Factory Welded Trailer Hitch

You all should watch the latest Team Oil Drop video. He shows how the trailer hitch is welded to the frame and a slight rear collision can total the truck.

 

Welded / Bolted.....
It's doesn't matter.

It's been that way since at least the 2nd Gens.

 

This is literally how every pickup truck sold in America works, trailer hitches are lever that can increase the force applied to a frame

 

Check out this dude's post.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/bent-frame-how-should-i-fix.474327/#post-14349685

As @TnShooter said, it doesn't matter welded or bolted, still gonna bend the frame.

 

I’ve never heard of someones truck being totaled from a minor rear fender bender until now

 

TBH this is one of the reasons we haven't bought a 4th gen. While in the case of a rear end collision the same outcome could be seen with a 2nd or 3rd gen, at least they were removable. Being into offroading and an offroad bumper manufacturer theres a severe lack of clearance under every factory hitch no matter the vehicle. Having that assembly as an integral part of the vehicles' frame which cannot easily be changed out and upgraded to a high clearance hitch/bumper assembly (which in the argument of this thread will inevitably give a more straight load path to the frame vs the leverage down low as well) is a major design bummer about the 4th gen.

 

I doubt MINOR fender bender is going to total the vehicle any more so than if the same thing happened to the rear of a 2nd or 3rd gen. It does suck, as @RelentlessFab said, that you can't remove it and add something different easily, as we all love to mod this stuff.

 

In the video they report the truck was parked and got hit.

 

I only skipped through the video a bit, did they show a picture of the truck after it was hit?

And just cause it was parked doesn't mean anything. Was it run into at 3 mph, or 83 mph? Drastic difference.

Just playing devil's advocate here, i'm curious of the details.

 

It won't be a minor collision. It would need to be severe enough to activate the crumple zones, in which case better the frame to fold than your spine.

And every 4Runner/FJ/Land Cruiser from the last 40 years have been this way.

 

I hear you. That’s why I used the term ‘they report’. It wasn’t ’Team Oil Drop’ truck, it was a guy he knows… as I recall from the video. He makes it out as only the hitch/frame was hit… who knows

 

Wouldn’t a bolt-in hitch setup also transfer impact loads to the frame? It’s not as if the aftermarket bolt on setups have their own crumple zones, and many 3Gs have been totaled from relatively minor rear end accidents

 

C4 has already said they’re going to release a high clearance soon.. And of course we’re going to have to chop off the factory hitch, it hangs too low.

They already have their front bumper out.. And yes it’s a lot of sensors on these new trucks.. If they can do it, you can do it too.

 

Good. Last thing I want is a wrecked truck and all the problems that come with it. Total it and give me a new one.

 

Cutting out parts of the frame isn't going to be good on the resale value, it's not even a drop bracket lift where you are gaining some height by sacrificing a piece of the factory frame. It probably makes the frame rigid, but it makes the truck less aftermarket friendly.

 

Currently is enough damage was done where you had to replace the bed of the truck, the back of the cab, & the frame, on a $50K truck, the insurance company will repair it, not total it.....
Body shop within the dealership I previously worked at did frame swaps all day long, very common & frequent.
Trucks are so costly, makes more sense for insurance company to repair vs total.
Sometimes between all the guys in the bodyshop we would have 4 going a month....

Also a TON work & dont wish that job upon anyone....

 

So…. Are you gonna design one anyway for the 4th gen market?

 

The hitch bracket on 2nd/3rd gen is stamped from thicker/stiffer steel than the frame rails. When hit, the whole hitch pivots downward, bending the frame rails sharply at the location between the shackle hanger and the hitch bracket. Those aren't minor accidents though, usually 45 mph and up.

 

I've seen those posts as well on various forums and FB accounts, and I look at it as a trade off. Initially, I was concerned - if I'm rear ended just sitting in traffic by some idiot inattentive driver looking at their phone while crawling forward at 5-10 mph, and it totals my truck, then that initially had me concerned. But then I thought about the other posts where I've seen these trucks allowing their occupants to walk away from some pretty serious collisions, and then I appreciate the great safety ratings. Its a fair trade off IMO.