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Old 11-04-2022, 05:45 PM   #1
Russell and Diane Hendee
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Default Soon to be new owner - need hitch and wire harness help!

If all goes well, we hope to pick up our new 2922KB in a couple of weeks. My husband and I learned about TrailManor years ago. For the last several months, I have been refreshing my memory and researching everything from how to set up/take down, storage ideas, and whether you need to use RV toilet paper. We have a 2018 Kia Sorento LX V6. We are prewired. I want to verify that this is what we need to tow with our vehicle:
Class 3 weight distributing/equalizing hitch rated for 5,000 lbs, tongue weight 388 lbs.
Any recommendations on where to get this installed?
Round 7-point wire harness
Do we need a 4-point harness that will connect to our prewired vehicle also? Or will the 7-point harness connect directly to our vehicle connectors?
Ball mount to handle trailer and tongue weights
What drop and length?
2" ball
I would appreciate any help someone can give. Thanks!

Diane H
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Old 11-04-2022, 08:28 PM   #2
Bill
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Your dealer should be a lot of help in all this - no need to go it alone. With that, let me offer some thoughts to get you started.

The hitch weight will be well above 388 pounds. Hitch weight on TM's runs about 14% of the total ready-to-camp weight of the trailer. The ready-to-camp weight will be around 3500-3800 pounds, so hitch weight will be around 500 pounds round number. It is probably wise - and nothing will be hurt - by going bigger in all hitch-related items. You don't want to be towing with no margin.

With this change, your Class 3 weight distributing hitch, equipped with 800-pound spring bars, will be good. The shank of the WDH simply slides into the 2" hitch receiver that is presumably permanently mounted to the chassis of your Sorrento. No formal "installation" is needed, though there are a couple easy adjustments to be made. The WDH includes a ball mount which has an adjustable drop to match your vehicle - different vehicles need different drops.

There are many good WDHs. You almost certainly don't need one with sway control, since TMs are built not to sway. However, I personally recommend (others have different preferences) a trunnion-style WDH since you can add sway control at a later time if you feel you need it.

You'll find some useful info on this page
https://www.etrailer.com/question-365350.html
and more on this page
https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Wei...ion_Hitch.aspx

If your Sorrento is pre-wired with a 7-pin connector near the hitch, you should be good to go. Stop lights, running lights, turn signals, 12-volt charge line, and ground will all be correct - they are standard. However, electric brakes and backup lights are sometimes unconnected, so you (your dealer) should confirm them. No need for any connection to the 4-pin connector that is probably nearby.

You will need an electric brake controller, properly wired to the 7-pin connector, unless the Sorrento has one built-in - unlikely unless one is included in an optional factory tow package.

Lots to think about, lots of questions. And lots of answers here on the forum - please ask.

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Old 11-07-2022, 12:11 PM   #3
Russell and Diane Hendee
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Thank you, Bill,

The information you gave helped a lot. I contacted the dealer. I am waiting to hear back from him this afternoon. I did much more research over the last few days to decide which brake controller and weight distribution hitch we wanted. Unless the dealer or someone on this forum advises differently, this is our plan.

Have Uhaul install: Curt CLASS 3 TRAILER HITCH, 2" RECEIVER, SELECT KIA SORENTO #13195 rated to 5,000 lbs. GTW and 750 lbs. tongue weight

I am still working on finding a place to install the round 7-point wire harness and Redac Tow-Pro Electric brake controller. We are three hours away from our dealer, but hopefully, he will have some suggestions for this.

I chose the Redac for several reasons. The box can be installed out of sight with the small round knob installed on the lower dashboard. It seems easy to adjust and has proportional and user-controlled modes. It also has Active Calibration.

Anderson 3324 weight distribution hitch. I chose this WDH for several reasons. One is being that it is only 60 lbs. I liked the way it worked compared to the other style WDHs. It is possible we will need to add extra links so it will fit on the swing hitch.

I would appreciate any input on these choices. Pro or con.

Thanks,
Diane
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Old 11-07-2022, 01:41 PM   #4
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You've done a god job of planning.

The UHaul-installed Curt hitch receiver looks like a good choice.

The Anderson WDH looks like a good choice.

I am not familiar with the Redarc brake controller, but the description sounds good. As long as the description contains the word "inertial" or "proportional", it is good. If it contains the word "time" or "delay", it is a bad choice. If you want to consider a different unit, a very common and excellent choice, especially for new users, is one of the Tekonsha series. It has the advantage of being very widely used, so help and operating expertise are readily available.

When you said "prewired" in your initial post, I assumed you meant that your vehicle already has a 7-pin connector (often called a Bargman connector) mounted near the hitch receiver. It would look like the attached picture. When you raise the little door, you see 6 flat blades arranged in a circle, and a pin in the center of the circle, for a total of 7 contacts. Your TM will come with a cord that mates with this connector, so you must have one of these. If you don't have one, I'm not sure what you mean by a "round 7-point wire harness", so I may have mis-advised you. Can you clarify?
The wiring for this connector looks like this
https://www.trailmanorowners.com/for...&pictureid=442

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Old 11-07-2022, 04:11 PM   #5
Russell and Diane Hendee
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I'm sure I am using the wrong terminology. I watched the Uhaul video again and what we have is the trailer wiring harness (behind the back wheel) provided by Kia. That is what I meant by prewired. So we will need the complete wiring harness and connectors to connect to the Kia trailer harness, 7-pin, and brake controller. I kept getting routed to the Uhaul central call center. I have not been able to get the correct items listed that we need to have installed. I was finally able to talk to someone at the installation location today. He took detailed notes to give to the installation technician. He will call me tomorrow. I am hopeful that Uhaul will be able to install everything we need. They don't offer the Redac brake controller. I will see if it is compatible with the wiring/connectors they install. I will check out the Tekonsha brake controllers you recommended. Thanks again for your help, Bill.

Diane
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Old 11-07-2022, 05:30 PM   #6
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The lower connector - the small one - looks like a 4-pin connector for lightweight utility-type trailers. If so, it will contain stop lights, directionals, and running lights, plus ground. These four are needed for the TM, so there may be an adapter that brings these four into the 7-pin Bargman. But you still need 3 more. These 3 are the wire to the backup light, the 12VDC power wire to charge the TM battery, and the electric brake wire coming from the brake controller to the TM's electric brakes. It is likely that all three will need to be new wires that must be strung from the engine compartment area to the Bargman connector. The folks at U-Haul should know how to do this. It is a common everyday task for them.

The upper connector - the large one - looks like it is not intended for a trailer. My guess - and it is only that - is that it is the Kia's connections from the main wiring harness in the vehicle to the various individual lights in the rear part of the vehicle. I don't think that any of the three new wires described above are part of this connector, although the backup light wire might be in there somewhere. Please let me know if I am wrong - it is a useful piece of information.

The task you are facing here is annoying and no doubt expensive, but it is in no sense unusual, unique, difficult, or TM-specific. The diagram in my link above is the standard hookup for a 7-pin Bargman trailer connector - they are all hooked up that way. You will be pleased to have it done.

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Old 11-09-2022, 08:08 PM   #7
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A 5,000# trailer hitch does not give the Sorento a 5,000# tow rating.

The 2018 Kia Sorento with a factory installed tow package has a 5,000# tow rating. If your Sorento had a factory installed tow package, it would already have a tow hitch. That means that your Sorento may have a lower tow capacity (Class 3 hitch is only part of that package).

Check YOUR vehicle's Owner's Manual to figure out what YOUR vehicles capacity is. Also check to see if Kia recommends a WDH be used on the Sorento. Some uni-body vehicle manufacturers do not recommend using a WDH. On the other hand, I think that the Anderson Hitch would be safer on a uni-body vehicle because it does not use the solid spring bars like most WDHs. In the event of a rear collision, the chain-link WD system will collapse and not be driven into the body, like a spring bar WDH........ just my humble opinion.

The below website might help. Basically:
3,500 lbs. towing capacity with Front-Wheel Drive
5,000 lbs. towing capacity with All-Wheel Drive

Kia's All-Wheel-Drive includes a very sophisticated electronic braking and handling system that would be an important part of the stopping ability of the all-wheel-drive Kia. Your Kia's stopping ability is FAR more important then the vehicle's pulling ability.


I would think that the factory tow package may also include an auxiliary transmission cooler and possibly an engine oil cooler.

Don't rely on your Kia Dealership for towing info. I used to be a car dealership Service Manager (for 20-years). I can assure you that there is very little training in vehicle towing ability. You can likely get more accurate info on the internet using reputable sites (not forums like this).


https://www.executivekia.com/what-is...wing-capacity/
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Old 11-09-2022, 09:09 PM   #8
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Wayne- What brand we’re you a service manager for? I’m a mechanic and I don’t miss that dealership (Chevy then Ford) rat race one bit. That whole customer mentality of “if it’s not warranty it’s not for me” got old real quick.
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Old 11-09-2022, 10:25 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shane826 View Post
Wayne- What brand we’re you a service manager for? I’m a mechanic and I don’t miss that dealership (Chevy then Ford) rat race one bit. That whole customer mentality of “if it’s not warranty it’s not for me” got old real quick.
Felix Chevrolet, in downtown Los Angeles.

It was a very stressful job, that's for sure.
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Old 11-10-2022, 08:27 AM   #10
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Wavery -

Your comments are certainly well-taken. I think (always dangerous) there is a way to use the VIN to determine the presence of major systems like the towing package??? Yes?? No?? Years ago I emailed my 2005 Jeep Wrangler's corp headquarters, giving my VIN and asking for a Build Sheet. It showed up in my Inbox an hour later. It was pages long, and showed everything right down to the color of the knobs on the radio.

Bill

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