Aftermarket hitch, yea or nay?

testingwithfire

Hi, newb to EVERYTHING about campers and towing as well as this forum!

I'm looking at towing a Dutchman. To tow it I'm aiming to buy a used vehicle with a V6 engine.

Should I focus on vehicles with factory installed hitches? What about aftermarket hitches? What's your experience been?

Thanks!

MikeDawn265

Welcome to the T@B forum!

Vehicles with factory tow packages are the best. It is not only the hitch, but added transmission cooler and possibly a brake controller and better suspension.

I don't believe you can get a vehicles true towing capacity with after market installations.

Marceline

I have an aftermarket hitch that I installed myself when my tow vehicle was new and it has worked fine for nearly 20 years and I've towed thousands of miles. Even without the tow package, my vehicle came standard with a transmission cooler, so that was a big factor. So the answer to your question is: it depends on the tow vehicle. Most V6s will have a plenty of leeway for towing a T@B (esp an older one that weighs less) but you'll need to research your specific vehicle. I've had good luck getting the right equipment for my vehicle (hitches, wiring harnesses) from eTrailer (etrailer.com). 

ScottG

I agree that a lot probably depends on your vehicle. Power may not be the only consideration--the vehicle chassis and hitch attachment points also have to up to the task.

If your "V6" is a truck chassis with a solid frame to bolt to, probably just about any quality hitch will likely be fine. If you are attaching to a unibody vehicle--more like a typical car--you might want to research more carefully.

There's a old post here about somebody's aftermarket hitch ripping right off their unibody chassis, complete with pretty scary photos. IIRC it had to do with the geometry of the hitch and the relative weakness of the attachment points. While this was a very rare event, but that is not much solace when you are that one-in-a-million.

Admittedly, I'm not real knowledgeable about this. However, if I had a choice, I agree with @MikeDawn265 that the safest bet is probably a hitch designed and installed by the car's manufacturer.    

Marceline

ScottG said:

There's a old post here about somebody's aftermarket hitch ripping right off their unibody chassis, complete with pretty scary photos. IIRC it had to do with the geometry of the hitch and the relative weakness of the attachment points. While this was a very rare event, but that is not much solace when you are that one-in-a-million.

Admittedly, I'm not real knowledgeable about this. However, if I had a choice, I agree with @MikeDawn265 that the safest bet is probably a hitch designed and installed by the car's manufacturer.    

As I mentioned above, I installed my hitch myself on a unibody vehicle so I’m pretty familiar with the process. Any unibody that’s rated to tow has dedicated attachment points for the gear. These are reinforced- they’re not just holes in the sheet metal.  The oft-cited incident of a hitch ripping off a unibody vehicle happened when some idiot wrench monkey installed the wrong hitch on a vehicle- they literally took a drill to the body when the hitch didn’t line up with the vehicle attachment points for the bolts. There is nothing inherently wrong with adding a hitch to a unibody vehicle as long as you get the right hitch and follow the installation instructions. A few weeks after I installed my hitch some moron rear-ended me and put the ball straight through the radiator of his big MBZ. Of course I had my shop check the hitch when they replaced my bumper. It was fine. 

It would probably be easier for the OP to get a vehicle with the hitch already installed. But if they find a sweet deal on the vehicle of their dreams and all it’s missing is the hitch I would not call it a deal breaker. 

ScottG

No argument there, @Marceline, but unfortunately "idiot wrench monkeys" are one of the additional variables a buyer needs to be aware of when having an aftermarket hitch installed. I'm with you--do the homework and do the work yourself if you are capable. Otherwise, proceed with caution!

mona

@ScottG you left out the part about tow capacity regarding the failed hitch post. Adding an aftermarket hitch to the vehicle gave it a tow capacity of 2000 pounds, The factory tow package would have been 3500, if I remember correctly. Check the tow capabilities with and without the tow package of whatever vehicle you are considering. 

Jeannie

ScottG

Good point, @mona. I recall there were some peculiarities about that incident, but I did go back and actually locate it locate it. A search should bring it up if someone is particularly interested.  

Marceline

ScottG said:

Good point, @mona. I recall there were some peculiarities about that incident, but I did go back and actually locate it locate it. A search should bring it up if someone is particularly interested.  

It was just a complete cluster and not valid data point for making broad generalizations about aftermarket hitches and unibody vehicles. People have done plenty of stupid things with pickup trucks, too.

ScottG

I'm not sure if we are all talking about the same incident. Here is the discussion I was referring to.

Don't shoot the messenger. Like I said, I don't have a lot of personal experience in this realm. I'm just making reference to an incident reported by another forum member regarding unibody structural failure from an aftermarket hitch that had been installed by a trustworthy mechanic. Maybe there is more to the story.

Marceline

ScottG said:

I'm not sure if we are all talking about the same incident. Here is the discussion I was referring to.

Don't shoot the messenger. Like I said, I don't have a lot of personal experience in this realm. I'm just making reference to an incident reported by another forum member regarding unibody structural failure from an aftermarket hitch that had been installed by a trustworthy mechanic. Maybe there is more to the story.

I was actually thinking of a failure that someone posted on Facebook, but it looks like the same problem: wrong hitch or hitch installed incorrectly. 

mona

Geo said:

So all unibody vehicles with after market hitches are suspect ?

So only integrated hitches from the factory are really safe ?

Please share some of this research you refer to.

Cyclonic said:
I think a lot of it is going to depend on the hitch set-up.  The Escape itself has the power to tow 3500, but the caveat I missed several years ago was that that is with a factory installed tow package.  I finally found, more recently, a tow guide from Ford that has that information.  It was my mistake for missing this when I first went about setting up to tow.

The aftermarket hitch I had is by Valley (which in turn is made by Thule).  It was a class III hitch rated at 400/4000.  It was installed correctly, and I even found a short installation video on eTrailer.  This is installation on an '09 Escape, but the frame has not changed.

It seems that the Valley hitch is a bit different then other hitches made by other manufacturers, and that could have also contributed to the failure.  Below is what the Valley hitch looks like:
...

@Scott, same vehicle. And I am wrong on the tow capacity for that vehicle without tow package. It’s actually 1500 pounds. 

Gotta read the fine print on tow ratings. Properly equipped means tow package not just a hitch. I’m just offering this as a caution for someone new to towing. 

(Mod note: added quotes to Cyclonic's response to Geo from 2017 discussion.) 

Sharon_is_SAM

@testingwithfire - another option is a FWD Toyota Sienna.  Not sure when they started doing this, but all the FWD Siennas come with the standard factory tow package that includes the engine oil cooler and heavy duty radiator, fan and coupling.  It would need an after market hitch and receiver.  

CharlieRN

It really does depend on the vehicle. For example many European cars come from the factory with towing capability, something that is particularly true for Volvo. Nearly all their models can tow, not just the SUVs. Towing capacity varies by model from only 2,000 lbs for the smaller front-drive sedans and wagons, to 3,500 for most AWD and SUV models to 5,000 lbs for the largest Volvo, the XC90. The same is true for many Audi models.

Many aftermarket hitches, not just those offered through the dealer, are designed for specific cars. In the case of my 2008 XC90, I went with a Draw-Tite Class III w/2" receiver (rated for 5,000 lbs, as is the XC90) because, unlike the Volvo hitch, it did not require cutting a notch into the underside of the bumper. Installation was not particularly difficult because the hitch was designed for that specific Volvo, and the job was made easier by being able to view an etrailer video of an installation done on my specific model & year.

The point is that my car - as well as many others - came from the factory with towing in mind, meaning that it has things like reinforced attachment points, transmission and/or oil cooling, etc already built in. I just got my 320 but easily towed a heavier sailboat for several years with the Volvo/Draw-Tite combo. Factory installation may the easiest solution. but you can find more than a few cars that are ready to tow and only need you to add a hitch (and probably a wiring harness).