Anybody mod the trialer plug?

My truck has the flat 4 prong trailer plug and I ended up doing some work on it. The factory location is crap for me. You cant see it unless you bend down really far and it has no give to be able to line it up. So, inevitably, you break off the ground plug, which I did. Since then, I have went to auto zone and gotten a new plug with a couple extra feet of wire and some of the wire protection that is similar to what they use in the engine. Cost a total of 10-12 bucks. I removed the bracket that it originally hung from and spliced all the wires to the new plug. It was convenient to zip tie the wires to one of the bolt holes of the bracket, so I did. I then ran the plug up over the license plate to a rectangular hole and shoved it through. I left just enough sticking out that it hung to the bottom of the bumper. Enough to let me move it around, but it not get into anything. But now I can see it and get it lined up without having to get down so low and not have to worry about breaking it off again. Makes hooking it up a lot easier. I had though about moving the mount to somewhere on top, but I like having it where I can move it around. I really dont like the flat plugs anyway, but until I put a brake controller on the truck, this will do. Then I will just switch out the plug and get an adapter to keep in the truck.

 

Sounds good! Just so you know, I don't believe any of the Tacomas came with a flat 4 from the factory so you likely spliced a harness added by a previous owner.

Otherwise, sounds like you did it the right way and protected the wires with wire loom.

 

No, it came factory like this. I bought it new. It's a base model with no towing package.

 

One quick question, was the rectangular hole above the license plate the pass-through for the spare tire?

 

Yeah. There should be plenty of room for your tool to go through there to let the tire down though. It's only about 1/2 inch loom around the wires so there is still lots of room.

 

Did it have a receiver on it??

I have a base model, no tow package and it didn't come with any wiring. I had to add the flat 4 connector myself. Was it a dealer installed wiring harness?

 

Thats why. You plug trailer package harness to that 4 point plug

 

Yeah, I bought it with a hitch and the plug was already on there.

 

My 06 base had a dealer installed 4 wire harness as well. I just rewired it two weeks ago for 7 wire, used the same "convertor" in the dash, just added the extra brake and charge wiring.

 

Maybe dealer-installed or something, but I can assure you that no 2nd Gen Tacomas came with a 4-pin connector. The base model has nothing.
The models with the towing package have a 2" receiver, trans cooler, and a 7-pin connector next to the receiver.

Even though they provide a hole for it, Toyota does not recommend towing with a ball mounted to the bumper.

BTW: Without the towing package, your limit is 4500 pounds, tongue weight on the bumper is likely under 500.

 

5000/500 lb. on mine, 06 base doublecab, 4x, 1GR 6spd. The owners manual doesn't say that, but the original window sticker with matching VIN does. Bumper is limited to 3500/350, but I wouldn't go anywhere near that without a hitch.

 

Yikes!

I figured the bumper would be good to the non-package truck rating.

But I did install a Reese shortly after I got the truck.

 

Forgive my ignorance, but can I buy an adapter for the OEM trailer set up that let's me connect to the uhaul trailers's rectangular connection???

 

My truck came with a hitch and the flat plug when I picked it up new. whether the dealer put it on or not, I dont know. Anybody have a picture of the transimission cooler so I can look to see if I have one?

Bikinit, I would imagine you can. I have seen quite a few differant types of adapters at auto stores and stuff like that, but I am not sure about that specific kind. A general google search may find you something pretty quick, or just a call to your local parts store.

 

thanks I'll check it out.

 

Yes, you can. It's a plug and play unit and costs about $30. It plugs into your tail lights and has a control module that sticks with double sided tape behind where the tail lights go. Then you just run the wires where you need them. Total install can be done in about 10 minutes, 30 if you take your time.

Uhaul's connection is called a 4-pin. It's a common connection for trailers that don't have brakes or, in the case of Uhauls larger trailers, have surge brakes.

These kits can be found online at places like JC Whitney or Autoanything or I'm sure you could pick one up at Uhaul.

Edit: Here's the kit (you'll want the flat 4-pin option). I guess pricing has gone up a bit. Shop around, I think I got this same kit for around $30.
http://www.autoanything.com/towing/75A3875A0A0.aspx

 

I think ive seen somewhere on this forum where sombody cut out a spot on there bumper and attatched the oem plug in it, Ive thought about going town to a ford dealer and getting the double connector the newer ford trucks have with 4 and 7 pin and putting that in the bumper, maybe one day

 

you don't have to worry about the tranny cooler since you have a manual. the coolers are for autos only.

 

Very helpful and useful posts all, thanks. This forum is much more active than my MC forum. It's hard to keep up.

 

Thanks for that info berg. I'm not much on vehicle knowledge. Never was around it much.