Towing question - quick help needed

[PolkManiac]

I have a 2004 v6 2wd SR5 4Runner. When I bought it included was a black hitch, no hitch ball though.

Does anyone know the towing class of that hitch, or how many pounds it is rated at?

Also, what size ball do I need to purchase to put on it?

I don't know squat about towing obviously.

I'm renting a trailer from UHaul this weekend, and I need to have a Class 2 hitch capably of 3,500 pounds, and I assume I need some kind of ball assembly to attach the trailer to the hitch.

Did I mention I don't know anything about towing?

Also there's some wires in the box with the hitch, I assume those are for the lights?

Uh, help???

 

[majmattmason]

You can tow 3,500 with no problem. Look in your owner's manual for the towing weight, it's probably between 5,000 to 7,500 lbs capacity.

You need a 2" ball, but check your shaft diameter in the hitch you have. They come in different diameters, you'll want to get a 2" that is rated at least 6,000 lbs. I go ahead and get the 12,000 lbs rated ball since the price is the same.

U-Haul will probably have these if needed, but I wouldn't count on it. You also might need a 7 pin to 4 pin adapter, depending on if you have the round 7 pin connector. I rented a U-Haul trailer a few weeks ago and it only had a 4 pin connection.

 

[majmattmason]

One more thing. The wires in the box are probably for connecting a brake controller that sits inside the vehicle. This is only used for trailers that have electric brakes. You'll need to see if the trailer you're renting does or does not. The plug for this connector is on the left side under the steering wheel, left of the parking brake. If you will be towing a trailer with electric brakes, you'll need to purchase a brake controller and install it before you use the trailer. Small trailers don't have the brakes, larger ones do. It just depends on what you're renting.

 

[PolkManiac]

Thanks for the info

I'm more concerned about the actual hitch rather than the vehicle's towing capacity. Do you know what the rating is on the standard hitches that were included with the 2004 4Runners?

Or was there not a 'standard' hitch, in which case I just hvae to go up to UHaul and see what fits?

 

[majmattmason]

Have no clue as to what 2004 had as standard for their hitches. However, the 2008 has a 10,000 hitch that was included with my 4Runner. It's usually stamped on the hitch, have a look and see if it tells you.

 

[CJ3Flyr]

Your 4Runner hitch is rated for Class 3 (possibly higher) towing. When talking about a dead weight trailer such as the U-haul Class 3 means up to 500lbs of tongue weight and 5000lbs of total trailer weight.

There is a rhyme and reason to the size of the square hole in the hitch, the size you have universally indicates class3 or higher. (Perhaps universally is too strong and I know that just because a vehicle has a Class3 hitch doesn't mean it can tow Class3 weight. That's the concept that proves to be true in all cases I've encountered.) Class 2 and Class 1's have a much smaller square hole.

If the U-haul guy has been working there more than 3 weeks they'll see it and know it's ok for the trailer you want to tow.

Good luck!
:cheers:

 

[PolkManiac]

So is a 2" ball the standard size, is that what I should buy?

 

[PolkManiac]

I picked up a 2" ball on the way home today.

One last question, is UHaul going to have the wiring adapter thing I need, or does Toyota use some funky kind of wiring thing back there?

 

[CJ3Flyr]

You should have an industry standard 7 wire plug. Any AutoZone, PepBoys or whatever should have the 7-4 adapter. The U-haul store may have it but don't count on it.

2" is the right size... U-haul trailers can use 1&7/8" or 2" ball. 2" works better so you are all set.
:cheers: