Got the Hitch and Wiring done and finally tested the lights on the trailer. Here's a quick picture.

 

Haha, love it! I've had Curt hitches for about ten years and have had great luck.

I towed a 4' x 8' trailer (with ~500lbs, bikes, canoes, mowers, etc) with a 1997 Ford Escort wagon (I'd estimate 7,000 miles over 5 years) and never had any issues. Maybe it was because it was a manual transmission, but I'm not seeing how the LS wouldn't be able to handle the same. Do they make a transmission cooler for the LS? That might be worth a look...but I really can't imagine a purple Ford Escort wagon being able to out-tow a V8 Lexus :-/

 

Yeahhhhhh....that's tight. Great place to throw a sandy wetsuit!

 

I like it. The air suspension would be very useful in this situation. Lift that back end up. Yes, they make transmission coolers. I would shift her manually while towing and keep her out of 6th gear unless coasting down hill for the most part.

 

Now that I'm looking at the pictures, my main concern would be the diameter of the hitch opening......it looks like a 1.25" and that might be the weakest link vs. a 2" hitch opening.......(assuming it's a 1.25")

 

So I just installed mine last evening (took a lot longer than I would have liked). I'll be using it solely to plug a bike rack into.

Anyway, I had been having reservations all along about how badly it would depreciate the aesthetic of the rear end. I was fully prepared to paint it to match the car color in hopes of making it less noticeable, but at the last minute decided to just mount it bare first, then do some Photoshop comps to compare black vs. color-matched. And I STILL can't decide which version is less of an eyesore.

So I'm looking to you guys to help me out here. (I'd start a survey, but it appears that can only be done in a brand new thread, and I'd much rather just keep in piggy-backed on this one)

Give me your feedback (which one looks less obtrusive):
A. Stay with the native black finish.
B. Go with the color-matched one.


Thanks!

 

You are correct. It is a 1 1/4" hitch. It's the only one made for the LS430. Tows up to 2500lb with a hitch load of up to 250lb though.

 

Does not look bad. Paint it to match.

 

Black. Color match looks cheesy, like you're trying to hide something that can't be hidden.

 

Neither. But if you must.... Black. There is just no hiding the pink elephant in the room.

 

According to the snapshot of the website below a 2" tow hitch is available in round or square tubing for all models of the LS 430 family. If valid, this would mean that the tow hitches for the 99-03 Lexus RX300 and the 01-03 Toyota Highlander would fit the LS430.

Is it possible? Or just a typo like in the 2nd picture... Class 5 hitch...lol

 

Putting a hitch on a Lexus is a sacrilege. It's almost as bad as putting one on my Z06.

 

ohhhh ahhhh. A Z06, such a lovely and powerful sports car. I bet that thing is a blast to drive. The closest I got was a 400 hp Mustang GT with a Hurst short throw and a bunch of other bolt ons.

 

Yeah, it's fun. The trailer is for our race tires and easy-up. We road race her. Almost drove her to San Francisco for a wedding but decided to go the comfy route in our LS.

 

I'd say that's a typo. The bolt pattern for our cars is in an obtuse triangle, while the bolt pattern shown in each of those images is straight line.

BTW, jamsvet, I agree. A trailer hitch on an LS IS sacrilege. That's why I'm uninstalling mine for the winter months. It's bad enough I need one (to cart mine and my kids' bicycles to the trails), but even worse would be having one that gets all rusted out and ratty looking after years of use (you've seen them, and they can get pretty nasty looking). I intend on keeping mine in pristine condition, so I'm not going to let it get exposed to the winter road salt and whatnot. I'll put it back on come late Spring.