[lilsalmon]

Here are the pics and notes of my installation of the OEM trim panel for the factory hitch with the installation of a Hidden Hitch from etrailer.com on my Nitro R/T.

1. Here is the first photo attaching the template that comes with the OEM trim piece. You cut out this template, attach it to the groove in the bumper cover and then drill out a series of small holes with a drill accoring to the locations on the template.

2. Once you have the small holes drilled you must then clean out the rest of the slots with a utility knife being careful not to scratch the bumper cover. This is what the slots look like once they are cleaned out.

3. Next I masked off the area I wanted to remove and VERY CAREFULLY used a jig saw with a fine tooth blade to remove the section where the trim panel would go.

4. Lastly I installed the trim piece and mounted the hitch.

The total process took about an hour or so. I will tell you this. If I was just installing the hitch and not the trim piece it probably would have taken all of 10 minutes to complete. Being careful to cut and drill took most of the time.

When I wire the hitch I will post another small tutorial. I hope this helps anyone who was thinking of adding an aftermarket hitch to their Nitro.

-Lil'

 

[Quiet Lunatic]

Lil, does the trim piece have to be cut out. It looks like the aftermarket hitch would have fit even if it you didn't cut it out. Is that true?

 

[lilsalmon]

I think the aftermarket hitch fit fine without the trim piece. I just wanted to make it look as factory as possible without dropping $300.00 for all the parts from the factory.

-Lil'

 

[NitroWill]

Pretty clean install, but it looks like the trim piece isnt fitting quite right on the top side as there looks to be a nice sized gap there..Maybe some rough edges?

 

[DAYLEY/CHALLENGER]

Hey Lil. Looks like a very good job from here. It always makes you tense when you start cutting into something that if you mess up you really mess up.

 

[lilsalmon]

I agree DC.. -

NW.. I fixed it after I took the photos. Just needed to snap the last clip in. But you do maintain the groove in the bumper cover... that is part of the 'look'

-Lil'

 

[Quiet Lunatic]

I think the aftermarket hitch fit fine without the trim piece. I just wanted to make it look as factory as possible without dropping $300.00 for all the parts from the factory.

-Lil'

Thats what I thought, thanks Lil. Went ahead and ordered the same hitch, can't wait to pull my boat it.

 

[AirJunky]

Nice & clean, but you lost a couple inches on the bottom end.
Done the wiring yet? Shouldn't be too tough.

 

[lilsalmon]

Yea I noticed that. Any of the aftermarket hitches you are going to buy are going to be built without using that trim piece. But if you bought the factory one without the tow package they only rated it for 2000 versus if its installed from the factory at 5000

 

[warriorbob]

i may be wrong.................but it looks to me like the factory hitch is double walled in the area where the reciever goes and the aftermarket hitch is only a single wall
i wonder if this effects the towing capacity of the hitch

 

[lilsalmon]

Wow.. I didn't think I was going to get so critized about my install... LMAO!

 

[warriorbob]

Wow.. I didn't think I was going to get so critized about my install... LMAO!

not trying to critize at all.............it is just interesting how different manufacturers design and produce their products differently from each other

i am not a structural engineer so i dont how things are effected by material thickness or design

each manufacturer designs and tests their product and build it to the ratings they are designed for......but it is just interesting how each one is alittle different

 

[lilsalmon]

I know WB ... I am just joking

Yea it is interesting though ... if you look at all of the manufacturers they all do it a bit different. Now i just need to figure out how I am going to mount my plug for the wiring harness...


-Lil'

 

[RicLee]

This might seem like a silly question but how come I can't find a Class I ( 1" ) hitch for my NITRO? I only pull a tiny 4' x 8' trailer with brush on it once in a while. I have no need for anything that would require a humongous 2" hitch.

BTW lilsalmon, that write-up and pics are great, thank you.

 

[Scar0]

Because of the weight and towing capacity of the Nitro, folks only make a Class 2/3 hitch. Which can be used to tow small as well as large. Since the class 2 & 3 are the ones that will sell the most, why make another?
It all comes down to the bottom line ($$$) for the manufacturers.
Valley does make a class 2 with a 1-1/4 In. receiver.