How to Install a Trailer Hitch on a Honda CRV
by Russell Wood
When you own a sport utility vehicle such as the Honda CRV, you're able to carry goods inside as well as pull a load outside. To do that, you need a trailer hitch, and then you can mount up trailers, bicycle racks or even a small boat. Installing the hitch is a fairly straightforward process, with some heavy lifting involved. In this case, the project vehicle is a 2008 Honda CRV, but the process is similar for other vehicles as well.
Step 1
Lift up the vehicle using the jack and place it on jack stands. Make sure the vehicle is secure before you crawl underneath it.
Step 2
Remove the muffler hangers from the muffler by loosening them with your hands or use the pry bar for extra force. There are several threaded bolt holes on each frame rail as well as a pair in the middle by the tow hook. Spray the penetrating oil in these holes then scrub them with the wire brush. This should remove any scale or rust from the inside of the hole and make bolting in the hitch a little easier.
Step 3
Slide the hitch over the muffler and loosely bolt it in place using the 3/8-inch ratchet, extension and sockets, and the hardware provided with the hitch kit. There is a u-bolt provided with the kit that goes around the tow hook mount, and you should loosely bolt this in place at the same time.
Step 4
Torque down all of the hardware using the torque wrench and sockets to 56 foot-pounds. Manually reinstall the muffler, then raise the vehicle off of the jack stands using the jack and place it back on the ground.
References
Things You'll Need
- Jack
- Jack stands
- Spray penetrating fluid
- Wire brush
- 24-inch pry bar
- Hitch kit
- 3/8-inch ratchet, extension and sockets
- Torque wrench and sockets
Writer Bio
Russell Wood is a writer and photographer who attended Arizona State University. He has been building custom cars and trucks since 1994, including several cover vehicles. In 2000 Wood started a career as a writer, and since then he has dedicated his business to writing and photographing cars and trucks, as well as helping people learn more about how vehicles work.
