pkonopka

Just bought a well conditioned 2004 LX 470 for some day to day use but also for camping with the family. I would like to hear thoughts on whether (i) I should purchase the tow hitch adapter for the in bumper hitch (the 4 star bolt plate with eyelets for chains) or (ii) I should get the below bumper tow hitch kit.

Advantages of in-bumper system include: less cost, already integrated.

Advantages of under-bumper system include: can tow more, accepts bike hitch racks (in-bumper seems to be impeded by spare tire)

Thoughts?

dvlogic

I chose to go with a frame mounted hitch for my '04 LX470. The cost was about the same and the advantages way more.

I chose the Hidden Hitch from here http://www.hitchmart.com/commerce/pr...Id=950&catId=1. Installation was very easy.

The hitch is fits real tight below the bumper and is barely noticeable.

pkonopka

Great -- thanks for the thoughts and the link!

pkonopka

Was just reading about the hidden hitch...was it a clean, out of the box, bolt on or was there drilling needed? Thanks,

caddyowner

Generally, a frame mounted weight-distributing hitch is superior to a bumper mounted hitch. However, if I used my LX/LC for serious off-road use, I'd want to make sure a frame mounted hitch wouldn't seriously impact clearances and angles.

In that hitch mart link, if you hover your cursor over the tech tip wrench it says something like it uses existing holes and no drilling is needed. I know when I try to do DIY vehicle projects like this, it usually involves bloody knuckles, bad language, and thrown tools.

A2BTLC

For my 04 LX470, I bought the bumper hitch plate with eyelets for the chains from the local Lexus dealer. It listed at about $250. They sold it to me for $150.

Install took 5 minutes as there are no holes to drill. I did have to buy the special "star" tool for 4 bolts.

This arrangement is good for 5000 lb tow capacity. A frame mounted hitch is good for 6500 lbs IIRC.

BTW, I also had a Tekonsha P3 brake controller installed. As written up on MUD, the controller connects to a pre-wire under the dash (above gas pedal and tough to find). I'm all powered up through the 7 pin factory trailer connector under the bumper.

Sincerely,

Bruce
"A to B in a Toyota Land Cruiser"
TLCA member

pkonopka

Thanks for all the advice!

lexybaby77

OP: Which one did you end up buying?

I'm thinking of just buying the Towing Attachment Support. $117.57 shipped with CL discount. Here's the link:
http://lexus.sewellparts.com/accesso...2003/4436.html

My bikes are not that heavy so I think this should work.

A2BTLC

A few notes regarding use of the LX470 bumper hitch plate:

1) It will not accept all 2" ball mounts. I went to Canadian Tire. Their Mastercraft ball mount would not fit. That is, it willnot fit into the receiver. The Curtis ones do fit just fine

2) Even if the ball mount will slide thru, it may hit the spare tire BEFORE the pin holes can be lined up. In the end, it took me many hours at several suppliers to find the right one. Even then, I had to grind the end down 1/8" so the holes woyld line up without fighting the spare tire.

HTH,

Bruce

lexybaby77

^^ Good info!

tahoe470

did someone say the holes for the under the bumper frame hitch are drilled? i looked and did not see any holes, so thinking it would need to be professionally installed. can someone verify?

lexybaby77

There are 4 bolts that you need to remove first and use the same to secure the hitch to the frame. See this install guide: http://lexus.sewellparts.com/pdf/PT22860022.pdf

tahoe470

very helpful....thanks!

bbmoondog

I purchased Hidden Hitch model 87409 for my 2003 LX470 based on this string. It arrived in several days from Hitchmart in Illinois via FedEx Home delivery. I installed it this morning
(Nov 30th, 2012). I chose/selected it over the integral Lexus factory bumper receiver because I was concerned about boogering-up my rear plastic bumper cover with a trailer hitch and chains. Another concern was the larger size of the chain hooks on my trailer compared to the smaller loops on the integral Lexus receiver.

My logic: The cost of the Hidden Hitch was $184 (with free FedEx Home shipping). I figured it was about the same cost as buying the parts needed to equip the integral Lexus receiver.

My experience: The advertised 25-minute installation time is wrong unless you install hitch receivers for a living. It took me an extra 30 minutes to get out the Ingersoll air gun to break-loose the 19mm factory bolts. Don't bother removing the rear-most muffler rubber hanger unless absolutely necessary. It was a pain to remove and re-install the rubber hanger and it was waste of fifteen minutes. There was enough clearance to intall the receiver without lowering the muffler. Unless you are Hercules or don't care about your front teeth, I suggest you ask a freind to help when it comes time to mount the receiver bar.

For me, the real disappointment was having to remove the heavy-duty, Lexus factory tow-wire harness plug and mounting plate. Yup, it needed to be removed and discarded before I could mount receiver bar. Now, what the heck does one do with the dangling tow harness plug? I ended-up tie-wrapping it to bumper and hitch after I stretched the factory harness more than I wanted. This is not what I expected. There was no warning on Hidden Hitch website about tow harness plug relocation.

Beside this receiver, I have installed two other Hidden Hitch units; one my wife's RX400h and another on a neighbor's GX470. They are a good value but there may be a compromise, which may not bother you, like it bothered me.

dvlogic

I was able to mount my tow-wire harness to the left of the hitch. I attached some pictures that hopefully should give you an idea of where I mounted it. As I recall I had to to drill a single hole to to do it.

-- d