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Thread: towing

  1. #21
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    Re: towing

    The tow rating of a vehicle was determined by the original manufacture, the "rating" on a hitch does nothing to change that.

    And it's not about getting going, its about being able to stop.
    Not being able to stop usually ends very badly.

    Does that 2000-2500# tractor weight estimate include the weight of the trailer?

  2. #22
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    Re: towing

    Here's the page from the owner's manual that talks about towing. In a nutshell, they say not to exceed 2,000 lbs.

    Van Towing.pdf

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    Re: towing

    I fabricated a class III hitch for my 87 2wd cargo van today. This van has leaf springs. It's very strong, clears everything, and the spare tire rack still functions normally. Check it out:












  4. #24
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    Re: towing

    Quote Originally Posted by timsrv View Post
    Here's the page from the owner's manual that talks about towing. In a nutshell, they say not to exceed 2,000 lbs.

    Van Towing.pdf
    Thanks for the document @timsrv - very helpful. Nice work on the new hitch: impressive.

    @Burntboot: agreed. And yes I think it includes the trailer but I'll double check. Either way, sounds like I might be pushing it given that page from the manual.

    I've also been looking at payload and towing capacity calculations described on this page: https://www.readingtruck.com/calcula...wing-capacity/

    I've decided to strip out all my camper additions, bring it back to an empty van, weigh it, and put it through all the calcs before pushing the payload & tow limits. I'll report back with the calculations I came up with once complete.

  5. #25
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    Re: towing

    FYI, although there are variables, a heavier tow vehicle will typically be more stable than a light one (you don't want the tail wagging the dog). Of course loading down a light vehicle will cause other issues like deficits with power & braking. There is also the issue of properly balancing the load and staying within safe limits. For the most stability, tongue weight of the trailer should be between 10 - 12% of the trailer weight (if trailer weighs 1,000 lbs, then you should have 100 - 120 lbs on the tongue). Also the van should not sag in the back. Overload devices can be very helpful too (notice the rear axle air bags in my hitch pics above). Of course overload devices will defeat the LSPV & BV, so mods to that will need to be made there too or braking will be negatively affected. For more info on that CLICK HERE

    The other issue with towing with the van is finding a hitch. The only one made specifically for the van was a class I (for coil spring vans) and those have been NLA for a long time. The only real option is to fabricate one yourself or pay a small fortune for a weld shop to do it. FYI I tow ~ 2,000 lbs on a fairly regular basis. I need the air bags because my van is already overloaded (GVWR of my cargo van is 4,850 and I tip the scales @ ~ 6k lbs). But with the mods I've made my van tows very nice and stable. Since I rigged up trailer brakes, my stopping power is actually better while towing.

    With the heavy fixed load in my van, I need to take extra precautions when going down hills to prevent my brakes from overheating (especially without the trailer). I learned early on that my brakes will fade if I don't assist them by down shifting and maintaining slower speeds. In the beginning there were a couple of times that I was barely able to stop and smoke was pouring out of my brakes when I finally did . Since I learned to adjust my habits it hasn't been an issue. Tim

  6. #26
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    Re: towing

    Nice hitch! I can't help but ask about how part of it mounts to the recovery hooks on the back, is that hmm hard to describe, alright in a way? Or is the recovery hook mounts just there to hold it? Maybe you know more than me on that, but something in the manual said just to use it for recovery towing IIRC...

    Also, another question I got about towing while I'm here just out of curiosity; my van came with the sunvisors that give a warning for trailer towing (not to go over 45mph in english and french-canadian) and the previous owner, keyword said, had the rear springs upgraded who knows when for cargo hauling, but not for towing to the best of my memory. Does this matter in any case or is it just a thing Toyota threw in the vans as a caution? There were also sunvisors without the warning on them for the vans so I'm just curious...

    Thanks in advance!

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    Re: towing

    Quote Originally Posted by 89van View Post
    Nice hitch! I can't help but ask about how part of it mounts to the recovery hooks on the back, is that hmm hard to describe, alright in a way? Or is the recovery hook mounts just there to hold it? Maybe you know more than me on that, but something in the manual said just to use it for recovery towing IIRC...
    The van is a uni-body (no separate frame) so to make the hitch strong I took advantage of everything available. The hooks to which you're referring were used to tie the vans down when they were shipped. I'm not crazy about losing the use of those, but the plus side is I'm gaining a hitch that is stronger than these were. If a tow truck were to ever pull my van out of a ditch or something, pulling from the hitch receiver/ball mount would be stronger and better than using a single tie down loop.

    Quote Originally Posted by 89van View Post
    Also, another question I got about towing while I'm here just out of curiosity; my van came with the sunvisors that give a warning for trailer towing (not to go over 45mph in english and french-canadian) and the previous owner, keyword said, had the rear springs upgraded who knows when for cargo hauling, but not for towing to the best of my memory. Does this matter in any case or is it just a thing Toyota threw in the vans as a caution? There were also sunvisors without the warning on them for the vans so I'm just curious...

    Thanks in advance!
    I've always viewed those "towing recommendations" as a way for Toyota to protect themselves from stupid people doing stupid things. Ultimately the responsibility and/or blame falls on the driver of the vehicle or maybe the shop/person who made an unsafe modification. If one observes proper loading, safe driving habits, and adequate equipment, then there's nothing to worry about. Being in a semi-remote area, the highways around me are 70 mph. Let's just say nobody needs to slow down for me even when I'm towing . Tim

  8. #28
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    Re: towing

    I see, well that's good to know. Thanks for clearing up some confusion tim!! I was really sold that the hooks on the back at least were for recovery, what about the front ones though? (The eyehole ones)

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    Re: towing

    All 4 loops were originally intended as tie-down tabs & like the back they are attached to strong points of the van. They can be used for multiple things and are also good for "recovery" attach points.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  10. #30
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    Re: towing

    When I got my 88 4wd manual LE van the hitch was already on it, and there are no identifying marks that I can see. It's welded to the frame forward of the bumper and hangs below the bumper. Here are a few not-great photos in case anyone is interested or has a comment.Name:  20230409_190736.jpg
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  11. #31
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    Re: towing

    That is a fabricated hitch. They did good job and it was made very solid. It appears to be more solid than mine, but it's hard to imagine towing anything with the van that needs that much strength. Part of the reason I used a smaller cross-bar was to keep the receiver as high as possible. Of course mine is a 2wd and sits a little lower than yours. With yours being a 4wd your ground clearance is better, so having that hang down a bit lower is probably no big deal. I thought about welding mine too (easier), but I wanted the ability to easily remove and move to another van if/when something happens to this one. Tim

    PS: Also, yours having rear coil springs made their job a bit easier. Leaf springs were in the way on mine .

  12. #32
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    Re: towing

    Hi all,

    My wife and I are looking to get a hitch receiver for our LE 2WD to carry our bicycles around.

    Of course, I bought a rack assuming a hitch receiver wouldn't be a big deal to get

    I googled the Draw-Tite #28056 hitch, but unfortunately I didn't seem to get any results that match that #.

    Like others, Uhaul only lists one that is class I.

    Currently I have the Van Manual opened to the body dimensions section and will also take measurements between frame rails when I get home from work today. I don't know that I want to trust a bumper mounted hitch, so it seems custom might be the best route for us at this rate.


    Thanks to everyone for this thread and all of the responses, it has been immensely helpful!



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  14. #33
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    Re: towing

    Will the Draw-Tite hitch fit on the passenger van with the coil springs or just the cargo van with the leaf springs? The photo in this thread shows it on a cargo van. Thanks

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    Re: towing

    The Draw-Tite hitch (if you can find one) as it came would only fit on a coil spring van. I had to heavily hack and fabricate parts to make it fit the leaf spring van (shown on post #9). The van on post #18 is a coil spring van. I only modified that one so I could change/adjust the height of the ball. Tim

    PS: The Draw-Tite hitch is only featured on posts #9 & #18. All the other hitches (so far on this thread) are custom fabricated hitches.

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    Re: towing

    Quote Originally Posted by timsrv View Post
    I fabricated a class III hitch for my 87 2wd cargo van today. This van has leaf springs. It's very strong, clears everything, and the spare tire rack still functions normally. Check it out: [...]
    Hey Tim. I found a guy to make me a hitch (Drew in Kelso) for a quite reasonable price. I'm sending him this thread for ideas but wondering if these pics that no longer show - is there any way for me to see them again?

    Also he mentioned making a hitch that would involve cutting a hole in the bumper to make the hitch higher but I was wondering if that's a bad idea? Seems like things could go wrong with that and I'm pretty sure finding a new bumper wouldn't be easy. Any thoughts? I do notice that some other folks have cut into the bumpers to fabricate their hitches too (saw those in the Lite Ace section.) It would be nice to not worry about the hitch bottoming out.

    I appreciate your and anyone else's ideas and opinions here! Thanks!
    Last edited by jaders; 12-10-2024 at 11:29 PM.

  17. #36
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    Re: towing

    I seriously don't know what goes on with the photobucket images. Hopefully they don't do that to any more of them as I seriously would not have the time to go back and fix them all. For some reason the original tags changed recently. I was able to go back to get new tags, but I don't understand why I needed to do that.

    So your van has coil springs and the one in my post has leaf springs. That means your hitch would be different from mine, but IMO that's good because leaf springs get in the way. When I put hitches on coil spring vans I thought it was easier. That aside, I also saw the Lite Ace thread and was impressed but also disappointed. Impressed at how nice it looked but disappointed I didn't think of it 1st . It never occurred to me to do that.

    There is the thing about messing up the bumper cover, but if it's done neatly and carefully I would think it would be fine. I'd be a little concerned with access to the pin, but the other members that posted there figured it out, so Drew should be able to as well. It might be slightly tougher to install/remove that pin (probably need to lay on the ground to see what you're doing), but if you don't reconfigure often that would not likely be a big issue.

    Since it was a Lite Ace, like you I'm not sure it would be the same, but when Drew checks things out he'll be able to advise on these issues. Let us know how it works out and be sure to post some pics. Tim

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    Re: towing

    Thanks for your opinion as usual. But I don't see the entry at all now with those latest pics?

    I'm still torn about cutting into the bumper. If he can make the hitch no lower than the spare tire it shouldn't matter. But he did mention having the hitch stick out far enough so that the pin hole is accessible from outside. He definitely seems very competent! Can't wait to get it done. He's unavailable until February, but that's fine as long as it's done by spring.

    I appreciate all the input here for sure. I'll send him the lite ace pics too.

  19. #38
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    Re: towing

    Are you saying no pics display in post #23 of this thread? They are working for me...............does anybody else viewing this thread have an issue?

    Regarding the distance the receiver sticks out, I personally would not want it sticking out past the bumper. If you're going to get at the pin from behind the bumper it would need to stick out minimum of 3". Then you still need to add whatever the distance the ball mount or accessory sticks out. These vans don't have a lot of strength in the back to begin with, and extending will increase forces. Then there's the "knee bumping hazard". That's to be expected if/when there's a ball mount or accessory in use, but I wouldn't want to deal with that issue if/when nothing is being used.

    It's really up to you and Drew. After he sees/evaluates he may advise differently. Since it's going to be a custom job, with safety being the overriding factor, he should respect your opinion and make it however you want. Tim

    PS: I think Gwen may have edited my the pics out of your post where you quoted post #23 (multiple posting of the same pics takes up unnecessary band width and makes the threads more cumbersome to navigate).

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    Re: towing

    Thank you! That must be it. I do see them now. I was thinking it was a newer post with different pics too.

    Good advice about the hitch sticking out. I think I still will ask him to avoid the cutting of the bumper. The bike rack I already have comes from the hitch at an "up" angle several inches too, so hopefully like I said - if the hitch isn't any lower than the spare tire, I wouldn't think bottoming out would be a huge problem? Have you had any issues of hitting your hitch going over speed bumps or something like that? Your hitch looks very low in the last pic in post #10?

    (I remember hitting a speed bump on a dark road one night when I didn't realize the bump was there and my spare tire rack wasn't screwed down tight. The rack bounced up enough to come out of the "arm" which allowed the spare tire to go flying and I heard the rack scraping the pavement. It was my first road trip in the van to Santa Fe, NM and sure scared the crap outta me.)

    Will definitely post pics of my new hitch when it's all done! It still kind of worries me to carry this much more weight on the van, but damn, these electric bikes are just so much fun!

  21. #40
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    Re: towing

    Yes, out of all the hitch styles I did, the one in post #10 was probably the lowest. No, I never hit it on anything that I know of, but I rarely went off-road with that van. Of all the hitches I made/installed, I'm the proudest of the one in post #23. I am currently driving that van almost every day. 2 weeks ago I drove it over 200 miles towing a trailer. Van did great. On the way back I stopped at an unmanned weigh station and found my gross weight (van + trailer) to be 6,700 lbs. Compared to what I'm doing, I seriously doubt you'll need to worry about yours.

    When you go to Drew, I recommend taking the bike rack & bike(s) with you. He can install it when the hitch is done, and if required, modify it for the perfect fit/function.

    When it's done and you get it all loaded up (gear in the van + bikes on the rack), take a step back to eyeball the way it sits. If the additional weight makes the back a little low, or if it handles poorly, there are things you can do to correct it. Tim

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