Best Trailer Hitches for 2020–2026 Ford Explorer: 5 Picks and the Factory Tow Package Check

The CURT 13438 is the standard answer for an Explorer that left the factory without a receiver. CURT rates it at 6,000 lb gross trailer weight and 600 lb tongue weight, which is more than any sixth-generation Explorer is rated to tow, so the vehicle is always the limit. It weighs 48 lb, has a 2 in receiver, and is finished in gloss black powder coat. CURT backs it with a limited lifetime warranty (one year on finish and parts). The fitment list covers 2020–2027 Explorer and Aviator models, with 2025 and later listed only for Explorers without a factory receiver.

etrailer sells it as CU78FR at $235.24 and is specific about the work: trim the plastic underbody panel and bumper fascia, modify the heat shield, and lower the exhaust while the hitch goes in. No drilling into the frame is required. Their estimate is 1.5 to 3.5 hours, and they recommend a second person for the final lift into position. Explorers with the hands-free liftgate are a tight fit, but steps 5, 6 and 8 of the instructions address the kick sensor, which is not the case for every brand on etrailer's list. CURT designs, welds and coats its custom hitches in Wisconsin.

If you mostly want a bike rack or cargo carrier and don't like the look of a receiver under the bumper, the Draw-Tite 76910 Hidden Hitch is the one to look at. The receiver slides out when you don't need it and the mounting structure stays out of sight. Draw-Tite lists it for 2020–2026 Explorers with a 40-minute install and no drilling, and for 2020–2026 Aviators (40 minutes through 2025, 60 minutes for the 2026 Aviator). It's all-welded steel with black powder coat over e-coat, weighs 50.65 lb, and carries a limited lifetime warranty.

The cost of hiding the receiver is capacity. Draw-Tite rates the 76910 at 3,500 lb GTW and 350 lb tongue weight, and says it is not suitable for weight distribution systems. That's plenty for a small utility trailer, a jet ski or a platform bike rack, but it's well under what a 3.0L Explorer can tow with the factory package. If there's a camper in your future, buy a standard Class III now instead of buying twice. Draw-Tite's page doesn't list a retail price, so check the Amazon button for the current one.

The KUAFU is sold as a replacement for the Draw-Tite 76320, and the listing names the 2020–2026 Explorer and Lincoln Aviator. The Draw-Tite original is a Class IV hitch rated at 6,000 lb GTW and 900 lb tongue weight with a 60-minute install and no drilling, according to Draw-Tite. The KUAFU listing title says Class 3, so don't assume it carries the original's Class IV ratings. We couldn't find an Amazon listing for the Draw-Tite 76320 whose title names the Explorer, which is why the copy is here and the original isn't linked.

Treat the KUAFU's ratings as the seller's claims. Read the rating printed on the listing and the photos of the welds and finish before you buy, and ask the seller whether the instructions cover fascia trimming and the hands-free liftgate kick sensor, since those are the two Explorer-specific snags. For a bike rack, a cargo carrier or a small trailer well under the Explorer's rating, a budget hitch like this is a reasonable way to get a 2 in receiver for a little over half the price of a CURT. Save the name-brand money for a good ball mount and a proper wiring harness, which matter just as much on the road.

Autekcomma's hitch is patterned on the CURT 13438 and the listing names both the 2020–2026 Ford Explorer and the 2020–2026 Lincoln Aviator. If the layout follows the CURT, expect the same install work etrailer describes for the original: trimming the underbody panel and bumper fascia, working around the heat shield and lowering the exhaust temporarily. Bolt-on hitches of this type generally use the factory holes in the frame, but read the included instructions before you start.

The case for it is price. For a bike rack, a hitch cargo carrier or a small utility trailer, you get a 2 in receiver for roughly half what the CURT costs. The case against is that a copy doesn't come with CURT's SAE J684 testing claim or its limited lifetime warranty. If you'll tow anything close to 5,000 lb, pay for the name brand. If you'll carry bikes to the trailhead, the Autekcomma does the same job for less money. Check the reviews for comments on finish and on how the bolts lined up with the Explorer's frame holes.

TLAPS sells a Class 3 hitch with a 2 in receiver listed for the 2020–2026 Explorer. It's in the same price range as the KUAFU and Autekcomma, and it's here for the same reason: a 2 in receiver for bikes, cargo carriers and small trailers without paying name-brand prices. The listing is lighter on detail than CURT or Draw-Tite product pages, so read the rating printed on the listing, check photos of the welds and finish, and read recent reviews for fit comments from Explorer owners.

The Explorer-specific checks are the same as for any hitch on this SUV. Ask whether the instructions cover the fascia and underbody trimming, the heat shield and the kick sensor on hands-free liftgate Explorers. And remember that no hitch changes the Explorer's own rating. If a 2025 or 2026 Explorer came with the Class III package that Ford lists as standard, you don't need this hitch at all. On a 2020–2024 Explorer without the package, it's the lowest-cost way on this page to get a 2 in receiver on the car.