Just dropped mine off at the dealer to have installed. Check www.oepartsmegastore.com. Had a great price on the hitch $208. My dealer is charging $85 for install labor. Ps I am prewired. Look under your bumper to see if you have the wiring pigtail.
Yes, you can install a hitch receiver later (OEM - best option; or a third party unit) if you want to. The downside is that without all the other things that come with the Factory Tow option, your towing capacity will be lower than you would get if it was built that way. Also note that when the hitch is installed, you'll need to have the dealer turn on the wiring harness in the vehicle's computer so that your (required) lighting, etc., works for whatever you are towing. If you only need the hitch for things like bike racks, then the wiring isn't important.
I went aftermarket with mine, didn't want to cut the bumper. Took all of about 2 minutes to install. Easiest hitch I ever did. I like the fact that the aftermarket hitch was a little lower than the factory one for my use since mainly I use it to hold a step for my dog. My Jeep was also prewired but I needed the plug (Part #56055632AC, and made my own bracket to hold it) then I also had to get the dealer to activate the wiring for $30.
I checked,
My hitch is a Draw Tite. But I only paid $125. Now it's listed for $206. Might as well go with OEM for that price.
It was a really easy install though. Uses Factory bolts already on the frame rails. It was literally 2 minutes to put it on. I had some scrap aluminum laying around to make my plug bracket, then I just painted it and riveted it on to the hitch.
Just curious, if yours doesn't come with a factory installed trailer hitch how is the bumper modified to install an OEM trailer hitch later...is there a pop our portion of the bumper? Just curious since someone mentioned cutting the bumper...
Obviously there was no trailer tow package setup with our Jeeps if we are looking to do this tow hitch install. Can I assume that? If that is the case, does anyone know if the tow capacity changes? I see that part of the trailer tow package is the following:
7 and 4 Pin Wiring Harness
Class IV Receiver Hitch
Delete Rear Tow Hook
Full Size Spare Tire
Steel Spare Wheel
Heavy Duty Engine Cooling
Rear Load Leveling Suspension
Looking up my 2014 Altitude model standard features (without tow package) I see the following trailer/tow information:
Towing Capacity - Maximum:6200
Trailer Sway Damping
I do have the wiring with plug at the rear bumper. I plan to do some small towing such as 2 jet skis or two quads. No boat or RV. Do I need to also look at adding the Engine Cooling? Is the Rear Load Leveling suspension similar to the Trailer sway damping? I feel like maybe I missed some very critical components....
Unless you plan on pulling a big heavy trailer across death valley, you will be just fine with any hitch you chose. No need to worry about extra engine cooling or load leveling suspension. A light trailer with a couple jet skis or ATV's behind will be easily handled by your GC.
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