Draw-Tite24872 Class 1 Trailer Hitch, 1-1/4 Inch Square Receiver, Compatible with Ford Focus Selected Models (Please Verify Vehicle Application)

I'm only recently solidly someone that is kind of "handy" after spending a long time being very hands off with vehicle repair or maintenance, home repairs, using power tools, etc. Finding myself unemployed for a long time early during the pandemic gave me the time to learn how things work and get back into doing my own auto repairs, modifications, etc. That back story is just so that you have a frame of reference for my review.Installation was quite simple, and took me about 90 minutes by myself but I was also multitasking and doing other little side projects and spent 15 minutes locating the appropriate tools for the install. The hitch was a very tight, close fit on my 2010 Soul +. Some of the bolts that came with the hitch seemed ever so slightly too large for my Soul, so I used some OEM Kia bolts and tightened them to the appropriate tightness, and found the hitch to be a great fit.I did the install on the most level spot on my driveway and just slid under and worked in very limited clearance (wear a headlamp!). The hardest part of the install was getting the hitch aligned so that it would slot in properly. Took me a little bit of wiggling and pulling to get it nicely aligned with the pre-drilled mount points on the car. My wife came out and helped hold one side up for a minute while I got the first couple bolts in finger tight, but aside from that it was a solo operation and could be done totally solo though it gets a little awkward underneath. The bolts that held on the metal tow point where a little tricky to unstick after 10 years of MN weather, but ultimately gave.Hitch seems very sturdy. I plan to use it for a small cargo carrier to allow us to carry a bit more gear for long haul car camping (sleeping in the soul by the way, works well with the right gear). And potentially to use as a step to get in and out of the back end of the car when we are using it as a camper with our rear tent door attachment. Doesn't mess with the clearance of the vehicle too much even for my steep driveway.

First of all once installed this appears to be solid for the purpose - which is a class III hitch w/200 pounds tongue weight or 2,000 pounds total capability. It also doesn't have a very prominent presence once installed so that's nice.The half hour install spiel? Nope, I'm pretty good and it took me 1.25 hours first shot - that's by myself BTW. Could you do it in 1/2 hour? Yes, with a couple of caveats.1) You would need a helper to help hold things in place. The darn thing is heavy and with one person you have to make compromises which cost time. Two people would make the install much quicker.2) You need to have all the tools readily available. For instance - The carrier & bolt that you have to run through the frame allude to grinding an existing opening to be large enough to pass them through. Yup - you will need to slightly grind the opening. So you might as well have a Dremel with a metal grinding stone to do this. You don't have to do a lot of grinding but just enough to pass a bolt head through 2 openings (1 on each side). By having this readily available it will take a total of 5 minutes. Have to round up the tools? - It will take an extra 20 minutes. Just one example.3) Watch the video on youtube at least twice. Search for the part number and installation video.So if you have a helper and everything lined up then yes - a half hour install is possible. If not plan on an hour and a half. Is it worth it? Absolutely. Just remember you'll require electrics as well. For a Focus 2012-2018 sedan think Curt 56138. Another word of advice. Watch the etrailer dot com video for the electrics install. Took me about 2 hours.Total install time 3.5-4.0 hours for both electrics and hitch. If I had to do it again I would cut the time in half.Hooked up a 2K gross trailer and it tows much better than I expected - and I expected it to tow well. My Focus is a manual tranny and empty weight of 650lb trailer isn't even noticeable. Overall one of the best additions I've made to my Focus. Love it.If you want the functionality of a 1/2 ton pickup on a budget this is the way to go. Also if you damage the trailer when carrying a load so what - at least you're not damaging a $40K pickup - only a $1K trailer. I love this option.

Super easy to install, incredibly high quality for the price and it fits perfectly. We installed it for a bike rack and the rack fits perfectly. Had zero issues with installing the hitch, had to do ZERO modifications to make it for. All of the holes on the car were basically made for this exact hitch and we were able to install it in less than 15 minutes because everything aligned so well.