Trailer Hitch Recommendation

I used etrailer, but there are others. the 04 Tacoma has a factory hitch, the 90 Tacoma had a bolt together class 3 of a brand I forget. Any should not block the spare, but it never hurts to ask.

I have a Rav4 that I needed a class 1 to tow a light boat. Parts manager at the dealer's noticed my lack of enthusiasm for a $400 or so install, suggested a specialty trailer shop in the area who installed a class 2 Reese for $210 Plus tax. Won't ever use the 3500# capacity but the price was right and it works.

Tom

Either one will do, but the Toyota hitch IS an 'aftermarket' one that they buy with their name on it. Check both price and construction - some makers put out some rather flimsy bolt-together hitches with rather glorified weight ratings.

The best way is a semi-custom hitch where they cut and weld the tubing and brackets themselves, and then weld it to the car chassis - they can make sure that the hitch clears all service points and the tailpipe on some cars , and that you can get the spare tire off the brackets without interference.

Oh, and watch for ground clearance - some of the 'bolt-on kit' hitches hang down rather low so they'll fit many different vehicles, where a good one is tucked up very tight to the bottom of the vehicle and you only lose an inch or two. Which you will appreciate every time you scrape bottom going into a driveway.

If you live in the Los Angeles area I've used the Reseda shop of Eckhart Hitch and Welding

many times through the years, but there are good independent and small-chain hitch shops in most larger cities.

For a common vehicle like a Tacoma they'll have a few pre-made hitches ready to zap on and go. But those odd cars mentioned like the RAV4 or Scion xA they might have to measure and cut the raw tubing pieces custom to fit, or bend/punch a custom mounting plate - but that's what cold saws and ironworkers were made for, takes another 10 minutes... They can fit anything from a Model T to a Maserati.

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You're asking about a hitch RECEIVER, right? The square or round bar that goes crossways across the back of your truck and has the square hole for the ball mount?

Get any brand. The main difference is in the quality of the paint and how well they fit your truck. Cequent is the big maker with their Drawtite, Reese, HiddenHitch, brands and also resold by U-Haul. Other brands are good, also. As said, look at the fit. Get a factory custom receiver for your truck, not a universal fits-nothing-really-well receiver.

Into the receiver you can use a ball mount for a light trailer or a weight distributing hitch for a heavier trailer. The weight distributing hitch transfers part of the tongue weight to the truck front wheels so the truck doesn't squat. For tongue weight up to

400#, The Cequent brands have a light duty w/d hitch. For heavier tongue weights, a w/d hitch with built in sway damping is a wise purchase. "Equal-i-zer" brand is excellent, and for tongue weights above 500#, the Cequent brands with their dual cam kit is also excellent. Of course, your PreRunner shouldn't tow a trailer with a tongue weight much above 500#, anyway.

Ken

Pardon the obvious, but you can get a trailer hitch and have it installed at U-Haul for $150. The one they put on my 2005 Tundra works as advertised.

But U-Haul doesn't make the hitches themselves - they buy another mass-produced product line with their sticker on it, and a box with their artwork.

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Thank you for all the comments and recommendations.

After some research, I ended up getting a Valley Industries receiver. Several factors played in. I wanted the crossbar to not be visible and tucked behind the bumper. Good finish. (Hard to judge without salt spray test results) Fairly easy bolt on installation. Cost (But since I was installing, this was less of a factor)

I looked at Drawtite, Reese, and Hidden Hitch, which all appeared to be the same hitch. They are part of Cequent Towing products. The finish did not appear to be of good powder coat quality. Again this is purely subjective. The Valley hitch almost actually looked like it was powder coated (as described). Time will tell.

The installation of the Drawtite, Reese, and Hidden Hitch required some additional work to loosen bumper brackets for additional attachment points. The Valley gets around this by attaching to the frame and bumper support member. Some may not feel this good but on the Tacoma, the bumper support member is a significant piece of steel framing member (it is under the license plate and bumper). There is no load directly on the bumper. Tacomas with the towing option appear to use a hitch very similar to the Valley hitch. Installation was very simple. No drilling.

Cost of the hitch: $143, ordered through Tractor Supply Company shipping included, picked up at the store. O'Reillys Auto Parts can order them too.

Part number 82790 for 2006 Tacoma

John