Hitch Install

So with the purchase of the 2001 Nissan Pathfinder last fall we were able to to tow our trailer.  The one issue that I had was that there was no hitch or wiring on the vehicle.  Originally, I had thought that I would get the work done by someone else, but after looking on YouTube and looking at the install manuals for the parts that I needed, I figured that this would be a pretty simple install to complete myself.

I purchased the parts from HitchDepotUSA, they were not the cheapest for unit prices of the three that I looked at, but they had free shipping to Canada (because they have a warehouse in Ontario) and there was no duties to add so they were the cheapest at the end of the day.

I purchased a CURT hitch 13156 and the T-Connector 55361.  I also purchased a 4-way flat to both 6 round and 4 flat adapter (Part # I-4624/57624).  I hadn't got that onto the vehicle yet, but it will come (it is not critical as my trailer is wired for both too.)

I did the project in two stints, as I started with the hitch on a Wednesday evening after work.  The instructions said that it was a 15 minute job.  Now if all I had to do was mount the hitch on it may have been a lot closer to that.  I had the tow hooks mounted on the frame, so I first needed to remove them.  Also impeding my work on the driver side what I assume is the fuel pump.  That all took me a while to remove them, plus the bolts had been exposed to 10 years of use and 10 Alberta winters, which are not forgiving to anything metal.  Below is a picture of the hitch installed on the driver side.  The top right bolt hole wasn't used with the tow hooks so that took a little bit of work to get that into place.

 
Now for the passenger side; the muffler wasn't really in the way and I worked around it.

 
That was all that I got complete on Day 1. It was getting dark and I am glad I had my trouble light under there for the last few minutes.

Now the lighting kit was extremely easy  to install and the instructions were detailed enough that I had no trouble following them. I started by opening up the bottom trim and then pulling off the two tail lights.  Below is shown the passenger side light.

 
Before I joined the T-Connector in I put a shot of dielectric grease in the connectors for good measure to ensure electrical continuity for the connections.

 
You can see them together now with the control box right there that I tucked in the driver side rear column.  That was the only thing that wasn't clear on the ideal hiding place for.

 
I routed the wires under the rear trim plate and because I am going to install the 6 round adapter I did want to just have the trailer wire coming out of the back of the hatch I found a grommet above the spare tire that I could get access to that I sliced a bit and fed the wire through.  So currently it is just loose above the spare tire with the dust cap hooked around the where the emergency chains get hooked onto.

 

That evening I went out to my in laws and picked up the trailer.  It towed really well and now just a bit of work on it before we go out with it this summer.

See you on the open road.