Trailer Hitch Installation

Hey there!

I have decide to move from GA to TX and I am looking to pull a small U Haul trailer. I know my towing weight is 3,500 lbs and I don't plan on maxing that out. Since I have a 4 cylinder SR5, I need to get a hitch installed. Would U Haul be a bad option for hitch installation? They are recommending a CURT hitch. $400.99 for hitch, ball, wiring and installation. A local shop quoted $494.99 for the same setup.

Any guidance appreciated!

 

Did U hauls price include wiring? Did the local shop include wiring? I would almost pay the extra 100 dollars for the local shop to do it, because I have seen some of the work from U haul. I had one customer come get his boat and he came directly from U haul. He had to get a 7 pin connector because he only had a 4 pin. They didnt even test their work and sent him on his way. He got to our shop and his lights didn't work. As a first step, we always check the trailer lights with our test cart, the trailer was fine. I got to looking and the guy didn't even connect the ground wire to the 7 pin. I got him fixed up. Just sharing one of the instances I have seen from U haul.

 

It did include the wiring. And yes I am concerned about well anyone touching the wiring. What would you recommend is the price point to aim for?

 

The wiring should be plug and play provided they use the right kit.

 

well the hitch for your truck is $200 bucks, the wiring kit costs $80 bucks, so about $300 is parts. $200 for installation isn't great but isn't bad either IF they do a good job. You can do it yourself in a few hours even without much technical experience. The wiring kit is basically plug and play like @Itchyfeet said. It was the first project I took on when I got my Tacoma and I had little to no experience and everything went perfect. The wiring kit that they use ends up with a 4 pin output but you can get a 4 pin to 7 pin connector on Amazon for $10. I keep one in the glovebox just in case.

 

One place said they had to run a line to the battery, is this necessary? This is a small 5'X8' box trailer from Uhaul that I am wanting to pull.

 

How comfortable are you doing work on your own rig? Seems like buying the wiring kit on eTrailer and a hitch, you could prolly get it all done for around $250. Looks like a pretty simple install.

 

found the curt hitch cheaper on Amazon for $139. Read the reviews, people say it's about an hour tops for installation and easy.

$170 CURT 13264 Class 3 Trailer Hitch, 2" Receiver, Fits Select Toyota Tacoma , Black

https://www.amazon.com/CURT-13264-C...d=1562001338&s=gateway&sr=8-3#customerReviews

Here is the wiring kit, could not find it on amazon so you may have to get it directly through Curt for $83 bucks.
https://www.curtmfg.com/part/56282

here is a link to the wiring kit instructions. I suggest reading through it as if you were installing it and decide if you think it is within your means of doing so. Give yourself more credit as you do.
https://assets.curtmfg.com/masterlibrary/56282/installsheet/CME_56282_INS.PDF

edit: and there's even a youtube video to walk you through the process
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvzGPfsUrow

 

No, they should be able to tee/tap off of wiring already at the back of the truck. As others have said, the wiring kit seems pretty straight forward.

Edit to say: It looks like there may be a wire needed from the battery for those kits.

 

If they're using t-taps they're doing something wrong. t-taps are the anal warts of any wiring job

 

I didnt mean T taps, I meant tee off of as in unplug a connector and plug a tee harness(plug and play) or tap off of such as splicing into existing wire. Either way, no need to run a wire to the battery. Yes, I agree, I do not like t-taps at all, especially on wiring that will be subjected to the elements.

 

I was looking at a couple kits online, and they do include a fused wire to run all the way to the battery, even though all the other connections are plugs and play with the Toyota connectors. I'm betting there isn't an always on hot wire back there near the taillights. But one wire run the length of the truck to the battery? shouldn't take more than 5 minutes with a handful of zip ties.

 

Yeah I just saw that even on the one posted above. I guess it's for that converter they are talking about. Still, shouldn't be a big issue.

 

I appreciate your post. I tossed around the UHaul option, but I haven’t made a decision yet. The factory hitch setup is expensive, to say the least. Toyota could have made the wiring much easier. On a previous Chevy S-10 I owned, it was a simple plug ‘n play connection to the taillight harness. No fuses, ground wiring, or wiring to the battery was needed.

 

Yes, the good days of simplicity. Thats the system I am used to working with. These light converters in the kits have peaked my interest.

 

The "wire to the battery" youse are talking about is in the case of a 7 pin connector. The basic four connections are ground, running lights, left turn, right turn (brake lights are both turns at the same time). The additional 3 to make a 7 pin connector are brake controller, 12v power, and reverse. 12v power must come from the battery.

Depending on your future towing needs, you may only need a 4 pin. You can get connectors that have both a 4 pin and 7 pin, like the stock one, or an adapter to go from 7 to 4 pin.

 

I once got a written quote from U-Haul and promptly went to a more reputable place. They "almost" matched the price, but did laugh at the parts list U-Haul was using.

 

I read over the specs for the wiring, and can not determine if it is induced current that runs the trailer side . It's a wiser idea to make sure the wiring and adapter are Induced Current Type. In this way your trucks charging system and lights do not power the trailers lights. There are 2 separate things. The converter creates the power to the trailer and lights the lights you tell it to when you do leaving the charging system out. In this way if the trailer ever has a dead short it won't take out the trucks charging system . The converter also transforms the European 2 separate trail lights functions brake / turn signal into the USA standard of a singe bulb with a shared filament for brake turn .

Here is one not made specific to anything, but it is induced and something you can use to compare to , the Hoppy model #46255 powered converter gets full power to the trailer lights and protects trucks electrics at the same time.

Sooner or later it seems someone will want you to tow a trailer that isn't yours, and they can cause havoc in the charging system. This type of converter will save your truck .

 

I recently installed the curt trailer hitch and curt wiring harness. Fairly straight forward process. Cost me about$240. You will need to run the provided wire to the battery and zip tie along the factory harness under the truck. Also removing the tail lights to connect the harness and control box. The curt harness only includes the flat 4 pin connection.

 

Did the same myself. works just fine. Amazon is your friend. Think I had 200 bucks in it. Also can get a hoppy brand plug just like factory for the bumper