Ok, I could easily call the dealer to ask this question, but i figured I would throw it out here first. Maybe even see a pic, if somebody has done it.

Can a towing hitch be welded onto the frame of an Xb? I do a lot of marathon bike rides and currently can fit 2 bikes into my chevy express van,(heavy high lifting) but I would rather use a bike hitch where I can load up to 4 bikes.

 

Buy the curt hitch. Try www.curt.com

 

no, but its not smart IMO on a unibody car.

 

I am in favor of a tow hitch for the xB, and responsible towing. To load 4 bikes on a hitch would not be responsible IMO. ALL the weight is located at the tounge location and although may not exceed the hitch rating I wouldn't do it. Two bikes OK or towing a trailer with less than 100# tounge weight I'll go along with but the 4 bikes do not set well with me.
BTW the hitch is bolted on and not welded.

 

I wouldn't be too worried about 4 20lb road bikes plus the weight of the hitch, unless there were also 4 passengers and their gear in the car. You need to pay attention to the car's total rated payload (920lbs, I believe), and keep in mind that extra weight behind the rear axle counts extra (because it's not distributed to all four corners).

RichC

 

Someone did come up with a hitch for the box. I think I remember a group buy for a custom hitch. Try a search. It was mainly for putting on a bike rack, not for towing.

Good luck

 

Search.

 

I put a curt hitch on my box.

I have a four bike rack from saris.

Only problem i have with it is that the box is low and on some drive ways that are angled the back of the rack bottoms out.
I am going to reweld the tubing so the end of it is more than 3 inches off the ground.

 

Also the curt bolts right up and fits really good.

 

Not with the DC sport muffler

Check out my mod: https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...284&highlight=

I have some pics of my trailer on my profile page, and http://www.scikotics.com also

Rob

 

I've been told that you shouldn't put a hitch on an xB. How do you know what's correct?

 

Toyota's line is that they do not recommend towing by an xB.

That being said, there is no reason that you can't tow if you pay attention to the vehicle's load limit. For every pound of trailer and load you have to subtract that amount of weight from the load carried internally. For example, if you tow a 250 pound dirt bike on a 200 pound trailer, you have to forgo 450 pounds of load inside the car. That means that you can carry two people (including the driver) and a few other items.

I did see an xB towing a trailer the other day in the San Fernando Valley. Hitch went through the skirt just below the bumper. Very clean looking.

Don't weld to the unibody. There are conveniently-located hard points for the vehicle tie-downs that can work just dandy for a through-the-bumper receiver hitch.

George

 

Another thing: If you put on a receiver-type hitch it would be a very good idea to make the receiver end considerably forward (FIF) of the bumper and then to make the ball mount longer. The reason is that in a rear collision without the ball mount installed you don't want the receiver to be the first thing struck. If it is, the force of the collision is transferred directly to the unibody, negating all that nice energy-absorbing features of the bumper. Could change a $500 rear-ender to a total.

 

check out e trailers .com they make a hitch that bolts on for the xb,, u can pull up to 2,000 lbs witch is like 2 honda 600's had a friend that tows to bikes 600's motorcycles on the factory 18s on trips a few times a month.. i;m ordering it soon it runs around 160. plus shipping and holds a class 2 ball. and has a 2,000 lb limit witch is way more than 4 bike. my motorcyle is 485lbs and the trailer is 425. so to bikes and a trailer is close to limit just have to postion them on the trailer a little to the back... hope that helps it is a receiver style

 

A tow hitch is definately not an option! Unibody cars aren't made for hauling stuff. It will ruin your transmission and it definately voids your warranty. It can be done and I've actually seen a scion pulling a seadoo but its defiantely not something that should be done.

 

In Europe, where no one has a Suburban, or Escalade, or Tahoe because of the gas prices (soon to be here,BTW) people have been towing with 1.5 liter cars and less, for years. The word has been said before........Responsible towing.

If you bought your box to tow 2 MX bikes, or 4 jet skis every weekend, you made the wrong car choice. But if you need to haul something once in a while, the xB is a perfect choice.

RESPONSIBLE TOWING.

I have the Curt hitch and the fold-up trailer from Harbor Freight. I moved a side by side fridge last weekend.......No problem. Just drive slow and don't push that little 1.5 liter engine, and remember the little brakes and the added stopping distance with a trailer, and you'll be just fine and still get 30 mpg's!!

A couple months ago I even hauled mulch, and some rocks from Home Depot, no problem. Would I use the xB for a business and tow everyday, NO. But for towing every once in a while, YES.

 

I've said it once and I'll say it again. If people tow with air cooled VW's you can tow with an Xb. I say go for it.

 

I also have a Harbor Freight folding 4 x 8 trailer. I aul my kart racing stuff to the track with it and it does great. Yes, use your head and all works just fine. I situate all of my stuff on the trailer so that the tongue weight is next to nothing and it doesn't weigh down the xB. I cruise at 75 hauling the little trailer without a problem. Mine is also a Curt direct bolt-on hitch, it took 20 minutes to install it.

 

FYI - http://curtmfg.com doesn't sell direct. You can look up "xB Hitch" on e-bay and find HitchSource's auction... Thought I would share the info.

 

Folks, the xB doesn't care if the load is inside or outside. The only reason that Toyota doesn't recommend towing is that their lawyers know that some idiot would hitch up an Airstream, try to cross the Sierras with it. and sue Toyota after their brakes gave out on the downhill.

Now, a recommendation of 2000 pounds towing is a wee bit high, IMO. Perhaps in flatland, but not anywhere you might encounter a hill. Keep the trailer weight down below 1000 pounds and you'll be happier.

George