Hitch receiver on the GX550

[R!ck]

Hitch receiver on the GX550 looks to be pretty much in a hole, to the point where it’s questionable whether you will be able to fit a locking hitch pin in much less a standard one. Can anyone out there on the west coast (where I hear they are appearing on dealer lots) verify this? Thanks.

 

[m(a)ce]

I forgot they showed this in the video but user “newcarshoppingsucks” shared in on another forum.

fast forward to about 7:00 mark to see some real world hitch pin details. hopefully it helps you.

TFL GX550 Towing

 

[killy]

It’s certainly a less than ideal situation.

I’m hoping the aftermarket comes up with a better solution than the stock cover/cowl

 

[R!ck]

I forgot they showed this in the video but user “newcarshoppingsucks” shared in on another forum.

fast forward to about 7:00 mark to see some real world hitch pin details. hopefully it helps you.

TFL GX550 Towing

That was excellent, thank you

 

[Gunner]

What a cluster!

 

[R!ck]

Hopefully what TFL showed on the hitch and cover was pre-production, as the GX they tested was pre-production. We can only hope they revised that cover which is kind of ugly not to mention sliding that pin in looks to really suck.

 

[MissPeaches]

Not sure if this helps but this is what the cover looks like

 

[R!ck]

thanks for the picture, it does look a little more defined that what I saw earlier. But sliding that lock pin in is still in question, don’t want to have to remove all that plastic just to put the pin in.

 

[Rk1679]

Hopefully the aftermarket will come up with a remedy

 

[blakebearden78]

Here's a snapshot of a GX in the Philippines with a much better valance cover for the trailer hitch. Why this was not standard in the US is beyond me. What Lexus gave us stateside is an aesthetic nightmare.

 

[killy]

Here's a snapshot of a GX in the Philippines with a much better valance cover for the trailer hitch. Why this was not standard in the US is beyond me. What Lexus gave us stateside is an aesthetic nightmare.

Does that GX even have a receiver? Haha

 

[blakebearden78]

Does that GX even have a receiver? Haha

Fair callout, maybe not. Most owners will not likely use the hitch much if at all. At a minimum, Lexus needs to offer an option to remove the hideous malignancy on the back bumper for those that won't routinely use their GX tow.

 

[Critmonkey]

Here's a snapshot of a GX in the Philippines with a much better valance cover for the trailer hitch. Why this was not standard in the US is beyond me. What Lexus gave us stateside is an aesthetic nightmare.

I like how that looks. Not sure if there’s a hitch receiver on that vehicle. Maybe there’s an illusive part number for this valance that isn’t offered in America

 

[Yianni]

This is what the hitch looks like on my Jeep GC Summit. A quarter twist of 2 screws and the cover comes off. You can use a screwdriver or coin.
Underneath and easily accessible is the receiver, 6/7 way round and 4 way flat connector.
I had to add a brake controller which always makes me wonder why Lexus would include a factory controller (which is great) and put seemingly little thought into the looks and functionality of the hitch.

 

[1 due]

Here's a snapshot of a GX in the Philippines with a much better valance cover for the trailer hitch. Why this was not standard in the US is beyond me. What Lexus gave us stateside is an aesthetic nightmare.

100%

 

[ilumo]

Bringing this to the top. That hitch cover is uuuugly. Maybe it is good as extra protection for the bumper but that’s it. I hope someone is coming up with a “fix” for this issue.

 

[TFlyfisher]

Bringing this to the top. That hitch cover is uuuugly. Maybe it is good as extra protection for the bumper but that’s it. I hope someone is coming up with a “fix” for this issue.

24 Land Cruiser now comes with a 2nd cover that is 1/2 size, more functional and less ugly. Lexus hasn’t seemed to get on board yet.

 

[ilumo]

I realized that the Gx is quite high up so I was looking into hitch steps. Not sure if you guys recommend those but I was also thinking of something that would double duty as a better “cover”. Amazon.com

I ordered one of these to see if it would look any better and to be more functional. I have my doubts but I’ll try it out.

Anyone else come up with a good bumper cover idea?

 

[ReIgnition]

I realized that the Gx is quite high up so I was looking into hitch steps. Not sure if you guys recommend those but I was also thinking of something that would double duty as a better “cover”. Amazon.com

View attachment 3162View attachment 3163
I ordered one of these to see if it would look any better and to be more functional. I have my doubts but I’ll try it out.

Anyone else come up with a good bumper cover idea?

That's a good idea