tite 75119 Max-Frame Class III Round Receiver Hitch , Black

I received my hitch in an oversized mailing bag. The bag was torn in multiple places and there were chips and scuff marks all over the hitch. I called Draw-Tite multiple times - there's no one there to answer the call, and none of the messages I left were ever returned. The damage was really only cosmetic but, for something that's going to ride under the vehicle and be exposed to rain water and winter road salts, I didn't really want it going on new with damage to the powder coat.Other than the shipping and lack of customer service from Draw-Tite, the product itself was pretty easy to install (given what it is) and it has worked well.

This is a good strong durable hitch for trailers that really do weigh up to 3,500 lbs. They seem to last around 15 years, I.e. through 2 sets of rocker panels, near the MA / NH border in the jackpot zone for snow and road salt - at this point it will outlast the car. The strength of this hitch isn’t compromised by smaller or thinner tubing or by trying to get push it up close to the rear bumper by using a weak flat strap. It’s not hanging below the spare tire or axle tube, it’s barely below the resonator shell and it’s really not all that visible. I like to use a stainless ball mount and stainless ball, they can take a little work to find at a good price, some brands are priced like jewelry, and most retailers only sell the ones that will rust. The Reese stainless ones cost about 2x as much for stainless instead of chrome-plated for the ball mount and ball. The main downside to the hitch is that the thing is shipped without any protection. It’s not the only one shipped this way, from Amazon - some retailers add some protection when shipping, most drop-ship and don’t. The two end frames *will* arrive with a lot of paint missing from the edges. Buy some bare metal primer as well as some black and plan on putting on a lot of coats. It’s 5 minutes work every so many hours - just don’t do it out in the sun, the metal gets too hot and the paint skins over before allowing solvent to evaporate resulting in a soft porous coat with poor rust protection. It’s not that much work and the stronger hitch is worth it. Installation difficulty can depend on the location and condition of the welded nuts in the rear of the minivan. The supplied fastener kit includes bolts, plates, and fish-wires so that when it’s necessary to pull a bolt into the frame rail to project outward it’s a simple job. At this age, a frame location that has a welded nut from the factory should be cleaned up before trying to use it, ideally with a re-threading (thread forming) tap, but a thread cutting tap if necessary. Apart from preparing the holes in advance, the job is easier with something to hold it up while getting a 1st pair of fasteners to hold it up, even one cardboard box to hold the other end up while getting the 1st fastener on the other end is a big help. If you use a 4th generation Chrysler minivan for towing, be certain that you use ATF+4, have the auxiliary transmission cooler, the power steering cooler, and the Nivomat rear shocks. The Chrysler transmission fluid is a synthetic that has a different viscosity and viscosity vs temperature than any of the other ATF fluid families and different friction modifiers for the clutch packs. The self-learning transmission controller will make it seem to work almost right, but it isn’t, and the clutch packs will wear out faster and at times the transmission will shift either suddenly which can be alarming, or slowly, which rapidly wears out the clutches. ATF+4 let’s the transmission run 200,000 miles or so before rebuilding (including towing) instead of half that. The transmission cooler can be easily added to any van as long as the rear zone aux AC condenser doesn’t go all the way across the radiator. If it does, it would need to swap that also. The power steering cooler is always simple to add. The Nivomat shocks are self pumping ride height adjusting shocks. The dealership price is much higher than any of the aftermarket shocks which are as little as $150 each from time to time - not much more than something with helper springs and an infinitely better ride. They’re all the same shock from the one Sachs factory that makes them. The mounting bolts and bushings may be different from some suspensions. The original towing package also included an oil cooler, that’s a radiator water heat exchanger at the oil filter mount. It’s always been made by the manufacturer Chrysler sourced it from, and still is. I couldn’t say how necessary it is, but it made its 1st appearance on the 4th generation minivan when they were also saving money all over the place, e.g. removing the 2nd interior light bulb in the tailgate, so I added it to a 3rd gen minivan (same 3.8L V6, same oil mount).

Hitch came delivered without any scratches and fairly well protected from shipping damage. Installation on my 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport was a breeze and I would estimate install time at less than 30 minutes. All my bolts came out with ease and I didn't need to drill any holes. You will need to grind a small bit of material from the oblong hole that the rear carriage bolt and mounting plate is fed through. There is a video on YouTube that describes this step, Just search for hitch model number. Ignore video step there though, feed rear carriage bolt and plate through BEFORE you screw mid mounting stud in, makes for easier feed through.

Excellent quality, very heavy and strong as advertised. Really surprised with the perfect fit as I had been unable to locate a hitch that would fit the van. Extremely satisfied!

Where do I buy the hardware?

Easy install but used the internet to search for the youtube video that walks you through the install. Just use the make of car and hitch used (ex: 2002 Chrysler Voyager Draw Tite 75119). Easier than using the paper instructions. Had some mounting parts left over.

Seller shipped this receiver without any sort of packaging. Literally laying out in the open on my doorstep with a small piece of cardboard around the tube and plastic with hardware around the square channel. It's dinged up in multiple spots that now need paint and there is weld splatter everywhere. With today's robotic welders, there should be a lot higher quality control..Pretty hard to return an item that already looks used. I'm sure it will work fine but the quality control stinks, and to ship without a box? I guess anyone can see what I bought and it's fair game to steal it off my front door since they clearly know what it is. Not very happy with the purchase but I needed this specific model to fit my model caravan. Writing this review to warn others before they purchase this so they don't have to get a new item in used condition.

great fit

This was a no Brainer $700 plus @ at local hitch shop. easy to install.Thanks Amazon

Missing a couple of nuts, but fit fine no extra drilling.