Trailer Hitch Installation

2017 Cadillac XT5

The Kit

I ordered the hitch and wiring harness from etrailer.com. This was the Draw-Tite hitch (item #76022) and the T-One harness (item #118720). Both together were about $130 with free shipping. This was the best deal I could find, and I was very satisfied with etrailer.com - I highly recommend tham. I ordered it on Thursday, August 31st and it was delivered on Tuesday, September 5th. Since Monday was the Labor Day holiday, this was delivered in two business days. Can't beat that deal!

The hitch comes with six bolts, along with corresponding nuts, washers, frame retainers (they call them "spacers"), and pull wires. These pull wires are needed to fish the bolts and retainers through the closed box frame of the vehicle (more on that later). The included instructions are very good - pretty much every detail was clearly covered.

Here's the hitch:

And the parts kit:

Remove the Rear Bumper Panel

The first step is to remove the trim panel on the lower seciton of the bumper. It is held on by two 7mm trim screws from undernearth:

On my car, these screws were just hand tight. Once removed, the panel just drops down and off:

There are two more screws on the bottom edge of the rear bumper trim holding it in place. I found that by removing these, I could pull the bumper trim out slightly to make the installation much easier when maneuvering the hitch into place.

Installing the Bolts

The bolts must be inserted into the car's rear frame. This frame is boxed-in with very little access. This is the purpose for the "pull wires" in the kit. The bolts are inserted into the frame retainers (spacers) and then the wires are screwed onto the bolts so they can be pulled through the frame into the proper hole. Here's how the assembly works:

Now for the fun part! This bolt and retainer assembly must be inserted into one hole of the box frame and "threaded" out another. The picture below shows the four holes on the box frame on one side of the car. The three smaller holes are where the bolts mate to the hitch. The larger hole, indicated by the green arrow, is where the bolts and retainers are inserted:

The problem is, this access hole is too small for the retainer and bolt to fit:

As indicated in the instructions, the hole needs to be enlarged so the retainer and bolt can pass through. I used a Dremel with a suitable grinder bit attached to enlarge the hold just enough for the retainer to fit. If the retainer will fit, so will the bolt:

Once the access hole has been enlarged, the pull wire is put through one of the bolt holes (threaded end first). With the wire inside the frame rail, it is aimed at the larger access hole and then pulled through with just enough slack to screw it onto one of the bolts:

The reatainer is placed over the pull wire first, then the bolt is threaded on. The reatiner goes into the access hole first:

With the retainer pushed through the access hole, the wire is pulled until the bolt meets the access hole, and then it is fed through until it is inside the box frame. The wire is pulled until the bolt comes through the hole and fites squrely into the retainer:

Once all six bolts (three on each side) are pulled through the frame and in place, the hitch is ready to be installed.

Bolting on the Hitch

The hitch itself is fairly heavy, about 40lbs if I am a good judge (I did not weight it). I'm not a weakling, but I am also not a weight lifter. Looking at the way the hitch needed to fit to the frame, I decided I would not be able to simultaneously hold the hitch in place and turn a wrench to secure it. Luckily, I have a floor-style transmission scissor jack that I used to support and lift the hitch for installtion. I strapped the hitch onto the jack and began to lift it into place:

Getting the hitch into place against the frame requires maneuveing it around the exhast pipes. This is where removing the extra two screws on the bumper trim came in handy, allowing the bumper trim to be pulled out slightly:

The hitch is lifted into place and then slid forward around the exhaust. Before fully raising the hitch into place againt the frame, first pull the wires through its bolt holes:

Once everyting is aligned, the hitch is raised against the frame. Unscrew and remove the pull wires and then attach the washers and nuts:

Wiring Harness

In addition to the hitch, I also ordered the wiring harness that provides a standard 4-pin trailer connector. This is a very easy install. The first step is to locate the vehicle's existing wiring harness. It is behind the left side of the rear bumper, near the top. It has a "blank" plug attached that must be removed. Press in on the red locking tab (green arrow) and then slide it back to release it. Once unlocked, the "blank" can be removed. After pluggin in the new wiring harness, press the red locking tab back into place.

Note the connector at the yellow arrow. I am not sure what this is, but I assume it is some sort of sensor. It has a series of white probe-like plastic pins protruding from the front and back. The hitch has a bracket with an opening welded onto it that seems to serve the purpose of protecting this device.

Once the wiring harness is plugged in, it needs to be routed so that it can be used for a trailer. I Zip-tied the excess wire behind the bumper and then routed the connector through the hitch (green arrow)with enough slack for a trailer connection. Note that "sensor" showing through the hitch bracket (yellow arrow):

Here's the finished install (green arrow shows the 4-in connector):

When using the hitch, the 4-pin wiring connector has plenty of slack to be pulled out and connected to a trailer:

The cover panel on the bumper can be re-installed with the hitch in place for a clean look. I put a 7mm sicket driver int he trunk so I can remove it when I need to use the hitch.