CURT - 12290 Class 2 Trailer Hitch with Ball Mount, 1-1/4-Inch Receiver for Select Subaru Legacy, Outback

Got the Rack at 8pm last night and installed it by 9:30 on a 2014 outback. Did a few things different than the instructions, which seem geared to installing with a lift.1)Used a blanket roll to support the muffler instead of horsing around with a strap. Soapy water and lots of grunting to get the 3 rubber supports off.2) Provided an access hole for the bolts from the interior--just remove the foamy liner thingy. Used a 1 1/8 spade bit to drill a hole. The metal is much thinner than the bottom frame and it drills instantly thru. Drill right in front of the white pressure fitting which basically puts the hole between the two hitch bolts. 3) no need to cut the heat shield. Just remove the screw that is in the way and flatten it a little where the hitch will go.4) put in the rearmost two bolts and put the hitch on with help. You do not want to dislodge the bolt into the frame, so having help here makes it easy. Needed to fight it against the wheel well, but it did fit. If I had to do it again I'd give either the wheelwell or the hitch bracket a friendly wack with a hammer to give more clearance.5) put in the forward two bolts. Used a 1/2" bit so I wouldn't have to buy the 17/32nd and it worked fine--just ream it out a little. Tightened all bolts with a short 3/4" wrench and a few mallet taps. Especially where the muffler shield is, make sure she's tight.6) drilling metal under a car is seriously dangerous for your eyes. Use fully tight safety glasses. I picked some small metal shavings out of my hair later that night, so I took a shower to be sure they were all gone. I had a friend need the ER room because of a shaving in his eye, and he was only in the same room as someone drilling.

The purchasing optiins were very well made. The hitch mount fit perfect on the frame of my car. I did have a professional mechanic install it, and afterwards i drove 2500 miles with a uhaul hitched onto the back wuth no issues. My one complaint is that the hitch did not come with a light wiring set up or even suggest one to purchase and because I drive a sedan I had to special order the part and had to send it back a bunch of times because the harness didnt fit. That's more user error than product though. I would absolutely recommend thus mount/brand to anyone.

Installed it in about 2 hours. Here is a summary of install on my 2014 Subaru Outback.- Hitch fits just fine, a little snug against spare tire well, but OK- Before you start, make sure you have a few quality high-speed steel bits from smaller sizes up to 17/32 (or 1/2)- If you don't have a die grinder to make the existing forward hole big enough to get the backing plate and bolt into, you can try reaming with big drill bits, but I found that my dremel with cut-off wheels worked great to get the hole (now a square) to fit the bolt- I used silicon spray to lube up the rubber muffler bumpers. I found that by hand working them forward and aft, when you put vise grips (large) on the bumper and on the end of the rod, it easily got it over the lip on the end of the rod. In the entire installation, this was the easiest part of the install. Note that the muffler assembly will easily move a foot left right down.- Unlike the others, I did cut about a 3" by 3" square out of the heat shield. I cut out where the forward bolt would get in its way and cause it not be flush.- Make sure you ream out the forward holes for the hitch. Just because the screw will fit trying it from the bottom, doesn't mean it will come through from the top town. Ream out the hole bigger than what you need for the bolt.- Wear Goggles...not just safety glasses. You will have lots of metal fragments flying around. Also remember, they will be in your hair, so a careful shower immediately afterwards is in order.Well worth my time to do it myself.

Watch some youtube video for tips on installation. Be patient, take your time and get a helper. I watched two videos before starting and they were very helpful, as I was not aware of the technique they used for attaching this hitch to the car. The tools for getting the bolts into a blind hole are not only INCLUDED, they are absolutely genius and easy to use. On some cars like my Outback, I had to drop the back end of the exhaust system, which did NOT excite me, but it turned out to be very straight-forward. I had a friend help which is a good idea and it took us about an hour and a half with the end result looking like the hitch came from the factory. Packaged carefully and beautifully finished. One more tip; get the plugin switch that fits your vehicle's wiring harness. This saves a lot of grief, no cutting wires and splicing required. Garages of every stripe wanted 3-400 bucks to do this install, so it's worth doing, if you have the time. Thanks again, Amazon!

Nice product but never installed it. Daughter ordered the wrong one😁

I installed the hitch on my 2014 Outback. All components were included and of high quality. Shipping was prompt. This was my first hitch and installation took about 3 hours on my garage floor with no lift. As noted by another reviewer, the fit against the spare tire well is snug but no big deal. Also as noted, there was no need to cut the muffler heat shield. The Curt web site links to a YouTube clip that is helpful. The spare tire well has a grommet that allows the trailer electrical jack (purchase separately) to pass through the bottom of the well right over the hitch so you don't have to dangle the cable out the hatch. Pop out the grommet, slit it to allow the cable to pass thru, then replace it.

I followed reviewer S Griffin instructions. dated June 11 2014 with a few modifications. Self installed. Tips. 1. Remove Styrofoam pieces beside the spare tire. (black fasteners just pry up.) 2. I cut two holes with aviation snips on each side directly above where bolts are to be located (This way you can look directly down and fish the bolt and metal piece with ease) 3. Once your first two bolts are in place I cut two small pieces of light Gage sheet metal 3"x 1.5" and notched them U shaped so they can slide into the bolt threads to hold the bolts temporarily in place while you install the hitch assembly. Did this install entirely by myself without jacking up the car. The key trick is securing the bolts so they don't push up as you are putting the nuts on the bolts while holding the hitch, all at the same time. You can remove the temporary sheet metal piece when you get the nut on by a few threads.

Clear instructionsEasy installationTime to towe

Product was as described, PIA to self install but that's my short coming. Good fit, happy with the turnout. Thanks!

Love it