BLUEGXLVCR

Alright, I need an opinion from the masses. 2005 GX. No hitch. Wiring and plug is there. I think what is the subframe is there. I need a hitch before summer.

Dealer matched Sewell at $340 (sewell is parts + shipping)

Seems aweful expensive. I see other hitches all over the place for about $150, non OEM.

I tow a 4K boat, but about to trade it in for a couple Sea Doos. I don't need more than 4-5K. So, go aftermarket and save some bucks or bite the bullet??

(self install of course)

redrocks

U-haul is inexpensive.

ebradford

agreed. i got mine from uhaul installed for about $215 (i think, i'll have to dig up the paperwork). the hitch itself was $169 according to the uhaul site. i didn't get around to doing the wiring yet since i'm just using it for an excessively large bike carrier. it looks like the 4 flat harness is about $40.

cssnms

Hitches are generally ugly anyway, why make it worse by going with an aftermarket hitch? The OEM hitch is by far and away the nicest available, not to mention it's specifically engineered for your truck. It's what I went with on my GX so that I could tow my boat. After spending that kind of dough to buy your GX why quibble over $150?

FWIW, Trade Motion is selling the OEM hitch for $289.

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...catalogid=5819

BLUEGXLVCR

Can some of you post some pics of a non-OE hitch? I'm going to call Toyota today and see what price they can get. I completely understand the notion of going OE and it looking better, but if aftermarket looks just as good than why not save a few bucks? If it's tucked under there, than I'm okay with it. My only concern which is leading me to OE is I need to tow a car and car trailer back from Nor Cal to Vegas in the coming months. That's a heavy load.

Hey, does the GX come with a tranny cooler?

cssnms

That's just it, aftermarket does not look better. Yes, the hitches are somewhat tucked under the bumper, some more-so than others, but the reality is the hitch is hanging under your bumper and in plane view. If you want a clean look stick with OE, if you don't care all that much, go aftermarket. $289 OE vs $150 aftermarket, is a no brainer IMO.

Try doing a search, this topic has been discussed a lot and if memory serves me right, there are even some pictures. Good luck.

cssnms

Here's are some threads on the matter with pics that might be helpful... If you really want to go aftermarket Curt hitch and Hidden Hitch are probably your two best bets. In either case I still recommend the OEM hitch

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gx-...ere-but-2.html

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gx-...ing-equip.html

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gx-...th-photos.html

BLUEGXLVCR

Hey thanks for digging up those threds for me. I had seen them and they do make me lean toward OE for sure. I plan on keeping my GX for a time to come so I will be plinking down the extra bucks. Dealer quoted me $700 for installation. Can't swallow that pill. I'll be installing myself.

NewMex

My first post...

I just completed this process myself. I went aftermarket, Valley Tow Class 4 6k lbs, ordered from Amazon. At $150 with free shipping it seemed like a great deal. I have had both aftermarket and factory hitches over the years and from a quality standpoint I have seen no difference if you buy from a reputable manufacturer.

Here is what I did notice on the GX 470: The aftermarket hitch is a tight fit with the spare tire. It still fits, but there is friction on the tire now and requires a bit of effort to get it to come back down. The hitch also interferes with the factory 7 pin location. I had already purchased a kit to relocate it, as I did not like the way you had to get down on the ground to see the jack when hooking up. If you want to keep the stock location, OEM is the way to go for sure. As far as looks go, looks like every other hitch I have had over my years of towing. Nice black powder coated finish gets it extra points for durability. Happy to take a photo sometime if anyone wishes.

Now, to the part that I hope will save some people some grief. This version of the GX 470 was pre-wired for a brake controller. I found conflicting information on the web as to where to find it. Some adapter manufacturer sites said left kick panel and some said under the dash. The GX owner's manual gives a very useless diagram pointing to somewhere under the steering column. I spent a good hour on my back looking under the dash for the connector. I even took a good bit of the panels off thinking it would make it easier. I ended up giving up for the day. The next day, with a fresh set of eyes, I finally found it. It was taped to the top of a large bundle of wires, completely covered. Had I not felt it, I would have not seen it. It was up pretty high in the dash, between the steering column and the ignition. Once I found it, hooking up my brake controller was easy.

Ended up spending about 2.5 hrs on a job that should have been under 1 hr. Took my lightweight travel trailer (under 3k loaded) out for a test and everything checks out. Will be able to comment more on towing this spring. Have a number of trailers in different configurations.

Just had to add this: The backup camera makes hooking up to trailers so much easier! Will never be without again...

cssnms

No problem at all.

$700 for install is absurd! I don't remember exactly what I paid for the install, but I think it was in the neighborhood of $175 at the same Lexus dealer I bought the hitch from. You can certainly get it done for less then $700 at a local garage or another dealership. Did you call a Toyota dealership or Lexus? Try both you might be surprised. Otherwise, I would think a good local garage could do it.

redrocks

LOL! Yeah, dealer quoted me $400 to install hitch. I purchased my hitch from Sewell ($280 w/CL discount) and had U-haul installed it for $30! Yes, $30! Lexus dealer can kiss my ...!

BLUEGXLVCR

Hey redrocks,

When you got it from Sewell, did it come with everything needed?

redrocks

Yep, everything to install the receiver. You'll have to purchase ball mount and ball if you're going to be towing. Took the U-haul guy about 30 minutes to install. I left laughing to myself thinking that the local Lexus dealer wanted $400!

BLUEGXLVCR

So just an update, I went with a hitch from Uhaul, free shipping and a coupon came to $150. Imagine my surprise when the box was drop shipped from Curt. Anyway, thirty minutes later it was on! Looks fantastic I just need to fabricate a proper bracket for the plug. Powder coated, eight bolts, 5K max towing. Yeah I lost 1.5K from the OE but I'm never going to tow that kind of weight with the GX. So, $700 quoted from Lexus, $150 and 30 minutes for my time equals $550 in my pocket.

Well, $500 of it is now gone as I put down a deposit on a couple of these...

redrocks

Way to Go!! Enjoy the water!!