Please help me double-check my TV

[mkiley]

Hello Folks,

First-off, a thousand thank-yous to everyone that contributes on this forum. I am new to trailers and this site is a big reason why I am a soon-to-be TM owner!

For background sake: I'm traveling to Arizona from Colorado to check-out the used 2720 I am planning on purchasing. I have about a day in AZ to check-out the trailer (using checklists found on this site), complete the transaction, and then I need to return to CO as soon as time permits (while staying safe, of course).

I have done my best to do my homework using other posts, but I would sure appreciate it if I could double-check what I have done thus far to prepare my 2005 Honda Pilot as a tow vehicle (with the understanding that there is some debate as to the worthiness of a Pilot as a TV):

1. Installing Honda Tow Package at a Honda Dealer, including hitch hardware, harness, transmission cooler, steering cooler, 2" hitch ball (Honda requires this package to keep the warranty. Kind of a Tony Soprano situation, but what can you do). $1300 installed (ouch!).

2. Bargman 7 prong connector: I'm stumped on this one. The dealer says the harness will be "generic", where can I buy the actual TV Bargman connector?

3. Hitch Bar: this may be a little tricky. I understand the 2720 is about 19 inches at the tongue, but I don't yet know the height of my hitch ball. Worst case, I have to buy a different hitch bar in AZ, I guess.

4. Weight Distribution: I'm planning on buying the Reese round bar 1,000lb WDH at someplace like Camping World. From other posts and the user manual, this seems relatively easy to install, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

5. Brake Controller: Tekonsha Prodigy, to be installed in Denver (Windish Rv Center) for $330 parts and labor.

6. Mirrors: McKesh Mirrors, ordered online at http://www.hensleymfg.com/mckeshmirrors.html for about $150 with shipping (with convex mirrors).

My wallet cringes when I ask this, but what else do I need to pick-up our 2720?

Thanks,

- Mike

the brake controller is way out of line. controller $135.00 wire harness $12.00=$147.00 labor $197.00 i dont think so.how can the dealer sleep at night.labor shouldnt be more than $30.00- $40.00.

[Bill]

Mike -

You are doing VERY well on this mysterious prep process!

The most important thing is to follow Leon's advice about tires and associated stuff.

Your list says that the Honda trailer package includes "harness". This will be the wiring harness to hook up to the trailer, and I'm sure it will include the 7-pin Bargman connector at the rear bumper. I'm sure it is just a semantics problem between you and the dealer - all 7-pin Bargman connectors for trailer towing are the same, and there is nothing specific to any tow vehicle or any trailer. Hence, I think, the word "generic".

Hitch height. Almost all hitches have adjustable height - I can't think of one that doesn't.

Reese 1000-pound hitch? Great choice. If you check it online, I'm sure you'll see the adjustability. Though you didn't specify a model number, you are probably looking at this hitch, or something very much like it.
http://reeseprod.com/fitguides/pdf/N66067.pdf
In the sketches, you can see the adjustment holes that allow you to raise or lower the hitch ball to the needed height. By the way, I concur with Leon's comment about getting it all done in one place, but there is nothing wrong with your approach either.

I'm a little unclear about the phrase "hitch bar" as something separate from "weight distributing hitch". Your Honda will have a hitch receiver installed as part of the Tow Package. The receiver is basically a piece of steel tube with a 2" square opening, bolted to the frame of your Honda. The WDH has a solid steel bar that slides into this opening, and is held in place with a thick pin. Again, you can see this steel bar in the Reese sketch.

Prodigy? Great choice.

McKesh? Great choice.

I think you're good to go, but go slow. I assuming you'll be taking I-25 over Raton Pass? Let us know how that works out. And if you are heading for the Phoenix area, the Verde Valley will be fun, too.

Bill

[mkiley]

As usual, great advice folks, thanks.

With regards to the connector, I bet Texas Camper is right, the "generic" connector is the 7 prong connector I need. It's a case of the dealer rep not quite knowing what will be installed by the service guy.

I found a guy at Lampert Hitch in Denver that will sell and install the Prodigy controller and Reese roundbar WDH for $688 out the door. If by some reason the "generic" connector isn't 7 prong, Lampert will take care of this as well.

With regards to the hitch bar, I thought I would have to buy a hitch bar at the right height for the TM, it's great news that the WDH can be adjusted for height.

As you can probably tell, I'm not exactly Macgyver when it comes to serious electrical and nuts-and-bolts work. As Dirty Harry said, "a man has to know his limitations".

[B_and_D]

If you are buying an older TM like mine (without the scissor jacks), if you have a flat tire, you may need more than just a jack to raise up the trailer high enough to change it. We always carry lots of leveling blocks; they are useful for not only leveling when parked, but putting under the jack for additional height. You should also carry wheel chocks in case you need to leave the TM somewhere unhitched. Oh yes, and then there's the special driver you'll need to undo the skirts (some people say that they don't have to remove the skirts to change the tire, but we do). You might as well buy one of these anyway, even if you find that your TM doesn't need to have the skirts removed to change a tire, because just about every screw inside and out has this type of a head.

Another option is buying RV roadside assitance insurance. Our AAA does not cover the TM, only the tow vehicle.

[rickst29]

If you're buying from Camping World, save a pile of $ and get the 'Robin' round bar WDH instead.

Their bars and adjustable shank (included in the kit) are known by us owners to fit the TMs very nicely, and they're $$$ Cheaper. Durn near Just as good, too. The only risk is spare parts, and you're probably never gonna need any. (If you loose the cinch-up handle, most any piece of steel tubing does the job just fine.)

I'll second Prodigy, and also SWAG that they are charging too much for the install (even if there's no existing harness of ANY kind). Prodigy's "old" model, which is GREAT, is now on sale at many Internet places, for as little as $80. There's a "new" model, so the "old" one can be had cheap.