Our vehicles are an irreplaceable part of our daily lives – without it, commuting to work, buying groceries and other necessary transportations would be a hassle. Therefore, it is important for us to know whether the vehicle you are going to buy would meet all the needs.
This article discusses the presence of a hitch in the Toyota rav4 and other relevant information.
Does toyota rav4 have a hitch?
The Toyota Rav4 does not have a tow hitch, therefore they need to be installed as a separate accessory. Tow hitches can be installed in your Toyota Rav4 and have a range of tow capacity between 1,500lbs. to 3,500lbs. Rav4’s AWD system allows towing of heavy loads regardless of road condition.
The Toyota Rav4 is a small compact SUV that does not come standard with a tow hitch but meets the necessary specifications for the installation of a separate towing hitch.
The Toyota Rav4 trims which have been upgraded already cannot install the tow hitch right away – to install it, you need to remove the other features temporarily and then install the hitch.
Once you install the tow hitch onto your Toyota Rav4, you can tow a weight capacity between 1,500lbs. up to a maximum of 3,500lbs – which is a decent towing capacity for a small compact SUV.
Besides this, the Rav4’s wheels have great handling off-road with its all-wheel drive system that can handle bumpy and irregular roads while carrying heavy loads.
Now you might wonder that if this tow hitch is such a great feature, does it come pre-installed in the Toyota Rav4 series? Unfortunately, other than Rav4 Adventure – most of the models of Toyota Rav4 don’t come with the tow hitch and thus you need to purchase it and install it.
You can however, request the car dealership to install the tow hitch at the time of purchase with an additional fee.
But if you haven’t done so, you need to manually install that to your Rav4, and each model has a trim that is set up to receive a tow hitch. Which means, your Toyota Rav4 has the tow prep package already installed to allow you to install the tow hitch receiver.
Once you install the tow hitch receiver onto your Rav4, it allows your SUV to accommodate a higher towing capacity, and puts your vehicle at an optimal towing angle using the ball mount.
Besides the installation of the tow hitch onto your Toyota Rav4, you need to purchase some additional items which are completely optional but they help bring out the most of the towing capacity of your Rav4.
If you use transmission fluid cooler, 100-amp alternator, engine oil cooler as well as the hybrid system cooler – you might be able to tow heavy weights with ease.
| Toyota Rav4 Model | Hitch function availability |
|---|---|
| 2018 Toyota Rav4 | Yes |
| 2019 Toyota Rav4 | No |
| 2020 Toyota Rav4 | No |
| 2021 Toyota Rav4 | No |
| 2022 Toyota Rav4 | Yes |
Does all toyota rav4 have a tow hitch?
Since the tow hitch is such a useful accessory, many people assume that all Toyota Rav4 models come with the tow hitch pre-installed – but they don’t, except for Toyota Rav4 Adventure model.
The reason for not including the tow hitch in the Rav4 is because not all users may use the tow hitch if they do not go for off-road driving or towing RVs for camping.
Although some editions of the Toyota Rav4 may come with the tow hitch such as the 2018 and 2022 model but others mostly don’t include them.
But the good news is that the Rav4 trims are configured for you to install the tow hitch easily – even if you don’t want to install it yourself, the car dealership can do it for you as well.
Although most Toyota Rav4 doesn’t not come with a tow hitch installed, it doesn’t mean that it cannot be used with a tow hitch. In fact, despite its size and compactness – the Rav4 series can tow items as heavy as 3,500lbs.
What size is Toyota RAV4 hitch?
Since the Toyota Rav4 does not come with a pre-installed hitch, you need to buy a hitch yourself and install it. To do so, you need to make sure that you have the right size of tow hitch for your SUV.
Toyota Rav4 models have a class II hitches with a 1¼ inch opening which requires the part “Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver” or you can also use the 2-inch hitches “e-trailer Trailer Hitch Receiver”.
You should ideally try to get the larger size hitch as you can find more hitch accessories compatible with the 2-inch hitch compared to the 1¼ inch counterpart. Besides that, the 2-inch hitch also has a better towing capacity – making it a clear winner among the two.
Lastly, the important part is the trailer wiring – for which, the best part recommended is the “T-One Vehicle Wiring Harness with 4-Pole Flat Trailer Connector”.
What is the toyota rav4 hitch installation cost?
As the Toyota Rav4 doesn’t come with a pre-installed tow hitch, there are some additional expenses for you for the hitch installation. You can expect the cost to be between $500 to as high as $1,700 including labor cost.
But you can cut down on the cost significantly if you do the installation yourself. The labor cost is $100 to $150 per hour – which can compound to around $600 if the installation takes long.
The cost of the necessary parts and the hitch is between $250 to $500, so you can save out on a significant portion of money if you exclude the labor cost.
If you choose to do it yourself, it is recommended that you get some tools and do the installation by yourself. Although installing it yourself will take time and effort, it will save up on a significant portion of money.
How to install a trailer hitch on a Toyota RAV4?
Below stated are the ways you can install a trailer hitch on a Toyota Rav4:
Prepare the car’s underbody:
The exhaust is held by hangers from the driver’s side, passenger’s side and another in the middle.
In order to install a trailer hitch, you need to lower the exhaust system – which can be done by securing the exhaust using a support strap and then use exhaust removal pliers to remove all the grommets.
When the hangers are loose, lower the exhaust system on your support strap.
Place the hitch in the right position:
As you have removed the exhaust, now it’s time to place the hitch. First of all, line up the hitch by aligning the holes on the side of your hitch to the weld nuts on both sides of your SUV.
Having someone hold the hitch may be helpful for the entire installation process and reduce chances of any accidental damage done to the SUV or the hitch.
Firmly tighten the hitch with the frame:
As the hitch is in the right place and aligned, you should place the bolts to each weld nut. Make sure you use a conical tooth washer before placing each bolt and the teeth are facing towards the hitch.
The configuration for the passenger side is tighter, so first bolt the driver side into place and then move in for the passenger side – this will help hold the hitch in place while you place the bolt onto the passenger side of the hitch.
Torque the hitch:
To tighten the hitch, you need to use a 19mm socket and torque all the bolts placed to the maximum tightness. If there is not enough free space on the passenger side for torquing – you can use a crow’s foot adapter to tighten the bolt.
Reattach the exhaust back to place:
As you’re done with the installation, you need to replace the exhaust back to its original position with the three hangers. Repeat the process of the exhaust removal but in reverse – and that should help you reattach the exhaust back to place.
Final Thoughts
Since the Toyota Rav4 lacks a tow hitch, they must be added as an additional accessory. Your Toyota Rav4 can be equipped with tow hitches that have a towing capacity ranging from 1,500 lbs. to 3,500 lbs. Regardless of the state of the road, the Rav4’s AWD technology enables towing of heavy loads.
I am an automotive enthusiast and have been interested in cars since I was a little kid. I have worked in the automotive industry for many years and have extensive knowledge of vehicles and their engines. I am a father of two and I love spending time with my family.
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