CURT 13138 Class 3 Trailer Hitch, 2-Inch Receiver, Compatible with Select Mazda B2300, B3000, B4000, Ford Ranger

this is got to be one of the best looking class three receivers I've seen for the ranger, once installed it is very discreet and blends in well. some of the other designs are ugly and very obtrusive. The bent tubular design conceals most of the hitch well underneath the vehicle, the only part that you can really see is the receiver portion so it maintains the clean lines of the truck. It also mounts very quickly. My truck did not have the two forward holes so I had to drill them. laying on your back in a gravel driveway drilling 1/2-in holes in a steel frame is quite entertaining. I had to put my welding gloves on, my long sleeve welding shirt, and a full face shield along with eye protection underneath the face shield. nothing like having red hot molten embers of steel landing on your arm and face. But seriously folks this would be very dangerous to do without the proper safety gear so if you don't have the safety gear or the tools to drill two holes in your frame then you better climb underneath your truck and make sure that all four holes are present. obviously you're going to have The two most rearward holes as they are used to hold the bumper in place. There are two more holes that either need to be drilled or should already be there in front of the rear most bumper bracket bolts. The bumper will have four bolts already two of which will be used to hold the rear of the receiver, two will stay in place and you will add two more so there will be a total of six holes four holes which you will use for the hitch. I found the easiest way to drill the two holes was to use a small punch to mark the center of each hole. then use a small drill to drill a pilot hole. I then switch to a cobalt steel step bit, The cobalt steel step bit cuts through the frame steel-like butter but they're kind of expensive at $45 each. You can pick up an inexpensive set of titanium nitrite coated step bit from Amazon which will also work The only difference is those bits are throw away. once the titanium nitrite coating wears off you just throw them in the trash. But they're cheap enough. The hitch is actually much easier to install than it seems. One thing I've noticed that several reviewers have done was that they failed to use the included hardware to mount the hitch instead they used the existing bumper mounting hardware. Do not do this, you must remove the D clips and use the provided hardware. There are are load spacers specifically engineered and designed to spread the load out on the frame. The D nuts and hardware used to mount the bumper are nowhere near strong enough to mount a class 3 hitch. If you use the bumper hardware rather than the included hardware then your class 3 hitch will actually have a lower tow rating than your bumper hitch. So once again it's critical that you use the included hardware to mount the hitch. again with that said this is a Well engineered hitch..

Very impressed with this hitch, arrived in 2 days, in perfect condition and the fit and finish is excellent. I installed it in my driveway, I have never installed a trailer hitch before, and start to finish, 20 minutes total. Removed the rear 2 bumper bracket bolts, loosened the front 2 bolts and dropped in the new rear bolts. Lined up the hitch and tightened it up. Torqued the bolts and cleaned up. That was it, very easy install on a 2007 Ranger. I didn't need to do anything with the spare tire as I had read about. Great product.

Well built and easy to install. Requires you to carry a wrench to lower your spare tire on a ‘94 ranger/B series as it blocks access to the securing bracket. Do your self the favor, after you place your order, go out and use PB blaster or your favorite oil and spray all the bumper bolts do it again tomorrow, it will make bumper bolt removal easier. For me, I had to completely remove the bumper to get the nut clips off of 2 of these holes (required as this replaces that hardware). If you are in a hurry I would recommend having 2 new bumper bracket nut/clips on hand as mine were all cracked from previous owners over tightening them or bumping something 🤷🏻‍♂️.

Lowered the hand crank spare tire to the ground to get enough maneuvering room to place receiver hitch. Removed rear most bumper bolts on truck frame, other two can stay as the Curtis has big enough holes to lay over. Placed shims in front holes to level the new hitch and bolted in place. Less than 30 minute job. The receiver tube fits snug ( loose enough but not tight) so that it didn't knock or rattle while pulling my trailer, the factory one on my Escape made big clunking noises. Very happy

A very well-designed and constructed receiver. Solidly-guilt with great welds and a nice finish. It really is "no drilling required" and fits about as well as one could expect. The hardware is exact for the vehicle - no extra nuts and bold you wonder if you forgot to install. The instructions could be a bit clearer - but since they apply to several models/years, they have a few steps that may or may not apply to your installation. The shipping was very fast and the packaging was adequate - being a heavier item the box was damaged a bit but the hitch was unscratched. The hardware was taped to the receiver, so nothing fell out of the box. No complaints here at all. I had the misfortune of owning a used vehicle that the owner had apparently overloaded the existing bumper hitch and bent or broke the brackets that attach the bumper to the frame. They had been crudely repaired and reinforced so the receiver would not fit as designed. This required I obtain a new set of brackets from the dealer (though I *probably* could have found them at a boneyard) and had to spend extra time and money ordering and installing them.This is no fault of the receiver of course, just a note. I would definitely consider buying another one of these when/if the time comes.