Introducing myself...

[Longbow727]

Hi all. Recent addition to the club. 2018 GX with some basics. Method 701s with Conti Terraincontact A/Ts, front tint, hitch, painted front valence and grill surround, and some interior organizers. Truck will be used as family hauler and adventure-mobile. Will regularly see fire roads and dirt, but nothing crazy. Love this forum, very interested in any local meetups in the NYC/Westchester area!

 

[Drogon]

Welcome!

 

[r2m]

Welcome to the money pit, er... the forum!!! Sharpe looking rig!
Sounds like you only need are some all terrain tires, mild lift (1"-2"?), a couple of recovery do-dads like a set of Maxtrax, rear receiver with a shackle, a bit of tow strap and call it done!
Then, if you don't already have it, maybe add Crawl Control and Multi Terrain. Those are simple plug-n-play, literally. And not too expensive for what you gain with them!

 

[Longbow727]

Welcome to the money pit, er... the forum!!! Sharpe look rig!
Sounds like you only need are some all terrain tires, mild lift (1"-2"?), a couple of recovery do-dads like a set of Maxtrax, rear receiver with a shackle, a bit of tow strap and call it done!
Then, if you don't already have it, maybe add Crawl Control and Multi Terrain. Those are simple plug-n-play, literally. And not too expensive for you gain with them!

Thank you! A few things:

Tires - I have the Conti A/Ts because given the 90/10 split on road/off road this truck will see they made sense. They’re essentially same size as stock so speedometer still accurate and spare still usable. Hopefully will be sufficient.

Lift - seems like more trouble than worth right this second. No promises lol.

Recovery - I installed the Class III Curt hitch and got the Factor 55 recovery point. I’m going to get soft shackles and recovery rope from Treaty Oak, but realistically what are my restrictions in terms of recovery using that hitch? And alternatives? MaxTrax are on the list as is the crawl control module.

 

[r2m]

The only restriction that many people don't realize is if you get stuck, DO NOT use the receiver ball to put a rope on and pull!!
The ball has been known to break off and then becomes a small canon ball projectile!
There are inexpensive hitches with a shackle already mounted.
This: Amazon product ASIN B072V6V352
or this all-in-one! Amazon product ASIN B072V51TRC
I keep this in my wife's Taco and have had to use it before to pull someone out of a ditch!

 

[Washingtontaco]

The Curt style Class III hitch is only rated to 5000 lbs. I'd be very careful. The factory hitch is a Class IIII 6500 lbs rating and is much more substantial. Much more expensive as well but I spent a lot more to ensure the safety of my occupants and vehicle.

Continue with your thoughts of the Factor 55 hitch link, engineered, tested, and manufactured in the USA. Recovery equipment is safety equipment, ensure you purchase rated and labeled recovery equipment from companies that test the wares they pedal such as Master Pull, Treaty Oak, Safe Xtract, Step 22.

Inexpensive safety equipment off of Amazon is a risk not worth taking.

 

[Washingtontaco]

Prior to spending anymore money I highly suggest finding a I4WDTA certified trainer in your area. You will learn how to properly use your vehicle and what recovery equipment to purchase. You will find the training very informative and educational.

You can find a trainer here:

International Four Wheel Drive Training Association - I4WDTA

Excellence in 4wd Training Test for Certification (TFC) event the week of October 12-17, 2025 in Tularosa, NM. LEARN MORE Professional testing, our Product Recommendation Program can help with expert review of your products, Read more about it LEARN MORE I4WDTA working with Ford Motor at the...

i4wdta.org

 

[Longbow727]

Prior to spending anymore money I highly suggest finding a I4WDTA certified trainer in your area. You will learn how to properly use your vehicle and what recovery equipment to purchase. You will find the training very informative and educational.

You can find a trainer here:

International Four Wheel Drive Training Association - I4WDTA

Excellence in 4wd Training Test for Certification (TFC) event the week of October 12-17, 2025 in Tularosa, NM. LEARN MORE Professional testing, our Product Recommendation Program can help with expert review of your products, Read more about it LEARN MORE I4WDTA working with Ford Motor at the...

i4wdta.org

This is perfect. Thank you!

 

[Longbow727]

The Curt style Class III hitch is only rated to 5000 lbs. I'd be very careful. The factory hitch is a Class IIII 6500 lbs rating and is much more substantial. Much more expensive as well but I spent a lot more to ensure the safety of my occupants and vehicle.

Continue with your thoughts of the Factor 55 hitch link, engineered, tested, and manufactured in the USA. Recovery equipment is safety equipment, ensure you purchase rated and labeled recovery equipment from companies that test the wares they pedal such as Master Pull, Treaty Oak, Safe Xtract, Step 22.

Inexpensive safety equipment off of Amazon is a risk not worth taking.

Yes on amazon recovery gear, that’s not happening. Re. the hitch, the majority of that duty will be bike rack. But I wanted to make sure I understood it’s restriction in terms of helping someone out when it snows, etc. the 5k rating helps, but can you explain exactly what that means in layman’s terms? I THINK I know the answer, but I’d rather ask and make sure....

 

[Washingtontaco]

Yes on amazon recovery gear, that’s not happening. Re. the hitch, the majority of that duty will be bike rack. But I wanted to make sure I understood it’s restriction in terms of helping someone out when it snows, etc. the 5k rating helps, but can you explain exactly what that means in layman’s terms? I THINK I know the answer, but I’d rather ask and make sure....

The 5000 lbs rated receiver has 4-6 fasteners attaching it to a single cross member. The factory hitch uses those same fasteners and 4-6 more that attach to the frame rails running length wise along the frame. Thus spreading the load over a more substantially stronger structure. My fastener count is probably off but for sure more than the 5000 lbs rated receiver.

I bought this hitch on Amazon. It’s a factory hitch sold by a Lexus dealer out of Arizona and comes with all the fasteners and 7 pin relocation bracket.

Installation is pretty straight forward and easy.

Installation pics start on post 72.

Builds - 2018 Premium 460 build

I appreciate your comment but apparently you didn’t read that putting it on the roof was a temporary situation until I find a rear bumper solution to permanently place the spare. I know and understand the effects of putting a 100 lbs wheel/tire assembly 6’ in the air. I’ve had three roof top...

forum.ih8mud.com

Think of it this way. Your neighbor runs there crossover into a snow bank, it weighs 4500 lbs. with mire factor (slope angle, snow depth, suction of snow on the bottom of the vehicle) you could easily exceed the 5k.

 

[Longbow727]

The 5000 lbs rated receiver has 4-6 fasteners attaching it to a single cross member. The factory hitch uses those same fasteners and 4-6 more that attach to the frame rails running length wise along the frame. Thus spreading the load over a more substantially stronger structure. My fastener count is probably off but for sure more than the 5000 lbs rated receiver.

View attachment 2429693

I bought this hitch on Amazon. It’s a factory hitch sold by a Lexus dealer out of Arizona and comes with all the fasteners and 7 pin relocation bracket.

Installation is pretty straight forward and easy.

Installation pics start on post 72.

Builds - 2018 Premium 460 build

I appreciate your comment but apparently you didn’t read that putting it on the roof was a temporary situation until I find a rear bumper solution to permanently place the spare. I know and understand the effects of putting a 100 lbs wheel/tire assembly 6’ in the air. I’ve had three roof top...

forum.ih8mud.com

Think of it this way. Your neighbor runs there crossover into a snow bank, it weighs 4500 lbs. with mire factor (slope angle, snow depth, suction of snow on the bottom of the vehicle) you could easily exceed the 5k.

This is exactly what I was looking for to check my logic. Super helpful ty.