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Hauling a 4x8 Trailer on Cross Country Trip

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Rkingw

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hi everyone,

In May, my wife and I will be driving from Austin, TX to the Boston, MA area in our 2020 RAV 4 Hybrid XSE. We'll take our time and do the drive in around 4-5 days.

I know the RAV 4 is rated for hauling 1750 lbs. We plan on renting a Uhaul 4x8 enclosed trailer (~900 lbs). I don't think the cargo will be much more than 3-400 lbs or so.

I'm a complete newb to trailers and hauling. We don't have a hitch yet.
A few questions:

-Do I need trailer brakes, and if so, any tips on how to get started and what to look for?
-Is this distance too far to haul up to 1500 lbs?
-Do I need a particular type of hitch?

Any other tips or feedback are greatly appreciated. I'm honestly not even sure what questions to ask.

Thanks,
Rick
 
#2 ·
Rkingw said:
Hi everyone,

In May, my wife and I will be driving from Austin, TX to the Boston, MA area in our 2020 RAV 4 Hybrid XSE. We'll take our time and do the drive in around 4-5 days.

I know the RAV 4 is rated for hauling 1750 lbs. We plan on renting a Uhaul 4x8 enclosed trailer (~900 lbs). I don't think the cargo will be much more than 3-400 lbs or so.

I'm a complete newb to trailers and hauling. We don't have a hitch yet.
A few questions:

-Do I need trailer brakes, and if so, any tips on how to get started and what to look for?
-Is this distance too far to haul up to 1500 lbs?
-Do I need a particular type of hitch?

Any other tips or feedback are greatly appreciated. I'm honestly not even sure what questions to ask.

Thanks,
Rick
Click to expand...
Others will chime in but a few things to get started.

1st, the OEM Toyota hitch sits up higher than after market hitches. If you have plans to tow in the future often, consider the OEM hitch. The OEM hitch is more difficult to install.

Toyota states anything over 1000 Lbs requires trailer brakes. That maybe an issue if you don't have the brakes and a crash happens.

If this is your first time towing, perhaps once you get the hitch installed, rent a practice trailer so you know what to expect before your big adventure.
 
#3 ·
According to U-Haul, their trailer is about 850 lbs unladed so you'll definitely want to stay under 900 lbs of cargo to be sure. I do not believe those trailers have brakes and it's not something you can add on. But I don't know that it's the end of the world so long as you're conservative in your driving style and leave plenty of room for braking and maneuvers. At that point, there's no reason 1500 miles of hauling should be any different than 15 miles of hauling.

If you're going over any significant elevation changes, it might be worthwhile to buy a ScanGauge II so you can monitor various temperatures that Toyota doesn't show on the dash (like transmission, HV battery, and electric motors). I doubt that you'll be exceeding their limits, but it can't hurt to keep an eye on things like that.

There are any number of hitches out there that will work for your vehicle. I think they're generally all Class II hitches based upon the weight rating. With the XSE, I believe the hitch may interfere with the foot-operated tail gate sensor if you have one. That might be the only downside. Don't forget to make sure you get a wiring harness installed so your trailer has lights / brakes / turn signals!

Good luck with the move!
 
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#4 ·
There is a video on utube about towing a trailer totaling an excess of 2000 lbs over some mountains. No issues. I plan on getting a hitch next spring to tow my boat but am passing on the factory hitch (too expensive). There are several aftermarket hitches available with compact 1 1/2' receivers rated for 3500 lbs. The rav4 has mounting spots for hitches making installation a breeze.
 
#7 ·
PatsNotaGeek said:
UHaul trailers are generally in very poor shape, especially the ones they give for one way trips. Inspect the trailer well before driving off.

It took three trailers for me to get one with working lights.
Click to expand...
I am told the same can be said about their trucks and that Rider is much better.
 
#9 ·
Congratulations on your move and the adventure of towing a trailer for the first time 1500 miles across the country! It's not that difficult but I would highly recommend getting a hitch and renting a trailer and just practicing driving before you make that trip. Turns need to be wider, you need to pay attention to the rear wheels of the trailer instead of the rear wheels of your vehicle. Visibility is greatly reduced, might want to get mirror extenders but honestly it's not a requirement especially with a small trailer like the 4x8. Make sure to do some reversing with it as well, it takes time to get used to but you'll get the hang of it. Just remember to give yourself more distance to brake and to brake early. Also, load the trailer with more weight toward the front, ideally most of the weight will be centered over the axle. If you have a trailer that has most of its weight behind the wheels it will be very unstable and possibly dangerous. You can look up videos online about properly loading a trailer.

I just installed the OEM hitch on my car, took about 3-4 hours just to install the hitch itself, not including the wiring harness which was another 2 hours at a different date, and I have lots of experience working on my own cars(but not a plethora of tools). I was able to get the hitch and wiring harness for $450 shipped to my door by doing lots of searching of different toyota dealerships. I found one somewhat close to me where shipping wasn't a crazy amount and the parts were nicely discounted. The OEM hitch is PK960-42K10, and the wiring harness is PK5D0-42K11-WH. If you google search these you'll get a bunch of toyota parts websites that will pop up, after 3 pages of searching I finally found the dealership with the cheapest price. This is was my breakdown:


Part Number​
Part Name​
Price​
Quantity​
Total​
PK960-42K10​
Tow Hitch Receiver, Class II​
$250.75​
1​
$250.75​
PK5D0-42K11-WH​
RAV4 Tow Wire Harness​
$136.00​
1​
$136.00​

Subtotal: $386.75​
Estimated Shipping to 89074 via Standard Shipping: $66.73​
Total: $453.48​

I highly recommend the OEM hitch because it sits up higher than aftermarket hitches, so your ground clearance and departure angle stay the same(if you do any off-roading). If you can install it yourself you'll save even more money.
 
#10 ·
Look at the Torklift ECO Hidden Hitch. It sits up high like the OEM, but the install is much easier as it doesn't require removal of the rear bumper. The ECO hitch is $299 with FREE delivery, and their wiring harness is $68.

2019-2020 Toyota RAV4 EcoHitch

I trailer my motorcycle (900lbs) on my aluminum trailer (450lbs) and got 34mpg, where normally I get get 42mpg.
 
#11 ·
FLTRU said:
Look at the Torklift ECO Hidden Hitch. It sits up high like the OEM, but the install is much easier as it doesn't require removal of the rear bumper. The ECO hitch is $299 with FREE delivery, and their wiring harness is $68.

2019-2020 Toyota RAV4 EcoHitch

I trailer my motorcycle (900lbs) on my aluminum trailer (450lbs) and got 34mpg, where normally I get get 42mpg.
Click to expand...

Thanks
That looks like a Nice Option..

Would the Kick sensor still work on my Limited Rav4???
If you know...
 
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#12 ·
#13 ·
Mikeyppc said:
According to U-Haul, their trailer is about 850 lbs unladed so you'll definitely want to stay under 900 lbs of cargo to be sure. I do not believe those trailers have brakes and it's not something you can add on. But I don't know that it's the end of the world so long as you're conservative in your driving style and leave plenty of room for braking and maneuvers. At that point, there's no reason 1500 miles of hauling should be any different than 15 miles of hauling.
Click to expand...
Driving conservatively won't matter in an emergency situation.
 
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