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Joined the club yesterday and got my X7422S installed. Before I jumped in, I read through this thread (thanks
PetTaxi for starting the conversation and taking that initial plunge) and incorporated many of the tips shared into my own install. I too can confirm the kick sensor works with seo035 and the_phew 's mods.

Thanks to all that posted!

Made some of my own notes along the way to help those after me. See attached PDF.

Now onto that journey 2" lift...

View attachment 51918 View attachment 51919
Great job and thank you for taking the time to document and do the write up.
 
Discussion starter · #82 ·
I can't believe it has been 6 months since I started this discussion. At the time I installed my Torklift hitch, I didn't think there would be room for the lift gate kick sensor, nor did I think I'd miss not having it. (since I'd never had one before anyway.) I want to thank those of you who proved me wrong!

After several times when I wished I had that kick sensor, and a month or two of procrastination, I finally found a stretch of boredom and went to the chore of replacing the sensor. Figured I'd better do it before I lost it (the sensor that is.)

The bumper cover came off in about 10 minutes this time, the hardest part was unplugging the wiring sockets from the rear lights. I cut the sensor as you other pioneers discovered and rerouted the green wire. The bumper cover went back on quicker than it came off. No surprise that the sensor works as it should. Happy day.
Building Wood Road surface Rectangle Asphalt


Thanks again to all the helpers and brave adventurers. I know we are all glad we went with the Ecohitch instead of the easier ones.
 
Kind of wishing I'd done this now. We have the regular style hitch and it does scrape up against the ground when there's a sudden change in pitch on the road - like taking the turn to get up the steep hill to our house, for example :) Generally, if I take it slow it doesn't graze the ground, but even still!
 
A great big thanks to all that have contributed to this thread!! It is much appreciated and helped tremendously with my Ecohitch installation this morning.

I received my hitch yesterday and got to work early this morning. It took about 3 hours with some help from a friend. The included instructions were insufficient and it would have taken a lot longer if I did not find this thread. The good news is that the hitch fit the studs perfectly without any stud bending needed so Ecohitch has fixed the issue that affected early adopters.

The hitch still looks pretty low to me especially compared to my previous SUV's and there is no way I would want to go with anything lower. I am very glad I passed on the factory hitch and other aftermarket options. This hitch is well worth the effort and, in my opinion, the only way to go. When our other Sienna arrives in a couple of weeks I expect to be able to install this hitch in less than 2 hours. The factory wiring harness is a tad on the short side but will work.

For those folks that do not have a spare tire the wiring harness installation from the inside can be a pain in the keister. I depended on a YouTube video for that one and it took about 45 minutes to get it installed. After completing that task I discovered an access panel that becomes exposed once the bumper cover is removed.
Vehicle Automotive lighting Vehicle registration plate Trunk Motor vehicle

Automotive tire Wheel Motor vehicle Automotive exterior Automotive wheel system
 
I have ordered this hitch from Rackattack in Vaughan Ontario Canada, paid $1144 Cdn with taxes for the hitch + install.
I live in GTA and will be getting a XSE soon. Since my driveway is a steep slop, I am thinking of getting the Ecohitch to haul my trailer. Appreciate if you can share some of your experience:
  • How would you rate the quality of work done by Rack Attack? Any warranty?
  • Does the lift gate kick sensor still work after the install?
  • Did the $1144 include a 4-way or 7-way connector? Or it is something extra?
  • Is there a wait time for the delivery of the hitch?
 
I live in GTA and will be getting a XSE soon. Since my driveway is a steep slop, I am thinking of getting the Ecohitch to haul my trailer. Appreciate if you can share some of your experience:
  • How would you rate the quality of work done by Rack Attack? Any warranty?
  • Does the lift gate kick sensor still work after the install?
  • Did the $1144 include a 4-way or 7-way connector? Or it is something extra?
  • Is there a wait time for the delivery of the hitch?
my hitch is being installed this Fri so I will share some pics and experience afterwards. The price does not include the wiring harness for towing. Wait times is approx 2 months for my hitch as it is being shipped from the US.
 
What would you say would be the biggest thing you'd be willing to tow with the Sienna?
We tow a 2003 Jayco Eagle 10sg. Dry weight is 1765, GVWR is 2800, I am fairly certain we have never had it that heavy. The van pulls it great. I did put the Airlift 1000 helper bags in the back to help with the rear sag and it made a huge difference. Of course you can tell its there and I don't really do any passing if I don't have to, but it pulled it from Idaho to the Pacific without any trouble.
 
Yes, it’s an XSE
The only difference might be that I have the factory trailer wiring. May need to trim and reroute it as it’s wired through the actual hitch crossbar.
Hey @AlbaRallyVan , did your van with the factory installed hitch still have the foot kick sensor installed? I am considering a Woodland but they all come with factory hitch. Curious if the sensor will be there there in the event (very likely) that I want to remove or replace with the hidden hitch.

Appreciate the info if available!
 
Hey @AlbaRallyVan , did your van with the factory installed hitch still have the foot kick sensor installed? I am considering a Woodland but they all come with factory hitch. Curious if the sensor will be there there in the event (very likely) that I want to remove or replace with the hidden hitch.

Appreciate the info if available!
Read in another thread from a Woodland owner that removed the factory hitch that the rear kick sensor was not installed.
 
Read in another thread from a Woodland owner that removed the factory hitch that the rear kick sensor was not installed.
Man, that’s gonna irk me if that’s the case. Loosing functionality of the foot activated lift gate because of a poorly thought out and tacky tow hitch, not even a 2” one at that; also stupid expensive.
No option to not get it on the woodland either.
 
Man, that’s gonna irk me if that’s the case. Loosing functionality of the foot activated lift gate because of a poorly thought out and tacky tow hitch, not even a 2” one at that; also stupid expensive.
No option to not get it on the woodland either.
100% agreed. It sure looks like Toyota assumed that no one buying a Sienna might actually want to tow something with it. It seems fairly obvious that they assigned the task to the most inexperienced person they could find and gave him 2 hours to come up with something.
 
A great big thanks to all that have contributed to this thread!! It is much appreciated and helped tremendously with my Ecohitch installation this morning.

I received my hitch yesterday and got to work early this morning. It took about 3 hours with some help from a friend. The included instructions were insufficient and it would have taken a lot longer if I did not find this thread. The good news is that the hitch fit the studs perfectly without any stud bending needed so Ecohitch has fixed the issue that affected early adopters.

The hitch still looks pretty low to me especially compared to my previous SUV's and there is no way I would want to go with anything lower. I am very glad I passed on the factory hitch and other aftermarket options. This hitch is well worth the effort and, in my opinion, the only way to go. When our other Sienna arrives in a couple of weeks I expect to be able to install this hitch in less than 2 hours. The factory wiring harness is a tad on the short side but will work.

For those folks that do not have a spare tire the wiring harness installation from the inside can be a pain in the keister. I depended on a YouTube video for that one and it took about 45 minutes to get it installed. After completing that task I discovered an access panel that becomes exposed once the bumper cover is removed.
View attachment 53932
View attachment 53933

Thank you for showing the access to the wiring harness. I am going to take it to a local shop to have the Torklft hitch and wiring harness installed. Just to clarify so I can communicate to the shop, for the sienna without the spare tire, I can access the connection to the wiring harness from that compartment behind the bumper without having to remove any of the interior trim?
 
Thank you for showing the access to the wiring harness. I am going to take it to a local shop to have the Torklft hitch and wiring harness installed. Just to clarify so I can communicate to the shop, for the sienna without the spare tire, I can access the connection to the wiring harness from that compartment behind the bumper without having to remove any of the interior trim?
That is correct provided you are using the factory wiring harness. Some after market options require running a lead to the battery which is not accessible through the access point pictured above.

No, you’ll need to pull the trim off, but it’s rather simple. Just a few clips. Whole panel will slide out.
The trim does not need to be removed as the mounting location for the wiring harness is accessible from the outside after the bumper cover is removed via a vent as pictured in post #86.

It took me over a half our to get the trim panes off but about 3 seconds to open the vent. I can tell you which option I will choose when I install another one in a few months.
 
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