Beginner’s Guide to Installing the etrailer Trailer Hitch Receiver on a 2019 Subaru Forester

Click for more info and reviews of this etrailer Trailer Hitch: https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitc... Check out some similar Trailer Hitch options: https://www.etrailer.com/fitguide.htm Search for other popular Subaru Forester parts and accessories: https://www.etrailer.com/vehicle/2019... https://www.etrailer.com Don’t forget to subscribe!    / etrailertv   Full transcript: https://www.etrailer.com/tv-install-e... Hey everybody, Ryan here at etrailer. Today on our 2019 Subaru Forester, we're gonna be showing you how to install the etrailer.com trailer hitch receiver. But before we get to that, why don't we just take a minute check this out and make sure it's gonna work for you. When it comes to Subaru's, these things just accept accessories really well. So having a hitch back here that looks right at home just makes sense. And this one is gonna open up your opportunities on what you're gonna be able to do, whether you're trying to pull a trailer around, use a bike rack or cargo carrier or even a little bit of everything. This one's gonna be able to get the job done. And when it comes to picking a trailer hitch out for your Forester, really you just have to ask yourself how you want it to look 'cause they're all gonna be able, they're all gonna be very capable but they're gonna look a little bit different. This one is going to be completely visible for the most part. You're gonna be able to see the tube sit below the bumper. Granted it does sit a little bit further back and has a matte black finish. So it blends in, but there's other ones that you can't hardly see them at all. They're for the most part hidden. They'll sit behind the bumper. And really the only thing you'll be able to see is the receiver tube opening. So like I said, when it comes to picking one out, just depending on your appearance, taste, you'll have a few different options to choose from. With this being a class three hitch, it is gonna have the two-inch by two-inch receiver tube opening. So extremely common size, a lot of different stuff's gonna work with it. Reinforce collar there at the end for a little extra strength. And it is going to use that standard 5/8 pin and clip. Pin and clip doesn't come with the hitch though. If you need one, not a huge deal. Always grab it here at etrailer. The safety chain openings are really big and they sit a little bit further back, which I like. You're not gonna have to worry about interference with your pin and clip and they're gonna be big enough to allow us to use just about any size hook that your trailer might have on it. I do want to address something that a lot of people wonder and that is, is this hitch gonna fit all the different submodels of the Forester And the answer is yes. All the way from base model to the fully loaded one and everything in between. So regardless on what one you have, hitch is gonna work. Now, I'm gonna give you a couple of measurements and you can use these to help figure out what hitch mounted accessories will work best from the ground to the top inside edge of the receiver tube opening. That's gonna be about 15 inches. So if you plan on pulling a trailer, changes are pretty good. You can use a ball mount that has a straight shank. From the center of the hitch pin hole to the edge of the rear bumper, that's gonna be about four inches and you can use that measurement to help figure out that if any folding type accessories you might have can be stored in that upright position without contacting the back bumper. Other than that, though, kind of a good all around hitch, checks all the boxes. It looks pretty good, even though it's visible and is gonna let you use some accessories and get the job done. In terms of the installation, it's really not too bad. Nothing very complicated. It is a little time consuming, but as long as you stay focus, you shouldn't run into too many issues. But if you'd like to see how that's done, feel free to hang around. We'll go ahead and put the hitch on together now. To begin our installation, we're gonna be here underneath the back of our Subaru. And over on the driver's side, we're gonna have an underbody panel that we need to remove. To get this off, you're gonna have two screws on the bottom of the frame. That's a 10 millimeter socket I'm using. And then we're gonna have several push pin type fasteners. So just like that. With these, just pry underneath the head. Pull the whole thing out. We'll just work our way around here. If you have a mud flap, go ahead and just pop this one off 'cause there will be one underneath there. You could probably get to it without taking the mud flap off but if you go to put it back on, it'll probably be pretty tricky. Sometimes a trim panel tool like this one here helps get these out. Sometimes you get some dirt and stuff caked in there and it makes it hard.