Koktg, did not mean to mislead you.
Yes you'll be right around 1000lbs tongue weight it appears. Thinking you'll offset a bit of that with toys loaded in back. (But you're right, bikes and kayaks may not offset much tongue weight.)
I'm in the "as long as I'm pretty close to the ratings I don't worry", but I've been towing stuff for a long time with a lot more rag tag setups than any newer vehicle and also have seen the failure point of suspensions, axles, frames, bent hitches etc working as a mechanic. In all cases things were grossly overloaded. This give me comfort in pushing some limits a bit, with caution.
Bottom line a direct fit replacement hitch is at most a one day job I'd say even with just hand tools and a little experience and not that costly if you're concerned with overloading.
helping hands, a floor jack and some bigger tools for stuck bolts will make the job much easier though.
