13514 Class 3 Trailer Hitch, 2-Inch Receiver, Select Nissan Xterra

Bought this in anticipation of a boat purchase. Mounted to a 2014 Xterra S. If you don't have time to read the review- this is an outstanding product, buy it. The hitch came in a giant box. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it is quite substantial in person (~40lbs). The finish is a nice durable gloss black. It includes all the hardware you need and replaces the crappy factory bumper bolts with grade 10! Installation was seriously a breeze. You need a 19mm and 22mm socket. A breaker bar helps get the old factory bolts out but probably isn't necessary. You also need a torque wrench because the 19mm bolts get torqued to 86 ft-lb and the 22mm get torqued to 136 ft-lb. You can rent this from autozone for free (deposit only). I recommend also applying antiseize to the threads as per usual with anything automotive or any metal on metal hardware application. If you watch youtube vids, there is one kid that tells you to drop the bumper, and even the company recommends dropping the rear most exhaust bracket which requires a 12mm wrench. Dropping the bumper is completely and thoroughly unnecessary and probably harmful since this thing bolts over it in some areas so that's a no brainer. I actually recommend against dropping the exhaust bracket as well, as not only is this entirely unnecessary but it also can make installation harder. In my case, I installed this alone and not on a lift. There isn't a ton of room but once you finagle the passenger side bracket around the exhaust, then the exhaust tip almost acts like a third hand to help hold up the passenger side of the hitch (you can kind of rest it on the exhaust tip). From there install was very easy since the holes are all threaded with nuts that are fixed in place in the frame channel (no back up wrench required). One thing to be mindful of is the hole closest to the front of the truck on each side, the one for the 19mm bolt, may be tight to threat the bolt into since if you didn't have a hitch then this will have been open to the elements and there might be some rust on the threads. I would recommend coating the bolt with antiseize and then working it back and forth to clean up the threads prior to trying to use it to mount the hitch. The finished product looks really sharp and even gives you a new step to access the roof from the back of the vehicle. I am very happy with the hitch and would definitely recommend this over any other offering aside from a dedicated off road tube bumper with an integrated hitch or something of that sort. Big props to Curt for offering such a beautiful, well made in the USA, hitch with quality hardware that is an absolute straight up bolt up job with no other need for modification or fabrication. The price is definitely excellent besides!

I installed on a 2008 Xterra - fits perfectly. This is a well made and designed product that comes with very good instructions. There is also an easy to follow YouTube video to install as well. I read a lot of the reviews for this product before purchasing. I decided to purchase with the understanding that it may be difficult to install. My mechanical abilities are low. I have tools and ability to do basic maintenance on vehicles. The instructions state to remove bracket for exhaust before installing. I did NOT do this. It isn't required, it may be a little tighter to install the hitch receiver but still is doable. I think it would be more work to remove and reinstall the exhaust bracket. To remove the old bolts weren't too hard except for one by the exhaust which was tighter. Probably due to the heat from the exhaust pipe. The fit for the hitch receiver was perfect not too tight or lose. I did use some WD40 on the ends and on the frame just to make it slightly easier to maneuver it in place. Once in place you finger tighten the 2 smaller bolts in place to hold the hitch receiver in place. Once that is done the rest is easy just install new bolts and tighten.

This hitch was installed on a 2008 Nissan Xterra S.The trailer hitch was shipped quickly, but as many others have noted was poking through the box on arrival. It was an exact fit between the frame rails and I required a friend's help to maneuver it into place after a) dropping the spare b) lowering the exhaust. Instructions were a single page diagram so the amazon community's tips and tricks were helpful. I did not bang on the "ears" to change the fit but they may have bent in slightly while muscling it into place. It took us just over an hour to install in the garage (no lift, only socket wrenches with a breaker bar). The finish is high quality, and it has a nice look. The centering of the hitch on the vehicle was perfect (this was mentioned on other reviews as an issue.) I have towed a boat with it, and it holds a KUAT bike rack nicely. I can't comment on the longevity of the hitch yet but I am hoping to use it for many years.

Just what I’ve always wanted.. The installation was easy to follow.. The tow hitch is sturdy so far! The box when arrived was it was all torn apart. The packaging was poor. That’s my only gripe.

I installed this hitch on my previous Xterra and had no trouble with installation. I followed the instructions exactly and it fit. I initially thought it was slightly too big, as experienced by some other reviewers, but with gentle persuasion, it fit perfectly. It's a beefy hitch and the welds look reasonably good with a few hot and cold weld spots. However, I just repurchased this hitch for a 2014 Xterra and received two from Amazon, one being 1/8 wider than the other. Curt recommended that I install the smaller of the two. Apparently, the correct dimensions should be 40.50" at the widest point. That might explain why some reviewers have trouble installing the hitch. (I give Curt credit for their fast response to my question about sizing.) The reason for the 4-star rating is that after two years, the powder coat on several sharp edges of the hitch cracked and rust ate away under the powder coat (see pic). That is disappointing after only two winters, and mild ones at that. Granted, New England's liberal use of salt doesn't help. I suspect that with better metal edge prep before powder coating, Curt would have a higher quality product that wouldn't rust nearly as quickly. Due to the location of the spare tire, this hitch sticks out from the rear of the Xterra (see pic), cutting down the departure angle. Its easy to get hung up on it. It's also easy to poke the car behind you while parking if you're not careful. After four years, the powder coating has completely failed (see last photo) and the hitch needs to be pulled and repainted. Not happy about that. To avoid the rust problems with my new hitch, I am debating whether I should prime and paint over the powdercoat before installing it. I'm hoping Curt will help with that question.

Easy install perfect fit on my 2014 Nissan Xterra

FIt perfectly and easy to install. I had to remove the spare tire and I took off the top two bolts of the exhaust bracket and loosened the lower one which gave me a little movement, it was in a tight spot so I figured I would try it and if exhaust was in the way I would then take it off, which I didn't need to. Everything lined up perfectly and hardware was perfect. I would suggest using a torque to tighten as instructed. I thought I had the bolts pretty tight but got a lot more tightening out of the bolt than I expected when I put the torque wrench on it, especially the front bolt due to the coned washer. Haven't towed anything with it yet, but so far I'm for pleased with my decision to go with a Curt hitch.

The hitch arrived with typical Amazon expediency and was exactly as advertised. I was impressed with the fit and finish. Installation was just as described in the instructions (follow them exactly!) Since the attachment points are inside the vehicle frame rails, the fit has to be very precise and it takes a bit of finesse to position it correctly, especially if you're doing it solo as I was (having another person to help would be nice), but I encountered no major difficulty. A rubber mallet is handy for tweaking the position to line up the bolt holes. The hardest part was removing the bumper bolts as the factory had them really torqued down. I didn't have an impact wrench available and it was about all I could do to loosen them with a 25" breaker bar.