Reason not to get the tow package?

When I was searching for my 2012 I don't remember even seeing one on the lot that didn't have the tow package. And I must have searched 5+ dealerships...

 

Mine came with the tow package as well. I never tow, but always have a hitch plugged in back there for added protection against rear-enders.

 

This can, in some cases, do more harm than good.

Some here have got hit hard there and the impact damaged their frame which totaled the truck.

 

Same deal here. Don't think I've ever seen a V6 Tacoma around here without the tow package, just like I don't think I've ever seen one that wasn't a 4x4.

 

Not to mention that it is illegal in some places to have a hitch installed with no trailer on it. Also, damage caused in that situation may not be covered by insurance.

 

Never heard that before. Surely you are talking about the ball mount being in the receiver and 'hanging out' when not towing?

Removing the receiver would be nuts.

To the OP, the other advantage of having a hitch it to mount non-towed accessories. Things like bike racks, bed extenders, cargo baskets, etc, all need a place to go.

It's why my hitch was #1 mod on my '13 base. I did not add trailer connection wiring, so no tow capability. But I use it a lot for my bed extender to haul kayaks.

Be careful in your 'ordering'. You 'think' you can get what you want, but many (way too many) times you don't. I won't tell you the nuts story about ordering my '04 Highlander, but I was so ticked when it arrived I would have told them to keep it if my wife had not been so in love with it. Stuff on it I didn't want, stuff not on it I had ordered. In those days at least it wasn't controlled by your order, or the dealer, it was controlled by the 'port'. Suspect nothing has changed based on some comments around here.

BTW, the Highlander did have a tow package; I ordered it. But that did not include a hitch, or the 'final wiring' to connect to the trailer. But it did include the trans cooler and other goodies, including the wiring to the back of the vehicle that allowed me to PnP the harness extension with a Toyota part.

 

Tow Package:

Pro's

1. Oil Cooler = Longer Engine Life
2. Transmission Oil Cooler = Longer Transmission Life
3. Bigger Alternator = Lower Loading on the Electrical System
4. The Ability to Tow in a Pinch

Con's

1. If you get hit right on the hitch, you will likely have a bent frame to deal with.

So I'd get the tow package, but a few posters got it right when they said that impacts on the hitch can cause frame issues with the tow package installed.

 

If that's something that keeps one up at night, simply remove the hitch. It won't impact the advantages of the other goodies.

But I don't worry about a bent frame from a rear hit. That's for the other parties insurance to worry about.

 

I thought most of these laws pertained to blocking the license plate, such as if you had a ball mounted on the bumper behind the license plate.

 

I agree one hundred percent. The odds of a car hitting you directly on the hitch are pretty low anyways, usually in an accident the bumper takes way more of the impact than the hitch or the other vehicle goes completely under the rear end.

Alot of posters were saying that there are no disadvantages to having the tow package, which isn't really true. That's all I was saying.

 

There are no disadvantages to having the tow package

 

The only downside to my tow package is that with the hitch assembly right under the bumper, I can't install a ball on the bumper to obscure my plate against photo radar.

I might fake one on there some day. I miss the last truck. Never got a photo radar with that one lol

 

Not so much obstruction, as it was the Insurance Company lobby. Insurance companies were getting grumpy that simple 'bumper bumps' were leading to very expensive repairs on the offending vehicle. So, they were successful in getting states to buy off on creating laws that prohibit having the trailer receivers and balls installed while not being used.

Follow the money trail. Especially with insurance companies.

"Uh, well, no. Neddy doesn't believe in insurance. He considers it a form of gambling."

 

Please cite any state code which prohibits the presence of a hitch and or ball when not in use. Quoted text and links is what I'd like to see.

I think this is an urban myth.

 

I also got the tow package, you just never know.
It also makes a great recovery point.

 

ALBERTA REGULATION 320/2002

Traffic Safety Act

OPERATOR LICENSING AND VEHICLE
CONTROL REGULATION

Condition of licence plate

71(1) No person shall drive a vehicle if the licence plate is not securely attached in accordance with this Regulation, legible and clearly visible at all times.

(2) No person shall be considered to contravene subsection (1) by reason only that a trailer is attached to the rear of a motor vehicle that the person owns or drives.

$115.00 Fine

So if there's no trailer behind you, you cannot obstruct the license plate with anything including the hitch ball itself. That's why all of those license plate blocking items that claim to be legal are full of shit. The law is intentionally non specific to give the advantage to the cops trying to quickly ID a vehicle, and rightfully so.

 

That's an obstruction law and it does carry merit. I'm referring to the laws referred above to insurance/damage laws in regards to a hitch and or hitch w/ ball installed and not obstructing the view of the license plate.

 

I think he's trying to say insurance companies were involved in the writing of the law because it's a win-win for both insurance companies and local authorities. I don't know how you'd prove or disprove that, but it does sound a bit far fetched.

All I know is the cops that I'm friends with enjoy handing out tickets for license plate covers and other similar stunts. A lot of chevy drivers like to open up the cover on the spare tire lock and cover up the last digit of the plate with the cover. He's particularly enjoys coming down on those people when there spare tire isn't on the road lol. It's an easy way to write a few tickets without trying very hard.

 

Also work great for a bike rack for those of us who have the 29ners and a small bed.

 

I think it's worth it even just for the tranny cooler