Thread: Trailer hitch finish

I too just purchased and installed the Draw-Tite Class III hitch. Installation was pretty straight forward, definitely need a second set of hands to hold the hitch in place while you get the mounting bolts started. I also ended up following JohnM's suggestion of removing the two spring-mount bolts where the main exhaust system connects to the rear muffler assembly (I have the V6 dual tips). Gave much more clearance - just be careful because, after loosening, one of the spring-mount bolts nearly got me in the eye (I had eye protection, but that sucker would have really hurt). Final result looks very nice. Bought it from etrailer.com and their delivery was quick, but they forgot to send me tracking info after they shipped it.

I finally got around to purchasing and installing my hitch. I bought the Curt class III hitch through HitchesDirect. Total cost was about $180 for the hitch and wiring kit with free shipping I ordered it on a Sunday and it arrived the following Wednesday. It was in a box and arrived in good shape i.e. no paint rubbed off. I really do not want the hitch to become rusty after a few years. The paint job on the hitch looks very good. I have a black Venza and the black hitch paint matches well. Hitch installation was easy in general except for one thing. I unbolted the two muffler hanger brackets at the rear and when it was time to reinstall them, I had a very difficult time getting one of the screws started on the driver's side bracket. Access is very limited and it is hard to get everything lined up just right. After some frustration and a short break, I finally got it started. I spent more time getting that one screw started than the rest of the installation. A suggestion if you are going to do this is to either back the Venza on ramps or at least onto blocks of wood to raise it up enough to give yourself some room to work - preferably on a creeper.

I also bought the Curt wiring kit from HitchesDirect. I have been reading the wiring installation instructions and have not been enthusiastic about routing a wire from the battery to the rear of the Venza. It's not that it is hard to do, it just does not seem like the right thing to do. I use a trailer about once or twice a year so I wondered if I could get power from the rear compartment cigar lighter style power outlet just when a trailer is connected. I called the Curt tech line and asked about that. They told me that is ok to do. So I installed the wiring T connections to the tail lights and instead of running the power wire to the engine compartment, I soldered a cigar lighter plug onto that wire and the ground wire. I store that power wire in the storage compartment on the right side and when I connect a trailer, I plug in the power connection. The other 363 days of the year, the cable will be out of the way. The best part is there is no wire with battery power running under/through the vehicle.

I have not yet routed the flat four trailer light connector out the rear compartment to the hitch. I plan to go out the drain plug at the bottom of the left side and route the wire to the top of the hitch tube. I want the wire to be hidden when I am not using it but accessible when I need it. I need to take some time to determine the best way to do that.

Originally Posted by Cy Guy

I finally got around to purchasing and installing my hitch. I bought the Curt class III hitch through HitchesDirect. Total cost was about $180 for the hitch and wiring kit with free shipping I ordered it on a Sunday and it arrived the following Wednesday. It was in a box and arrived in good shape i.e. no paint rubbed off. I really do not want the hitch to become rusty after a few years. The paint job on the hitch looks very good. I have a black Venza and the black hitch paint matches well. Hitch installation was easy in general except for one thing. I unbolted the two muffler hanger brackets at the rear and when it was time to reinstall them, I had a very difficult time getting one of the screws started on the driver's side bracket. Access is very limited and it is hard to get everything lined up just right. After some frustration and a short break, I finally got it started. I spent more time getting that one screw started than the rest of the installation. A suggestion if you are going to do this is to either back the Venza on ramps or at least onto blocks of wood to raise it up enough to give yourself some room to work - preferably on a creeper.

I also bought the Curt wiring kit from HitchesDirect. I have been reading the wiring installation instructions and have not been enthusiastic about routing a wire from the battery to the rear of the Venza. It's not that it is hard to do, it just does not seem like the right thing to do. I use a trailer about once or twice a year so I wondered if I could get power from the rear compartment cigar lighter style power outlet just when a trailer is connected. I called the Curt tech line and asked about that. They told me that is ok to do. So I installed the wiring T connections to the tail lights and instead of running the power wire to the engine compartment, I soldered a cigar lighter plug onto that wire and the ground wire. I store that power wire in the storage compartment on the right side and when I connect a trailer, I plug in the power connection. The other 363 days of the year, the cable will be out of the way. The best part is there is no wire with battery power running under/through the vehicle.

I have not yet routed the flat four trailer light connector out the rear compartment to the hitch. I plan to go out the drain plug at the bottom of the left side and route the wire to the top of the hitch tube. I want the wire to be hidden when I am not using it but accessible when I need it. I need to take some time to determine the best way to do that.

Cy Guy thanks for all your details...
Did Curt hitch touching the rear bumper after installation like others? I found your wiring very intersting, if you can please post somes pics that would be great to see another option without going all the way to the front. I'm debating between Curt and Draw tite hitch III for my sunset Venza.

The hitch does just barely touch the bottom of the bumper cover. Since my Venza is black, I put a short strip of black electrical tape onto the bottom of the bumper cover above the point where the hitch touches. I did not see the hitch touching the bumper cover as a big deal. There is no relative movement so I did not see that it is a problem at all.

Overall I did not see much difference in the Curt and Drawtite except for one thing that convinced me to pick Curt - the Drawtite tube appears to be open at the ends. On the Curt design, the frame brackets are welded over the ends of the tube so it is closed keeping water and dust out. This just looked like a better design to me and swayed me in that direction. (In case you hadn't guessed, I am an engineer so my professional life is spent designing things and evaluating designs)

I also looked at the Valley and it uses 2 screws on each side as opposed to the others that use three on each side. Three seemed like a better design to me.

Unfortunately I did not take pictures of the wiring. If I get it opened up again sometime I will try to remember to do that. There really is not much to show. Generally just tuck the wires away and remember zip ties are cheap so use them a lot.

Cy Guy, Thanks for sharing.
I think I will go with the Curt hitch , better design as you mentioned and also great paint finish. I may add a C-washer to prevent it touching the bumper.

I purchased and installed the Curt Mfg trailer hitch on my 2009 Venza AWD V6. The power coat hitch finish and quality of manufacturing are excellent. Installation took less than one hour and was fairly easy, I used a floor jack to hold the hitch in position for bolting. It would be much easier to completely remove the exhaust muffler and tail pipes than just disconnect the four rubber muffler mounts. The only drawback to this hitch is it pushes up the plastic body panel about 1/2", but doesn't look bad. A photo of the rear end is attached.

Installation of the wiring harness will be done this week, will let you know my thoughts.

The hitch and wiring harness were purchased through etrailer.com.

Hi everybody,

I am not sure if this is the correct thread to post my question. If i got it wrong, please forgive me.

My tail light housing on the driver side is broken. Just wondering if Mr.Rob or one of guys can help me out trying to find one and it would be great if can get some instructions to install them.


Thanks a lot

Satsank

I'm going to purchase one from CURT since my wife had to put the Venza in a snow burm to avoid being hit from a rollover. A guy pulled her out but had to use the A-Frame since there wasn't anything to hook onto. Kinda ticked me off but at least she wasn't hurt




http://www.autoanything.com/towing/7...0A3069094.aspx

Hi guys, New here! (First Post)

I am waiting for my Venza to arrive mid February! and I am doing my homework for the add-ons. While looking at the trailer hitch options, I noticed the clearance issues with the 2" curt hitch(13356). Personally, I didn't want to put a hitch on the car that rubbed or pushed up on the bumper cover. However I liked the look of the curt powder coating and felt the design (closed tubes, powder coat toughness, etc) will better withstand the elements here in the Ohio winters. So I called the Tech support line and while the retail people were not aware of the fit problem, the tech guys were. They redesigned the 2" hitch(13356) with an additional 5/8" drop on the side plates. So going forward this shouldn't be an issue. On the 1-1/4" hitch (12341) the forums and pictures I've seen show no issues before or now. (My guess is they simply enlarged the smaller receiver and didn't think about the clearance.) For those that have the older one, a couple thoughts... (Not having installed one yet, I realize I may be wrong on a few ideas)...
1) I second guess the c-washers to drop the hitch a little thinking about pressure points. For light loads this would be fine, but when you pull a heavy load those washers would create pressure points rather than distribute the forces along the entire mounting plate that touches the frame. Kind of like stepping on an empty pepsi can (okay beer can if that's your flavor), it will hold your weight until you tap on the side and crease the metal. Then it collapses. Again, fine for bike racks and a utility trailer, but think about a matching plate between the hitch plate and the frame if you pull heavier toys. Spread it out. Same idea to lower the hitch really, but protecting your venza!
2) The other possible solution, which I also wasn't sure about, would be to make a small notch cut out of the bottom of the bumper like the factory hitch outbacks do. They look nice when done, but again I hesitate (new car) . A little door edge protector could trim this out if one went this route.

If you already have the hitch installed and have this issue, I'd give curt a call for a good solution. Here's their number from my brochure 877-287-8713. At least in the US anyway. I also found they have colored hitches, but not for our hitch . Mighta looked nice.

Hope this helps your searches

I added the curt to my Venza and it does push the end of the lower bmper cover panel up a bit. Rather than cut the bumper cover, I applied paint protection film over the contact area and installed the bumper.

If you were to resell the car and since some people are wary of buying a car that's been used as a tow vehicle, it can be a negative. So, if you cut the bumper, and try to resell with out the hitch, you are left with a rear bumper cover with an obvious modification???

Somewhere in the forum there are pics of my venza with the hitch installed..... after viewing you can decide for yourself as to how obvious the interference is?