Tow Package Wiring Relocation?

So I’m planning to take the hitch off my 09 TRD Sport sometime soon to scrape/sand/grind away 9 winters worth of salt corrosion and surface rust, prime the bare spots then paint the whole thing with some kind of black rust inhibiting paint. And while I’ve got it off the truck I figured why not look into my options for relocating the tow package wiring. I’ve never been a fan of where Toyota placed the bracket with the harness. It might be my OCD (it’s off center) or because it just seems to be asking to get hit with something from the road/trails. Anyway, I wanted to see if anyone has gotten creative or if any aftermarket mounting options exist? And I know the newer Tacomas come with the dual option wiring harness (whereas mine requires an adapter most of the time) so I’m open to swapping out the harness as a whole while relocating it. If anyone has done anything like this feel free to post pics of your setup and how you did it. Thanks in advance!

- Nick

 

I don't have any photos at the moment, but I went and bought some aluminum from my local hardware store and made it with a 90 degree bend so the actual plug is just aiming down.

(You could also take a hammer and hit the bottom of it and bend the plug so its aiming down but that just makes too much sense)

 

I thought about the hammer idea when I was under there surveying the rust but it looks like the wiring harness won’t sit vertically unless it’s pushed towards the front of the truck a few inches. It looks like if I bent the bracket the harness would hit the tow hitch support beam...

 

Many TW members including myself relocated the harness to the bumper.

 

I’m not opposed to relocating it to the bumper like the newer gen Tacoma but I’m not willing to sacrifice one of the license plate lights. Again, my OCD won’t allow that and with LED plate lights I don’t think one would be bright enough to keep me front getting pulled over (gotta love cops in Ohio...)

 

You don't need to. It will fit right next to the license plate. That's where I put mine.
I would link mine but I just realized the photos are no longer embedded. I'll try to fix that when I can.
Just get the proper size hole bit, run it through, slip the plug in and mark the mounting holes, drill those out. Then mask off the area and spray with rust prohibiting pain. Let dry and put it all together.

 

When I bought my truck, somebody had already moved the trailer light connector to the bumper. I put 1 of these LEDs in the right license plate light and it lights up the plate extremely well. In fact, it's so bright that from behind, you see a reflection in the chrome bumper in between the license plate and the trailer light connector.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/JDM-ASTAR-...620949?hash=item362583aed5:g:ki8AAOSw5ZBWKRzU

 

There are relocation brackets, I run one:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/trailer-harness-relocate-bracket.282311/

 

It's a very nice product and reputable seller!
If you're not going to tow offroad it's perfect. However if you are going to tow a trailer offroad you still risk damage as your trailers plug will be hanging down vertically.

 

I understand the purpose but that would be a pain to plug in on a regular basis.

 

Here's a pic of mine. I completely destroyed the oem one on a trail. Couldn't see spending 175 on a new one so went aftermarket. There should be no issue fitting the oem one there. Do it before you destroy it!


Looking at the picture reminded me that I had tapped the screw holes. It would be hard to get nuts up there and I have a tap/die kit.

 

Thanks for all the responses so far!

And I guess I should have mentioned that I tow something maybe once a year, if that. For now I’m digging the relocation bracket but if I could find a thinner, more oval harness like the newer Tacoma has in the bumper I’d consider cutting a hole and relocating it next to the license plate.

 

I did the extreme trail modification (ie tore the OEM trailer wiring off on the rocks) on my truck a couple of years ago. I broke the OEM plug and damaged the factory wiring harness in the process.

This is a mod that is definitely better done before the damage. I drilled a hole in the bumper and put this aftermarket plug in. IMHO it looks factory and it is a much better place than under the bumper.