seiclan

On a positive note, if you ever get rear-ended your back door is less likely to sustain as much damage since the hitch will break the momentum. I know this from experience!

Capirato

Works even better with Ball Mount in place.

T4Fun

that just means the majority of the impact force goes thru the frame and rear cross member. its still a no win situation to be rear ended

genebolick

Just installed the Factory Hitch Receiver on my 2012 GX. This thread was a great help. Found the hitch receiver at Parts.com for $270. Took me a little over two hours to install, but everything was pretty clear by using this thread. Working under the car was a lot easier due to the high ground clearance.

Thanks to the OP for such a great tutorial.

ghettozoo

Would someone take a picture of their hitch and the plug that was installed by Lexus? I have a horse trailer and it is the common 7-way plug but one Lexus dealership said they could not install the 7-way. This is a standard plug for 5000 plus pounds.

Thank you

pinoyesv6

If I recall, my plug came withe the 7 pin on one side and the 4 pin on the other. It was prewired from the factory

ghettozoo

Thank you so much. Called dealer and rep went out and took a picture. The other dealer said it could not be done.

Kitana

You may also need a larger ball hitch. Mine came with the small 1 7/8". You are brave to tow the ponies with the GX. If you get serious about hauling I suggest a truck with a 1 ton engine and a nice gooseneck trailer. Best setup I ever had.

Bluto

Make sure you have the Class IV hitch and not the Class III installed.

Class III

Class IV

ghettozoo

The paper says Lexus hitch.....PT208-60140 Tow Hitch GX460

I can only assume that Lexus correctly says their hitch is made to match the towing capacity of the intended vehicle. Therefore this should be rated 6500#

jhd331

I just got the lexus hitch installed on my 2016 460 and it has both the 7 pin and the 4 pin on the hitch. It is all plug and play and all pre-wired on the 2016 vehicles. Not sure about the other years but that's how the 16's are.

jjscsix

If his horse trailer is a one, or even two horse trailer it would be a piece of cake. 25 years ago I pulled 32' boats with twin 500 hp engines with a 1/2 tin pickup. Sure, I would have loved to have the setup you are talking about but I only pulled the boats a few times a year (I pulled one from Miami to Houston straight through).

The GX, especially with the Luxury package is actually very well set up for toning...auto leveling air, adjustable shocks, sway control etc.

BTW, mine did not come with a ball at all. Are they supposed to? But I agree, a 2" is a must.

Kitana

Sure it is capable to tow the weight around town but I would not recommend it for frequent horse trailer hauling. JMHO though. If it's a lease go for it. / That is a lot of wear and tear on a nice truck even with proper servicing plus boats are a lot better behaved when being towed. I do hope it all works out for ghettozoo. I'm sure they are very excited to get set up and go riding as I was.
I started out with a 1/2 ton pickup many years ago and the towing power was not sufficient. I had to go 80 downhill to go 55 uphill. I told my father the issue and he said that I just did not know how to drive it. My next big horse show we had to go back through the Shenandoah's. I had my dad drive the truck/trailer and I took his sports car following him going 80 downhill and 55 uphill...lol. The next weekend we had a shiny new dually sitting in the driveway.

As for the ball hitch that was an extra my awesome sales guy threw in. The GX does tow my tiny 4'x6' cargo beach trailer beautifully.

mgtillman

I'm trying to purchase a low mileage 2014-2016 GX. I've received differing info on factory installed tow hitch. I believe on 2013 there is plastic insert on rear bumper that covers tow hitch receiver completely. Please let me know what factory installed tow hitch looks like on 2014-2016 models. Thanks!

jtrue28