etrailer | Mount: Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver on a 2018 Toyota RAV4

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Hey everyone, Ryan here at Etrailer. Today on our 2018 Toyota RAV4, we're gonna be showing you how to install the CURT trailer hitch receiver. Before we do that though, let's take a minute, check it out and make sure it's gonna be the right hitch for you. So with these RAV4's, you know, they're awesome SUVs, very capable and really popular. And so people do a little bit of everything with them. So if you're trying to pull a trailer around, use accessories, or a little bit of both, this hitch is going to help you get that done.
There's quite a few hitches available for the RAV4 and I like to more or less break 'em down into two categories. You got the visible type and the more hidden type, which this one is definitely more hidden. Really the only thing you're gonna be able to see is a receiver tube opening, and I think it looks awesome, actually. Really puts off a factory type look, at least in my opinion. There's a Draw-Tite available that's similar to this, as well as an EcoHitch.
With the EcoHitch you are gonna get some higher tongue weight capacities. So if you like this appearance but plan on using a really heavy bike rack or cargo carrier, that EcoHitch might be a little bit better of a solution for you. And then of course you have the more visible type hitches, which those, they're gonna hang down below the vehicle and you're gonna be able to see the cross tube. Honestly though, they don't look bad by any means. Look right at home on the back of a vehicle like the RAV4, and out of those I would probably go with the Etrailer one.
I like the finish of it, and I think it blends in a little bit better. Couple of big questions a lot of people wonder when it comes to putting a hitch on the RAV4 is, "Is my hands free lift gate assist feature still gonna work" And with this particular hitch, I can't speak to it directly, and I say that because our vehicle didn't come equipped with that option, but from my understanding and past experience on similar vehicles, a lot of times the lift gate assist will still work. You'll just kind of have to take a little bit of time, find that sweet spot, kick your foot to either side of the receiver tube, and it should pop open. Something else a lot of people wonder as well is will this hitch work with hybrid models And the answer is yes. Perfect example, today we have a hybrid.
Went up without any issues, and the same is gonna hold true for the regular standard gasoline model. This is gonna have a two-inch by two-inch receiver tube opening, which is a good thing. Really common size, lot of stuff will work with it. It's going to use the standard 5/8 pin and clip. One doesn't come with the hitch. You need one, can always grab it here at Etrailer. A lot of times too if you end up buying a new accessory, they'll come with one, so something to look out for. And if you plan on leaving an accessory in your hitch for extended periods of time, might not be a bad idea to upgrade to a locking hitch pen as well. That way, it stays secure to your vehicle. The safety chain openings are gonna be a loop style and provide us with enough space. So pretty much any size hook that your trailer might have on it. When it comes to the weight capacities, maximum gross tongue weight will be 350 pounds, so that's gonna be the amount of weight pushing down on the hitch. That's good for, you know, medium-sized cargo carriers, or big ones, just depending on how heavy, you know, you load it up. And those one to three, maybe even four bike racks, give you an example. As far as the maximum gross trailer weight rating goes, that's gonna be 3,500 pounds, or the amount of weight pulling on the hitch. That is the weight of your trailer plus anything you might have in or on it. And with all that said, I do always like to recommend, it's always a good idea just to grab your Toyotas owner's manual. That way it can check in there and make sure that your RAV4 can handle that much weight safely. We'll grab a couple measurements now, and these will help you figure out what types of accessories will work best. So if we go from the ground to the top inside edge of the receiver tube opening, taking into account the lift that we inchesre parked on, that's gonna be about 14 inches. So for those of you pulling a trailer on, you can probably get a ball mount that has a slight rise in the shank. Probably that