I am looking for a vehicle that can tow about 3800 pounds and I am considering a particular 2005 Land Cruiser. This one does not have a trailer hitch. I checked the online owner's manual and it says it can tow 6300 pounds, IIRC. It does not say anything about a towing package or towing prep package. My question is: Can I just bolt on a hitch and rig up some trailer light wiring and electric brake wiring and it will tow 6300 pounds? Or do the Land Cruisers that come with a factory trailer hitch also come with other heavy duty equipment? Do you have any advice or warnings about towing with a Land Cruiser?
Towing with 2005 Land Cruiser (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter skeeterfood
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How often are you going to tow?
LCs don't make great tow vehicles due to relaitvely short wheelbase. Also, you'd want the OEM hitch as the afternarket ones are only rated for 5k lbs.
LCs don't make great tow vehicles due to relaitvely short wheelbase. Also, you'd want the OEM hitch as the afternarket ones are only rated for 5k lbs.
Trunk Monkey
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I looked at a couple of the threads above and did not find anything useful. What would be useful is a Toyota Product Information document like this one for a 2012 Highlander. 2012 Toyota Highlander Product Information | Toyota Page 8 explains what a towing prep package contains and the towing capacity it produces. Curiously, Toyota did not offer a towing package with an actual hitch or a full-size spare. I can't find a document like this for a 2005 Land Cruiser. Does anybody know how to get such information for the 2005 LC? The owner's manual for the 2005 LC says it has a max towing capacity of 6500 pounds. I can't tell if that means that any 2005 LC can tow 6500 pounds or if 2005 LCs that have the proper equipment (a factory towing package) can tow 6500 pounds. Also, one reason I rejected Highlanders for towing my 3800 pounds is that they come with a tiny spare tire that cannot be used while towing and the aftermarket hitches I found would either not allow a full-sized spare to fit under the car or they would allow the full-sized spare but stick out past the bumper to attack everybody's shins (been there, done that, don't ever want to do that again). I see that the Land Cruiser I am considering has a full-sized spare but the hitches I have found on eTrailer both stick out past the bumper. Since the LC has a drop-down tailgate this would be less of a problem while loading at the back, but it could still hurt people when the tailgate is up. Does anybody know of a LC class III hitch that is not a threat to shins?
Try Craigslist or car-part.com for a used hitch setup. 2005 should have the harnesses for tow wiring, it may require purchase of some wiring, relays, and fuses, if not present. Etrailer is a good resource, often has wiring with factory harness ends.
Tow prep of a Cruiser for a 3800 pound trailer is to add a wiring pigtail, a factory hitch, and a brake controller. That's it. You won't even notice it's back there.
