How to Select a Trailer Hitch
Match hitch class to the door sticker and the live card before you shop a heavier trailer than the vehicle can honestly tow.
Watch on YouTubeHitch Receiver Extension Tips for Canada
A receiver extension can help a bike rack or cargo carrier clear a spare tire, rear bumper, or liftgate swing, but it is not free length. Longer shanks put more leverage on the hitch, so capacity drops and ground clearance can suffer. CURT 45791 extends a two inch receiver by eight inches, CURT 45795 adds fourteen inches, and CURT 45796 adds eighteen inches. CURT 45790 and CURT 45785 adapt a one and one quarter inch tube to a two inch shank with extra reach. CURT 45794 is a raised adapter that is not for towing. No invented legal cutoffs. Canada orders often ship free on qualifying baskets, so confirm the cart note before you check out.
Parts-counter shortcut.
Measure the clearance you actually need, pick the shortest extension that solves it, then re-check hitch class and tongue weight after the lever arm grows.
Related Canada help already covers
bike rack clearance tips,
hitch for bike rack only, and
what hitch class do I need.
Prefer the full index?
Open the towing guides hub.
Watch these CURT videos first
All four videos are from the official CURT YouTube channel (@curtmfg). Use them for class selection, install habits, wiring basics, and ball-mount height before you dig into the product cards below.
If an embed does not load, use the YouTube link under the card. Extension shoppers should match tube size, keep length short, and re-check capacity after the lever arm grows.
Trailer Hitch Installation Techniques
Confirm the live card still lists your year and configuration. Shared sheets are easy to mix up when sibling badges sit nearby.
Watch on YouTubeHow to Connect a Trailer Wiring Harness
Plan lights after the hitch. A four-flat or seven-way still needs a clean ground before the first night tow.
Watch on YouTubeHow to Choose a Ball Mount and Trailer Ball
Match shank size to the live tube, then level the trailer with rise versus drop once the hitch is on.
Watch on YouTubeWhen an extension actually helps
Use an extension when a hitch-mounted bike rack sits too close to a spare tire carrier, a deep bumper cover, or a hatch that needs room to open. Tilting racks and careful pin habits solve many clearance jobs without adding length. Open the bike rack clearance tips page before you assume you need fourteen or eighteen inches of tube.
Keep the extension as short as practical. Eight inches often clears a modest bumper wrap. Fourteen or eighteen inches can clear a rear-mounted spare, but the longer lever loads the hitch harder and can drop the rack closer to driveway lips. Read the live product card for each extender, and never treat the printed hitch rating as unchanged once you add length.
CURT 45791 eight inch extension
In-stock solid eight inch extender for two inch receivers when a short reach clears the bumper or rack. Start here before you jump to longer tubes.
Open live 45791 product →Parts-counter note. Match tube size first. Two inch extenders will not seat in a one and one quarter inch Class 1 or Class 2 hitch without an adapter.
How to choose without guessing
Step 1Measure the gap
Check spare tire, bumper, and hatch swing with the rack dry-fitted before you buy length.
Step 2Match the tube
Two inch extenders need a two inch hitch. One and one quarter inch hitches need an adapter first.
Step 3Pick the shortest fix
Eight inches before fourteen. Fourteen before eighteen. Less lever is safer.
Step 4Re-rate the job
Read the live extender and hitch cards again. Capacity drops with length, and raised adapters are not for towing.
Two inch extenders
45791, 45795, 45796
Stocked solid extenders for two inch receivers.
- 45791 adds eight inches
- 45795 adds fourteen inches
- 45796 adds eighteen inches
One and one quarter adapters
45790 and 45785
Adapt a smaller Class 1 or Class 2 tube to a two inch shank.
- 45790 adapts and extends about ten inches on the live card
- 45785 adapts and extends about six and one quarter inches
- Confirm ratings after the adapter, not before
Not for towing
45794 raised adapter
Raised receiver adapter for accessory clearance only.
- Live title says not for towing use
- Adds rise for ground clearance on accessories
- Do not use it to tow a trailer
Capacity derate honesty
Every inch of extension increases leverage on the hitch receiver. That usually means lower usable tongue weight and gross trailer weight than the hitch alone. We will not invent a legal cutoff or a single percentage for every CURT extender. Read the live product card, the hitch class guide, and the vehicle door sticker, then keep the load conservative. If the rack still scrapes after a short extender, fix height with rise or a tilting rack instead of stacking more tube.
Also watch departure angle. A long extender can drag on steep driveways even when the hitch rating looks fine on paper. Pin every joint, use a hitch lock when the rack stays overnight, and re-check clearance after the first loaded trip.
Eight inchCURT 45791Solid eight inch extender for two inch receivers when a short reach is enough.
Fourteen inchCURT 45795Fourteen inch extender for two inch receivers when a spare tire needs more room.
Eighteen inchCURT 45796Eighteen inch extender for two inch receivers when you need maximum clear reach.
AdapterCURT 45790One and one quarter to two inch adapter with added clearance on the live card.
Shorter adapterCURT 45785One and one quarter to two inch adapter with a shorter reach on the live card.
Raised, not for towingCURT 45794Raised two inch adapter for accessory clearance only. Live title says not for towing.
| Topic | What we tell shoppers |
|---|---|
| Shortest fix first | Try rack tilt and pin habits before you add fourteen or eighteen inches of tube. See bike rack clearance tips. |
| Tube size | Match two inch extenders to two inch hitches. Smaller Class 1 and Class 2 tubes need an adapter. |
| Capacity honesty | Extensions reduce usable capacity. Read the live cards. No invented legal cutoffs on this page. |
| Not for towing | 45794 is a raised accessory adapter only. Do not tow with it. |
| Class context | Open what hitch class do I need before you upgrade tube size with an adapter. |
Related guides worth opening next
Bike rack clearance tipsHatch and spare tire clearance habits before you add length.
Hitch for bike rack onlyRack-first shopping when you are not towing a trailer.
What hitch class do I needClass context before you adapt tube sizes.
Towing guides hubFull Canada hitch index without stuffing the mega menu.
Parts-counter summary: measure the clearance first, pick the shortest stocked CURT extender that solves it, match tube size or use a live adapter, re-check capacity after the lever arm grows, never tow on 45794, and keep bike rack clearance and hitch class guides open while you shop.
