Trailer hitch and electrical wiring for Vehicle

I want to install a trailer hitch and wiring harness on our '08 vue in preparation for a purchase of a 2619 or 2720 model. I was thinking of installing a Hidden Hitch or a Curt Class III 2' receiver, but I really don't know what type of wiring harness is required to be installed.

Any help?

Barry

[mcgyver210]

Not sure about the hitch but I can tell you if the Vue doesn't have a optional add on harness or isn't pre-wired for trailer hook ups you will most likely have to do custom wiring which will depend on your tail light configuration among other things.

Others here are much smarter than me & may have a better answer but this is my opinion without actually knowing more about a Vue.

[ThePair]

I have a Sienna that had no wiring or hitch.

Got the Curt Class III, fits perfectly. Made the mistake of trying to do it myself, but couldn't get the bolts in--too much rust. Took it to a local hitch place, they did the job, gently berated me for stripping out at least one of the nuts (they had to recut the threads), but all in all it's a perfect installation, and I'm very happy with the Curt.

As to the wiring, the best place I've found for information and instructions is etrailer.com. They have wiring harnesses for most vehicles to tie into the back lights and make a 4-pin connector. I did all the wiring myself (never did ANYTHING like it before, so it goes to show you no special skills needed ) The 4-pin was simple. Running the wires for the brake controller and power for the Bargeman was a larger project, but it got done.

I chose to build my own "install kit" because I wanted a particular housing for the 7-pin socket, but if you want, etrailer.com sells a pre-made kit (wires, connectors, breakers, everything you need) to complete the task. There are videos on the site, too, to help with the installation of both the 4-pin and the 7-pin wiring. Plus, the people on the phone are extremely helpful.

You'll also need a brake controller. I chose the Tekonsha P3, but many go with the Prodigy.
I'd suggest you start there.

Examples:
Hitch: http://www.etrailer.com/pc-H~13594.h...cleid=20089847
4-pin wiring harness: http://www.etrailer.com/pc-VWH~11844...cleid=20089847
4 to 7-pin wiring kit: http://www.etrailer.com/pc-BC~ETBC7.htm

I also got a cheapo trim removal kit from Harbor Freight (like $3 for four nylon mini-prybars) which proved to be invaluable for hiding all the wires without any damage to the trim.

Marc

[Bill]

Barry -

There is more to it than that. The following points are taken from the 2008 Saturn Vue web site.

First, in order to reach a 3500-pound tow capacity, your Saturn must have a 6-cylinder engine. The Vue with the 4-cylinder engine has no useful towing capacity, and cannot be modifed to tow a TM.

Second, in order to reach a 3500-pound towing capcity, your Vue must be "properly equipped". That implies a factory-installed towing package, which will include wiring, a hitch receiver, a transmission cooler, and quite possibly a beefed-up suspension. Realistically, you can't simply add the wiring and the hitch receiver and call it good.

Third, in order to reach a 3500-pound towing capacity, your Saturn, when towing, must have NO passengers, NO factory options, NO aftermarket options, and NO cargo. Under "Towing Capacity", the web site says

"Maximum trailer weight ratings are calculated assuming a base vehicle ... plus driver. The weight of other optional equipment, passengers, and cargo will reduce the maximum trailer weight your vehicle can tow."

Next, you need to look at the weight of your trailer. This means the drive-away ready-to-camp weight, not the dry weight. The dry weight does not include any factory options you may have chosen for the trailer (air conditioner, awning, etc). It does not include any stuff that you carry inside the trailer (microwave, food, dishes and silverware, TV, clothes, tools, books, etc.) It does not include any fluids (water in the tanks, propane, etc) And it may not include a battery - I'm not sure about that any more. Most people find that no matter how lightly they pack, the ready-to-camp TM weighs 800-1000 pounds more than the dry weight, and to their credit, TM points this out on their web site.

So the real-life situation is that your vehicle will safely tow considerably less than the nominal tow rating. And the TM weighs considerably more than the nominal dry weight. Can you make this work? That's for you to ponder and decide. And of course, it also depends on where you will tow - flatlands vs mountains.

Having said all that, let me also say that we have a few members on this board who do tow with a 3500-pound rated vehicle, and apparently do so successfully. You might do well to search them out using the Search tool (or perhaps they will respond to this thread), correspond with a couple of them, and get their experiences.

Bill

[mcgyver210]

GREAT answer Bill with even more info than the OP asked for looks like you took some time to research that is what makes this a GREAT place where people help others unselfishly.

FWIW, my 2005 TM 2720 weighs about 4,100 pounds when I tow it.

I weighed the axle as 3380 pounds. I am estimating the tongue weight. that does include 46 gallons of water for about 380 pounds. Towing dry will get you down to 3720 pounds.

After that, to shed weight, look into the dishes and the propane.

[MrTriVan]

So, do you think TrailManor is being disingenuous and is guilty of false advertising when they say:

"You can tow a TrailManor with a properly equipped minivan, crossover, or SUV. That includes some of the most popular vehicles on the road today.
Toyota Rav 4. Honda Pilot. Nissan Murano. All smaller tow vehicles. And all capable of towing a 30-foot TrailManor without breathing hard.
In fact, the 30-foot TrailManor is well under the 3,500 pound towing limit of many of the most popular vehicles in the nation. And any properly equipped mini-van, SUV, or crossover can tow a TrailManor."

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by MrTriVan

So, do you think TrailManor is being disingenuous and is guilty of false advertising when they say:

"You can tow a TrailManor with a properly equipped minivan, crossover, or SUV. That includes some of the most popular vehicles on the road today.
Toyota Rav 4. Honda Pilot. Nissan Murano. All smaller tow vehicles. And all capable of towing a 30-foot TrailManor without breathing hard.
In fact, the 30-foot TrailManor is well under the 3,500 pound towing limit of many of the most popular vehicles in the nation. And any properly equipped mini-van, SUV, or crossover can tow a TrailManor."

They say that some minimal vehicles can tow it. They just don't say that they can go camping with it fully loaded, a few passengers, couple hundred pounds of cargo, the dog and a full tank of gas.

The reality is, you can pull a TM with just about anything. The question is, is it safe or even legal to tow a TM and all that goes with it when you go camping???? Towing is a lot more about a vehicle being able to stop a fully loaded rig (in a panic stop or under any conditions) than it is about being able to pull it.

To answer your question.....IMHO TM is being a bit disingenuous in their advertising. I'm just waiting for the day that someone gets hurt or killed (I hope that day never comes) and names them in a law suit over it.

Not sure if they are any more guilty than other RV manufacturers. Times are tough and everyone is pushing their advertising to the absolute legal limit. I don't think they are any worse than most any other marketing organization. It is ultimately up to the purchaser to make an educated decision as to what they can and can not tow safely. There is big difference between towing a new TM home from the dealer on flat land and towing a fully loaded ( for camping) TM in the mountains to your favorite campsite with the family and dog. TM is able to be towed by a smaller vehicle than an equivalent sized TT under same conditions. The forum members would love to have another TM owner, but not at the expense of someone getting hurt.

thanks everyone for replies. I have to admit I was enticed by the trailmanor site and the claims they made about towing with my type of vehicle, etc. I do have the 08 Vue with the 3.6L V6, and I would not consider towing anything but a 2619 or possibly a 2720. In addition to the Curt Class III hitch I will be installing, I do plan on investigating an aftermarket transmission cooler, to be installed by mechanic (not me--although I am a pretty good shade tree).
I am still a little bit puzzled by the wiring, though. I have installed a hidden hitch on my P.T. with wiring with the flat connector. Do I understand that the TM needs a 7-pin round connector?. I intend to get the brake controller mentioned in one of the replies and will probably have a trailer dealer install that.

thanks again. We don't intend to do full time RVing, only a couple of trips per year for a month, maybe two at a time. Any encouragement is appreciated.

Barry