Receiver Hitch? (1996 KZH-138)

Heya team. Anyone have any guidance on a receiver hitch that could be bolted or welded to a 1996 Hiace KZH-138? I'm in California and eTrailer.com said they didn't have a universal hitch that would fit a Unibody frame. Thanks for any thoughts or tips on what / where to source. -Jonathan

I bought a generic hitch and just had to fabricate 2 heavy angle brackets to transition to the holes with fine internal threads in the frame

I've been searching as well, a custom hitch maker in Kent, WA said $750 to $1500, but they would need to look before giving a firm estimate.


I asked the folks at etrailer and got a more promising response at least for people willing/able to do some DIY

https://www.etrailer.com/question-654691.html?fb=yes

Quote :

Trailer Hitch Option For A 1997 Toyota Hiace Van
Question:
Hello, Im looking for a trailer hitch for my Japanese Dometic Market JDM 1997 Toyota Hiace van. Your catalog doesnt have pre-made hitch for this vehicle. Im wondering if you know of others that have fitted one of your hitches to a Toyota Hiace and which hitch they used. I think one of your universal hitches for RVs might work. Thanks for any guidance.

asked by: Randolph B

Expert Reply:
While we don't have a confirmed fitting hitch, we do have universal fit hitches like the Curt Adjustable Width Trailer Hitch Receiver for RVs # C13704 that you could use. This hitch fits a frame width of 22" to 66" wide and could require a bit of modification to surrounding components to complete the installation. The excess cross-tube can be cut down to make a cleaner look on your van.

expert reply by: Kevin C

Hello All

There are loads of posts on here enquiring about tow bars and it seems there are lots of various country-specific answers. It’s something I’ve been looking at, but not reached an answer yet.

Here are a couple of posts including some useful pictures....

https://hiace-super-custom.forumotion.com/t4437-uploading-pictures

and
https://hiace-super-custom.forumotion.com/t4333-some-pictures-of-my-1993-lh119

For vehicles in the UK I think this is probably the best site for inspiration:

https://www.watling-towbars.co.uk/import_vehicle_towbars.html

Have a click about there, there’s a lot to consider, even if the country-specifics don't fully apply.

I think the chassis attachments are the same for all ‘H100’ vans (~1989 to ~2004-ish) so year and engine type probably don’t matter. It’s possible that the leaf spring / coil spring rear suspension might change some things, but I don’t know. If anyone knows different, please say so?

I think there are differences whether the rear bumper has step or not but I’m not 100% sure.  I did post about this ages ago.

See:
https://hiace-super-custom.forumotion.com/t4372-hiace-normal-rear-bumper-swap-to-one-with-a-step#24336


Thanks!

p.s. I’d like to ask what is the thread size for the mounting bolts, if anyone knows, please? While I have easy access to these on my van (lots of stuff out of the way) I’d like to clean up the threads but don’t want to get it wrong and it's not easy to see from a thread gauge. Grateful for any pointers?

VanLife Northwest has a listing for one
https://www.vanlifenorthwest.com/products/receiverhitch

Interesting that the above link shows one variant for all the KZH models and some of the LH ones, but a separate one specifically for the LH113 and LH119. I’m a bit baffled by this.

Has anyone asked them this question so I don’t have to?

Some new and relevant content here:

https://hiace-super-custom.forumotion.com/t3686-tow-bar-for-1994-super-custom#24871

Do check that out.

Cheers!