[TeaMan]

I need to rent a UHaul trailer and to do so I need to know what the stock Toyota Receiver hitch rating is. It's a 2020 4Runner Offroad Premium. The receiver hitch came stock on the vehicle from the factory. I looked everywhere I could on the hitch and couldn't find a tag on it or anything stamped in it. I know the vehicle has a 5000 lb towing capacity, but that doesn't mean the receiver has that capacity.

Can anyone help me with either the capacity or where to find it on the hitch itself which UHaul may actually require.

Thanks
TeaMan

[08TxRunner]

What does your owner's manual say?

[TeaMan]

The owners manual doesn't specify. I suspect because you could install any receiver other than stock. All it says is the towing capacity is 5000 lbs for the vehicle itself.

[jp.vegas]

The hitch rating is the vehicle rating. There are no other numbers. The factory hitch is rated to handle what the vehicle is rated for.

[meltdown]

Originally Posted by jp.vegas

The hitch rating is the vehicle rating. There are no other numbers. The factory hitch is rated to handle what the vehicle is rated for.

NOT THIS.

Your receiver will not hold a 5000 lbs. load on it. The weight of the trailer is distributed between the hitch and the trailer axle(s), with the bulk of the weight on the axle(s).

Typically the hitch rating is 10% of the Tow Rating. I checked my manual and could not find a rating for the receiver itself just the max trailer weight of 5000 lbs. and a recommendation of keeping tongue weight between 9-11% of the trailer weight. This would indicate that the hitch is rated for 500 lbs., which I believe I’ve seen stated on the forum before, but I didn’t find it in the manual.

[TeaMan]

Originally Posted by meltdown

NOT THIS.

Your receiver will not hold a 5000 lbs. load on it. The weight of the trailer is distributed between the hitch and the trailer axle(s), with the bulk of the weight on the axle(s).

Typically the hitch rating is 10% of the Tow Rating. I checked my manual and could not find a rating for the receiver itself just the max trailer weight of 5000 lbs. and a recommendation of keeping tongue weight between 9-11% of the trailer weight. This would indicate that the hitch is rated for 500 lbs., which I believe I’ve seen stated on the forum before, but I didn’t find it in the manual.

Would you be talking about the tongue weight, not the hitch rating? I don't know for a fact, but think the rating of each of the three components, the receiver, the hitch mount and the ball all refer to the trailer load or in this case the vehicle towing capacity. It's my understanding for UHaul, you take the smaller of the three. In my case, my ball mount is rated for 10,000 lbs and my ball itself being a 2" ball is also rated for 10,000 lbs. So if the receiver is rated for 5000 lbs, that would be the smallest of the three, thus the rating of my hitch system would be 5000 lbs. I could then tow a trailer that is 5000 lbs or less. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I am learning as I go here. My manual does say the tongue weight is between 9 and 11% so for a 5000 lb trailer it would roughly be 500 lbs. It does say that if the trailer is over 3000 lbs, that they do recommend a tandem axle trailer.

[Jacabbysal]

How Much Can the Toyota 4Runner Tow?
The Toyota 4Runner can tow up to 5,000 pounds, thanks to its 4.0L V6 engine, which gets 270 horsepower and 278 lb-ft of torque. Essentially, it’ll be able to tow a small powerboat or even a few ATVs for your next outdoor adventure. Plus, the 4Runner has a maximum tongue weight of 500 pounds, which makes it perfect for towing a camping trailer.

I found that here

Toyota 4Runner Towing Capacity | Norm Reeves Toyota San Diego

Don't forget to factor in the added weight of cargo and people in the vehicle into towing. The weight isn't just based off of what is in the trailer.

[Jacabbysal]

Originally Posted by TeaMan

Would you be talking about the tongue weight, not the hitch rating? I don't know for a fact, but think the rating of each of the three components, the receiver, the hitch mount and the ball all refer to the trailer load or in this case the vehicle towing capacity. It's my understanding for UHaul, you take the smaller of the three. In my case, my ball mount is rated for 10,000 lbs and my ball itself being a 2" ball is also rated for 10,000 lbs. So if the receiver is rated for 5000 lbs, that would be the smallest of the three, thus the rating of my hitch system would be 5000 lbs. I could then tow a trailer that is 5000 lbs or less. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I am learning as I go here. My manual does say the tongue weight is between 9 and 11% so for a 5000 lb trailer it would roughly be 500 lbs. It does say that if the trailer is over 3000 lbs, that they do recommend a tandem axle trailer.

You can move 5000 lbs, that is the towing capacity. The tongue can hold 500 lbs, that is the tongue capacity. This is all based off of what the vehicle can handle in a safe manner and come to a stop in a safe manner.

Only get a trailer as big as you need. If you can fit everything in a 4x8 then get a 4x8 but you can handle up to a 6x12 HOWEVER you could very easily over load both it and what is safe for your vehicle depending on what you are putting in it.

[meltdown]

Think of the weight on the receiver hitch like this.

500 lbs max - vertical load
5000 lbs max - horizontal load

Edit to add: I think we may all be on the same page, just using the terminology differently.

[jp.vegas]

Originally Posted by meltdown

NOT THIS.

Your receiver will not hold a 5000 lbs. load on it. The weight of the trailer is distributed between the hitch and the trailer axle(s), with the bulk of the weight on the axle(s).

Typically the hitch rating is 10% of the Tow Rating. I checked my manual and could not find a rating for the receiver itself just the max trailer weight of 5000 lbs. and a recommendation of keeping tongue weight between 9-11% of the trailer weight. This would indicate that the hitch is rated for 500 lbs., which I believe I’ve seen stated on the forum before, but I didn’t find it in the manual.

Yeah, no. The hitch is rated to tow 5000 lbs. Period.

The tongue weight is not the hitch rating. There is no separate rating for the hitch itself. You can exert up to 5000 lbs of pulling weight on the hitch per the manufacture. The tongue weight is part of your GAWR for the rear axle and reduces your payload capacity accordingly. The recommended 9-11% of the towing rating as tongue weight is pretty standard across all vehicles and doesn’t equate to the “hitch rating.”

[jhguth]

The owners manual describes all of this (total load capacity vs trailer weight rating) clearly in the vehicle load limits section

relevant info (straight from the owners manual)

Definitions:
GCWR (gross combination weight rating) - total gross weight of vehicle and trailer
GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) - total gross vehicle weight + tongue weight of trailer
GAWR (gross axle weight rating) - gross weight on each axle (tongue weight factors info this)
TWR (trailer weight rating) - gross trailer weight including trailer and cargo
Tongue Weight - the vertical load placed on the trailer hitch

Weight Limits

• The gross trailer weight must never exceed the TWR described in the table
• The gross combination weight must never exceed the GCWR described in the table
• The gross vehicle weight must never exceed the GVWR indicated on the Certification label
• If the gross trailer weight is over the unbraked TWR, trailer service brakes are required
• If the gross trailer weight is over 2000 lb (907 kg), a sway control device with sufficient capacity is required

Info from table in section 4-1, page 197:

2WD - Braked TWR 5,000 lbs, GCWR 11,100 lbs
4WD - Braked TWR 5,000 lbs, GCWR 11,300 lbs
*Unbraked TWR - 1,655 lbs

Trailer Tongue Weight

• A recommended tongue weight varies in accordance with the types of trailers or towing described as below
• To ensure the recommended values shown below, the trailer must be loaded by referring to the following instructions

-Tongue Weight - The gross trailer weight should be distributed so that the tongue weight is 9% to 11% (tongue weight / Gross trailer weight x 100 = 9% to 11%)

[Double Dubya]

I made three separate trips from South Carolina to Missouri pulling a U-Haul 6x12 trailer with my 2017 SR5. They pulled nicely and the trailer braking system built into the tongue works well. I stayed in S4 most of the time and got around 13mpg.

[_JT_]

Saw a Volvo S90 towing a 22ft fiberglass boat Sunday. You'll be fine.

[TeaMan]

Thanks for all the replies. I do agree that the vehicle is rated for 5000 lbs towing as one person stated "horizontal" load. I find the explanation that the stock receiver rating is the vehicle rating and 5000 lbs. That is very logical. The problem I have is, if you go to the UHaul site and watch the vehicle hitch rating video, they show that the receiver, ball mount and ball all have a sticker showing their rating or a stamp on them and they check for this. This is why I asked the question in the first place. My receiver has no tag on it, but the ball mount and ball both do. The last time I rented a trailer from UHaul, they physically checked my truck a Tacoma at the time and wouldn't let me rent one of the trailers because of the stamped ratings. I wanted to avoid an argument at UHaul because my receiver has no stamp or tag on it. I am an engineer so I definitely understand loads, power etc. That isn't the issue. The issue is not having a stamped receiver hitch that was factory installed so it can be proven to UHaul. That's it, simply that.

Again, thanks again for the replies. It has been helpful. TeaMan.

[glwood54]

It seems a UHaul store that won't rent you a trailer because you have a factory installed receiver hitch (rated for 5000 lbs.) just because it doesn't have the stamp they want wouldn't be worth renting from. Any others around?