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Out with the old,in with the newer NF


davey buoy

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The 99 Explorer sport has just about run out of time,518,000 km's Drivers door post rotting through.Door has dropped about a 1" after you open it.Bought a 2007 Xterra Off road.Sweet truck,and a awesome deal.Pick up by Friday.This does not have a bumper to mount a 2" ball.

Where would be the best place to get a hitch installed?,best price ?.Or are these new receiver hitches easy to install.I would need a 2" tube minimum..Just a added extra I have not had to think about in over 20 years lol..Wiring I could do myself,but not afraid to get the whole thing done at one time.Any suggestions are more than welcome .Thanks .

 

Dave.

Edited by davey buoy
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congrats on the xterra, nice truck

 

u-haul i found has best prices but you may want something like a hidden hitch for better fitment.. especially if you offroad it and care about departure angles. the u-haul units may hang lower.

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congrats on the xterra, nice truck

 

u-haul i found has best prices but you may want something like a hidden hitch for better fitment.. especially if you offroad it and care about departure angles. the u-haul units may hang lower.

Thanks Raf,only be used as work truck and pulling my 3000lb boat for the most part.The extra power will be a nice treat.Because of my boat,really want to have a proper hitch installed right.

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Buy the hitch and wire harness from Uhaul and install it yourself. I have a 2010 Frontier and did the install myself in an hour.

Really that easy?whole bracket and installed in under a hour?.I was planning a few hours at the least?.How much are we talking ?

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Just had a hitch and wiring harness installed on my Sante Fe a few weeks ago at U-Haul...think the labour was around $75 for everything. I don't have a heated shop at my dispense, so at this time of year I though it was money well spent. I'm more than happy with the final outcome.

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If you're thinking of doing the wiring yourself; you'd best do some research first. The exterior lighting on most newer vehicles are controlled via the BCM (Body Control Module) in other words the body computer. The BCM can only handle so much current flow; adding extra load on the existing tail light circuit, by splicing into the wrong circuit; could possibly burn out the BCM. $$$$$$$

I just looked up the wiring diagram for this Xterra and it has dedicated wiring harness, relays and fuses for trailer lights and accessories.

You should find this harness pigtail, breaking out of the main rear wiring harness and the connector should be tucked up behind the left corner of the rear bumper. I would also suggest getting the trailer plug harness from the dealer. There won't be any cutting or splicing; by rights it should be plug & play.

If you want a copy of the wiring diagram, give me your Email addy and I'll send it to you. I would have to make too large to post here and be able to read it.

 

Dan.

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I would listen to Dan, all the wiring is likely all ready there since the vehicles came with a trailer package option. You just need to get the plug & play harness from the dealer that connects to the existing wiring. It'll cost a bit more than a 'universal' harness but will be so much easier

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If you wanted to get fancy with the wiring; you could go with a 7 pin round plug. It would give you a constant 12 volts at the plug; that's protected by a 30amp fuse and a relay . It was/is meant for electric trailer brakes; but you could use this 12 volt source from the Xterra to charge the boat's battery(s); while you're towing. All it would take is one short harness between the boat's battery and the trailer. I did that on my last boat (sorry I sold it now) and I never had to worry about a soft battery.

Then again it would depend on how far you tow?

 

Dan.

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that's brilliant Dan. Can you elaborate on that? I have the round 7 pin plug on my grand cherokee, I plug in a 7-pin to 4-pin adapter to it then plug the trailer into that. How would I do what you describe?

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Really that easy?whole bracket and installed in under a hour?.I was planning a few hours at the least?.How much are we talking ?

If you buy a wiring harness, the install should be fast. The hardest part is lining up the holes. Make sure you support the hitch as you are installing the bolts. I got a nieghbour to help me by supporting the hitch. I was shocked how easy it was to do.

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I put a 7 pin connector on the trailer and added the 12 volt lead to come out the back of the plug; along with an extra ground wire. Connected those two wires to an insulated two wire connector. On the boat side, I went from the battery terminals (+ & -) with the amount of 12 gage wire that I could reach the two terminal plug on the trailer. On the positive lead I installed a circuit breaker; just incase this two wire harness in the boat ever shorted to ground. It's never good to let the smoke out of any electrical component. LOL

After that you plug in the 7 pin plug in and then plug the two wire into the boat. They done this for years on house trailers; that have their own battery. The only difference is that they had an isolator; so that when parked for the night, the trailer could not use the tow vehicle's battery.

 

Boat wiring.jpg

 

Dan.

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Tried to paste the below from a word doc but it didn't work out???

Wiring Code 7 way Trailer End

#

Color

Gage

Circuit Function

connector interior

1

white

10

common ground

2

blue

12

electric brake

3

green

14

tail/running lights

4

black

10

battery charge (+)

5

red

14

left turn/stop

6

brown

14

right turn/stop

7

yellow

14

auxiliary/back up

NOTE: #7 is the center terminal and currently is most commonly used for backup lights.

Edited by DanD
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Great info guys,first thing is to look for the trailer wire/harness. Will pick up the adapter from the dealer. I use the flat 4 pin plugs on the boat and my utility trailer. From what I have heard and seen,the holes for the hitch are there,just line up and done.Not afraid to install it myself.

Thanks Dan for the electrical schematics,really don't think I will go that far.Nice to be able to have those options if needed.Think the dealer? or princess auto for the class 3 hitch?Maybe buy from U haul?Thanks.

 

Dave.

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Just don't buy a "universal" hitch; get a direct fit and you'll be happy with just about any manufacturer you buy from.

If you were closer; we could stick it on here at the shop; or if you feel like a ride to London, we could put it on and have some fun doing it with a few brown pops?

 

Dan.

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Just don't buy a "universal" hitch; get a direct fit and you'll be happy with just about any manufacturer you buy from.

If you were closer; we could stick it on here at the shop; or if you feel like a ride to London, we could put it on and have some fun doing it with a few brown pops?

 

Dan.

Thanks for the direct fit advice.I do the London run about every 6 weeks,Not due for another 3-4 weeks.Thanks for the offer,would be fun!

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