Curt versus Draw-tite Compare and Question

Jack Rabbit

Banned
:
18 Mazda CX5 AW
For the Class III, two(2) inch hitch, Curt and Draw-tite hitches are very similar in weight, price, TW and GTW.

The Draw Tite is a couple dollars less($4), couple pounds less(2 lb)and has slightly higher/stronger TW and GTW. Drawtite has a slight edge.

Both are powder coated, no cutout like the Mazda oem, concealed cross-tubes and reduced ground clearance.

However the big difference appears to lie in the rust coating: Drawtite only uses an E-coating while Curt uses an A-coating which is UV resistant.

So the main question for anyone with a hitch is, how has rust affected your hitch ?
Please let use know the brand, years in use, state and amount of rust.

Does the Curt A-coating perform better in the South or the same as Drawtite?

Does the Curt A-coating perform better in the Northern salted rust belt or the same as Drawtite?

Why do you prefer one over the other?

Also, does anyone here have a stealth hitch...
They cost like $750 but apparently do not reduce ground clearance and can partially disassemble for a clean look when not in use.
Is it worth it and does anyone know how much they weight?
 
Last edited:
Not a CX-5 owner but I can sum it this way...

Curt - last I checked, still an independent shop, made in the USA
Horizon Global - owns Hidden Hitch, Draw-Tite, Reese, and a few others (notice they are all the same design with a different label), all made where it is most profitable, which is not the USA. Go to Walmart and check the auto department for towing accessories. Curt products have cleaner welds and a nicer finish. Not to say overseas mfg is guaranteed poor quality but.... it's your money.

If money is not an issue or you want the best (fitment+quality), buy OEM. 2nd best is Curt. There is no 3rd option.
 

If money is not an issue or you want the best (fitment+quality), buy OEM. 2nd best is Curt. There is no 3rd option.
I simply can’t get by cutting a big hole on rear bumper with US version Mazda OEM tow bar kit. Like Canada only Mazda OEM premium floor liners, the best tow bar kit is this Mazda OEM from Australia:

 
I simply can’t get by cutting a big hole on rear bumper with US version Mazda OEM tow bar kit. Like Canada only Mazda OEM premium floor liners, the best tow bar kit is this Mazda OEM from Australia:

Why is all the best stuff in Canada and down under?
 
I can't directly answer the author's questions, but I live in a northern (salt-happy) state and put a Curt hitch on my CX-5. Before mounting it, I degreased it and then sprayed it with bedliner. It hasn't been a year so far, but this approach has helped immensely with a previous vehicle hitch.

Frank
 
I can't directly answer the author's questions, but I live in a northern (salt-happy) state and put a Curt hitch on my CX-5. Before mounting it, I degreased it and then sprayed it with bedliner. It hasn't been a year so far, but this approach has helped immensely with a previous vehicle hitch.

Frank
Sounds great. Thumbs up. for using bedliner. I've used bedliner on many things beside the truck including lawnmower undercarriage (worked great for three years but then started chipping and peeling) before switching back to coating with the mower with motor oil, etc.
Actually held up pretty good considering how harsh the underside of mower is.

Next up. Fluid film versus Bedliner debate.

So has anyone coated their hitch or car frame with fluid film and how long did it last/help?

Wonder how well using bedliner and then follow up with fluid film every few years would work...
 
I had a Curt class III on my 2016 cx5 for a couple years in Texas with no rust issues at all. So I bought another one for my ‘21 cx5 (didn’t know at the time that I sold my 2016 that I would end up with another cx5, or I would’ve removed it prior to sale). I will say, I purely use it for bike rack, no actual towing, so I can’t say how well it would hold up with pulling stuff. But like others have stated, it’s made in the USA and is not just another rebranded China made receiver. I didn’t know about the difference in coatings, but that would seem like another plus for the Curt.
 
I had a Curt class III on my 2016 cx5 for a couple years in Texas with no rust issues at all. So I bought another one for my ‘21 cx5 (didn’t know at the time that I sold my 2016 that I would end up with another cx5, or I would’ve removed it prior to sale). I will say, I purely use it for bike rack, no actual towing, so I can’t say how well it would hold up with pulling stuff. But like others have stated, it’s made in the USA and is not just another rebranded China made receiver. I didn’t know about the difference in coatings, but that would seem like another plus for the Curt.
Thanks for the post. With all the additions, am trying the limit the weight. However, with only 2 lb difference between Curt and Reese(Drawtite), the Curt has the A-coat and seems like better built.
So Curt hitch at 34 lbs. with either bedliner or Fluid film to stop rust corrosion. The snowplow trucks up here coat the road in salt so need extra protection.

Would still like to hear additional posts from anyone who had either hitch and how rusty proof it was.
 
I checked mine--- no rust. Unfortunately I couldn't find the label so I can't say what brand it is. I got it from eTrailer.

When I first got it I thought I would deal with the weight problem by removing the hitch when not needed.

After installing it I realized that would probably not happen, so I rationalize the problem with the knowledge that cx5 with Skyactive has extremely good weight to size ratio, and any other brand of SUV would be even heavier with the included hitch.
 
I simply can’t get by cutting a big hole on rear bumper with US version Mazda OEM tow bar kit. Like Canada only Mazda OEM premium floor liners, the best tow bar kit is this Mazda OEM from Australia:

AFAIK, Auss and Europe use swan neck tow adapters. 'Merica prefers the manly 'exposed' hitch receiver - bigger is better. Where else would you hang nut sack ornaments? :devilish:


Does the OEM hitch not come with a kit/guide for hole cutting?
If you are handy (capable friend), you can weld a 2" receiver to the rear bumper crash beam (reinforced) and cut out an access hole. OR if you can source the Euro hitch kit, weld the receiver downward-facing for a swan neck without any cutting.
https://www.golfmkv .com/forums/index.php?threads/how-to-diy-a-hidden-license-plate-hitch.153323/
 
For the Class III, two(2) inch hitch, Curt and Draw-tite hitches are very similar in weight, price, TW and GTW.

The Draw Tite is a couple dollars less($4), couple pounds less(2 lb)and has slightly higher/stronger TW and GTW. Drawtite has a slight edge.

Both are powder coated, no cutout like the Mazda oem, concealed cross-tubes and reduced ground clearance.

However the big difference appears to lie in the rust coating: Drawtite only uses an E-coating while Curt uses an A-coating which is UV resistant.

So the main question for anyone with a hitch is, how has rust affected your hitch ?
Please let use know the brand, years in use, state and amount of rust.

Does the Curt A-coating perform better in the South or the same as Drawtite?

Does the Curt A-coating perform better in the Northern salted rust belt or the same as Drawtite?

Why do you prefer one over the other?

Also, does anyone here have a stealth hitch...
They cost like $750 but apparently do not reduce ground clearance and can partially disassemble for a clean look when not in use.
Is it worth it and does anyone know how much they weight?
Your max tongue weight and GTW are determined by the car not the hitch. CX 5 has max towing weight of 2000 pounds which gives a max tongue weight of about 200 pounds, any of these Class III hitches are more than enough for those specs.

I bought the Etrailer 98902, which is actually made by Curt and exactly the same as the Curt 13315 except is has a matt black powder coat (A coating) which I like better than gloss black.


PS The main reason for getting a Class III 2 inch is because there are better quality and max weight attachments that need 2 inch receivers, in my case bike racks. The Class II 1 1/4 inch hitch has more than enough specs to handle the max CX 5 tongue and towing weights, there just aren't as many cool things you can mount on them.
 
Last edited:
I bought the Etrailer 98902, which is actually made by Curt and exactly the same as the Curt 13315 except is has a matt black powder coat (A coating) which I like better than gloss black.


PS The main reason for getting a Class III 2 inch is because there are better quality and max weight attachments that need 2 inch receivers, in my case bike racks. The Class II 1 1/4 inch hitch has more than enough specs to handle the max CX 5 tongue and towing weights, there just aren't as many cool things you can mount on them.
...plus cutting that hole in the bumper.
 
...plus cutting that hole in the bumper.
Right. My installers had to remove a 2 foot long piece of plastic that goes under the bumper and I did not even know was there. They said they could cut it but no big deal. Not sure if that piece of plastic is only on AWD models.
 
PS The main reason for getting a Class III 2 inch is because there are better quality and max weight attachments that need 2 inch receivers, in my case bike racks. The Class II 1 1/4 inch hitch has more than enough specs to handle the max CX 5 tongue and towing weights, there just aren't as many cool things you can mount on them.

True. However, I had put the Curt Class II (from Summit Racing) on because my Thule rack was 1 1/4 and to replace the main sections with their 2" version... cost more than the hitch. And its the only thing I put on it (I have an F250 so if I gotta tow something, she'll do that).
 
As looked into this more, It appears that all the informational articles out there on the A-coat versus E-coat debate are subjective and biased either one way or the other, dependent on the manufacturer, etc.

One claims E-coat better, the other claims A-coat.

Had hoped that e-coat had evolved/gotten better.
But, there doesn't appear to be any real world tests as to which last longer.

So I am falling back on my experience with coatings. When building my house, the builder was using thin electro coated staples (smaller than Staples used with heavy duty 100 page office staplers).

I decided was going to add nails.There where electro coated nails for nail gun and good ole fashioned hot dipped galvanIzed for hammering.

Testing:
Dropped electro staple, electro nail, and hot dipped nail each in it's own cup of water. The e-staple quickly rusted, like within a day, while submerged (and this was what they Stapled my osb/plywood to the frame with). Poured out water leaving the nails partially exposed. The E-nail rusted also (but at least it was a thick nail and lasted longer than the staple.) The hot dipped galvanIzed nail lasted and lasted and lasted. No rust...

Had really wanted to use nail gun with electro nails but instead took me several evenings to add hot dipped nails to my house by hand.

The Curt hitch uses an A-coat method which is a dipping method.

Everyone likes to tout these new electro coat processes but the old dipping method just works, period.

Will be adding a Curt hitch.
 
⋯ When building my house, the builder was using thin electro coated staples (smaller than Staples used with heavy duty 100 page office staplers).
I decided was going to add nails.There where electro coated nails for nail gun and good ole fashioned hot dipped galvanIzed for hammering.
This’s an easy choice from my experience since our roof gets replaced too often due to the high frequency of severe weather in spring and fall (once I replaced the entire roof 3 times in 5 years, and our CX-5 suffered hail damage twice too in the same period including the broken windshield!).

Hot dipped galvanIzed nail for roof shingles is always the best. But it’s more expensive both on material and labor, as you have to hammer it in manually. In early years I wanted the roof lasting as long as possible, and I was willing to pay more using the hot dipped galvanIzed nails and hammer them in manually. Lately I found it isn’t worth the money, as the roof may need replacement once for every several years, why pay that extra? Worse, not many roofers are willing to use hammer nowadays, but all want to use stapler gun or nail gun with electro coated staples or nails, obviously for much faster speed and easier to complete the roof work.

Same theory, if you don’t keep the CX-5 forever like I do, don’t worry too much about E-coat or A-coat. Both should be fine for most car owners.
 
I have a Curt 13127, installed in the fall of 2017. It has no noticeable rust. It also makes no noticeable difference in ground clearance, though I did drag the hitch once when it was left in. Made in USA matters.
 
I currently have a class III Mazda hitch, which I am almost certain is made by Curt as it looks almost identical to the previous Curt hitch I had on my last CX-5. No cutting is/was needed on either of these hitches to fit under the bumper. Every fall I spray Fluid Film on on the inside of the receiver and on the outside of the hitch mount. No rust as of yet after almost 3 years on my latest CX-5.
 
Last edited:
Faced with the same decision I chose the Drawtite, and happy with my decision.

It has an extra hole for a simple stabilizer/lock as well as the other slight advantages you mention. I think I also slightly preferred the install/attach design, but its been a few years.

 
Back