What Did You Do With Your 120 Today? (13 Viewers)

[Rednexus]

I think this is the piece you are missing:

08925-35870 Genuine Lexus Receiver Assembly, Hitch

Genuine 08925-35870 Receiver Assembly, Hitch fits Lexus models. LexusPartsNow offers 0892535870 for $38.47.

www.lexuspartsnow.com

FYI the OEM 6500# hitch is quite a bit beefier than the pintle style hitch, if you plan to do significant towing or use the hitch as a recovery point.

 

[NJGX]

Hm, damn, I haven’t even come across that as a part while searching for a hitch. I definitely do not have that part. Is that welded and bolted to the bumper bar? I’m not even sure what to search for to get that.

The OEM hitch bolts up to mine, I think. If you look at the OEM and metal tech, they have a vertical mounting plate with 4 holes and a horizontal with 2. Those holes line up with the ones on my frame rail.

View attachment 3015152

That part is bolted on using the same 6 holes as the small (not full frame mounted) Toyota hitch receiver and the Metal Tech 4x4 standard hitch. Either of those are good for 5k lbs and you'll still have the same clearance as the SSO receiver.

 

[drowzyGX]

I think this is the piece you are missing:

08925-35870 Genuine Lexus Receiver Assembly, Hitch

Genuine 08925-35870 Receiver Assembly, Hitch fits Lexus models. LexusPartsNow offers 0892535870 for $38.47.

www.lexuspartsnow.com

I went down a rabbit hole this evening, and stumbled across this detailed post on the hitch install.
It lists the part you mentioned, but states that there’s apparently a different version of 08925-35870 for 2003 and early 2004 GXs.
There’s 2 OEM full, class IV hitches:

• PT228-60540, for 2004 forward, parts page explicitly states 08925-35870 is required
• PT228-60440, for 2003 - early 2004, makes no mention of a required support plate.

This is the weird part. I have an early 2004 GX (02/2004). If I put my VIN into a Lexus parts website, I get confirmed fitment for the old hitch PT228-60440. I get fitment for 08925-35870. The new hitch PT228-60540 does not fit.

I’m struggling to find the part number for the other plate and unsure if 08925-35870 fits. I think I may give the dealer a call on Monday.

@NJGX you are correct, but I’ve already got the SSO. The bracket I need from Lexus looks to be about $50…at least the newer version is.

 

[NJGX]

Replaced some blown out old design JBA UCA bushings. Simple job, but pretty messy if your old bushings were as bad as mine.

 

[jdevtac]

It’s like Christmas in May!

Huge, huge shout out to RCI. I ordered a full set of skids - everything from the filler plate on back - and it got here today! With current lead times due to materials shortages, I cannot believe the turnaround from them.

plan to install them this weekend. One question for the group: any harm in running the bare aluminum skids?

I opted not to powder coat because it seems to chip while in shipping. When researching how to paint bare aluminum, I learned that it’s not quite as easy as painting bare steel, but a lot of folks opt to run the aluminum without any coating.

That’s safe, right?View attachment 3010352

I’ve had raw aluminum skids for about 2 years now. They do develop an oxidized layer and turn dull but it’s not going to hurt anything. What may happen though is any steel hardware even with a protective coating may start to exhibit galvanic corrosion as the parts get exposed to rain/moisture over time. For example the 2 front mounting bolts I use on my IFS skid are “ultra corrosion resistant” coated steel and look great. The rear 2 bolts are the yellow zinc coated bolts from RCI and are building up a little crust from the galvanic.

What I usually do is install skid, topcoat with a rust preventive protectant mainly to shield from water. Sort of helps.

Worst case scenario check hardware in a year or whenever you drop them for maintenance or something and potentially swap out if they look bad. Which you’d have to do with OEM hardware anyway.

 

[amongmany]

Finished mounting up our aluminum extrusion roof rails on our new brackets:

 

[Maxacceleration]

Finished mounting up our aluminum extrusion roof rails on our new brackets:

I like your cross members using the stock rails. Do these give enough strength to use a RTT? I like the smooth stock roof rails vs the aftermarket girder bridge look of most racks. Trying to keep a somewhat luxury suv look vs an erector set roof rack.

 

[jdevtac]

Installed 240amp mechman alternator! Alternator swap itself was easy, took maybe an hour to get it out after watching some videos and this is my first time doing that job.

Swapping the OEM wiring out cleanly was not fun.

 

[amongmany]

I like your cross members using the stock rails. Do these give enough strength to use a RTT? I like the smooth stock roof rails vs the aftermarket girder bridge look of most racks. Trying to keep a somewhat luxury suv look vs an erector set roof rack.

Many folks have mounted a tent on the stock rock using LFD or similar rails. These should suit that purpose just fine. Bear in mind that the weak point in the stock rack is the point where the channel rails mount to the feet.

 

[ArBrnSnpr]

I like your cross members using the stock rails. Do these give enough strength to use a RTT? I like the smooth stock roof rails vs the aftermarket girder bridge look of most racks. Trying to keep a somewhat luxury suv look vs an erector set roof rack.

I broke my factory roof rack at the mounting feet by mounting a RTT to extruded aluminum cross bars.

There's a post about the extruded cross bars where I discuss it and posted pictures.

I don't have the exact number in front of me but the factory rails are designed to carry something like 70 pounds.

Even the lightest RTT exceeds that.

I'm very, very lucky I caught mine before it ripped off on the freeway!

I would absolutely NOT mount a RTT to the factory rails, no matter how many cross bars you're running. The feet are just pot aluminum and will not hold up the that stress.

 

[Maxacceleration]

I broke my factory roof rack at the mounting feet by mounting a RTT to extruded aluminum cross bars.

There's a post about the extruded cross bars where I discuss it and posted pictures.

I don't have the exact number in front of me but the factory rails are designed to carry something like 70 pounds.

Even the lightest RTT exceeds that.

I'm very, very lucky I caught mine before it ripped off on the freeway!

I would absolutely NOT mount a RTT to the factory rails, no matter how many cross bars you're running. The feet are just pot aluminum and will not hold up the that stress.

Thanks AirBorne. Obviously that is my concern. I'll err on the side safety and not mount a RTT. It has been a consideration, but I don't need to fall down the ladder or piss out the window in the middle of the night lol (I sleep very hard). The Roof Nest has been the RTT I have been eying, but I will stick to my ground tents.
I'm glad your experience wasn't a total catastrophe, and you caught it before disaster. Thanks for the FYI.

 

[Tywrap]

Nice! Where’d you snag that?

Amazon. Slumberjack roadhouse. It's on-sale now btw. 97$

 

[drowzyGX]

Alright, hitch mystery solved. There are indeed 2 different full receiver hitches from Lexus, 1 for 2003 - early 2004, and 1 for mid 2004 onwards. Apparently both are almost impossible to get from Lexus. The dealer I spoke with today said they don’t see any in stock in the US right now.

There is only 1 plate for rear frame rail to attach either a hitch like the sso or the full receiver hitch from Lexus: 8925-35870.

I went ahead and ordered the curt class 3 hitch as it only mounts to the side frame rails and does not require the part from Lexus.

So…I now have a brand new, uninstalled SSO Lil Hitch for sale. Will take $80 + shipping, saving you $20 or so, lol

 

[Rednexus]

You might want to do a similar cross-reference to a 4Runner hitch. I ordered a new Toyota hitch for an '07 4Runner for my Lexus and it was a 100% perfect fit. Since the GX and the 4Runner share a frame, they might also share the same 03/04 and 04+ hitch difference. If not, you might be able to find a used one.

I had a Curt hitch on my 470 and really didn't like it. It was pretty ugly (hung down really low), all of the powdercoat flaked off, and it had limited clearance near the exhaust. It's only rated to 5,000+ relative to the 6,500# OEM hitch. It's probably better than a pintle hitch but is a few notches below the OEM 6,500# hitch.

Edit: This MIGHT be the right OEM Class IV hitch - it appears to be restricted to 2003-2004 4Runners and a couple of 2005 4Runners (PT228-89440). It has a different part number than the 2005-2007 as well (which are PT228-89460), but please verify on your own. Might be worth calling your local Toyota dealer and seeing if they can order one for you to look at. I really don't think you'll like the Curt hitch that much based on my experience, unless you don't have any other options.

PT22889440 - Towing Options, Tow Hitch. CLASS, IV, Exterior - Genuine Toyota Accessory

Genuine Toyota Accessory # PT22889440 (PT228-89440) - Towing Options, Tow Hitch. CLASS, IV, Exterior. Fits 4Runner

parts.toyota.com

 

[drowzyGX]

You might want to do a similar cross-reference to a 4Runner hitch. I ordered a new Toyota hitch for an '07 4Runner for my Lexus and it was a 100% perfect fit. Since the GX and the 4Runner share a frame, they might also share the same 03/04 and 04+ hitch difference. If not, you might be able to find a used one.

I had a Curt hitch on my 470 and really didn't like it. It was pretty ugly (hung down really low), all of the powdercoat flaked off, and it had limited clearance near the exhaust. It's only rated to 5,000+ relative to the 6,500# OEM hitch. It's probably better than a pintle hitch but is a few notches below the OEM 6,500# hitch.

Edit: This MIGHT be the right OEM Class IV hitch - it appears to be restricted to 2003-2004 4Runners and a couple of 2005 4Runners (PT228-89440). It has a different part number than the 2005-2007 as well (which are PT228-89460), but please verify on your own. Might be worth calling your local Toyota dealer and seeing if they can order one for you to look at. I really don't think you'll like the Curt hitch that much based on my experience, unless you don't have any other options.

PT22889440 - Towing Options, Tow Hitch. CLASS, IV, Exterior - Genuine Toyota Accessory

Genuine Toyota Accessory # PT22889440 (PT228-89440) - Towing Options, Tow Hitch. CLASS, IV, Exterior. Fits 4Runner

parts.toyota.com

Great suggestion. I’ll check it out. The handful of times I’ve bought parts from Toyota dealers, they’ve always had the same part number from Lexus. A little worried about fitment. I know the Lexus hitch that fits my GX shows as “discontinued” on a handful of parts sites, and the dealer I called today said they don’t see any available from the various US parts warehouses.

I’ll do some digging.

I don’t plan to tow at all. This is solely to provide a recovery point from the rear for when my dumbass inevitably gets stuck while wheeling out west this summer. Figure the class iii from curt may be better suited for recovery than the sso lil hitch?

 

[Rednexus]

The Curt will be more robust than the SSO, but still gas the issues with hanging down pretty low, kind of cheap powdercoating, and aesthetics.

FYI the PNs are probably different because the plug for one hitch says Toyota and the other says Lexus

 

[drowzyGX]

The Curt will be more robust than the SSO, but still gas the issues with hanging down pretty low, kind of cheap powdercoating, and aesthetics.

FYI the PNs are probably different because the plug for one hitch says Toyota and the other says Lexus

Haha maybe. I went through a clublexus thread today from late 2004 with a bunch of GX owners having issues with the hitch. Apparently lexus did not offer a hitch or the towing package on any GX with kdss that was manufactured prior to April 2004. That’s the date that determines which of the 2 hitch part numbers you need.

Apparently that’s why my GX also lacks that receiver mount. After April 2004, the bolt pattern for the receiver mount (and pintle hitch) changes, too. The 4 bolts that mount to the back of the frame and the 2 to on the bottom are spaced differently.

There’s a wrecked 2003 with the full hitch at a part’s yard local to me. Gonna pop in this week and see if I can check the fit of that hitch and receiver mount. If it works, I’ll stick with it. If it doesn’t, I’ll probably stick with the curt. If the powder coating fails, I can sand and spray it. From the pictures I’ve seen online, it doesn’t look to sit any lower than the Lexus tube hitch. Same with the “hidden hitch” brand. Maybe I’m just not looking close enough.

 

[Toyoland66]

Small upgrade, but replaced the bolts that attach the trim plates on the Ironman bumper from hex heads to flanged Allen head stainless. Probably picked up about 10 hp and 2 mpg…

 

[Tanaman]

Took it out for a night with the fam. It was windy and raining and I still slept well. Plus we found some trails to get muddy on so that was fun!

 

[aztoytec]

Moved the trailer brake controller to a more convenient spot. A lot easier to reach now.