After-market trailer hitch ...

Hi all.

My Taco didn't come with a factory trailer hitch, and I am now looking to add an after-market hitch. From what I understand, the factory hitch (from Tacoma Canada) is $500 loonies ... too much in my opinion. Any advice out there? Thanks in advance.

 

If you are handy, do it yourself. If not go to a U-haul or a local trailer place and get them to install it, a name to look for is Reese.

 

Do it yourself ... absolutely! There are a lot to choose from out there (just do a google search) ... thought that I would get some advice for the strong contenders!

 

I know a lot of friends have Reese hitches, but until you see it and able to inspect the weld, I guess any will do, a friend of mine built this truck from the ground up and made his, primarily b/c of the height of the lift, nonetheless stout on all accounts. 2" seems to be the most popular size of the ball, it might be helpful to get a clevis and pin to really secure if pulling someone out of a little trouble. LOL

 

I have been checking out trailer hitches more for their use for attaching accessories to than for towing and have found a number reasonable priced on eBay. Many have links to the installation instructions and I definitely think that most people can DIY. Most do not require any drilling.

If you are not going to tow frequently and not going to max out your towing ability the hitch, ball, and trailer lights etc. should be all you need.

If you are going to tow frequently, tow long distances, tow in hilly terrain, or tow at the Tacoma's maximum capacity you should also look into a trans oil cooler.

The hidden hitch and Curt hitches look pretty good to me.

 

I bought a Curt hitch and it's great. Cost me only about 100 vones and easy to install.

 

i should have done mine myself, but it was a present from my wife... .one of the first mods to my truck..... uhaul did it for about $125-$150.... but they did not set up the wiring harness, just the hitch.... i haven't used it yet, nor have i wired it up....

 

I guess it depends on what you want to tow or how much you want to install yourself. I got the tow package with the truck since it came with a class IV hitch, oil cooler, brake controller harness, bigger battery, and bigger alternator without me installing a damn thing!

If you're planning on towing 3500lbs or less, any class III hitch and wire harness will do. If you want to tow up to the 6500lb capacity of the truck you'll need a class IV, oil cooler, and tranny cooler if it's an auto. Bigger battery and alt might help too if you want a trailer with electric brakes, lights, battery, etc.

I don't know if a dealer will install all the parts for the tow package for you or not, or how much it costs. Was that price for the hitch alone?

 

Thanks for all of the good advice.

The $500 hitch is the price of a trailer hitch from Toyota Canada (new) ... same as the factory hitch on your TRD trucks.