Toyota Sienna towing Casita

[Mike_L]

I would expect a dealership to have the information necessary to install a hitch, wiring etc. on the new vehicles they sell. Otherwise, I would find a shop that did know what they are doing and maybe a more knowledgeable dealership as well.
Some dealerships may stay away from these installs for liability reasons.

[EllPea in CA]

Originally Posted by Mike_L

I would expect a dealership to have the information necessary to install a hitch, wiring etc. on the new vehicles they sell. Otherwise, I would find a shop that did know what they are doing and maybe a more knowledgeable dealership as well.
Some dealerships may stay away from these installs for liability reasons.

You would expect the dealership to have the information and skills, but that has not been our experience where I live. For instance, my town is a regional center surrounded by rural space. I.e., many ranches and others living a rural lifestyle. Or you have people with big trucks because they haul their big boat out to one of our beautiful lakes (Whiskeytown or Lake Shasta, or others deeper into the mountains) or hitch up giant fifth wheels.

In other words, many dealers here sell trucks that come already with great tow packages built in. Salespeople don't really need to know much about 7-pin vs. 4-pin systems. And you CAN go down to U-haul to put on some kind of tow bar on any vehicle, but would you really trust them to dig into your electrics on a foreign vehicle? Not me!

I'm sure there are some talented specialists around, but they may not have a ton of business, due to the aforesaid local big truck situation. Anyway, that's just my two cents, YMMV.

[Jon Vermilye]

Originally Posted by EllPea in CA

You would expect the dealership to have the information and skills, but that has not been our experience where I live. For instance, my town is a regional center surrounded by rural space. I.e., many ranches and others living a rural lifestyle. Or you have people with big trucks because they haul their big boat out to one of our beautiful lakes (Whiskeytown or Lake Shasta, or others deeper into the mountains) or hitch up giant fifth wheels.

In other words, many dealers here sell trucks that come already with great tow packages built in. Salespeople don't really need to know much about 7-pin vs. 4-pin systems. And you CAN go down to U-haul to put on some kind of tow bar on any vehicle, but would you really trust them to dig into your electrics on a foreign vehicle? Not me!

I'm sure there are some talented specialists around, but they may not have a ton of business, due to the aforesaid local big truck situation. Anyway, that's just my two cents, YMMV.

Mine either. My Toyota dealer was willing to sell me the harness to run the 4 pin wiring from the dash to the rear of my RAV4, but had no interest in running it, wiring a charge line, brake controller or wiring, or, for that matter, a 2" hitch receiver.

[Mike_L]

The vehicle manufacturer, represented by the Dealership, determines the capacities, including weight and towing capacities, of the vehicles they manufacture. Most jurisdictions require that these vehicles are only legal for use within these specifications. There is usually a consequence, fine etc. for those caught exceeding these specifications.
If towing capacity is specified, the conditions used to determine these numbers should be available, from the dealership, for customers considering the purchase of their vehicles.

[EllPea in CA]

Originally Posted by Jon Vermilye

Mine either. My Toyota dealer was willing to sell me the harness to run the 4 pin wiring from the dash to the rear of my RAV4, but had no interest in running it, wiring a charge line, brake controller or wiring, or, for that matter, a 2" hitch receiver.

Yep. LIABILITY!

[FearlessFreddy]

Our 2010 Highlander AWD Limited, of course came with factory towing package, but no receiver. I chose a factory receiver for it when we got our 2019 Little Guy Mini Max because the aftermarket receivers that were available hung down within 8 or 9 inches of the ground, and the bottom of the curb gutter at our driveway would have made this a problem, not to mention unknown campground challenges. The Andersen WDH (with the long chains) adjusts ground clearance to about 11 inches, and this has never been a problem. However, installing lighting, brake and power connections, converting 4-wire availability to 7-wire, was quite challenging, but proved that I can still do some of my best thinking under a car's dash, and laying on my back on a garage floor.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Mike_L

…If towing capacity is specified, the conditions used to determine these numbers should be available, from the dealership, for customers considering the purchase of their vehicles.

Ah, but there’s the rub. Dealers are often uninformed or even misleading when it comes to details about towing. They just want to make the sale. That is even more true with used vehicles. Realistically, even well-intentioned dealer employees do not keep at their fingertips every specification and every caveat for every variation of every model sold over the last ten years or more.

Fortunately, the full owner’s manual for just about any vehicle manufactured in the last 2-3 decades is a download away. Just google it. I would never buy a tow vehicle without first reading everything it has to say about towing and about ratings. Most are very thorough. Do it before you set foot in a dealer.

The other piece of information you don’t want to miss is the weight information on the door jamb. It gives the actual payload of the particular vehicle as built, including all factory options. Good dealers will even add a sticker deducting the weight of dealer-added accessories.