[mrcutter]

Here are pic of my new hitch and bike rack:

Curt hitch...$124.00
Hitch install...$118.00
Kuat Sherpa bike rack...$448.00
Total...$690.00

Did a lot of research beforehand and decided on the Kuat. What's nice is how easily & quickly the bikes go on and off the rack....Literally about 60 seconds for both. Very secure and strong.

TheWirecutter.com recommends a $400 Thule rack, but most of the comments below the article talked about how much better the Kuat and 1Up designs were...

 

[Slash65]

Nice looking RAV4 and bike rack. Can you take a picture of the hitch without the bike rack attached? It would nice to see how much clearance there is with the Curt hitch and new bumper. Thanks

 

[mrcutter]

Here's a pic of the hitch...

Nice looking RAV4 and bike rack. Can you take a picture of the hitch without the bike rack attached? It would nice to see how much clearance there is with the Curt hitch and new bumper. Thanks

 

[vetterin]

Looks good! Today I just bought a Draw-Tite hitch for mine.

 

[GerryL]

Is that a 2 inch or the smaller, 1.25?

 

[mrcutter]

2 inch. I just ordered a cover for it.

Is that a 2 inch or the smaller, 1.25?

 

[Francesco]

On my 1999 and 2007 minivans I used the Hidden Hitch brand and those class-1 hitches were truly hidden behind the bumper but now they are no longer hidden for the 2015 Rav4. The only hitches that are hidden are the OEM Toyota (Class-1 & expensive) and the Torklift Central (Class-3) which is an overkill for the 1500 lbs towing limit. If anyone knows of another brand of a hitch that is hidden I would be interested.

Frank 2015 Rav4 XLE AWD with 11K miles

 

[GerryL]

On my 1999 and 2007 minivans I used the Hidden Hitch brand and those class-1 hitches were truly hidden behind the bumper but now they are no longer hidden for the 2015 Rav4. The only hitches that are hidden are the OEM Toyota (Class-1 & expensive) and the Torklift Central (Class-3) which is an overkill for the 1500 lbs towing limit. If anyone knows of another brand of a hitch that is hidden I would be interested.

Frank 2015 Rav4 XLE AWD with 11K miles

Is the Torquelift central one that you are referring to the "ECO" one for about $275. ?

Also it looks like the Drawtite hitch may be hidden as the actual receiver tube comes out lower than the crossbar. Most of the others its right at the crossbar level.

 

[Francesco]

Is the Torquelift central one that you are referring to the "ECO" one for about $275. ?

Also it looks like the Drawtite hitch may be hidden as the actual receiver tube comes out lower than the crossbar. Most of the others its right at the crossbar level.

Yes, the Torquelift is the ECO one I was referring to. I will check out the Drawtite hitch to see it is hidden.

Thank you.

 

[2016 awd limited]

still waiting for true hidden hitch

Yes, the Torquelift is the ECO one I was referring to. I will check out the Drawtite hitch to see it is hidden.

Thank you.

Hope someone will post photo(s) of Torklift Echo hidden hitch on a 2016. I contacted Torklift back in Jan. and as of that date they have not done an install on the 2016. So they don't know if it will fit inside the bumper. I do realize a cut-out notch will need to be done on the lower painted bumper cover for the receiver drop... if the hitch does fit inside the bumper. Not so bad to do rather than to see so much of the hitch showing now that the new bumper cover valance rolls in much more than the 2015-.

 

[piratefan]

I have the same Curt hitch and a Thule Rack. The bike racks look very similar. I think the Thule rack was about $300.00. Bikes load easily and are very secure on the road.

 

[seabook]

@mrcutter:
Thanks for sharing the breakdown of cost and pics. I am in a similar position about to pull the trigger to buy a Curt 2" receiver and Kuat bike rack. Where or who did you end up asking to do the installation? $118 for that sounds good to me.

 

[2016 awd limited]

My take on installing these hitches. If you can ride a bike then you should have no problem installing the hitch yourself. It is very easy unless one can not lay on the ground and tighten 4 bolts. As for properly installing trailer lights wiring harness (if needed), that is a bit more involved but still possible with patients. If one wants lower cost and still a good quality go with the Curt, if one wants a more polished refined look (still excellent quality and exceeds the towing specs of the rav4) go with the true hidden hitch from Torklift. It fits the new bumper design 2016+ and is what I put on my 2016 awd limited. Torklift cost a bit more and will take more time to install but looks way better if that matters. Here is a link to my post
http://www.rav4world.com/forums/125-4-4-exterior/98673-tow-hitch-46.html
on this site for my hidden hitch install with photos. My post with photos start @ #455 in the thread regarding this install. I would recommend reading that post and more of the threads previous posts to get a better idea of installing. One last thought...if there is any concern with the arrow dynamics then one needs the hidden hitch and reinstall all factory panels. Do note all the other hitches cross bars hang below the body pan and trim pieces, likely trivial and not a concern for most. For me looks, quality and arrow dynamics is why I went with the Echo hidden from Torklift. The extra $150 did not matter.

 

[mrcutter]

I went to a local garage in my town.

 

[seabook]

@mrcutter: thanks! I'll check with local body shops.
@2016 awd limited: I thought about installing it myself but wasn't sure if need to temporarily move the exhaust during the installation. If yes, that's the part I am not really confident about.

 

[2016 awd limited]

@2016 awd limited : I thought about installing it myself but wasn't sure if need to temporarily move the exhaust during the installation. If yes, that's the part I am not really confident about.

The part of it (tail pipe) that needs to be moved temp is attached by way of rubber hangers, they just slip off (using wd40 and a flat head screwdriver) and slip back on with no tool needed. Once off the pipe then it has the slack to move out of the way and you just slip the rubber hanger back on after the hitch is installed.

If you are getting the type of hitch that is exposed ie Curt, it is no big deal to install. If a shop does it and has a lift the $100 charge is minimal because the basic install will only take less than 1/2 hour. They might though, not put back the two plastic pieces that might need trimming, turn the muffler anti vibration part around and reinstall the tie down/tow hook. I don't know the configuration on the exposed hitches as mine was the hidden from Torklift. These things might not need to be done with the exposed hitches.

I think this is easy but for me I would say...not change the spark plugs, someone else would say that is easy. Yes easy but I am not comfortable doing it. Go with what you are comfortable with. Fortunately with the exposed hitches, shops can do it for the $100. Once you get your hitch it should come with detailed instructions on installation. Go from there, that might be your deciding factor after you read them.

 

[seabook]

@2016 awd limited, thanks for the breakdown. Really appreciate it. I will probably get the Curt 2" that is exposed and without any wiring as I will simply mount a 2-bike rack. I'll refer to the instructions and video from etrailer to get started and decide if I will do it myself or let local garage install it.

 

[funskel]

Resurrecting a thread to say I just had a Curt 2" installed & added a 1up USA Super Duty rack capable of holding a 72 lb. electric bike. I'd seen the single bike version of this rack on a few cars & when folded it allows the hatch to open, but I wasn't sure it would work on the RAV4 even after consulting 1up's diagrams & measuring, but it works. With the rack less than 1/4" inch from touching the bumper, the bottom edge of the rear door clears the rack. I'll link a video when I reach the minimum post limit.

Departure angle is hurt pretty badly. I'll make some measurements with just the hitch & also with the rack this weekend. There's a parking lot near me with a deep gutter and steep incline that was enough to tag just the hitch, so I'm wary & annoyed.