Looking for advice on a receiver hitch

[alan H]

I'm changing tow vehicles, and was wondering if anyone can provide some suggestions on a hitch. I'm switch to a 2004 Jeep grand cherokee, and towing 1 13ft perrsi pacer without brakes. I've been quote from a company called eckert $550 for the receiver hitch & wring for a 4wire flat. Does that seem resonable ? Has anyone tried Uhaul or a "bolt-on" receiver hitch? The last qustions was that I was quote that for the wiring i need a dedicated wire to the battery with a relay built into it ? I was expecting that I could simply wire in a 4 wire flat plug into one of the rear lights. again any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by alan H

I've been quote from a company called eckert $550 for the receiver hitch & wring for a 4wire flat. Does that seem resonable ?

That sounds high to me; the receiver-type hitch should be half of that, and just 4-pin wiring isn't that big a deal.

Originally Posted by alan H

Has anyone tried Uhaul or a "bolt-on" receiver hitch?

All modern hitches bolt on (rather than, for instance, being welded).
U-Haul is just another hitch retailer/installer; they do not manufacture hitches, but sell hitches from other companies with a U-Haul sticker on it.

Originally Posted by alan H

The last qustions was that I was quote that for the wiring i need a dedicated wire to the battery with a relay built into it ? I was expecting that I could simply wire in a 4 wire flat plug into one of the rear lights.

A four-pin connection only runs the lights. While wiring adapters are available which just plug into the tow vehicle's light wiring, this is not acceptable for some vehicles because it adds too much load to the tow vehicle's circuits; these vehicles require a converter module which gets its power from the battery (although no relay would necessarily be required). Often plugging into the tow vehicle's wiring cannot just be done at one taillight, since both left and right turn signal circuits may not be at that one location.

To charge the trailer's battery a separate power circuit is needed, and most of us would put a relay in that; however, this cannot be done with a four-pin connection... another pin and a larger ground connector would be needed.

Although the current trailer currently doesn't have brakes, I suggest considering wiring the tug for both electric brakes and trailer battery charging, both of which need more than a four-pin. By far the most common connector for RVs with more than four pins is the RV-type 7-pion.


I find it handy to check out a proposed tow vehicle in the eTrailer web site. They show the parts you need, from multiple suppliers, with installation instructions.

• In this case, there are two brands of 2" receiver (Curt, and Cequent - Draw-Tite and Hidden Hitch are both Cequent divisions and they sell the same hitch); I would probably choose the Curt because it uses all six mounting bolt locations provided by Jeep, not just five.
• It looks like if the Grand Cherokee has the factory towing package, the wiring kit just plugs in in a few minutes, and does get a separate power supply with no extra installation work because Jeep provides a power circuit as part of the tow package.
• With the towing package, it looks like the Grand Cherokee can be wired for a seven-pin with no more effort - just plug in. I would certainly do that.

[Donna D.]

I'd go to a You Pull It wrecking yard and get the hitch. Call me cheap! And then off to U-Haul for the wiring.

[Perry J]

U-haul installs more hitches than anyone else in America.
I have used them exclusively for the last 15 years.
That's 5 or 6 hitches and never a problem.
It takes them about 30 minutes to install a hitch as they are all set up for it.
$550.00 sounds high.

[Bob Miller]

It sounds like the extra "wire with a relay" mentioned is for a charging line. That may or may not be included in the factory wiring.

You can check with Reese (etrailer.com) I am sure that they have a plug & play "T" adapter or a direct connector for the existing Jeep light wiring.

The more common aftermarket 7 pin recepticles for the TV come with a pre-wired matching 4 pin plug for the lights and seperate wires for the brakes, charging line and back-up lights.

As far as hitches, I have stuck with the Reese products with good luck as to fit and finish.

Again, start at etrailer.com and find out whats available off the shelf first.

[luvrOlife]

I'm with Perry, Go to Uhaul. In March I purchased a Curt brand class III receiver hitch. The total cost saved me over $100 compared to etrailer. In fact I purchased the four pin Factory Ford Wiring Harness and had them install that also. For both I spent about $360. UHaul had the receiver hitch in stock. I originally ordered from eTrailer but had to cancel the order, since it wasn't going to get to me in time. I waited over 5 days then canceled my eTrailer purchase. Btw...The price I quoted also included my Tongue hitch and pin.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Perry J

U-haul installs more hitches than anyone else in America...
It takes them about 30 minutes to install a hitch as they are all set up for it.
$550.00 sounds high.

It takes me about 30 minutes to install a hitch like the one on the Grand Cherokee. There's nothing special about U-Haul, but they are a big chain, and their hitch prices can be quite low. In this case, their price is very good ($139 online), and their installation is only $27.50, $17.50 if booked online. At that price, I doubt it takes them as much as half an hour.

I think the selection of the right hitch is more important than the installer. In this case, U-Haul is offering the Draw-Tite (Cequent) hitch - they even use the same part number as Draw-Tite (75139).

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by luvrOlife

... Go to Uhaul. In March I purchased a Curt brand class III receiver hitch. The total cost saved me over $100 compared to etrailer.

... UHaul had the receiver hitch in stock. I originally ordered from eTrailer but had to cancel the order, since it wasn't going to get to me in time. I waited over 5 days then canceled my eTrailer purchase.

Being in stock is important. When I decided to go ahead and buy a Reese hitch for my Focus, U-Haul didn't have it in stock. Not only would I have to wait for it, they were going to charge me an extra fee to bring it in! I bought the hitch on sale from Canadian Tire - they didn't have it stock either, but they brought it in at no additional charge. I installed it myself so it didn't matter to me who had what installation services. All of the local hitch shops who carry Cequent had it as well, but at a higher price; they normally sell with installation included.

I only mentioned eTrailer because they have good information online; I don't know if their prices are particularly good, and I would not order something online - especially from a supplier in another country - that I could get locally for a similar price.

Originally Posted by luvrOlife

...The price I quoted also included my Tongue hitch and pin.

This would presumably be the ball mount and pin.

[Darrell in Al]

You may want to check 4wd.com and especially quadratec.com for the hitch parts, quad carries factory parts (mopar) made for it and they may have the correct "plug and play parts" so there is no cutting wires. They have people who know how to whatever you need. IE: quality free advice by ones that know jeeps. The factory XJ Cherokee hitch (2 in) is class4 rated at least, I don't have a Grand Cherokee but 2 XJs, 1MJ and a Wangler. I buy most of my parts from them. they can and will answer questions you may have.

[Brian B-P]

The factory hitch - purchased new or used - is an interesting possibility. Original-equipment hitches are sometimes better fitted to the vehicle than aftermarket units, although that usually means cutting into the bumper cover (and perhaps adding a trim piece) to make that fit possible.

The factory hitch may be Class 4 rated - which just means that the capacity is over 5000 lb (with weight distribution system) - but so are the aftermarket hitches (at least those with 2" receivers, and in weight-distribution mode).

(Edit: only 2" receiver hitches will be Class 4 rated)

[Darrell in Al]

I was just advising due to jeep having lower rated hitches sold for then too. one of my XJs has the lower rated hitch (1.25) receiver the other one was standard 2 in.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Darrell in Al

I was just advising due to jeep having lower rated hitches sold for then too. one of my XJs has the lower rated hitch (1.25) receiver the other one was standard 2 in.

Good point: no 1.25" receiver hitch is likely to be rated beyond Class 2 (3500 lb trailer weight), so a 2" receiver is required to take full advantage of the Grand Cherokee's capability. There are reasons to use a 1.25" hitch with some vehicles (such as my Sienna), it makes no sense to me for a Grand Cherokee, so I would ignore any 1.25" options for this vehicle - whether factory or aftermarket.

I missed the size distinction in my previous post, so I edited it for clarity - thanks Darrell

[Darrell in Al]

jeep sent out ones with both types I don't understand that reasoning. thanks for the fix in the 1.25 size one.. posting from phone.. dang keyboard freeze ups and brain lock ups