Adding a trailer hitch

[Catfish]

I have a 2007 SR5...2WD, V6 that came without a trailer hitch. The wife and I are looking into renting (and eventually buying) a small-ish camping trailer, like a pop-up or an R-Pod. As such, I need a towing hitch. The dealer quoted me $1000 to add it. Looks like U-Haul would cost around $350. Is there an advantage to going with one over the other? Obviously, I like U-Haul's price much better. Or are there other alternatives I'm missing? And I'm guessing/hoping that the wiring harnesses are already in place?

 

[JONBOY345]

car-part.com and look around for an OEM one if you want to go cheap.

IDK if the OEM V8 receiver will mount to the V6 or not, but the OEM V6 receiver should be a good fit for your use.

 

[MT Runner]

Go to etrailer.com and get a class 3 hitch from there. That is the one that bolts directly to the frame. With this hitch, the V6 is capable of 6,400lbs towing.

If you’re adding one no matter what, go with the heavier duty one.

The lighter duty hitch bolts directly to the rear cross member and is the one that is rated at 5,000lbs.

 

[MT Runner]

 

[MikeinNH67]

Being in TX at least you don't have to deal with rust issues where this will bolt on. U-haul hitches are actually pretty decent just make sure you go with a 2" receiver. I also like Hidden Hitch and Curt. E-trailer is a good place to start but sometimes you can get a better deal for the same hitch on Amazon but not often. E-trailer should also be able to hook you up with the electrical pieces and they have lots of good info and videos. The 4runner models with a factory hitch have all that is needed but not sure of the ones without.

 

[Syr4RinNC]

Its shocking to me that this little piece from toyota is so expensive/ the OEM piece. Prices are generally around $330, here it is a little cheaper

PT228-89460 - Genuine Toyota Parts

Rockauto has some cheaper options from CURT - which is a reputable company for towing equipment

2008 TOYOTA 4RUNNER 4.0L V6 Trailer Hitch | RockAuto

 

[Catfish]

Excellent info! Thanks everybody! I've been digging around a bit more, and it looks promising. I'm waiting to hear from U-Haul for a quote to install the hitch if I buy it from etrailer.com or on amazon. But it also looks like it might be pretty easy to install it myself...? I was looking at this Draw-Tite hitch on etrailer.com, but there seem to be conflicting reports on whether or not you have to trim the fascia or not. The site experts claim you do, but a lot of the reviews claim you don't. I'm drawn to that one due to the higher towing capacity. The other option is this Curt hitch, which has a slightly lower towing capacity, but also requires no trimming. I've seen this Curt one mentioned a lot on this site; what about the Draw-Tite? Anyone have any feedback on it, especially with regards to trimming the fascia?

 

[smyles1632]

On my '06 the factory hitch is just a rather compact part bolted to the rear cross-member. I assume the frame is the same on all 4R's, so is it possible to just buy that part (and a braket for the electric plug) and bolt it on?

On the other hand, I see many 4R's with different style hitch that seemingly goes below the frame and bolts to side rails (?). Not sure why the difference.

 

[wigsajumper]

I just did the Draw-Tite install replaced my factory cross member mounted hitch with the frame mounted hitch. I Didnt have to trim the Fascia but I did take off the rear bumper fascia. It helped getting that stuff out of the way while doing the uninstall/install. Plus I was sanding/wire brushing/repainting any rust I found since I am the Northeast. It is a fairly simple install just take your time. The new frame mounted hitch might be a little warped due to welding. I had to use a few 2x4s and bottle jack to get all the holes lined up (comments on etrailer mentioned this trick). If you have any questions or want pictures let me know

 

[MT Runner]

On my '06 the factory hitch is just a rather compact part bolted to the rear cross-member. I assume the frame is the same on all 4R's, so is it possible to just buy that part (and a braket for the electric plug) and bolt it on?

On the other hand, I see many 4R's with different style hitch that seemingly goes below the frame and bolts to side rails (?). Not sure why the difference.

Different tow ratings for the two styles. See the pictures I shared above from the owners manual. It explains it and gives the tow ratings for each.

 

[smyles1632]

Different tow ratings for the two styles. See the pictures I shared above from the owners manual. It explains it and gives the tow ratings for each.

Ah, got it.

P.S. On a phone, pics are hard to distinguish from all those ad banners.

 

[zguy1]

I just installed a Curt hitch on my 2008 V6 with 4WD. It is a Class 3 one with a 5000 lb tow rating (#13445). I bought it from etrailer.com and paid around $165 shipped.

You could have it installed at a local Uhaul if not doing it yourself. One place locally quoted me $85 to install it. If you are doing it yourself you could check out the thread on my recent install.

Aftermarket hitch installation issues on 4th gen (2008)

 

[MikeinNH67]

From what I understand the V8 comes with the frame hitch, the added power helps the tow capacity too.

 

[MT Runner]

From what I understand the V8 comes with the frame hitch, the added power helps the tow capacity too.

From what I’ve seen, most V8’s had the frame hitch and most V6’s had the frame rail hitch. But it looks like it was an option to get it either way. I’ve seen some V8’s with the frame rail hitch and I’ve never seen, but I’ve heard people say they had the frame hitch on the V6 from the factory. Besides that, they’re pretty much identical. Same trans, same frame, same brakes, etc.

The owners manual lists the tow rating at 5,000lbs for the frame rail hitch regardless of the engine, so that rating is all about the hitch itself.

Then it breaks it down to 6,400lbs for the V6 with the frame hitch and 7,000lbs for the V8 with the frame hitch. So that additional 600lbs is likely attributed to the extra power of the V8 along with the aux trans cooler the V8 got.

 

[MT Runner]

To the OP,
I looked into all of this a ton a few years ago when we were looking at getting a camper too. I had no intention of getting a new vehicle, so I wanted to find a camper that fit our needs and would be well within the tow rating.
I did install the draw tite 6,000lb hitch from etrailer and didn’t have to trim anything.
Also installed an aux trans cooler to make sure it stayed at a safe temp.

We ended up with an R-pod, I noticed you said that’s one you’re considering. We’ve really liked ours in the couple years we’ve had it. We had an older camper for a few years before that, and we like the RPod a lot more. Hope some of that helped.

 

[Catfish]

You guys are awesome! This has been a tremendous help, as always. I'm probably going to order the Draw-Tite and install it myself. I had the exhaust re-routed out to the side years ago, so I have easy, straight access to those bolt holes. Hopefully I won't have any trouble removing the tow hook like zguy1 did, but that thread will be super helpful in case I do run into troubles.

MT Runner - I have a friend who has an R-Pod, and he loves it too. I think we're gonna rent one this time around, just to make sure we dig it before taking the plunge. I've heard great things about them!

 

[jackzak]

You guys are awesome! This has been a tremendous help, as always. I'm probably going to order the Draw-Tite and install it myself. I had the exhaust re-routed out to the side years ago, so I have easy, straight access to those bolt holes. Hopefully I won't have any trouble removing the tow hook like zguy1 did, but that thread will be super helpful in case I do run into troubles.

MT Runner - I have a friend who has an R-Pod, and he loves it too. I think we're gonna rent one this time around, just to make sure we dig it before taking the plunge. I've heard great things about them!

I have a 2008 4runner Sport V6. It has the original cross member hitch. I bought a new 2016 Jayco Hybrid GVWR of 4000 lbs. and dealer added a wt. distribution hitch which I used for for 4+ years pulling the Jayco smoothly and without incident. Last year I sold the Jayco and bought a Forest River Salem with almost identical GVWR, GAWR, and Hitch Weight specs.
In doing some research I discovered that I was not supposed to use a hitch with the standard weight carrying reciever on my 4runner!
So recently I had my mechanic check the integrity of my current hitch and he found no evidence of damage. My guess is either I have been very lucky pulling my trailers for several thousand miles, even over the Rockies, the Appalacians and now most of my camping in Florida; OR my relatively light weight trailers never did cause severe torsion effects on the weight carrying hitch.
Nevertheless, I plan to remove the original reciever and install either a Curt or Drawtite aftermarket reciever to abide by the 4runner manual.

Any recommendation concerning which reciever to buy?

 

[S35flyer]

I am learning my way around my new to me 4runner. It’s a 2003 v8 with low miles. I’ve been pulling boats with my vehicles for 40 years and have added and or used the factory trailering hitches on all my vehicles. I checked the specs on a 4runner and bought it for this purpose.

Now, I’m very confused. The first time I tried it, the receiver wouldn’t fit due to the spare tire, so I cut it down a little with a sawzall and now it fits. But the more I look at the factory hitch the more skeptical I am. It just a receiver bolted onto the rear frame member, I’m used to receiver hitches that are bolted to the frame like the draw-Tite. I’m seriously wondering do I need to replace what the factory did, or do I have a “real” hitch. What I pull is a 22’ pontoon boat, 350lb tongue and 3500lb boat.

What do you guys recommend to do?

 

[MikeinNH67]

The towing limit for the V6 is 5k and the V8 is 7k so I wouldn't worry about it assuming it all looks in good shape. That rear cross frame is beefier than the aftermarket options. If it's an Arizona car then I assume theirs very little rust back there.

 

[ArthurKotb]

The towing weight for the 2003 hitch is only 5000 lbs because it's not a frame hitch. There was a problem with the 2003 receiver being poorly located and not able to hold a standard hitch because of the location of the spare tire. It had to be trimmed, which you've done. Since it came with a hitch it probably has the towing package and has the wiring. Look under the left bumper area and see if there is a 7-pin plug located under there.

I don't know if you could have a frame hitch installed.