Lexus seems to fall short here. They advertise that the car is ready to go and that adding the hitch is simple (Cheap). But of course, they down play the $350.00 needed to get that final tow - step!

U Haul seems to do a tow hitch too for the GX's at 35% less. Come on Lexus, why'd you do that?

On a leased car its like paying a high rental fee!

Does it not also come with the wiring harness plug for the factory wiring.Compared to a uhaul one that splices into the wiring?
Also you can always remove it and sell it to someone else after.

Try Park Place Lexus. They sell the assembly for the RX330/350/400h for $219.95, which is considerably less than my local dealers.

Tom

It does come with the wiring harness plug, mine has it but I have no hitch. Now since I have a hitch on the 4Runner, I've noticed that the GX has the complete harness plug, just missing the end of it.

Just don't get the big straight, square, hitch with the big U-Haulk decal. TACKY!!! OEM is round and contoured so it looks nice, and the wire harness mount on the OEM is pretty beefy. Might want to check that out.

The strongest hitch made for the GX470 is the one from the Lexus dealer. This hitch is held on with 12 bolts. All other brands are only held on with 8 bolts. That right there makes a big difference in strength and durability. What is your life and property worth to you?

On this 8 and 12 bolt point, dumb question. I only want to use mine for a bike rack, no trailer pulling. So does it make any difference?

I use the $129 class III hitch from Hitch Source, rated at 5000 pounds. I can't remember how many bolts it has. when I have my GX serviced, I have the dealer mechanic inspect the hitch and it looks great after 2 years of use. I have a receiver-mounted bike rack, a tandem axle cargo trailer that I've put 2k miles on and a 5000 lb. wakeboard boat with trailer.

I have a 2006 GX-470 with the trailer prep package. Didn't realize until now that doesn't include the hitch. Anyway, you're towing a 5000 lb boat with a class III hitch and you have no problems? I've recently purchased a new boat and plan to trailer it but now I need to buy the hitch. Local Lexus dealer wants somewhere around $600-$700 (total parts and labor) to install. I'm looking for reasonable - and safe - alternatives. I appreciate anyone's feedback here.

Not to hijack this thread, but what about the brake controller? I would like one installed so it looks "built-in", perhaps by using the ash tray space. I suppose a car audio place could do the cutting and installation, and perhaps even the electrical connections since it seems to be the "plug and play" type. Anyone?

Hi Bob -

I bought my Curt Hitch from hitchsource.com. You'll need to buy the 7 prong wiring harness, the green relay for the back of your truck and a relay for your front relay block (under the hood). The relays (about $100 for both) and harness are from Sewell Lexus. Sewell has great prices for authentic Lexus parts. You'll have sticker shock for the harness ($180), so check a salvage yard for that if you want to save a couple of bucks, but whatever you do, resist the temptation of tapping your brake light wires and running a universal harness; it'll be more trouble than it's worth. Also, if you want to save even more $$, I have an extra relay for your front relay block that is brand new. I bought it from a Toyota dealer that would not accept returns on electrical parts; I'd be more than willing to ship it out to you for less than I paid.

As for safety, I've had (knock on wood) no problems. Again, just follow all of the installation instructions for the hitch and have the dealer inspect from time to time when you do oil changes, etc, and you should be fine. with an air ratchet, the hitch itself took about 15 minutes to install.

BTW -

Relays took a 1.5 hours to research (but that is done for you through me ) and less than 25 minutes to install. Also, the Curt Hitch is round and looks virtually identical to the heavy duty (read: under bumper) Lexus OE hitch on my Dad's GX, right down to the curved round tubes.

Has anyone installed a hitch on their LS430?