Dual Port System (DPS) - the OEM hitch and carrier system

[brian_bp]

In a recent discussion (Car top carrier) the idea of a Dual Port System (DPS) cargo box was raised. I thought that this system deserved its own topic...

Example Dual Port System cargo carrier

... I went w/ the box on my '04. The DPS hitches and boxes can still be found...I think? The box is rated for 250lbs.

I think it looks somewhat similar to the Toyota official DPS-system box that was available for '04s and at least '05s in the USA. Not sure about later years. And it was kinda $$$$ too. You had to get the Toyota hitch, Toyota platform, plus the Toyota box. There were also bike racks and a few other interchangeable accessories.

Yes, it looks like the Dual-Port System (DPS). Although the hitch is sold by Toyota as an OEM part, it is not unique to Toyota.

What is the Dual Port System?
The Dual Port System was produced by Cequent Towing Products, and sold under their Reese and Draw-Tite brand names. It consists of a part installed on the vehicle which can serve as a hitch receiver and carrier of special accessories, and the accessories to mount on it.

There have been two generations of this system, both characterized by the two (dual) mounting points ("ports") used instead of attaching accessories to the towing hitch receiver - thus the name. Originally it had round holes and tubes as ports, in 2003 the second-generation system was released (see the attached TriMas Cequent press release), using flat plates as the ports, which have rubber covers on them (these covers and the towing receiver hole plug have Toyota logos on the OEM product). The covers slide off, and the accessories slide on. There were hitch receivers (which they called a "harness", I think) for various vehicles; in non-Toyota versions of the receiver, the 1.25" square socket to receive a towing ball mount was optional.

Accessories included a cargo tray, box to go on the tray, bike racks, and even a hinged frame to make any of the other carriers swing to the side, allowing the hatch to open. The electric lift carrier platform looked especially interesting.

The idea is that the dual mounting "ports" provide a strong and stable mount for the accessories, more suitable than the single point receivers which are intended only for towing.

The Toyota Connection
As the press release explains, "a future vehicle" from Toyota - which turned out to be the second-generation Sienna which was new for the 2004 model year - was the lead application for the second-generation (flat-port) DPS, although a 2003 news item said that GM displayed DPS on some show vehicles as well.

DPS Product Availability
The DPS hitch was available in 2004 for the second-generation Sienna as the only OEM hitch, in both the U.S. and Canada. It may still be the only OEM hitch offered by Toyota for the Sienna. I don't know if the first-generation DPS was offered for the first-generation Sienna, or any other Toyota.

The system has basically died: although Toyota continued to sell the hitch as the only OEM hitch for the Sienna, the manufacturer's web site (www.dualportsystem.com) went stale by about 2004 and was taken down some time later; it now (2009 April) just redirects to Cequent's TowReady brand site, and there are no DPS products there.

Hitches for Less still has a DPS product page up; however, it should not be there. A representative of Hitches For Less told my by phone today (2009 April 20) that this page was supposed to be removed when their stock ran out, within months of the round-port products being discontinued in 2003; only the link from the home page was removed. Accordingly, it shows only round-port products, with vehicle applications listing only up to 2003. They never had the flat-port DPS product line, and have not had any round-port product for years.

A very similar cargo box and tray have been offered by Cequent, but configured to mount in a common 2" hitch receiver instead of on DPS ports. Generally similar trays are commonly available from many manufacturers, but again only for 2" hitch systems, not for other hitch receiver sizes or for DPS.

Capabilities
My DPS hitch has a sticker on it for load capacity. It doesn't mention towing capacity other than to refer to the owner's manual, but it does give a load limit (250 lb?) at a distance back from the ports (18"?). This is considerably more than the roof rack; however, the roof rack limit is probably for handling dynamics (rather than structure), and from a dynamic point of view the box location is not a great place to add mass, either.

Several DPS accessories have been made. I looked for these accessories initially, but realized they were likely to be difficult and/or expensive to get... and then we got a trailer, and wouldn't be able to use them with it. I wouldn't want it for most purposes without the swing-away system, since it would drive me crazy not being able to get into the hatch, but that's just a matter of individual requirements.

Installation/Use Issues?
From discussion in (Car top carrier), regarding the cargo box:

...OK the lic. plate has to be moved.(is there lic. plate lights on the box?) I noticed reflectors on the box. Are they also brake lights on the box?( i don't think so as the taillights are high enough).

Moving the license plate would be bit of a pain, but I suppose it's no big deal.

I hope those are full stop/turn/tail lights on the box, as it is well behind the bumper. It's easy to run lights on a box like this, using trailer hardware and plugging into the trailer light socket. I assume the cable which is visible in jake696's second photo is connected to the Sienna's trailer light circuits.

Literature
There are two PDF documents attached to this post which were published by Cequent in 2003; they are brochures for the DPS product line:

• 2003_dps_brochure.pdf
• 2003_dps_oneface.pdf

[Texastrooper]

Can you open the trunk when the box is mounted? Or does the box swing away to make room?

[brian_bp]

Can you open the trunk when the box is mounted? Or does the box swing away to make room?

There is (or was) a swing-away accessory which mounted on the ports, incorporated a hinged frame, and carried normal DPS accessories on it. This would be in addition to the receiver, the tray, and the box (and would mount between the receiver and tray). Is this the hinge noted in the drawing markup, jake696?

I assume that without this, the box (but not tray) would need to be removed to open the hatch.

[scubajoe]

Well, I will be removing the DPS receiver from my van this week, as I've ordered a new 2" receiver and accessories for towing my camper. So, anyone interested in the hitch, it will be available.

[robo5]

Thanks for the info on the DPS. I have never seen the box before.(maybe due to $$$)

(my bad on missing the trailer harness in pic#2)

[brian_bp]

(my bad on missing the trailer harness in pic#2)

I missed it at first, too, and actually posted in both this topic and the Car top carrier topic before seeing the cable and going back to fix my comment.

The cable/light arrangement is still just a guess on my part, since I don't have specs for the flat-port version of the tray.

[robo5]

I go on a road trip once a year. So im looking into some extra storage(maybe) as my '04 does not have a roof rack. I have a ski "coffin" but at this point i don't want to drill the roof and install a roof-rack(water leaks,have other problems down the road). I am installing "air bags" the the rear coils(air lift 1000) soon. Just getting ready for the summer!!!!

[Texastrooper]

So im looking into some extra storage(maybe) as my '04 does not have a roof rack.

Wow. I know it was not standard on the CE but I have never seen a Sienna without one so far. Looks like all the CEs sold down here were ordered with the roof rails.
I would not like to miss it.
A car without a roof rack and without a hitch is only half a car for me.

[topspy]

I go on a road trip once a year. So im looking into some extra storage(maybe) as my '04 does not have a roof rack. I have a ski "coffin" but at this point i don't want to drill the roof and install a roof-rack(water leaks,have other problems down the road). =~snip!~=

I've seen some "temporary" roof racks/rails. They mount either by suction/tie-down/clamp and can be easily removed. I don't know of any brands or how sturdy/stable they are or their load capacity. Perhaps some more experienced members can provide some recommendations/reviews....

[brian_bp]

I go on a road trip once a year. So im looking into some extra storage(maybe) as my '04 does not have a roof rack...

I've seen some "temporary" roof racks/rails. They mount either by suction/tie-down/clamp and can be easily removed. I don't know of any brands or how sturdy/stable they are or their load capacity. Perhaps some more experienced members can provide some recommendations/reviews....

That looks like a great suggestion as an alternative in the Car top carrier topic.

[brian_bp]

Some of the accessories of the flat-port DPS system seem to have found a new life reconfigured for use with conventional 2" hitch receivers as products within Cequent's ROLA Products line. They are offered by Hitches4Less as the "dpscargosystem", but it's no longer DPS.

The only reason that this might be especially significant to Sienna owners with a DPS hitch is that for someone who already has the DPS tray, the ROLA Adventure Modular Storage System cargo box might be a direct fit; parts such as lights and wiring for the tray might also work.

The description of the ROLA tray confirms that those are lights plugged into a four-pin towing socket, so presumably the DPS version is set up this way as well. With the four-pin system, and described in the installation instructions as to be used "if load or cargo carrier blocks the taillights or turn signals", the lights must include both tail and stop/turn functions.

The ROLA Adventure Modular Storage System also includes a License Plate Light Kit (to address the concern raised earlier by Rob), although it is for a plate mounted on the tray, not the box.


Thanks to gotone for spotting the ROLA connection in the Car top carrier topic.

[brian_bp]

I added a couple of original DPS brochures to the first post of this topic... if nothing else, they're proof that the flat-port DPS stuff existed!

[Texastrooper]

Somehow I am not surprised that this system never really sold. I think it is really stable and an intelligent design but an overkill and too expensive. Many SUV come with hitches as standard equipment. (Explorer, Trailblazer, ...).
So why invest in another system when you already have a hitch?
And for people who only use it occasionally a roof top system is way cheaper. The additional cost on fuel for the drag with roof top system is probably way less than what you pay for this system.
And this bike carrier shown in the brochure is horrible. These are the same wobbly things you can mount on your roof. i know what I am talking about. I have two on my van and two on my camper. ;-) There are much better ones out there which use a standard hitch.

Anyhow I don't want to brag about it. But I think this port system is way overrated.

And one more thing:
If I need room for additional weight, I prefer to have it on the roof between the axles. Not way behind the rear axle.

[brian_bp]

I found the Cequent press release from the introduction of the flat-port DPS and added it as an attachment - along with a suitable edit to the text of my post - to the first post of this topic.

[gotone]

For those interested in the DPS box, there is one in Craigslist Vancouver, for $250 CDN Listed 05/17/2009
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/pts/1176222665.html



I picked up a swing version awhile back on Craigslist for $220 CDN