etrailer | DIY Install: Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver on your 2023 Subaru Forester

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Hey everyone, Ryan here at etrailer. Today on our 2023 Subaru Forester, we're gonna be showing you how to install the Curt trailer hitch receiver. Before we do that though, let's take a minute, check it out, and make sure it's going to be right for you. So when it comes to these Subarus, you know, people use 'em to do a little bit of everything. And so by putting a hitch back here, it makes sense. You know, it's gonna open up your opportunities on what you're gonna be able to accomplish.
Whether you're trying to pull a trailer around or use an accessory like a bike rack or a cargo carrier, this one's definitely gonna get the job done. There are quite a few hitches available for the Forester, and you'll have some that are visible like the Curt one here. So you're gonna be able to see that whole crossbar. And then you'll have some that are more hidden, where they're gonna sit behind the bumper and really the only thing you'll be able to see is that receiver tube opening. And you know, either way, even with the visible ones, they don't look out of place by any means.
They sit a little bit further back and uptight against the bottom, so it looks right at home honestly, on a vehicle like the Forester. To compare this one to the other visible style ones, the Curt and etrailer hitch are gonna be pretty much identical. Really, the only difference is gonna be the finish of it. The Draw-Tite, however, that one does sit a little bit further back, and so you don't have quite as much bumper clearance. And so if you're primarily gonna be using a folding style accessory, this one in the etrailer would probably work out a little bit better.
This hitch is gonna be a class 3, which means it has the 2-inch by 2-inch receiver tube opening, really common size. A lot of stuff will work with it. It is going to use that 5/8 pin. Keep in mind though, pin and clip doesn't come included. If you need one, you can grab it here at etrailer.
Or a lot of times too if you end up buying a new accessory, they'll come with one. So it's something to look out for there. The safety chain openings do sit back a little ways, but it's still manageable, and the openings are quite large. So just about any size hook that your trailer might have on it should work out just fine. As far as the hitch's weight capacities go, it's gonna have a 525-pound maximum gross tongue weight rating. That's gonna be the amount of weight pushing down on the hitch. That's a pretty high number. You should be able to use just about any size bike rack or cargo carrier that you'd want to, for example. And for the maximum gross trailer weight rating, that's gonna be 3,500 pounds or the amount of weight pulling on the hitch. So that is the weight of your trailer plus anything you might have in or on it. I do always like to recommend though, never a bad idea just to grab your Subaru's owner's manual. That way you can check in there and make sure that your Forester can handle that much weight safely. We'll grab a couple measurements now and these will help us figure out what type of accessories will work best. You go from the ground to the top inside edge of the receiver tube opening, that's gonna be about 14 1/2 inches. So if you plan on pulling a trailer, you'll probably use a ball mount that either has a straight shank or one with a slight rise. Maybe up to 2 inches would probably work out for most people. From the center of the hitch pin hole to the edge of the rear bumper, that's gonna be about 4 1/2 inches, which is pretty good. So you really shouldn't run into any issues. But if need be, you can use that to figure out exactly if any of those folding accessories you might have can be sorted up right without hitting the back of your Subaru. At the end of the day, a hitch you really can't go wrong with. Even though it is visible, it still looks good, and it'll be able to handle just about anything you wanna throw at it. As far as the installation goes, it's really not too bad. You do have to let the exhaust come down a little bit to give you more room to work. It's not a huge deal, it's pretty easy. Take a small panel down off this side and put the hardware in the frame and bolt the hitch up, so it shouldn't run into too many issues or take up a bunch of your time. But with that said, why don't we go ahead and pull into the garage and get started on it. Now two begin our installation, we're gonna be underneath the back of our Forester and we're gonna start by removing this underbody panel here on the driver's side. So along the edge, we're gonna have three push pin style fasteners with th