Comparing Vehicle Tongue Weight Capacity to Trailer Hitch Capacity for 2016 Toyota RAV4

Question:

The 2016 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid has a tow rating of 1750 pounds with a 150 pound tongue weight. Does installing one of these class II or class III hitches increase the towing capacity compared to Toyotas factory optional class-I hitch? The Toyota PZQ64-42096 is a class-I hitch which mounts differently and is hidden inside the bumper-cover for the most part?

asked by: Bob P

Expert Reply:

Two ratings affect the towing capacity of any given vehicle. These are the vehicle's own tongue weight (TW) rating as determined by the auto maker (and noted in the owner's manual) and the TW rating of the particular hitch that is installed. Always the lower of the two ratings will become the overall rating for the combined system. For example, a car rated for 500-lbs TW and an installed hitch having a TW rating of 350-lbs results in an overall rating of 350-lbs, the lower of the two.

I reviewed the online manual for your RAV4 on the Toyota website. Toyota recommends loading the trailer so that its TW is 10-percent of the gross trailer weight maximum of 1500-lbs (or 1000-lbs if the trailer does not have brakes). There is no way to add on capacity to a vehicle; its TW rating is fixed.

We do not offer Class I hitches for your RAV4; the aftermarket types we offer are either a 1-1/4-inch Class II type # C12108 or a 2-inch Class III type, like the etrailer # e98864 that you referenced. All can be seen on the link provided. Since we do not carry the OEM hitch I cannot confirm it's specifications.

expert reply by: Adam R