Trailer Hitches

Joan

My husband and I are getting closer and closer to buying a T@B..  They are hard to find where we live for a decent price.
We have decided to have the hitch put on the Subaru (6 cylinder).
We are new to using trailers.  Does anyone have any recommendations on types of trailer hitches to purchase? Has anyone used UHaul to do the installation?
Thanks to everyone who replies.
I love this site there is so much to learn from all the owners out there.

ElectricBallroom

I had the dealer do it when I bought my T@B two weeks ago. After hearing some horror stories regarding U-Haul (one did the seven-way plug, but no brake controller), I decided to let the specialist who works there a few days a week do it, the price was the same as buying the parts online, and he did a very clean job. 

I have a 4 cylinder Outback Limited. 

ericnliz

Joan, Your location would be a good think to know so someone in your area might be able to steer you in the right direction.

dsatwork

I used Uhaul to install a hitch on a 2008 CR-V and they did a great job with both the hitch and 7-wire harness. I would imagine it has a lot to do with who is working at the Uhaul Dealer as they are all individually owned...I believe. I would look to Google or Yelp for reviews.

Nomad

I was told that only "corporate" Uhaul stores do hitches/wiring - according to a Uhaul franchise in Laramie, WY.
I had Uhaul do mine - was who my T@B dealer recommended - Everything worked great till a year later when everything shorted out - they'd run the wiring too close to the exhaust manifold and the heat finally burnt thru - Hence my stop in Laramie. Found an automotive electronics shop there to redo it as the Uhaul didn't.

dsatwork

uhaul has a fantastic guarantee when they install the hitch as well and I think it cost me $5.00.....When we install a hitch on your car, you can add guarantee replacement with no limitation for any damage, including collision, corrosion, accidental overload, jackknifing and theft of vehicle. Also available is a wiring service plan to cover you for two years. @PXLated

Nomad

Guarantees are great unless you're in Laramie with no corporate shop, only three Uhaul rental places that don't do hitches/wiring :-(
Did have a good automitive electronics place (recommended by the Uhaul guy) that got me back on the road in less than an hour.

dsatwork

Context always helps...now I get it

keithp

Joan said:

We have decided to have the hitch put on the Subaru (6 cylinder).

I have a 2015 Subaru Outback (6 cyl) and installed a Torklift hitch. It attaches using the same technique as the smaller factory hitch, instead of bolting to the sheet metal like a UHaul hitch. So far so good? I actually ended up doing it myself as there wasn't a dealer nearby. It wasn't easy, but there wasn't really anything other than loosening and tightening bolts, just a lot of bolts, and those terrible plastic snap-in things.

My car came pre-wired for a 4-pin connector. I had a trailer shop fit up the rest of the wiring for a 7-pin and then hooked up a hopkins brake controller myself. https://keithp.com/blogs/hopkins/ has a brief description of that process.

I really looked for someone else to do the whole thing for me and eventually just gave up and did most of it myself. Sometimes we try to be lazy and fail?

drpprmt

We also had a very bad experience with U Haul.  They directly wired the 7pin to the car wiring instead of using the proper isolation devices.  We never completely got the electronics to all work properly.  Also, the hitches they use are not the best for a smaller car like the Subaru.  I would strongly suggest going to a good RV dealership that has a good parts and service dept. and having them do the instal.  It will cost more but it will be done properly with the proper parts.

dsatwork

@keithp said: I have a 2015 Subaru Outback (6 cyl) and installed a Torklift hitch. It attaches using the same technique as the smaller factory hitch, instead of bolting to the sheet metal like a UHaul hitch. 

The Torklift hitch looks like a great very sleek solution for the Subaru Outback, with it's hidden hitch and all. But I have purchased one hitch from Uhaul and it didn't mount into sheet metal. I'm pretty sure they don't sell any that just bolt into sheet metal. When comparing what Uhaul sells to whats available at eTrailer, they look identical. On my 2016 Kia Sorento the parts were identical, right down to the mounting instructions. It bolted up to the factory cross frame holes and mounting points perfectly. I can't speak to what every Uhaul dealer can provide as far as wiring, but my dealer did a fantastic job to the specification including the 40 amp fuse for the power line. When I did the wiring on the Sorento I chose to go with 40amp 12v Automotive Auto Reset Circuit Breaker. But what they did on my CR-V was well within the specs.

Vikings

If you are at all interested in doing this yourself Etrailer, an on-line source for everything having to do with trailering, has very good instructional videos for installing receiver hitches.  I bet they will have a video for your Subaru due to it's popularity. 
Even if you pay someone else to install, after review of these videos you will have more knowledge thus, perhaps, be better able to assess installer and, eventually, the installation.
Wiring requires even more study and effort...
Good luck. 

abenteurer

Joan, You came to this forum looking for opinions. Here's another. After market hitches frighten me. Check out the thread 'http://tab-rv.vanillaforums.com/discussion/4409/hitch-problems#latest' to see just one version of problems that crop up. In my opinion, the best solution is to have a tow vehicle with a factory installed hitch rated well above the gross and tongue weight you'll be towing. When I get involved in something that could land me in court or the hospital I research it ad nauseam, to the point of being able to teach a course. You've made a good start by asking questions on this forum.

dsatwork

https://www.etrailer.com/question-141804.html