Harbor Freight 5000 lb hitch receiver DIY install

[Crash11]

Hey guys,

I picked up my '24 Maverick XL Hybrid on Friday and immediately got to work adding a hitch. I should've just paid the $100 for a factory hitch, but that's a long story.

I used these two videos for help, but both had inaccuracies:





The first video is a '22 Maverick with a 3500 lb Harbor Freight hitch receiver. I started following his video and quickly realized that there were screws holding the bumper cover in different locations on my '24. Then I watched the 2nd video ('23 Maverick with an OEM bumper/hitch) and found out where the missing screws were...behind the tail lights. Taking the tail lights out was scary and did not happen in the same way as the video. Once I got the bumper cover off I realized that I didn't need to remove the bumper at all if I just removed the tail gate.

I thought this would take all of 30 seconds, but I was wrong. Ford's tail gate design for this truck is awful, and there's even a bracket installed on the passenger side preventing you from removing the tail gate easily. I removed the bracket, then tried to pull the tail gate off only to realize that it's spring loaded to assist in closing, which puts tension on the driver's side when trying to pull it out of the hinge point. This is dangerous with a brand new vehicle, and I was very close to denting/scratching the tail gate several times. I also forgot to unplug the wiring harness after getting the thing loose from both hinge points. So I had to reinstall it just to unplug the harness because the connector is located in a difficult place to reach under the truck behind the spare tire.

With the tail gate off, I had plenty of access to drill all my holes and bolt on the hitch receiver, which is very stout. I'm guessing this thing could easily handle more than 5000 lbs. I have access to some really nice fasteners so I use grade 12.9 metric bolts. I used M16 bolts for the main attachment fasteners, and I used 5 M10 bolts for some support in holding a piece of angle stainless steel on the back side. The stainless steel piece of a free piece of scrap I found so I figured I'd add it since it wasn't much extra work.

After attaching the hitch, I put everything back in place and then decided to try to replace the hitch access panel with a square cut-out for the receiver. I was so proud of myself for manipulating this thing back in place with such a nice clean fit until I realized that I just blocked easy access for attaching a pin to a hitch insert and the hooks for backup chains. *face palm*. Ohh well, when the time comes, I'll probably have to hack that access panel again. For now though I like how it looks.

Here's some pictures I took along the way:

Parts

Tail light removed (there's a single screw near the bottom of each tail light cavity that has to be removed to pull the bumper cover

Tail light assembly (the black and white posts are very difficult to wrestle loose from the inside. I'm not impressed with Ford's design here)

Bumper cover removed (detaching the hidden clips on both sides after all of the screws were removed did not go the way the guy in the 2nd video showed. I think he's wrong)

Tail gate removed

2 x M16 bolts holding hitch receiver on

Piece of angle stainless sitting on the back side before drilling holes (I was bummed that my hitch was about 0.5 degress off parallel)

Fully attached

Access panel re-attached

I added a couple generic push tabs to the bottom to replace the rivets that had to be drilled out

All in all it was a successful and frustrating few hours in the garage. If anyone is interested in repeating this procedure feel free to message me for tips.

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[MM Mav]

@Crash11 great job overcoming the obstacles to complete the hitch install and documenting the process.

 

[Hot Runr Guy]

Since the beam is hollow, did you weld in tubes for the bolts to pass thru so they could be tightened without collapse?

HRG

 

[Joe Strummer]

That's crazy. I would have just paid the $100.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

That's crazy. I would have just paid the $100.

He said should have but didn't. He has a hitch but he didn't get the hitch wiring that updates the modules, programming, etc that also comes with the $100. Someone posted over a year ago that for the dealer to install OEM 4 pin hitch he was quoted $1300-$1500. Seems like the replacement crash bar with the receiver welded on was about $300 not installed.

 

[Crash11]

He said should have but didn't. He has a hitch but he didn't get the hitch wiring that updates the modules, programming, etc that also comes with the $100. Someone posted over a year ago that for the dealer to install OEM 4 pin hitch he was quoted $1300-$1500. Seems like the replacement crash bar with the receiver welded on was about $300 not installed.

Yeah like I said, I would've paid the $100 if I had known it was that cheap. My salesman had no pricing available when I ordered it because I was literally the first person through the door in the morning of the first day the order banks opened and I was also told that fewer options might get me further ahead in line.

I was quoted over $800 just for the OEM hitch, with no wiring.

I plan to also do the wiring when the kit comes in. I ordered a kit through tractor supply because they had the best price. I will be cutting into the vehicle harnesses and soldering everything rather than using extra connectors. I don't like extra potential leak points and extra places for pins to fail and break connection. My 2011 Fiesta had a ground lose connection through a head light connector so I had to bypass it with a bare wire.

 

[Joe Strummer]

I had a brake controller and 7 pin connector installed on my Tremor by my ford dealer for $550 US. The 7 pin is a dual 4 pin/7 pin. Go for a dual 4 pin/7 pin connector. With a 4 pin, the Mav is doing all the braking. Can be tough on the brakes if you exceed the 2K towing limit.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

Yeah like I said, I would've paid the $100 if I had known it was that cheap. My salesman had no pricing available when I ordered it because I was literally the first person through the door in the morning of the first day the order banks opened and I was also told that fewer options might get me further ahead in line.

I was quoted over $800 just for the OEM hitch, with no wiring.

I plan to also do the wiring when the kit comes in. I ordered a kit through tractor supply because they had the best price. I will be cutting into the vehicle harnesses and soldering everything rather than using extra connectors. I don't like extra potential leak points and extra places for pins to fail and break connection. My 2011 Fiesta had a ground lose connection through a head light connector so I had to bypass it with a bare wire.

Do not cut into existing wiring. Too many problems. The added draws on existing wiring will increase complexity to the computer. The simple replacing of stock bulbs with LED's require them to be built with resistors and electrically respond identically to the stock resistances. The 4 pin wiring is detected when plugged in and truck "knows" when trailer is attached so some things operationally can change also. Check Curt and etrailer as they have a relay setup which have T-taps that plug between the tail lights and harness ends. They just detect when circuits are being used drawing negligible current. They require a separate power wire with, I think, 30 amp fuze from battery positive and a separate body ground (due to BMS at negative post. If you do attach anything near battery negative be sure to not bypass BMS). You can wire a 7 & 4 pin combo plug if desired. Also Curt has a 7 pin brake controller fitting between truck and trailer with an app for your phone where settings can be made and observed during use. The app allows you to choose which towing vehicle and which trailer you are using and remembers those settings. The separate power wire allows easy power access for additional batteries at rear of truck. Note also that on OEM 4 pin plug if it is used to power additional lights, etc to prevent truck from thinking trailer is attached two wires have to be switched (don't remember which) in the male 4 pin plug used for light. There are several threads. Good luck.

 

[Crash11]

Do not cut into existing wiring. Too many problems. The added draws on existing wiring will increase complexity to the computer. The simple replacing of stock bulbs with LED's require them to be built with resistors and electrically respond identically to the stock resistances. The 4 pin wiring is detected when plugged in and truck "knows" when trailer is attached so some things operationally can change also. Check Curt and etrailer as they have a relay setup which have T-taps that plug between the tail lights and harness ends. They just detect when circuits are being used drawing negligible current. They require a separate power wire with, I think, 30 amp fuze from battery positive and a separate body ground (due to BMS at negative post. If you do attach anything near battery negative be sure to not bypass BMS). You can wire a 7 & 4 pin combo plug if desired. Also Curt has a 7 pin brake controller fitting between truck and trailer with an app for your phone where settings can be made and observed during use. The app allows you to choose which towing vehicle and which trailer you are using and remembers those settings. The separate power wire allows easy power access for additional batteries at rear of truck. Note also that on OEM 4 pin plug if it is used to power additional lights, etc to prevent truck from thinking trailer is attached two wires have to be switched (don't remember which) in the male 4 pin plug used for light. There are several threads. Good luck.

I am using a curt relay box, but only that. It's a powered box and I have my own fuse housing. It's only a 10 amp fuse. I'm not using the pre-fab connector splices or the T-taps (they are no good). I much prefer my own soldering with good heat shrink tubing.

 

[AutobahnSHO]

That's crazy. I would have just paid the $100.

I still need to install a hitch- the 2022 Lariat Lux package came with a hitch. 2023 didn't. When my order transformed into a 2023 order the dealer left off the hitch, lane assist, and a couple other things I had wanted. Couldn't just wait for a different truck because, Maverick.

Oh well, got it cheap at least!

 

[Tim d]

Hey guys,

I picked up my '24 Maverick XL Hybrid on Friday and immediately got to work adding a hitch. I should've just paid the $100 for a factory hitch, but that's a long story.

I used these two videos for help, but both had inaccuracies:





The first video is a '22 Maverick with a 3500 lb Harbor Freight hitch receiver. I started following his video and quickly realized that there were screws holding the bumper cover in different locations on my '24. Then I watched the 2nd video ('23 Maverick with an OEM bumper/hitch) and found out where the missing screws were...behind the tail lights. Taking the tail lights out was scary and did not happen in the same way as the video. Once I got the bumper cover off I realized that I didn't need to remove the bumper at all if I just removed the tail gate.

I thought this would take all of 30 seconds, but I was wrong. Ford's tail gate design for this truck is awful, and there's even a bracket installed on the passenger side preventing you from removing the tail gate easily. I removed the bracket, then tried to pull the tail gate off only to realize that it's spring loaded to assist in closing, which puts tension on the driver's side when trying to pull it out of the hinge point. This is dangerous with a brand new vehicle, and I was very close to denting/scratching the tail gate several times. I also forgot to unplug the wiring harness after getting the thing loose from both hinge points. So I had to reinstall it just to unplug the harness because the connector is located in a difficult place to reach under the truck behind the spare tire.

With the tail gate off, I had plenty of access to drill all my holes and bolt on the hitch receiver, which is very stout. I'm guessing this thing could easily handle more than 5000 lbs. I have access to some really nice fasteners so I use grade 12.9 metric bolts. I used M16 bolts for the main attachment fasteners, and I used 5 M10 bolts for some support in holding a piece of angle stainless steel on the back side. The stainless steel piece of a free piece of scrap I found so I figured I'd add it since it wasn't much extra work.

After attaching the hitch, I put everything back in place and then decided to try to replace the hitch access panel with a square cut-out for the receiver. I was so proud of myself for manipulating this thing back in place with such a nice clean fit until I realized that I just blocked easy access for attaching a pin to a hitch insert and the hooks for backup chains. *face palm*. Ohh well, when the time comes, I'll probably have to hack that access panel again. For now though I like how it looks.

Here's some pictures I took along the way:

Parts

Tail light removed (there's a single screw near the bottom of each tail light cavity that has to be removed to pull the bumper cover

Tail light assembly (the black and white posts are very difficult to wrestle loose from the inside. I'm not impressed with Ford's design here)

Bumper cover removed (detaching the hidden clips on both sides after all of the screws were removed did not go the way the guy in the 2nd video showed. I think he's wrong)

Tail gate removed

2 x M16 bolts holding hitch receiver on

Piece of angle stainless sitting on the back side before drilling holes (I was bummed that my hitch was about 0.5 degress off parallel)

Fully attached

Access panel re-attached

I added a couple generic push tabs to the bottom to replace the rivets that had to be drilled out

All in all it was a successful and frustrating few hours in the garage. If anyone is interested in repeating this procedure feel free to message me for tips.

Looks great but wow what a job! Curious to hear the story why you just didn't pay Ford a hundred bucks to have a factory hitch installed?

 

[Crash11]

Looks great but wow what a job! Curious to hear the story why you just didn't pay Ford a hundred bucks to have a factory hitch installed?

Well I kinda of alluded to it already. I didn't realize the Maverick was the perfect vehicle for me until the demand was insanely high and they weren't taking orders for 2023's. So I had to wait until the order banks opened for 2024 in July. Before the banks opened I found out they swapped the drive trains with regard to which was standard and which was an option. So I knew that going in that I'd have to pay for the hybrid option, which I absolutely wanted. Everything else was far less important to me and I was told that keeping my order simple might help it get built faster. On top of that, the dealer didn't Even have a price for me when I ordered it so I didn't want to invite some surprise on myself by ordering an option that was way overpriced. Historically, I think manufacturers charge too much for options which is how they turn much more profit than the base vehicle. So I decided that any option I might want in the future, I would handle myself and probably do it cheaper than the manufacturer.

Technically that's still true since I'll have less than $100 into this hitch install, but the amount of time I'll spend is a lot. Also, in hindsight I made a mistake in not checking the option prices for the 2023 Mavericks to see how cheap the hitches were for that year, but I think the Ford website wouldn't even let me go through the build and price process when I decided I wanted to order one. So that's the consequence of not getting in on this process early enough....I have to put in a bunch of time to get exactly what I want for an affordable price... For me anyway. Don't worry though, I always do things right. I'm a mechanical engineer with a lot of hands-on experience and access to a full machine shop and electronics shop if I need them.

I also plan on adding the extra tie down hooks to the bed myself and doing my own spray in bed liner. It seems like the raptor kits on Amazon are a good bang for the buck.

 

[DWV]

He said should have but didn't. He has a hitch but he didn't get the hitch wiring that updates the modules, programming, etc that also comes with the $100. Someone posted over a year ago that for the dealer to install OEM 4 pin hitch he was quoted $1300-$1500. Seems like the replacement crash bar with the receiver welded on was about $300 not installed.

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