Tow vehicle has 4-way flat wiring and trailer has 7-way round

[Jon in AZ]

If the frame was replaced in ‘06, it’s almost certain the axle was replaced then, too. If they put one on without the brake flange, shame on them. But are you absolutely sure it doesn’t have one? You have to stick your head all the way under the trailer and look back toward the wheel. It’s a canted square flange with four bolt holes.

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

If the frame was replaced in ‘06, it’s almost certain the axle was replaced then, too. If they put one on without the brake flange, shame on them. But are you absolutely sure it doesn’t have one? You have to stick your head all the way under the trailer and look back toward the wheel. It’s a canted square flange with four bolt holes.

The brake plate.

[Jon in AZ]

Here’s what you’re looking for. This is my utility trailer with the wheel off.

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Here’s what you’re looking for. This is my utility trailer with the wheel off.
Attachment 135318

Yep. much better view>

[boler girl]

So, the adapter does allow the battery to charge. Sorry, I must have misunderstood your previous comment then.

[boler girl]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Here’s what you’re looking for. This is my utility trailer with the wheel off.
Attachment 135318

Thanks! I'll take a look after work.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Alex Adams

. One more thing to consider, some vehicle warranties will be voided if you break.. into the wiring harness. ....

This is not a fully accurate statement.

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act states that a dealer must prove that aftermarket equipment caused the need for repairs before it can deny warranty coverage.

So if your added wiring actually causes a failure in the vehicles electrical system, then yes, you are likely left with that damage not covered by the warranty. Coverage for unrelated defects such as a door lock, paint failure, etc. would not be impacted by a wiring modification, even with damage to the electrical system. Any manufacturing defect that is not attributed to your modification is covered.

However, as you can imagine, there is a lot of gray area and plenty of chance for the manufacturer to use a modification as an excuse to deny coverage. You might even need to hire a third party mechanic to verify that your mod did not cause a failure. So there is some benefit to doing minimal modifications, but millions of vehicles have aftermarket brake controllers, hitches, trailer light converters, etc. My van, marketed to tow 3500 lbs, has to use after market parts to tow my 2500 lb trailer (or be illegal and unsafe) because the manufacturer does not even offer a brake controller.

For trailer lights on tow vehicles that are not prewired for them, there are converter boxes that basically isolate the vehicles electrical system from the trailer light controls however a connection to the battery is still required. And even the "wireless" brake controllers need a wire run to the battery, so technically they are all a modification to some extent.

[Jon Vermilye]

The 4 pin to 7 pin adapter only charges the trailer if you wire it to the tow vehicle battery & ground. Scroll down in the link and it shows which wires go where. When I ran the 7 pin connector for my RAV4 & Escape 17B, I added a relay that disconnected the charge line when the tow vehicle ignition was off.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by boler girl

I don't know how old the axle is. The frame was replaced in 2006 and new tires were put on at that point. I will change the axle when I get brakes installed, which now sounds like a priority.

Now I'm worried about the age of the tires. Have they been replaced since 2006?

Boy, you ask one simple question and now we are all ready to have you make all kinds of investments. I'm a bit embarrassed here.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by boler girl

thrifty bill:

I don't know how old the axle is. The frame was replaced in 2006 and new tires were put on at that point. I will change the axle when I get brakes installed, which now sounds like a priority.

Alex Adams:

The Toyota wiring does not come with a brake connector, and I definitely don't want to void the warranties.

bertherr:

I think these adapters are great, but would not allow me to charge the battery, so I'm going to get the 7 pin wiring.

Thank you all!
boler girl

If your tires are from 2006 then they need changed no matter how much tread is on them. Tires are only good for 5-7 years. Some people say 5 some say 7. It's not the tread but the breaking down and decay of rubber that is the problem. Depending on how you store your trailer such as in the sun, inside a garage or outside, on concrete or dirt, etc. will change the length a tire is good for. Dirt and bare concrete that hasn't been sealed will suck the moisture out of tires and decay them faster along with sun. I would definitely get the 7 pin plug so you can charge your battery while driving. If not your battery will die at some point and nothing will work unless you are plugged into 110V electric.

[Alex Adams]

Originally Posted by gordon2

And even the "wireless" brake controllers need a wire run to the battery, so technically they are all a modification to some extent.

That's the beauty of the Autowbrake system, it is installed in the trailer using the trailer's wiring. The tow vehicle wiring is not touched.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by boler girl

The other place sent me 2 photos side by side of an OEM hitch vs their hitch on a RAV4, and the real difference was that the aftermarket hung ~3" lower. Toyota cuts into the bumper to fit their hitch, so for that reason, I would not want anybody else to install the Toyota hitch.

They are actually cutting the bumper cover, an expensive piece of painted plastic which conceals the structural bumper underneath.

In order, here's a picture of an OEM Toyota hitch with a very nicely done installation by a dealer, another OEM hitch which was poorly-installed by another dealer, (described on the RAV4 forum as "Dealer's hack job with multiple trim pieces cut at sloppy angles"), the vehicle owner's repair of the bungled installation, and finally a TorkLift brand "EcoHitch".

The bungled OEM hitch installation was apparently cleaned up by the owner who installed a single piece of trim to cover the poorly-cut opening around the receiver tube. Here's a link to the RAV4 forum:

https://www.rav4world.com/threads/to....294773/page-5

My local Audi dealer performed an install of an OEM hitch on our Q5 which was "okay". It was a bit above "just-adequate"; good enough that I didn't repair it. So, unfortunately, it's tough to know just what kind of workmanship you will get.

By the way, the TorkLift hitch has the receiver tube tucked up closely beneath the bumper cover, and the hitch's cross-members are concealed, unlike some of the other aftermarket hitches. So, it's pretty nice option.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Alex Adams

That's the beauty of the Autowbrake system, it is installed in the trailer using the trailer's wiring. The tow vehicle wiring is not touched.

Sorry but I have to call "Large Bovine Excrement" on this.

True, there is less "touching" than with a conventional brake controller in that it does not tap into the brake pedal switch, which is sometimes not so easy to do.
The AutowBrake still needs 12V power from the tugs's battery and the brake light signal.

So not touched at all is not true.

Plus, one can make a good argument that a hard wired brake controller is superior (unless it fries your tug of course ). And its expensive.

[boler girl]

This is what my axle looks like. Sorry, both photos are upside down.

So new hitch, new axle, brakes and new tires!

[boler girl]

Civilguy,

Thank you for the photos.

If I ended up with something like photo #2, I'd be so disappointed. The last photo with the aftermarket hitch looks pretty good to me. I was told that the aftermarket hitch they will use tucks away nicely. I think I'll go for that. Besides, I need to save my money for the axle, the brakes, the tires...

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by boler girl

This is what my axle looks like. Sorry, both photos are upside down.

So new hitch, new axle and new tires!

Yes, there's no brakes there. I'm sorry!

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Civilguy

Yes, there's no brakes there. I'm sorry!

And it is not a torsion axle.

[caderider1]

Make your own adaptor as I did . Get a new end that would be on your car , get a 4 way plug wire the 7 way to the 4 way testing for all your lights . I did this so i could tow with my 1965 Mercury , and also with my 2010 sport track. works great with the 4 way , unplugged it works great with the 7 way.

Originally Posted by boler girl

Hello savvy folks,

We just bought a 2020 RAV4 Trail (called Adventure in the States), which can tow 3500 lbs. Our 1974 13" boler is wired with a round 7-pin and the Toyota hitch comes with 4-way flat wiring. The trailer does not have brakes.

We were given two options, and I'm wondering which one is best:

1- get an aftermarket hitch with proper 7-way wiring installed (this option is cheaper, but the hitch will hang lower)

2- get Toyota to install their hitch with the 4-way wiring, and get someone else to install an adapter to change the 4-pin to a 7-pin

Any thoughts? Thanks!

[Alex Adams]

Originally Posted by gordon2

Sorry but I have to call "Large Bovine Excrement" on this.

True, there is less "touching" than with a conventional brake controller in that it does not tap into the brake pedal switch, which is sometimes not so easy to do.
The AutowBrake still needs 12V power from the tugs's battery and the brake light signal.

So not touched at all is not true.

Plus, one can make a good argument that a hard wired brake controller is superior (unless it fries your tug of course ). And its expensive.

So your going to have to explain to me where I have had to hack into the tow vehicle's wiring, All of the wires from the device connect to the junction box in the trailer. With a conventional brake controller, unless there is already a brake controller connector built into the wiring harness, you have to somehow splice a wire to the brake switch or the wire coming from the brake switch.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by boler girl

Hi Glenn,

I'm in Victoria, and will be going to Cap-it, which was recommended by Toyota.

Sounds like a good idea, unless you have a 1965 Merc and a 2010 SUV and a bunch of left over wire.