New Leer cap for my new 2021 Tacoma - Harness Question

I got my new 2021 Tacoma (basic SR 2WD with the Keyless Remote Option – about as cheap as you can get) in October. It took 2 ½ months to get it here in the NE because it’s 2WD. I ordered a new Leer cap (standard 100R) a week later.

The cap just came in, 7 weeks wait time. Fine with me.

Cost was $1650 for the cap plus $70 for the harness = $1720. C clamps will be about another $15 +/-. No charge to put it together. Plus taxes of course.

Cap dealer/installer said it would take between a half to one hour for the harness install.

I’m thinking my old 2006 Tacoma and Leer cap that I had installed 15 years ago, the harness was a simple plug in. Quik ‘n Easy.

Any of you guys, and gals, had a Leer cap installed on your Tacoma lately and had the same situation? Not a big concern with me, just curious.

And the Leer dealer by the way, is low key, has a fantastic reputation and very easy to deal with. Good price too.

Any comments.

Thanks

By the way: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everybody.

 

I'm waiting on my Leer 180 for my new '21 Taco TRD OR AC. When all out with a headliner & rack. Ordered thru a CT dealer who's does lots of caps so I expect things will work out well. No line item charges for wiring harness or clamps. My '06 Taco TRD OR also has a Leer cap (not sure what model # but it is a mid-rise). The wiring was simple then, and I don't expect it to be much different with the '21, other than wiring the dome light to the same circuit as the bed lights.

 

My 2015 has a2006ish Leer topper, brake-light only...2 wires from drivers side brake light to the topper...no harness, just standard elec. connectors. I wouldn't worry about it, bring him coffee and doughnuts and offer to help.

 

I'm going through the exact same situation right now. I ordered the 2021 Tacoma and the Leer cap at the same time, back in October. The Leer cap came in first, and I just got the Tacoma yesterday. In the meantime, I had ordered the plug-and-play Leer wiring harness from another source, because I didn't want any ad-hoc tapping into the Tacoma's wiring. I'm going to have the wiring set up before I take the truck to the cap guys.

The Leer harness is a "T" that plugs in behind the bumper, intercepting the 7-pin trailer connector. There's a "logic box" that disregards the blinking turn signal (that uses the same lamp as the brake light). The output from this logic box is three wires -- brake, constant 12 volt (for the dome light), and ground. These three wires, in a loom, are fed up though the cavity behind the driver's side tail light, and emerge at the upper corner of the bed (a hole has to be drilled for that). The three wires terminate in a 6-pin connector, that matches the one on the Leer cap.

To get the constant 12 volts, there's a long wire that goes from the Leer harness directly to the positive terminal of the battery. This wire is included in the Leer wiring kit.

Besides the wiring, the other important issue is to seal the bed from leaks before installing the cap. You have to take off all three of the bed caps (rails) and put sealant under them. A particular problem is the gaps at the front corners of the bed. There are OEM rubber plugs that go there (that are used with OEM tonneau covers). You can buy these as parts for about $30 each. Otherwise, use plenty of sealant there. (Use sealant there even if you use the plugs.)

It's also a good idea to use bed stiffeners if you're installing anything heavy, like a cap.

You can't expect the cap installers to take the extra care required. This is all on you.

The recent Leer caps no longer use C clamps. They bolt directly into a fitting on the truck's accessory rail. However, if you're planning on putting a rack on top of your cap, it might be a good idea to use 2 or 4 additional C clamps besides the four corner bolts.

P.S. I notice that your Tacoma is an SR. I don't think that trim level has a 7-pin trailer connector. You might not be able to use the plug-and-play harness.

 

I have the 100XQ on my 2020. I agree about not wanting them touching your wiring. I took the time to run all my wires myself (and drill the hole) so that they are hanging right there for them. My cap also has the locking door, so that's two extra wires to run. Like it was already mentioned, I highly recommend you run silicone under the rail caps and lots in the front corners. When you are finished, you should be completely level between the side and front rails. I also recommend the bed stiffeners. When I put mine on my brand new Pro, one side was 1/4" out of plumb. This needed to be corrected before the cap went on. Also picked up a tailgate gasket off of Amazon. My truck and cap are 10 months old and I have never had a leak of any kind. Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance!

 

NoVaTRDSport and markgphoto and other contributors,

Sincere thanks for your very detailed comments.

Sounds like I'll ask the installer some questions on how he will wire it up and affix the cap; ie; sealant, etc. Bed stiffners also.

I use to haul quite a bit of firewood in my old '06 Tacoma but I probably won't be doing much of that with my new one. I'll likely not have much of anything heavy in the bed.

I don't expect to ever have to take the cap off to move something that won't fit with the cap on but if I do, typically is the wiring harness easily unplugged/disconnected?

That's a question to be asked of the installer also I guess.

I was thinking that the wiring harness back there had a connector installed at the factory to accommodate wiring a cap. Trailer wiring too. Just pull it apart and insert a T harness supplied by the cap maker.

So again, thanks again for all your comments. Much appreciated.

Jolly

 

Yes, there's a quick disconnect between the truck wiring (as modified by the Leer harness, or whatever) and the wiring within the cap itself.

Leer previously used a 4-pin Molex connector, but they more recently standardized on a 6-pin connector (the extra pins are for the optional remote lock).

The Leer plug-and-play harness kit includes both the 4-pin and the 6-pin connectors.

On recent Leer caps there's a fuse block at the left rear corner, that the 6-pin connector plugs into.

 

Ah, that's good.

Thanks for your help.

 

Thank you taking the time to provide all the details which were very helpful. Would you suggest where one might purchase the Leer Wiring Harness you mentioned prior to the install and approximately price?

 

Here's where I got mine. $125.

https://www.ezwheeler.com/products/...-t-harness-300200?_pos=1&_sid=e8c3653ff&_ss=r

 

I had the basic Leer cap installed on my 2021 Toyota SR this past Monday. The Leer dealer thought I would need the $70.00 harness but he couldn't use it.

He was expecting the truck to have a trailer hook up connecter and was going to use that. The truck didn't have the trailer harness so he didn't use that extra harness.

Instead, he ran a wire directly to the positive post on the battery for the dome light and tapped into the brake light for the cap brake light.

He made up a small harness/connecter that could be disconnected if I wanted to take the cap off.

It took a while to get the job done due to interruptions but it worked out well.

Jolly