U-Haul hitch - part # 78166 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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U-Haul hitch - part # 78166

When I was calling around town for a Hidden Hitch model 70647, just about every dealer told me they could get them in but that I should contact U-Haul. Everyone claimed that U-Haul make a Hidden Hitch clone that is the same thing for a lot less.

.... so I called U-Haul and now have a 78166.

It's hideous. It will be coming off. My nice black Limited has a 4" black (and silver where it has no paint) pipe hanging below the bumper. It does not tuck up under the bumper like the Hidden Hitch and it does not curve much with the spare tire like the Hidden Hitch.

Now I'm going to do what I should have done in the first place. I'm going to order a 70647, rip this eyesore off my X, and put on the far more attractive Hidden Hitch unit.

.... just a cautionary note to anyone who is told the same story. U-Haul does not sell a clone of Hidden Hitch. They aren't even that similar.
 



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The link below is for the etrailer.com hidden hitch for $136.95. If you click on the link when the page opens up there is a video showing the install on a 1996 Explorer.

If you spend $150.00 on etrailer you get free shipping:D
 






Thanks for the heads up. I've never really liked the U-Haul hitches either. The main reason I would never buy a hitch from them though is because they've forever lost my business since they banned renting their trailers to Explorer owners. It's kind of ironic actually that U-Haul will sell a hitch for an Explorer but won't allow you to rent a trailer.
 






UHaul doesn't make hitches. They buy them and slap their sticker on it. I went in to buy one, they said it is actually a draw-tite so go to draw-tites website for instructions to install. But when it came in, it was a curts brand, so I went to the curt site for instructions.
 






the hicth at etrailers is the same as the reese i got at advance auto. i'm very happy with it and have towed 5000 plus pounds easily with it.
 






Any pics on how the U-haul hitch looks?
 






I've got one on my 2000 Sport. It's no hidden hitch, but it's not too bad. The paint isn't worth a crap though. It's flaking and now getting some surface rust. I need to take a wire wheel to it and repaint it.

I have to say though that I'd never buy a U-Haul anything. Between their stance on Explorers and the fact that their vehicles are rolling death-traps, I wouldn't buy a packing box from those @#$%*&#$. I hate to see more people killed, but it's invetible and I look forward to reading one day that they were sued out of business.
 






I apologize for taking so long to post a picture. I've been extremely busy but found the time to snap a shot of the hitch this evening after returning from some back country exploring.

I suppose it's not completely hideous. I prefer it to the big square style hidden hitch but it's crap compared to the nicely inconspicuous tube style hidden hitch.

dscf0785.jpg
 






Hi guys, does anyone have a picture of the Hidden Hitch installed on this body style?

I have looked all over and it seems that there was never an original ford hitch for this vehicle?

Thanks guys,
Alex
 






Thanks for the heads up. I've never really liked the U-Haul hitches either. The main reason I would never buy a hitch from them though is because they've forever lost my business since they banned renting their trailers to Explorer owners. It's kind of ironic actually that U-Haul will sell a hitch for an Explorer but won't allow you to rent a trailer.

What? U-haul won't rent trailers to Explorer owners?!? Doesn't surprise me, I remember when I had my Jeep Wrangler I heard they wouldn't rent to Wrangler owner's either.

One of the main reasons I bought my Explorer was to haul one of my vintage cars to a car show up in Pennsylvania in August. Now I may have problems trying to find someone who will rent me a car hauler?

Maybe or maybe not from U haul. Are they the only ones that don't rent to U haul owners? Enterprise?

My father has a full size Chevy van with a trailer hitch. Perhaps I should get him to pick the trailer up for me then drop it at my house.

Would they sue me if I brought the trailer back to them with my Explorer? Like do they make you sign an agreement that it won't be used on specific vehicles like Explorers and Wranglers?

By the way, their converter boxes are crap. I had them install one on my Subaru Baja so I could pull a 4X8 utility trailer. They kept shorting out.

After the second replacement at $80, I went and purchased a non-powered unit from Northern Tools for $9, put it on myself and it's been working fine since.
 






Why would you want to buy a Hitch from U-haul?
There's so many better aftermarket companies out there.
(well atleast for my 3rd gen there is.)

My hitch hangs very low too, I had to get a 5 1/2" gooseneck and flip it right-side up just to get the Ball mounting point at a center level for towing.....otherwise i'd be dragging stuff and not towing it.
 






The real question is: Why would U-Haul offer a hitch for a Ford Explorer which you can then be content to NOT use any of their rental trailers with? :D
 






The real question is: Why would U-Haul offer a hitch for a Ford Explorer which you can then be content to NOT use any of their rental trailers with? :D

My Hidden Hitch just arrived yesterday. Just like the one I ordered for my Subaru it looks like a nice hitch. I found it on Ebay for around $160.

I would have prefered they shipped it in a box rather than sticking a bunch of shipment stickers all over it. How the bag of bolts made it with the hitch I have not a clue. It was laying next to the hitch on my doorstep.
 












Did their prices just go up? It shows $165.00 now...

WOW guess the economy changes are effecting even the internet companies. To answer your question yes the price went up, when i first was looking this hitch was much cheaper. They are still doing free shipping so if you buy the hitch the total cost would be the hitch plus tax.
 






I am thinking of getting the U-Haul hitch as their price is only $105 CND.

No picture of the U-Haul 78166 on this thread anymore. Is this it??

hitch7.jpg



If not does anyone have a picture of it?? Please post so I can see what it looks like before I buy it. Thanks!
 






Hidden Hitch, Draw-Tite, Reese are all Cequent Technologies products.

U-Haul buys their hitches from Curt, Cequent, and Valley.

All of the hitches are produced by Cequent, or Valley Industries for the Explorer.

I bought mine from this seller, and they're on sale right now... CLICK

Here it is on my truck:

IMG_0285.jpg


IMG_0318.jpg
 






Thanks Joe. That's exactly what I'm looking for. Nice tight fit under the bumper.

From what I can tell the U-Haul hitch (#78166) is indeed a Valley #V81680 unit, which seems to me to be the same as the Hidden Hitch #70647 unit. Or am I missing something??

V81680_tn.jpg


BTW - we have exactly the same X - same colour (Deep Wedgewood Blue?), same trim, same chrome! Nice.
 






Of the 2 hitches, I don't think there is any real difference. I'm sure U-Haul buys some from Valley, then buys some from Cequent/HH/DT/Reese depending on who's cheapest at the moment. Kind of like Sears does with their Kenmore appliances... Dozens of vendors there... :D

Thanks for the comments! :)

It's way better than the visual abhorrition that was on my '95. I hated this hitch, but I got it for $30 :)

100_4929.jpg
 



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Most of these different brands come from the same plant. When I purchesed a "Reese" weight-distributing hitch kit for my previously owned Chrysler minivan, the source was backordered, but they arranged to drop-ship directly from the Cequent plant. When it arrived, the WDH head unit had a "Reese" sticker on it, but the lifter mechanism had a "Drawtite" sticker. hehe
 






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