Looking at adding a hitch to my 2015 Venza LE with 2.7 L engine, so that I can add a cargo rack to carry a cooler and other gear. But on cars.com it says for 2015 Venza LE 2.7 L FWD:
| Dead Weight Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. | 100 lbs |
Most gear racks weigh 50-75 pounds, so not leaving much for gear. Has anyone added a tow hitch and cargo carrier, and if so how much did you carry on it? Certainly do not want to see hitch and cargo rack sliding down road in my rear view mirror!
Disclaimer: I'm not experienced in towing or hitch accessories, so do your own due diligence.
I think the tongue weight rating on cars.com comes from the guideline of having 10% (officially 9-11% according to the manual) of the gross trailer weight on the hitch. Venzas
without the tow package have a max tow rating of 1000 lbs, that's where the 100 lbs comes from, I'm guessing. With the tow package, the 4 cylinder has a 2500 lbs tow rating.
On the V6 with the tow package and 3500 lbs tow rating, the tongue weight recommendation is a max 350 lbs on cars.com.
I don't know if there's any structural difference between the 4 cylinder and V6 models at the hitch mounting locations.
I suggest checking your vehicle owner's manual, but at least in mine, there's no mention of a max tongue load. The only mention is that the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) is the max gross vehicle weight, including occupants, cargo, any optional equipment, as well as the tongue load.
If you find that there is no structural difference between the 4 cylinder and V6 models, then I would think the main figure to keep in mind is not to exceed the GVWR.
