How to remove the towing hitch?

[hani1400]

I tried to unscrew them but the screws didn't move, they're stuck or need a power tool. Can i just stop by a mechanic or muffler shop and ask them to do it, is it that easy?

I don't tow and the whole car is clean except this rusted hitch that ruins the look.
What do you guys think about the look without the hitch?

This guy had problems removing it and i don't want to go through all the torching that they needed to do for his http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?threadid=17755
Thanx in advance.

 

[greyghost4x4]

Mine is hooked on by 6 bolts and welded lol. I think a torque wrench should do it though. Anyone else know?

Evan

 

[hani1400]

Yes i thought i saw spots of weld.
So should i just clean it while its on? and how? i dont have a garage so i cant use big tools, i was thinking to take it off and get a sanding head for my dremel and clean it indoors.

 

[jspagna1]

Is it the original tow hitch? If it is you should be able to remove it without any problems. Just spay WD40 on the bolts for a day or two. It may help if you have some type of breaker bar for some added leveage. Make sure you unhook any wiring and use zip ties to attach them to the frame somewhere underneath the truck.
I can not see that someone would weld it to the frame somehoe unless it's an aftermarket hitch,but even then I would be surprised.

 

[Rock Slide]

When I took the oem hitch off my 4Runner and my wife's 4Runner, both were only held on by 4 - 6 bolts each. Granted my bolts had rusted really bad, but they still came out. Once all the bolts were removed, the hitch just fell out.

If you can't get the bolts undone, take it by a mechanic shop or an express oil place and they should be able to get an impact and get the bolts off just fine.

Good luck.

 

[hani1400]

Mine is an OEM i think.
Rock Slide how did the trucks look with out it?

 

[Rock Slide]

Mine is an OEM i think.
Rock Slide how did the trucks look with out it?

Not good.

The oem hitch on my '02 4Runner was the bigger, bulkier style hitch. I wanted the lower profile hitch my wife had on her '00 4Runner b/c she had no use for her hitch. So I took mine off and sold it. I then took hers off and mounted it on my 4Runner. I like how the lower profile hitch sits compared to the one I had.

But now that my wife's 4Runner has no rear hitch, you can clearly see 50% or more of that ugly spare tire. From an aesthetics point, I do not like how the rear of her 4Runner looks now.

Granted, she could not care less about having a hitch or not, but if I drove it every day, I would keep it mounted reguardless if I towed or not. IMO, seeing that much of the spare tire just takes away from the overall look of the vehicle.



And for reference, here's what the bulky oem hitch looks like vs the low pro hitch I now have...thanks to my wife :

Big Bulky Hitch (courtesy of FoSheezy's ride). I had the same one on my '02:

As you can see, if he removed that hitch, you'd see a lot of his spare tire all of a sudden. Not good. Plus the receiving point is too low for my taste.

More pics of his hitch can be found here: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=36011



Low Pro Hitch I yanked from my wife's '00:

Not only is the receiving point higher, but the majority of the hitch is tucked under the vehicle's rear bumper.

 

[Sloan]

mine had no hitch
i want one just for looks but since i don't tow anything my dad said it would be a waste of money

 

[RonMAIDEN]

My hitch is collecting dust in the garage since it's a hinderance when off roading and I don't tow anything.

When did a hitch become a ricer item -looks only mod???

 

[Sloan]

When did a hitch become a ricer item -looks only mod???

well thanks man.. but no seriously, i just though if i ever sell it later on down the road the hitch would kind of add a little value to it. the other reason why i want a hitch is to kind of hide some of my exhaust piping, i think it dosent look as clean of a set up when you have some long pipe running down the left side.

looks alot worse to when your looking at it from a lower angle.

 

[hani1400]

Here's my rusty receiver.
The white stuff you see is that spray that claims to turn rust to a black finish, it didn't work.

I thought it would look cool and rugged if the spare tire showed, but you're right, so i'm gonna do it the right way, i'll get a steel brush head for a drill and borrow my brothers rechargable drill, clean it, prime it with several layers and paint it with several layers (rustolium) and see what happens.

Any suggestions? Thanks for your help.

Does this look like an OEM one?

 

[Sloan]

yea thats the OEM one

 

[Rock Slide]

yeap, that's the same one my '02 came stock with until I yanked it out and installed the more lower profile oem hitch off my wife's 4Runner.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

well thanks man.. but no seriously, i just though if i ever sell it later on down the road the hitch would kind of add a little value to it. the other reason why i want a hitch is to kind of hide some of my exhaust piping, i think it dosent look as clean of a set up when you have some long pipe running down the left side.

I'm just teasing but I won't sell mine since it will go back on if I decide to sell mine or I actually need to tow something but off road it was constantly dragging on uphill approaches and scratching it up so it had to be removed.

 

[blarchitect]

Rockslide

The hitch that was on yer wifes 4runner, is that a Toyota hitch?

 

[jspagna1]

The reason I took my hitch off is because I don't tow anything and I think it looks cleaner without one and less weight to haul around. I mean these trucks only have 183 HP so whatever weight you can lose the better.

 

[Rock Slide]

Rockslide

The hitch that was on yer wifes 4runner, is that a Toyota hitch?

Doubt it. It has a sticker on it that reads "Echlin Inc".

However, when I tried searching online for a trailer hitch under that name, I came up empty. Found many echlin parts, just no echlin hitches.

 

[Sloan]

most 4runners i see have the Reese brand trailer hitch on them.

think i would be better off trying to get a hitch out of a junk yard, or just buying a new one all together?