Class I hitch manufacturers: Draw-Tite / Hidden Hitch / Reese vs Curt

Team GRM, need your input on hitch manufacturers. I'm looking for a simple Class I, 1-1/4" hitch for my G8. I'm already wincing at the aesthetic impact but it is what it is.

Anyway, I find these four mfr's are the only reasonable options available, other than special ordering a Class III, 2" hitch from Australia. As well, of the four options, it sure looks like the Draw-Tite, Hidden Hitch & Reese units are all identical, sold under different brands. The Curt unit is a different design / construction. All four mount to the frame rails in a similar fashion, so its more of an intangible discussion.

Any commentary for or against any of the brands? Curt brands itself as "Made in the USA", I haven't yet confirmed / denied the provenance of the others. The Curt also looks to be 65 pounds while the triplets are only 40 pounds. In this application I'm incline to think heavier = better.

Thanks for any commentary.

I think that Curts are powdercoated and the others may be painted. I just bought a Curt.

Reese, hidden hitch, and Valley are all the same company, not sure about draw tite. Curt is different. I've never had an issue with any of them, pick based on aesthetic and price.

I have three Curt hitches on two vehicles.

Front and rear on my F-250, rear on my wife's Superduty.

I like Curt because they design their hitches so that the hitch frame tubes all have closed ends so no water can get in and rot them from the inside. They also design them so the receiver tube is open at both ends to keep dirt and junk from jamming your hitch together.

They are powder coated and they seem to be better quality at the same price as Draw-Tite, Hidden Hitch, etc.

Buy the Curt. You won't be sorry. That's what I have on my 1G xB.

Cenquent Group is the parent company for Draw-Tite, Reese and Hidden Hitch.

Cequent Group

My Curt was easy to install and it was reasonable priced. Any of them will work, but I recommended Curt.

Buy what ever one say "NO DRILLING" and be smart buy the plug and play light kit adapter.

For a class 1 hitch, a design using 40lbs of steel is probably still a 6:1 safety factor or something nutty like that.

Put a hitch on my '05 MPV, primarily for toting bicycles via a hitch-mounted rack. Bought a Curt hitch and am very pleased with it. Tucks up snug under the bumper and is hardly noticeable.

All of them are heavy-wall welded mild steel. Its really not rocket surgery to make them, and all of those names make fine hitches. I agree that you should pick based on looks and price. There won't be any appreciable quality difference between them.

Do a good google image search for your vehicle with those hitches. Just because (for instance) a Curt hitch looks great on a Honda Passport doesn't mean it will be equally hidden on your car.

Ironically, the hitch that is most commonly ugly and obvious is Hidden Hitch.

Curt was the one source for a front mount receiver hitch for my 4Runner (known around here as the "Foreigner 4"). It's designed for the F40 and you need to be a tiny bit creative with heating and bending the 2 welded-on chassis tow loops so they match the F40 shape and align w/ the hitch. But it fit perfectly once done and it's really a well made piece.

I thick Reese hitches are pre-rusted from the factory. I've never seen one that wasn't a dull orange and scabby that wasn't a store display.

Curt hitches are made near Eau Claire, WI; I've been the plant. I've personally met Curt, he's a really cool guy that started the company in his early 20's in his father-in-law's shop. He managed to land a Uhaul contract & had to grow rapidly. He's a car guy, though perhaps not grassroots. Back in the early 2000's, he had a supercharged Prowler that he'd take the local drag strip.

FooBag wrote: He's a car guy... He had a supercharged Prowler...

My brain understands these two concepts but is having a very hard time seeing them used together in the same paragraph...