Q
I know others may have installed that Reese hitch and it functions...but personally I would never put a "universal" hitch on my vehicle.
The one from AutoZone is designed to fit on several different vehicles not just the Liberty. The hassle you've experienced relates directly to the fact the hitch design has to take into account the variety of vehicles it's supposed to fit - which means it won't fit ANY of them very well.
Go to a place like etrailer.com -
check out the different hitches listed here. Free shipping, they come with the exact bolts you need for your Jeep, only $40 - $60 more than you paid for the universal hitch...
and they're custom fit! When you take into consideration the time you and your buddy have expended - to say nothing of the frustration - you would be money ahead buying a custom fit hitch. Even your local U-Haul store would be about the same price and they'll even install it.
EDIT: Here's another option - and the one I used when I added the factory hitch to my Jeep. I purchased mine for $60 from LKQ Online, an auto salvage company based near me. I did a quick search and
they have this one for $75 - shipping would take you to $150 but that's slightly less than a new one. Maybe a salvage outfit in St. Louis would have one cheap - you just buy the proper bolts from a company like Fastenal or a trailer/truck cap retailer or RV store.
Bob