X-BULL Hitch Receiver 5T Recovery Receiver With 2PCS Recovery tracks Boards Gen2.0

Plenty of utes leave the factory with a tow bar and nothing else at the back worth pulling from. The tow ball is not it — it was designed for a steady towing load, not the shock a recovery puts through it. This pairing gives the rear of the vehicle a proper attachment point and something for the wheels to bite on.

Swap the tongue, keep the hitch

The receiver slides into a standard hitch in place of the tow ball tongue and secures with your existing hitch pin, or with a lockable pin if you would rather leave it fitted. Four holes let the shackle sit vertically or horizontally, so the line comes off at the angle the recovery needs instead of fouling the bar. For a vehicle with no rated rear recovery point, which describes most of them straight off the showroom floor, this is the difference between an anchor you can rig to and one you should walk away from.

Materials, and the figures behind them

X-BULL specifies high strength forged aluminium at 50 x 50 x 155 mm, with a stated capacity of 5 tonnes (11,000 lb). No test basis is given for that number and no standard is named, so it stands as the supplier's figure rather than a certified rating. The supplier's own text also mentions a zinc coating, which does not sit with a forged aluminium body; one of the two descriptions is inconsistent, so treat the finish as unconfirmed. Choose blue or red at checkout.

Boards for the first half of the job

Two Gen2.0 recovery tracks come with the receiver, along with leashes and stickers. X-BULL publishes no load rating and no dimensions for the Gen2.0 boards on this listing, so nothing is claimed for them here beyond what they are: a pair of boards to wedge under the driving wheels and give them a surface to climb. Dig the sand or mud away from ahead of the tyre first, seat the board hard against the tread, and drive on and off at idle.

Key features

• Fits a standard hitch: pull the tow ball tongue, slide this in, refit your hitch pin.
• Four attachment holes: mount the shackle vertically or horizontally to suit the direction of pull.
• Forged aluminium, 50 x 50 x 155 mm: the material and size X-BULL specifies for the body.
• Two Gen2.0 boards with leashes: leashes mean the board comes back to you instead of staying buried.
• Blue or red: both colours carry the same specification and price.

Specifications

• Receiver material: high strength forged aluminium
• Receiver dimensions: 50 x 50 x 155 mm
• Stated capacity: 5 T / 11,000 lb, as quoted by the supplier; breaking or working basis not given, no standard named
• Recovery boards: 2 x Gen2.0; no dimensions or load rating published for this listing
• Colours: blue, red

What's in the box

• 2 x recovery tracks Gen2.0 with stickers
• 2 x recovery track leashes
• 1 x recovery receiver

Recovery points and rigging

• Give the receiver, the pin and any shackle a look-over before each use, and retire anything showing a crack, a gouge or a bent section.
• A dampener belongs over the strap or winch line on every recovery, close to the middle of the span.
• Everybody not driving stands well outside the arc the line would sweep if it broke free.
• This receiver replaces a tow ball precisely because a tow ball, a tow bar tongue and a bumper bar are not recovery points. Rig to rated points only, front and rear.
• Two straps are never joined with a shackle, and a shackle is never loaded sideways across its pin.
• The supplier's feature text mentions a 4.75 T bow shackle, but the pack contents do not list one. Assume no shackle is supplied and add your own rated shackle to the order.

Fit it once, leave the pin in the toolbox where you can find it, and the back of the vehicle is ready before you need it to be.