speedracer

I have been looking at a '04 or '05 LX to replace my 2000 LX. Problem is it appears the tow rating has been dropped to 5000 lbs from, I believe, 6800 lbs for the older models. Nothing has changed that I can tell and the Land Cruiser still shows a higher tow rating. Any one know what happened? Is it the factory hitch is not rated for class III use now? I tow a boat/trailer combo of about 6500 lbs using a dual axel trailer with surge brakes. Advice appreciated.

bsjoiner

The change is stupid and it is because some people have overloaded their lx's and caused excessive wear to the supension. If the truck says 65000 ppl will always push it and some put way too much on it and that is when problems happen. The new integrated hitch should be as strong if not stronger that the old style and the engine has 5 more horspoer so that is not an issue. The tranny is also a 5 speed now which will help too. I see absolutly no problem with the setup you explained and would not hesitate to tow it as long as you use good driving and judgment.

Gohawks63

Maybe there is a limitation with the adustable suspension? The Land Cruiser does not have that feature which could explain the difference.

I have an '04 Land Cruiser and I have towed my 4,000lb on a tandem trailer with surge brakes and it performed flawlessly.

speedracer

Today I visited the dealer and pulled off the plastic cover over the receiver. This thing is weird. How do you put your slide into this hole? Where do you hook your safety chains? The wire harness is now a round unit and placed way under the vehicle so you have to practically crawl under the vehicle to hook up your lights! Also, when that cover is off the rear bumper looks like hell. if you try to put that cover on and off it will break after a few times. This is the worst design I have ever seen and cannot believe lexus has ruined an otherwise great tow vehicle.

Grd4Spd

i put on an aftermarket hitch (Accurate Hitch, Vallencia,CA) and like it very much....also i think that it sticks out less than the OEM hitch, which is good for your shins (and it cost $400 installed).

regards,
terry

bsjoiner

You did not get the tow package speedracer. It should have come with you car in a good sized box in the cargo area. It will give you all that you need to tow and will solve many of your concerns.

BeatenPath

A plate bolts to the rear cross member that accepts the safety chains. It mounts in the area where you removed the plastic piece in the bumper cover. Actually two boxes are included: the first box has a drop ball mount and retainer pin and the second has the safety chain plate and the four torx head bolts. With this setup you can only tow up to 5000 lbs with a max tongue weight of 500 lbs (IIRC). If you have the dealer install the plate make sure that they follow the TSIB otherwise they can damage the little plastic clip that holds the plastic vanity cover on when the plate is removed from the bumper cover.

Another option is to install the same trailer hitch that is on your 2000 LX on the newer LX and get back to the 6500lb tow limit. I was looking at doing this on my '03 LX and I believe that Toyota/Lexus does make an under bumper mount for this purpose. Look for Land Cruiser receiver mounts.

Lexus dropped the tow rating for several reasons, the most important are: (1) Most LX owners don't tow. (2) The integral hitch is in the rear bumper cross member and increasing its strength would increase the dollar damage in the IIHS bumper damage tests, increase weight, and many other associated consequences. And (3) when the LX is loaded near its gross vehicle rating with a maximum trailer load, the suspension's pump has been known to over heat and turn off the height control until it is cooled down. Repeatedly doing this will dramatically shorten the pump's life and result in more warranty claims and lower JD Power scores.

speedracer

Thanks for the excellent replies. They are much appreciated. I will look into the Land Cruiser tow bar and see if it can be adapted to the '03-newer LX's. I have delayed moving up to a newer model until I have this worked out...in the mean time the '00 keeps humming along just fine. One option is to keep the '00 for towing and buy something like an Acura Tl for fun with the $30G it would cost me to buy a new LX!