what hitch should i get?

[ch312]

i need to buy a hitch so i can use a trailer to remove a bunch of garbage from my house im renovating. what brand and type should i get? i have a 2000 dakota 3.9 regular cab 5spd. ive seen a few different types but have no clue where to start. i wont be hauling anything really heavy with this truck so a class 3 will be plenty.

 

wheres a good place to buy one?

 

also, how would i go about wiring my truck to hook up the lights?

[Clampet]

You may wanna look-up THE HITCH HOUSE.....

 

http://www.thehitchhouse.com/website/index.asp

[express168]

I don't know if there is a Hitch Factory near you but the are real good.My old van and my newer blazer both came with hitches already installed, but I went to the Hitch Factory in Hamilton to get the wiring harness installed. I believe it cost 50 bucks plus the cost of the harness. Done quick, done neatly and done right. Class 3 will take care of most anything the average person will try to haul. I am surprised that the Dakota doesn't already have a hitch, most trucks already have the tow packges installed on them when new. I hope this helped a bit.

[tjsa]

You can do it yourself also, by going to CTC, and buying the class 3 hitch package that fits your vehicle, and a wiring adapter, Hoppes I think is the brand name, it installs in the back of the truck under the bed of the truck. There will be a connection there that the adapter fits in between, along with some dielectric grease for oxidization prevention. Install it, and tie it all up with cable ties.

The trailer should be already wired to accept the connection, hopefully.

[PERCHER]

Hitch city is also a good place to try.

[discophish]

Sorry, I had something bad to say about a hitch company from my personal experience, and reconsidered it as a bad taste. So I edited it to this. It's really not fair considering that people may take one opinion too literally. Seems as though I can't delete my own post.

Edited March 21, 2007 by Disco Phish

[Dutch]

I had good luck with the local Van and Truck World.

[Raf]

u-haul i found has the best prices. a class II should be sufficient.

[lilkynan]

Call Hidden Hitch direct in Huntsville - you get cost at the dealers and you dont apy any shipping - and when you are really lucky - they dont even send you the bill

[Canoe2fish]

Call Hidden Hitch direct in Huntsville - you get cost at the dealers and you dont apy any shipping - and when you are really lucky - they dont even send you the bill

 

I heard Hidden Hitch has great products, and they are Canadian Made to boot. I'm going to give them a call too to see if I can pick one up for my Grand Caravan.

 

Action Van & Truck has tons of selection and will install both the hitch and wiring kit.

 

CT carries Drawtite I think.

 

Class II is plenty, though if you go Class III you don't have to upgrade later if need be.

[graftongal]

I got my Hidden Hitch installed at Van & Truck World too. I think it was under $350 for the hitch and installation. My brother bought one from Canadian Tire, same as Tjsa and said the installation wasn't too bad.

[Terry]

if you are getting someone to install it, then have them do the lights at the same time

if you are doing it

http://www.accessconnect.com/trailerwiring.htm

you can get wiring harnesses that just plug in to you light system...

 

if you only want it for a one time thing to move some garbage, I would go for a lite, cheap hitch

[Dondorfish]

Does the Dodges not have a hitch bumper ( good for like 3000 lbs. ) like my FORD had. It's all I ever used for the boat and the utility trailer - just add wire harness and ball and your good to go.

 

 

Don

[lew]

Maybe have a look in Auto Trader magazine (boat, bike & RV) as you'll often get a good deal on a used hitch and save some $$$$.

 

I listed a Class 3 off my 2001 Dakota 2 years ago and sold it the 1st day.

[Jer]

You can mount a ball on the bumper (as Tracker said), though I think the bumper hitch is only rated as a class I. Any after market hitch is going to be minimum class III (it is a truck afterall).

 

I bought a hitch (class III) from Bruce Fabricating in Peterborough a number of years ago for my 2001 Dakota. I believe it was about $120 plus about $50 for the 'plug-in' wiring harness. I installed it myself in about 1/2 an hour. Of course the truck was fairly new at the time so all the bolts were easy, you might need an impact wrench for a 7 year-old truck.

[easton13th]

Buy the hitch and install it on your own you save money! Very easy on all my trucks and vans. About 20 minutes work.

Have someone do the electrical....I have heard from others that you have to watch u-haul. The local dealership (Ford) said that it can void warranties when installed by U-Haul. They are not recommended. I cannot honestly say it does, but it is what I was told. So I do not use them. I have used Hitch Factory.. They were recommended by The dealership. ?

[ch312]

thanks for the help everyone. i got van and truck world to order a putman (i think?) class 3 for $144 and the wiring harness for $30 so its gonna be cheaper than i thought. i always do things myself so im glad its sopose to be really easy.

 

now lets just hope that im good at backing up...