CURT 13146 Class 3 Trailer Hitch, 2-Inch Receiver, Fits Select Honda Pilot, Acura MDX, GLOSS BLACK POWDER COAT

This is a well-made and heavy duty hitch. A few observations and tips to share. Hitch can be installed by one person. I used two 5 gallon buckets and a few 6 inch pieces of 2x8s to support the hitch. Most important tip - dry fit the bolts in all six holes, use a wire brush and air to clean the holes, use a light oil for lubrication, even retap lightly if necessary, but please first fit the bolts and make sure they can be started by hand and will bottom out. This will make their final install much easier. Once you have positioned the hitch, start the bolt that is closest to the front of the vehicle. Then repeat for the second and then for the bolt closest to the rear. This is bit hard to do when working alone and lying on the ground, but be patient and it will work even though you might need a few attempts at starting the bolts. You will need to lower the spare tire a bit to fully seat the final two bolts on the hitch. Unfortunately, a full size tire (about 29.5 inches in height for P245/50/R20 on Pilot Sport) will not fit in the space where the donut spare is installed. We need atleast 3 more inches clearance...c'mon "Honda-Of-America"??? So I plan to use a hitch-installed spare-tire carrier on a split hitch-extender whenever I tow a small utility trailer. Or will just place the full-size spare in a enclosed trailer if that's what I am towing. Either way it's an added inconvenience for me. Often my Retriever is lounging in the trunk area whenever I tow so placing the tire in the trunk is not always an available option. Anyway, my apologies as I have digressed/ranted/etc. Tightening the bolts to 139 Ft-Lb is not easy to do lying down. I had to use a 24 inch breaker bar to tighten the bolts first. You will have to lower the spare wheel again to tighten the one bolt that is above the exhaust pipe. Amazon did a good job on delivery, just a very small paint chip in one area. The packaging from Curt is not the best for an individual home delivery. The hitch is heavy and will likely tear through the package during handling. After reading reviews at other online retailers, I chose to get this from Amazon over others simply because (in my area) I felt their drivers would handle it more carefully than the two other prominent carriers. If you can find grade J12.9 M22 shoulder bolts use them, they will be higher rated. I plan to spray paint the bolt heads when I am done to protect them from rust. If you really enjoy DIY, or want to save some $$$ over an OEM hitch and installation, this is a fun project that can be done in 30 to 90 minutes, and it will be easier to do if you get a second person to give you a hand. Best wishes for your install and safe towing.

Well-made product, perfect fit for my '14 MDX. Easy install - did it by myself in 20 min with a pair of jack stands (it is heavy, so if you don't have jack stands, might need an extra pair of hands to support the plate during installation). Make sure you tighten the bolts to specs (138 ft*lb is a lot of torque - I originally put it in using a regular wrench, and thought I had it pretty tight, but when later checked with a borrowed torque wrench, found I was well under the 138 :)) Good design, all the holes aligned perfectly with the ones in the vehicle. The packaging could be better, but mine came in a decent shape - no bends or scratches that some other reviewers reported. Once installed, looks and functions great!

Vehicle installed on: Honda Pilot 2017 Very nice product. As other people have posted, the box is usually deformed due to the odd shape of the item and also weight. it is about 50lbs or so. However, the product itself inside of the box is pretty well packaged with covering at joints to prevent it from cracking or chipped. It comes with 6 bolts and washer that fits perfectly onto the stock frame of the honda pilot. At least for the 2017 model I know it fits perfectly. I would just watch a few youtube videos on how to install it. the tricky part depends on how many people are doing it. I installed this myself under 1 hour without any major issues. Only thing is that you require 22mm metric hex socket, which you may have to purchase as a loose piece, wrench extenders, and a torque wrench up to 140ft/lb. I used a few stone blocks which was hanging around to give elevation as close as possible to the frame. Then i used the car jack to lift up one side at a time in order to install the bolts by hand to hold it onto place. Maybe not the smartest idea, but didn't have an extra pair of hands. If there are two people who can lift up 25lbs each, then I'm certain you can do it in under 20mins. overall, great looking product, easy installation. I am only lugging around a bike rack and bikes which shouldn't be more than 100lbs. So I doubt I will have any issues. In terms of driving, i did not notice any change with steering.

Comes with the hitch, six bolts and washers and directions. Solid, easy to install even with one person if you know how to do it. Directions? Tossed them after verifying the torque of the bolts. Took me about 20 minutes. Since this went on an '18 Pilot that did not appear to have evidence of a hitch previously installed I chased the threads with a M14x1.5 tap (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PZXDBJH?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1). The "time consuming" part was a combination of ripping apart the tattered box and lining up the hitch straight and square to the frame. I mention the box. Amazon failed in their "promise" of delivery date. I didn't take the soonest free shipping date and wanted to be home when it arrived. Got the "sorry it's delayed" message with a hope of it showing up in two more days. Glad it did but the box was extra taped with other cut up broken boxes inside. Amazon took this for a ride - who knows if it was weak, frustrated workers unable to lift a 40#(??) piece of metal. The box didn't protect it much as there were a couple paint chips off of it but not the manufacturer's fault. Decades ago when I worked at a store that sold hitches, the boxes hit receiving all busted up. As for the hitch itself? This is my third Curt hitch that I've installed on vehicles and have had zero issues. The only thing I don't like about this one - or all the other aftermarket hitches I've found for this vehicle - is that it does not tuck up in the bumper like the factory Honda/Acura. I didn't want to pay the price of OEM though.

Bolted right up! I installed it myself, but it's much easier if you have an extra person to install the bolts while you hold it in place.

Good product, fits well without any issues. Looks very good too. Save yourself a headache, buy M14-1.5 taps to clean the threads. This part took the longest, but prepping and cleaning threads made the install very easy. Buy the tap!!!! It’s a must unless you want jammed or broken bolts. My pilot, 2021, has the kick sensor. Have to see if I can relocate it - i can live without it. Suggestion, see if you can relocate it before installing the hitch if you care to use it.

Hitch fit like a glove! Without other Amazon customers reviews I woud've have it installed. Using the threaded tap helped alot!

This hitch is made of heavy duty steel and the finish appears to be good quality. It was a perfect fit for a 2016 Honda Pilot, curving around the spare tire and remaining mostly hidden behind the bumper. The holes in the hitch aligned perfectly with the factory bolt holes on the frame of the vehicle. Installation hardware (6 bolts and 6 washers) is included. Before you start the install, make sure to clean up the bolt holes on the vehicle so you don't find yourself holding the hitch trying to thread bolts into holes that they won't go into. For cleaning, you can first try a wire brush like for copper pipes but I had to use a thread chaser (size: M14x1.5). Once the vehicle is prepped, it is quite easy to install - it doesn't take long to thread and torque 6 bolts. As others have mentioned, it takes a fairly strong individual to torque the bolts to spec while lying under the vehicle, so it wouldn't hurt to enlist a 2nd person to help if you're in doubt. If you like cheap added security and aren't expecting to remove the hitch soon, consider putting some thread locker on the bolts. Overall, I would highly recommend this product.

As is works awesome

Solid, fits perfect. Easy install. Just make sure you run the bolts through the old rusted threads of the vehicle first.