CRV receiver hitch

[Faye J.]

I recently bought a 2009 CRV to replace my Tacoma which was totaled in a rear-end collision (not my fault & no injuries except the sad Taco sandwich). I was going to use the little truck to tow my tiny Burro and had just installed a receiver hitch, transmission cooler, and brake controller. Ha! I never even got the chance to hitch up the trailer. Not that it's ready, anyway. I've still got a long way to go before I get it out of the driveway. I suspect it's going to be one very long project. My question is: what have other CRV owners installed in the way of a receiver hitch, who put it in, and if they have a brake controller, how and where did they get the wiring done? And what did it cost? I'm not experienced or adventurous enough to do the installations myself, so I would appreciate any advice.

[Glenn Baglo]

Go to U-haul for a quote.

[rgrugg]

Any RV dealer can do it.

[Francesca Knowles]

I second the "u-haul" suggestion- they're very competent, or have been in my case, anyhow.

I'd add:
If you have a seven-pin connection on the trailer from which you draw power for the battery, make sure to ask them to install a charging line with an isolator that will prevent the trailer from draining the car's battery when you're parked. (This is not always a standard part of a trailer-wiring install.)

Also:
Though your trailer probably has no backup lights, you may want to have that wire hooked up on the tug, too- I've regretted not having done so with mine.

Per controller type:
If you liked the one you had before, get that one!

Good luck!

Francesca

[honda03842]

We tow with a CRV. We purchased it from etrailer along with the wiring harness. We installed it ourselves though most any RV shop can do it. Our son has successfully used Uhaul.

We purchased the Curt Hitch shown on this page with a 3500 lb rating

Honda CR-V Trailer Hitch - 2009 | etrailer.com

[Faye J.]

Thanks to all! The closest Uhaul place couldn't (or didn't want to) wire for the 7-pin connection and the RV place that's associated with Camping World laughed at the very thought. I think the idea of such a small tow and trailer was beyond them. I'll check with other places in the metro area of OKC and see what they might offer. The e-trailer advice is also a good option. The truck shop that used to work on my Tacoma might be persuaded to take on the Honda without too much laughter. I just really want to avoid the Honda dealer because I know they would charge way too much.

[Francesca Knowles]

I'm surprised at U-haul, but now that I think about it, when I had my Kia's hitch/wiring done there, it was only for 4-way...I didn't have the Trillium yet.

Here's a thought:

You might go to them anyway for the hitch and a 4-way connection.

Once that's done, you can upgrade to 7-way fairly easily...here's a link to E-trailer that tells how: Brake Controller 7- and 4-Way Installation Kit (ETBC7) | etrailer.com


Per Camping World laughing at you:
I know what you mean!
In the case of my Kia, I'd had the hitch and 4-way for several years, and when I bought my Trillium I took it to the local RV guy to install the kit above.

He took one look at the Kia and said " What do you think you're going to tow with this???"

The rest is history...

Francesca

[Carol H]

Camping world I get they like to play with big trailers and trucks but not Uhaul? Seriously? Lots of folks here including myself had no problems getting them to install a hitch and 7 pin harness. I would try an another UHaul shop if there is more than one in your area.

[Bob Miller]

Reese makes both a bolt on hitch as well as a "T" style adapter that plugs into the light harness. It took about 2 hours for me to install both on our 2008 CRV. My local RV dealer got both parts for me within 2 days.

[Nate R]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

Reese makes both a bolt on hitch as well as a "T" style adapter that plugs into the light harness. It took about 2 hours for me to install both on our 2008 CRV. My local RV dealer got both parts for me within 2 days.

Bob, are you running a 7 pin setup?

For those that are on a CR-V, or those that have trailer brakes on a CR-V, how do get from the brake controller to the hitch? Is there a wire available already on the vehicle, or do you have to run a new wire? If you do, where do you route it?

Just bought a 2011 CR-V to replace our 2002 Civic. So we went from "Towing not recommended" (in US) to 1500 lbs tow rating.

[Bob Miller]

RE: CRV wiring

There is a plug & play wiring loom for the lights, available through most RV suppliers, that plugs into an existing connector, right behind the trim panel in the left rear corner of the CRV. That provides a 4 wire lead for the lights and then you have to add wiring for the brake controller and the charging line. The light harness includes the necessary diode converter box.
Unfortunately, unlike on my Chevy Blazer, the brake and charging lines are apparently not a part of the factory wiring. I installed a circuit breaker and an isolator under the hood for the charging line and then routed that and the brake line back to the hitch, tying it off to the frame rails where possible.

Because we now have the Blazer for a TV we no longer tow with the CRV and have sold off the hitch and wiring kit.

[Nate R]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

RE: CRV wiring

There is a plug & play wiring loom for the lights, available through most RV suppliers, that plugs into an existing connector, right behind the trim panel in the left rear corner of the CRV. That provides a 4 wire lead for the lights and then you have to add wiring for the brake controller and the charging line. The light harness includes the necessary diode converter box.
Unfortunately, unlike on my Chevy Blazer, the brake and charging lines are apparently not a part of the factory wiring. I installed a circuit breaker and an isolator under the hood for the charging line and then routed that and the brake line back to the hitch, tying it off to the frame rails where possible.

Because we now have the Blazer for a TV we no longer tow with the CRV and have sold off the hitch and wiring kit.

Excellent, thanks! So you routed the brake wires underneath the vehicle? How'd you get them from the controller to outside?

[Bob Miller]

There are several wire pass-through grommets in the firewall that you can squeeze a few extra wires through.

BTW: As long as there is already a trailer light plug, forget the "T" adapters, that just puts all the extra trailer light load on the same wires that are powering the TV's lights. The trailer connector is a separate circuit.

[Nate R]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

There are several wire pass-through grommets in the firewall that you can squeeze a few extra wires through.

BTW: As long as there is already a trailer light plug, forget the "T" adapters, that just puts all the extra trailer light load on the same wires that are powering the TV's lights. The trailer connector is a separate circuit.

Ahhh, OK. I had heard about the T-Connectors, and didn't understand how they were different than the trailer connector under the panel. Got it now. I'll get one for the trailer connector, and do as you did for the other wiring once I get the brakes installed on the trailer. Thanks for the info! I started looking here about this because I wasn't finding clear answers on the CR-V forums.

[Huck]

I had my auto mechanic install the transmission cooler and brake controller and do all the wiring. Actually bought the cooler and controller on Amazon and took to mechanic when I was having some other maintenance done. I installed the hitch myself, then went to an RV dealer to get a ball and ball mount that gave me the proper height.

[Lee in Ohio]

Hey all, new to this and reading fast. I will be picking up a 2011 CRV shortly to trailer a 13' Scamp with electric brakes. I will need a 7-pin plug which as I understand will be the 4 wires from the CRV factory connector plus a 'brake line' and a 'charging line' (please anyone jump in if I'm messing this up).

Thanks to many of the helpful links, I can see exactly what I need to buy. One dark area for me is the brake controller. I see many options but no specifics. Is there a general consesus (variable versus fixed, wired versus RF controlled, >$300 versus <$100) on which is recommended?

Thanks in advance!
Lee

[Carol H]

Lee every time the topic of brake controllers come up the over whelming winner of what most people here use and are happy with is the Tekonsha Prodigy P2. The reasons for that are it can be mounted at a greater angle in the vehicle than some of the less expensive controllers - when trying to find a good spot for mounting the controller in many small vehicles can be a big one. And its a proportional brake controller it senses the tow vehicle is stopping and applies the same amount of braking power to the trailer as you apply to the vehicle, resulting in a smooth stop. The other type out there and often less expensive is sometimes called a time delayed brake controller - I am sure someone will give you more accurate info on the differences but heres my basic understanding of how they work. They send a predetermined amount of braking power to the trailer and then there is a delay to full braking power. I have in years past used that type on a horse trailer and I can tell you that you are way better to go with the proportional type controller.

[Lee in Ohio]

Thanks Carol!

[sokhapkin]

Take a look at InSIGHT? Flex-Mount? Brake Control , the display and control boxes can be mounted anywhere, only "smart box" need to be mounted at low angle.

[Nate R]

Originally Posted by Lee in Ohio

Hey all, new to this and reading fast. I will be picking up a 2011 CRV shortly to trailer a 13' Scamp with electric brakes. I will need a 7-pin plug which as I understand will be the 4 wires from the CRV factory connector plus a 'brake line' and a 'charging line' (please anyone jump in if I'm messing this up).

Thanks to many of the helpful links, I can see exactly what I need to buy. One dark area for me is the brake controller. I see many options but no specifics. Is there a general consesus (variable versus fixed, wired versus RF controlled, >$300 versus <$100) on which is recommended?

Thanks in advance!
Lee

From my understanding, that's exactly what you'll need for the 7-pin. Brake controllers I have no experience with yet. Let us know how it goes for you!