Are all hitches hidden?

Some are many are not. Most of the companies have hitches that tuck in close but on some newer vehicles that isn't very easy. Plus the price on some of them is much higher than a common bar style hitch. I like having the hitch out of the way because many of the straight style units also eat some clearance. I don't think I have seen a fixed hitch type on a small vehicle in a long time.

Thanks for replying.

What about different companies making hitches for the same car? Do some companies let the receiver stick out farther, farther back, than others do, when those other companies prove that it's not necessary?

I just bought a 2000 Toyotal Solara, and it's the nicest looking car I've owned in a long time. I'd like the hitch to be as inconspicuous as possible.

Common bar style??

The prices range from 145 to 185, and that's a factor, but mostly I want the hitch not to show much when there's nothing in the receiver.

Firxed hitch? Meaning one where the draw bar is permanently attached? In that case, me neither. It's for that reason I figured Curt, Hidden Hitch, Draw-Tite, and even Valley Trailer, which I'd never heard of before, looked about the same after installation.

But the way people were emphasizing Hidden Hitch's being hidden makes me wonder.

For example:

Curt

Hidden Hitch

And even Draw-tite:

Valley Trailer:

Cheaper, Easier to make, feel their design is stronger, just to lazy to come up with something different. The primary reason is that they can change which vehicle the hitch fits by simply changing the mounting plates on the ends.

Straight square tube style that bolts in but hangs out in the wind.

For the most part they don't. It all depends on the design and how may vehicles they want one hitch to fit.

> Hidden Hitch

>

> Valley Trailer:

FYI - Hidden Hitch, Bulldog, Reese, WesBar, Draw-Tite, Fulton are all the same company.

The Hidden Hitch and Draw-Tite class 2 hitchs for your car are actually the same items with different lettering. According to the various web sites the cross bars on all of them are visible under the car.

I have two newer model Toyota's, one of which is a Solara. I have looked at the owners manual carefully, and neither of these cars is recommended for any sort of a trailer hitch at all.

Of course, it is yours and you can do what you want with it, but there could be legal issues if you put on a hitch and then have an accident.

your post is a perfect example of the ridiculous disease with which the industry has managed to infect consumers in this country. anyone that's ever vacationed or traveled in europe has seen the huge-ass trailers being hauled around by little fwd hatchbacks. legally. and within manufacturer towing specs. yet that same vehicle sold into the u.s. market is not only /not/ rated for towing, it specifically voids warranty.

why? easy. the profit margin on trucks is huge. the margin on cars much more competitive. effectively ban towing with cars and you get to sell more trucks. or even, a car /and/ a truck.

there's also the issue about trailer brakes. only the largest trailers here have brakes, and even then, they're these retarded electric brakes with effectively no modulation control. in europe, all but the tiniest [sub 100kg iirc] trailers have brakes, and fully modulated brakes at that.

bottom line, go ahead and tow with your car. if it's an import, it's definitely designed and built for it, and has a manufacturer spec for it

- just look up those specs on the manufacturer's foreign websites. and use a proper trailer with real brakes. hydraulic for preference. the retardation that allows trailers without brakes is surpassed only by the unquestioning ignorance of those who accept this "don't tow with a car" deceit and propaganda.

"hidden" is just a marketing gimmick. not to be confused with removability of the ball mount which simply allows different heights to be accommodated.

The manual for the 2000 Solara is schizophrenic.

"Your vehicle is disgined primarily as a pasenger carrying vehicle Towing a trailer will have an adverse effect on handling, performance, baraking, durability and driving economy. Your safety and satisfaction depend on the proper use of correct equipment with cautious driving habits. For our safety and and the safety of others you must not overload your hehicle or trailer. Toyota warrantees do not applay to damage for malfuncition caused by towing a trailer for commercial purposes. Ask your local toyoata dealer for further details efore towing. "

Then it has 4 more pages on how to tow, including

1.,5 pages of warnings (the whole manaul is full of warnings. If I were 16 y.o. I'd be scared to drive it.) . They say it can tle 2000 pounds, which is likely more than I can load on t he trailer.

Basically Toyota is being neutral. They're not recommending, so it would be hard to find them at all liable. But they're not prohibiting, but their words couldn't be used against me merely because I'm towing.

If I violated one of their warnings, that might hurt me, but I don't intend to violate safe towning practice. And if I did violate safe towning practice, that would be negligence whether Toyota warned against it or not. Except wrt things that are specific to their cars. I don't know if there are any such things. They piont to a sticke, a Certification Label,r on the door that gives the Gross Axle Weight Rating, and that is affected by the tongue weight. I'll check what it says but I'm sure I wont exceed the GAWR, which surely allows for 2 people in the back seat. When I'm towing, I never have more than one passenger, and any luggage I carry weighs less than people.

The biggest load I foresee now is the smallest U-haul trailer and a

3-ton AC compressor someone in Delaware may be giving me. I'll need a trailer for that.