Question about Curt Hitches...

Comparing these two hitches:

HITCH 1:

Curt Class III Receiver Hitch - 2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
2500 Van, 144 inch Wheelbase, with factory step bumper
http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Mercedes-Benz/Sprinter/2011/13358.html?vehicleid=2011304629
Trailer Hitch Size:
2 Inch Hitch Opening
Towing Capacity:
500 Pound Tongue Weight
5000 Pound Towing
Trailer Wiring:
2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Trailer Wiring
Recommended Ball Mount:
2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Ball Mount
Features:
This fully welded vehicle trailer hitch receiver bolts onto your vehicle's frame with no welding required. Gloss powder coat finish and WeatherTite sealed body provide superior corrosion protection.
Installation Notes:
No drilling required for installation



HITCH 2:

Curt Class III Receiver Hitch - 2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
2500 Van, 144 inch Wheelbase, without factory step bumper
http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Mercedes-Benz/Sprinter/2011/13255.html?vehicleid=2011308033
Trailer Hitch Size:
2 Inch Hitch Opening
Towing Capacity:
600 Pound Tongue Weight
6000 Pound Towing
Trailer Wiring:
2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Trailer Wiring
Recommended Ball Mount:
2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Ball Mount
Features:
This fully welded vehicle trailer hitch receiver bolts onto your vehicle's frame with no welding required. Gloss powder coat finish and WeatherTite sealed body provide superior corrosion protection.


The one withOUT factory step bumper is rated to 600 lbs tongue weight (the other is 500) so this is the one I'd prefer for carrying my motorcycle on a tongue mount.


Here is the back of my van:



What bumper is this? I'm guessing my van "without a step bumper" ??? (I hope )

thanks in advance,
Edward

yes you have a bumping bumper

Geek said:

Comparing these two hitches:

HITCH 1:

Curt Class III Receiver Hitch - 2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
2500 Van, 144 inch Wheelbase, with factory step bumper
http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Mercedes-Benz/Sprinter/2011/13358.html?vehicleid=2011304629
Trailer Hitch Size:
2 Inch Hitch Opening
Towing Capacity:
500 Pound Tongue Weight
5000 Pound Towing
Trailer Wiring:
2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Trailer Wiring
Recommended Ball Mount:
2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Ball Mount
Features:
This fully welded vehicle trailer hitch receiver bolts onto your vehicle's frame with no welding required. Gloss powder coat finish and WeatherTite sealed body provide superior corrosion protection.
Installation Notes:
No drilling required for installation



HITCH 2:

Curt Class III Receiver Hitch - 2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
2500 Van, 144 inch Wheelbase, without factory step bumper
http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Mercedes-Benz/Sprinter/2011/13255.html?vehicleid=2011308033
Trailer Hitch Size:
2 Inch Hitch Opening
Towing Capacity:
600 Pound Tongue Weight
6000 Pound Towing
Trailer Wiring:
2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Trailer Wiring
Recommended Ball Mount:
2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Ball Mount
Features:
This fully welded vehicle trailer hitch receiver bolts onto your vehicle's frame with no welding required. Gloss powder coat finish and WeatherTite sealed body provide superior corrosion protection.


The one withOUT factory step bumper is rated to 600 lbs tongue weight (the other is 500) so this is the one I'd prefer for carrying my motorcycle on a tongue mount.


Here is the back of my van:

What bumper is this? I'm guessing my van "without a step bumper" ??? (I hope )

thanks in advance,
Edward

Click to expand...

Correct. If your van had a factory step bumper, it would look like this:

Hope that helps!

Have a Curt hitch installed by Sportsmobile on an 08. Stock exhaust empties out right on the hitch bar. Finally had exhaust rerouted last year. Worth noting!

Do you have any photos of how you re-routed it?

Geek, I know you had your hitch already installed but here is another view of the step bumper. I hauled a surgery table for a coworker the other day...ghetto ambulance!

Thanks

For completion of this thread.. the 2011 exhaust had no issues with the 600/6000 curt hitch.

I'm going to cut/paste my experience from my build thread in case someone searching in the future finds this and needs the info:

From this thread:
https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17258&page=32


**paste**

Not much to it...


Step 1 is remove the tow loop on the left side... the right tool helps save on the carpel tunnel while laying on your back with your arms over your head.



The first part is easy.. hold the thing up and put 6 bolts in, 3 on each side. Everything aligned perfectly with minimal fuss. I laid on my back and actually held the thing up with my knees while I algined/inserted the bolts with my hands

Someone had mentioned having trouble with their exhaust.. I don't know if the 2011's exhaust is different but there was no issue





Then comes the PITA part

If you have a 2500 you need to drill the holes in the frame for the vertical bolts.
Easy enough...


but now you have to get the bolt and re-inforcement plate into that hole without any access...

If you look at the photo below.. that's what the "wire snake" is for. the bolts and plates right above the snake in the photo are what need to end up on the inside of the frame.



You are supposed to wrap the snake around the threads and feed the wire through the hole and then pull it through (along with the plate ahead of it)

I didn't like how short the snake was so I extended it with some safetywire


Then you need to feed the plate onto the wire (hold it place with some kinks) and thread the bolt on. Make sure you think out how when you pull the wire it is going to pull the bolt INTO the plate and then into the hole...



so here's what you need to do (front of van is toward bottom of image).

referencing the photo above: Feed the wire in the lower hole and out the upper hole that the bracket covers... then very carefully feed the plate into the hole and then the bolt into the hole, pulling them all toward the other end and hoping that somehow the entire things holds together, lines up, and drops out the hole.

There has to be many the vehicle with a bolt and a plate floating around in the frame. I was pretty shocked when it actually all lined up and came through the hole. I consider it fluke luck.



Voila... all cinched down.


The other side works the same except is even a bigger PITA because the exhaust gets in the way

...eventually here we are


...now I just need to do the wiring