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Review: Curt Hitch Model #13575

By on September 10, 2013

Overview

Product: Curt Hitch Model #13575
Vehicle: 2008 Mazda CX-9
Level of Difficulty: Easy

My family lives on wheels; we regularly take trips in our RV to ride bikes, motorcycles and ATV’s while we camp all over Southern California deserts and valleys. Occasionally, we want to take a quick trip closer to home without the RV but our family SUV, a 2008 Mazda CX-9, can’t accommodate our four bikes safely. My neighbor suggested shopping online at AutoPartsWarehouse.com for a hitch that could carry a bike rack. I’m pretty handy with the wrenches so I thought that sounded like a good way to get more riding time without the hassle of loading and unloading the RV.

First Impressions

I found a bolt-in Curt Class III hitch, made in the USA (Eau Claire, Wisconsin!) that looked like a perfect match for our CX-9 and bike carrying needs. So, I ordered it and the hitch arrived on my porch just 3 days later. I was a bit concerned as a few parts of the hitch were protruding through the heavy cardboard shipping box. Fortunately, upon further inspection, I found an undamaged high quality hitch constructed of thick square tube steel and finished with a rich black powder coat. Curt’s instructions are very clear and the quality of the provided hardware is very good. Simple tools are required to mount the hitch and this turned out to be a very easy installation.

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Tools needed for the Curt Hitch installation

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The new Curt Hitch came in this box

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Unboxing the Curt Hitch

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Curt Hitch bolts

Installation

Since the Curt hitch is sturdy and weighs 36 lbs, I asked my neighbor to help with the install, just holding the hitch in place while I got the (4) bolts started on each side of the hitch. Our Mazda doesn’t get off-road, so the rear frame rails were nice and clean and I gave each frame hole a shot of WD-40 to clean any debris from the threads.

While it wasn’t called out in the instructions, I found that dropping the spare tire afforded more room to get the hitch mounting flanges lined up with the threaded holes in the frame. The Curt hitch fit perfectly and went in very easily. The entire project took about 45 minutes from unpacking the hitch to putting away the tools.

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Fastening the Curt Hitch bolts

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Installing the Curt Hitch

The Bottom line

I would strongly recommend Curt if you are contemplating on adding a hitch to your SUV! I noticed Auto Parts Warehouse offers Curt bike carriers as well- I’m going to add one to my shopping list.

IMG_2130 Finished: Curt Hitch Installation[/caption

Visit the Curt Brandstore-
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/shop_brands/curt.html

About Steve Ogren

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