Check out eTrailer.com, and then call and talk to one of their experts. They are tops at this stuff, and it is quite important to make good choices to begin with.

 

I am looking to buy a hitch for my 2018 Highlander LE AWD. I am confused with the description at the Ad in Amazon and saw two different brands of hitches.

1. Curt 13200 Class 3 Trailer Hits - Fits Front
2. Reese Towpower 44710 Class IV - Fits Rear

The 1st one the Curt 13200 says Fits front and the second hitch the Reese Towpower says it Fits Rear? All I know is that they all connects to the rear ?. What does it mean when it says it Fits front and Fit rear?

If there are any difference between the two, what is the benefit of getting the rear vs getting the front and vice versa.

The Curt 13200 fits great in the rear. $139 off Amazon and uses 6 bolts. Easy as pie. This is my second one on two vehicles now.

 

I installed the Curt.
Quality hitch, easy install, excellent price, looks great, and it’s rated beyond the vehicles tow rating.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I installed the Curt.
Quality hitch, easy install, excellent price, looks great, and it’s rated beyond the vehicles tow rating.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

X2...This is my second SUV with this hitch and for $250 all in, I ordered from Amazon on Mon, had it in hand Tues and installed the same day. Drop mic!

 

I have the Reese Towpower 44710 Class IV . The installation was easy and I really like the wiring mounting bracket. It keeps everything nice and neat. I bought a 50 cents angle bracket at Home Depot and a Reese Towpower 78096 Universal 4-Way Flat Mounting Bracket for the 4-pin connector to mount the 4-pin connector onto the tow bar itself. I ran the wires from inside the car through an existing hole on the left side, and then sealed everything up with window sealant. I also spray painted the angle bracket with flat black Rustoleum paint to match. It came out pretty nice IMHO



The view from outside

Home Depot angle bracket and Reese Towpower 78096 Universal 4-Way Flat Mounting Bracket

View of the wiring from under the car

 

That looks very nice. I like that wire mount. Looks very neat. Thanks for sharing.

 

I have another question and I know this is also for me to find out. For those who have installed the hitch yourself, Is it required to put the car in a lift or can you install the hitch without lifting the back of the Highlander?

 

"Required", no, just a bit more space to move around; if you are doing the install alone, lifting the car up in the air will mean you have to lift the hitch high to install it... I installed my Toyota hitch with the car on the ground; however, I used a floor jack (use padding/towel or 2x4 pieces to avoid scratching the paint on the hitch) to lift and hold the hitch in please while I installed and torqued the bolts.

 

Thanks, I did mine on the drive way And it took about an hour or less. I bought the Curt 13200 and it looks great. However, I am not Completely done because I need to reinstall the under plastics covers. I am not sure what amount of torque to apply to the bolts that secures the hitch. I could not locate it in the instructions.

 

Here is an URL where you can download the factory hitch installation instructions. The torque spec is 60 ft-lbs (or 80 Nm) with M12 bolts, on page 6. I would assume aftermarket should be the same or not far from the factory torque...

MediaFire

MediaFire is a simple to use free service that lets you put all your photos, documents, music, and video in a single place so you can access them anywhere and share them everywhere.

download1803.mediafire.com

BTW, also check the STICKY page for all sort of maintenance and modifications, including the hitch installation info.

DIY STICKY_***READ FIRST*** D I Y :DIY Maintenance and...

This thread will be a collection of links to threads that contain modifications, DIY's (mods or maintenance), or other misc jobs. --------------------------------------------------------------- Factory service manuals, where can I buy them? There are many out there, but here's a good one Faxon...

www.toyotanation.com

 

The only torque specification that I can see in instructions says to “Torque all 12mm hardware to 86 ft-lbs.”. This threw me off or I am looking at the wrong part of the instructions since the hardware that secure the hitch to the frame of the Highlander is 19mm and not 12mm.

 

Thank you very much. I will be applying 60 ft lbs since that is the original spec.

 

2018H,
Before doing that, please notice that the Toyota factory hitch does have additional side brackets/support while the aftermarket does not. Torque spec wise for the Curt (I just downloaded a copy and reviewed) does specify 86 ft-lbs for the Highlanders. I would use the 86 ft-lbs in this case with the Curt hitch. Sorry being back and forth on my part, I was not aware of the Curt spec until I was able to download and reviewed a copy just now.

 

86 ft lbs is the correct spec...

 

use the toyota hitch and you can install it with all 4 wheels on the ground. depending on how strong you are and dextrous, you can get it up with no issues. I used a couple jack stands to hold the hitch up as the toy hitch is heavy and I finger started all the bolts, you want to run in all the bolts before torquing to get the side plates to line up, then tighten to spec. The side plates are most of your lifting strength of the hitch so it is very important to have them done to spec.

 

entry and exit are not affected by the toy hitch, however the exit angle is drastically reduced with any of the aftermarket hitches. but who REALLY offroads a HL?

 

You might consider looking at this link, I have this installed on my 19'. In my opinion this has to be one of the best aftermarket hitches. You dont see the crossbar and its a very clean install.

Toyota Highlander hitch by EcoHitch®

Our Highlander hitch by EcoHitch® fits the 2014-2019 model. This Toyota Highlander trailer hitch features our Hidden Design which means only the receiver is visible– no large, bulky metal hitch hanging down low under your Highlander. This Highlander tow hitch is rated at 750 pounds tongue weight...

torkliftcentral.com

 

Well, that depends:
1. Does your HL equipped with helper springs (air bag style or any other...?
2. The angle/slop of your driveway to the street? If in doubt, ask your passengers only to get in the HL after you have pulled out of the driveway (get off the HL before pulling on to the driveway)..

You may want to do a test run with just a full load of people in your HL one day, just to see how much clearance left before hooking-up the trailer.

 

I have a 2019 SE Highlander, completely stock at this point. So I'm assuming "no" to answer question #1.

I'll VERY rarely have the need to tow anything, but I'm considering a hitch as an option for added cargo space (via a hitch-mounted tray on the back of the vehicle if carrying 6 people and need added luggage/cargo space).

 

Ah! Very much like my situation and use of the hitch too. I have a XLE, don't use any helper spring either, all stock; Whenever, I use my (OEM Toyota) hitch, I always bring a couple of 2x8x12 (or 2x4x12 should be fine too) to drive over in case I need that extra inch or height to get over a hump/dip.... So far I have not find the use for them yet.

 

I’m old so I had Uhaul do the job. About $400.00 for hitch and wiring installed on my 2019 XLE.