Gettin Hitched

My truck, that is. I don't have a hitch receiver, all i have is the bumper ball, and i've used that for a few trips with a motorcycle trailer but its awkward and i cant turn very sharp without denting the bumper. Has anyone added a hitch to their taco? What hitch did you get, did you install yourself, how hard was it? Looking online it seems my choices are Hidden Hitch, Curt, Reese, Valley, and UHaul hitches. I am trying to decide between these. Does anyone have any experience that would help me out?

Based solely on internet surfing, I like the look of the round tube ones (Valley and UHaul). But honestly my priorities are cheapest (im a college student), lowest weight (= mpg), ease of assembly (prolly be doing this myself), and quality of manufacture/getting the holes to line up properly. This is assuming they all have the same weight limits, which it seems they do.. I'm looking at class III hitches with a tongue weight limit of 500 lbs and a GTW of 5000 lbs. If i had to choose right now i feel that Uhaul is the most reliable? Thoughts?


Help?!?! Thanks


edit: Other questions: How much does the average hitch weigh? There are NO numbers online about how heavy they are. Also, I'd love some feedback from 1st gen truck owners in particular, but anything helps.

 

i installed one on my 99 and it was easy i think it was a hidden hitch

 

YEAH THEY JUST BOLT UP, ITS EASY ...i BOUGHT MINE AT THE U-HAUL PLACE

 

i installed the Toyota oem hitch and wiring harness on my 03 Taco. Took a while but pretty easy.

 

i installed the curt on my truck about three months ago. Everything went on with ease, i bought it through jcwhitney for 139.99 i really think they're all about the same just depends on your preference, i was like you, college student, looking for a cheap option and it has worked great so far no complaints

 

Did you have to remove the bumper to install the hitch?

 

all you have to do is cut the rear bumper and some off the rear fenders too, then they start to rust and fall off......









Just kiddin...it goes below the bumper

 

I'm a 2nd Gen so I can't say anything about the install but I've added hitches to my '07 and lots of other past vehicles. I've always bought Hidden Hitch and the install has been very easy. Wiring for a 4-pin connection can be purchased as a plug and play kit that T's into your truck's wiring harness for your tail lights. 4-pins or flat fours, as you could have guessed, have 4 wires (2 for signals, 1 for brake lights and 1 for running lights) and are for trailers without brakes or with surge brakes like a Uhaul. If you need a 7-pin, the wiring gets a little more fun since you'll need a power feed and also a brake controller on top of the wires required for running lights, brakes and turn signals.

 

Installing is easy. No need to remove the bumper. I suggest e-trailer.com for purchases. I bought my hitch used for $75 and carried it on the bus with me after work. I'd say it weighs about 50lbs.

http://www.etrailer.com/hitch-2001_Toyota_Tacoma.htm

 

Johnnie, that's classic! What brand was it?

 

Lol. Since I don't drive my truck to work it was the only way I could get it home. It was a pain in the ass to carry and since it was used it was dirty and by the time I got home, I was dirty in my work clothes.

It's a Hidden Hitch. On e-trailer.com they have a video on how to install the hitch and wiring harness.

 

I recommend the Valley hitch - I looked at a lot of them, and while they all seem easy to install and use, the Valley looked the most "stock", and was among the cheapest. Easy install too, since you put the mounting brackets on first, then the body of the hitch, meaning you don't have to hold the entire hitch up while mounting the side brackets. Was fairly easy to do by myself.

For wiring, the Hoppy wiring kit works well - it is cheap, and doesn't require you to splice any wires - it just plugs in between the wiring harness and the taillight plugs. It was very easy, and is 100% reversible if you ever needed to get rid of it.

I actually ended up with two of these wiring kits while setting my hitch up - I'll sell the other one cheap since it is in my way - $20 shipped if you want it! Here is the original sale post: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/bu...ler-wiring-adapter-1st-gen-tacoma-pickup.html

-Sam

 

I'm not sure how I'd feel about a two piece hitch. If you have someone to help you install the hitch, then it's easy. I was doing it by myself until my neighbor showed up.

 

I'm with you, not really sold on modular receivers. The one piece receivers are very easy to install, I got mine on in under an hour by myself in the apartment parking lot. Something like that Hoppy kit is a great set-up if you only need a 4-pin wiring harness. That's what I have currently on my truck(not sure about the brand but same set-up) and it's completely plug and play and reversible as the other guy pointed out.

 

The way the Valley is built, I have no concerns about it. The attachment system, despite being modular, is very beefy. I've towed quite a bit with it, as well as doing some other non-recommended activities like jacking the truck up, or pulling a box truck out of a ravine, and it has never deflected or shifted. There had been some minor tweaking to the rear frame on my truck, and without the modular assembly, it would have been very difficult to get everything in place. I appreciate it's higher ground clearance, as well.

-Sam

 

I'm leaning towards Valley. I like the tube style and the way that it bends up out of the way, unlike the square tube ones like Hidden Hitch and Curt. Like someone up there said, they all seem the same, just different aesthetics.

 

Hmmm, i may have changed my mind after seeing these backup lights:

http://www.jcwhitney.com/navigator-backup-light-kit/p2018388.jcwx?filterid=c3006o80j1

I really like them and it seems they need the square hitch to attach to. Anyone that can prove that wrong?

 

Found the weights on etrailer.com by clicking "more information" and looking at the "shipping weight."

Hidden Hitch: 40 lbs

http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Toyota/Tacoma/2000/87579.html?vehicleid=20002447

Curt: 42 lbs

http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Toyota/Tacoma/2000/13013.html?vehicleid=20005562

Draw-Tite: 43 lbs

http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Toyota/Tacoma/2000/75078.html?vehicleid=20002331

Valley: 50 lbs

http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Toyota/Tacoma/2000/V81590.html?vehicleid=20007354