Carli Suspension created the 2017+ Ford trophy hitch to solve the problem of fitting a full size spare. This 3/16″ and 1/4″ cold-rolled American steel hitch frame is combined with a 3-way tie down to provide users a 3″ Hitch Receiver and fitment for up to a 38″ spare tire in the factory location. This until is direct bolt-in for 2017+ Ford F-250 and F-350 trucks, and was tested to 16,000lbs with no notable deflection giving it over a class 5 rating.
This hitch does require modifying the exhaust to exit directly after the over axle segment to fit a 38" tire, but with a 37" tire the factory exhaust will clear. Please see photo above for an example of the modification for 38s. If you want a bolt in setup, we now offer a bolt in exhaust that fits up to a 38" tire
HITCH DOES NOT FIT CAB AND CHASSIS MODELS
Customer Reviews
Its not a glamourous mod but a necessary mod, for me at least. I really did not want a tire swing out because in my experience, they always go out of adjustment and start sagging with a big heavy tire on them. With the trophy hitch, I have a proper 37in spare, its out of the way in the stock location, and it keeps my center of gravity lower...Very high quality build and a must if you like going out in the wild alone.
*I paired it with the Banks DPF Back exhaust so I didn't have to spend the same money modifying the OEM exhaust for spare tire clearance in case I decide to go 38s in the future
The Carli trophy hitch is awesome, super well built and looks really good. It does exactly as described. A 37 inch tire fits really well. So much more heavy duty than the stock hitch.
If you are on the fence about buying this setup, I can tell you first hand knowledge that it is worth every penny! Extremely well constructed. The welds are top notch and the strap is very stout. Mine allowed me to run a 37x13.50/17 spare on a 17x8.5 wheel with no issues. Do it! wasting bed space with a spare rack is for the birds!
Installed on a 2021 F350 Tremor with 7.3l gas engine. Overall it wasn’t too bad installing it by myself on the ground despite the weight of the hitch. I’ve already put a flatbed on the truck and the rear bumper was removed as part of that installation which made it much simpler than with a bumper in place. If you’re going to replace the bumper, do them both at the same time.
I would advise removing the heat shield before installing because it will need to be modified and you can’t install the hitch with the shield in place on the gas truck. I also used the spare tire winch to lift and stabilize the hitch along with a floor jack and a couple of boards to lift the back of the hitch into place. The piece that sticks down under the receiver makes it a bit awkward so you’ll need to figure out how to get it balanced with boards in front of that piece.
My only real complaint is that there aren’t enough places in the gussets for all of the wiring loom plugs. And it would be nice if a heat shield was included in the kit that was designed for the hitch at this price.
Everything fit perfectly. Installed by myself, although having an extra couple sets of hands would be very helpful. Getting the two rear bolts that are facing up was by far the most difficult part. Very tight space. Torching the bolts to heat them up is a must. And I would recommend using a ratcheting box wrench if you had one. I couldn’t get a socket up there to turn. My truck had some heat shielding on the exhaust already and I only had 37’s to fit. It was tight but they fit with having to do any exhaust work. Although if you don’t have any heat shield, you will need to add some. Any bigger than 37’s you’ll need to adjust the exhaust.
