Do i need a weight distributing hitch?

ISPYFROMABOVE · 09-13-2009, 11:42 PM

OK. so i just got my titan. It's an 06 XE king cab. The previous owner put a 7 pin adapter in the back by the bumper hitch. No receiver hitch is installed at the moment. Im not sure if it was there before or not.

I want to buy the prodigy brake controller and i need to know where i will connect it to. Also, with the 7 pin adapter allready in the back, where does that connect to the stock harness and how can i tell if this truck ever had a brake controller installed etc.

By the way i haven't owned a truck for about 10 years and my last one was a little 91 chevy 1500 with the 4.3 V6. So the T is a big difference.

Finally, my wife and I are looking at buying a 27 ft Holiday Rambler Aluma Lite TT that weighs 3992 Dry with a GVWR of 7539. Hitch weight of 539. Will a standard class 3 receiver hitch work for this or do i need a WDH? Also, what hitch should i get and are there any other mods i need to do to the truck to tow this safely (Other than a brake controller). I drove hotrods all my life and not trucks so if i sound like a newbie, its just in the towing dept, i'm a gearhead at heart..
Thanks

Shane06fl · 09-14-2009, 07:00 AM

Assuming you don't have tow package towing a 7500lb TT will be at your trucks max and with you and your wife in the truck you will be over your trucks max GVWR. But if your TT only weighs 4000lbs dry I doubt you will load it with 3500lbs of stuff.

The brake controler plug is located under the left side of the dash left of the steering column. it will be taped up to the harness. When you get the prodigy controler buy the all ready made harness that comes with it. It will be a plug and play connection.

With no tow package you might not have all the relays, depending on what the previous owner did or didn't do. Take it to Uhaul or the dealer and get the Class 4 hitch and relays if needed. I have read that Uhaul has the relays cheaper than the dealer.

Don't skimp on the hitch. The factory hitch is a class 4 and won't be much more money than a class 3.

yes if your towing a TT you need a WDH with that kind of tongue weight. You will also need sway control. Many swear by the Equilizer hitch that does both.

BK19702 · 09-14-2009, 10:10 AM

I have an 06 XE w/o big tow, and I just bought a used camper a few weeks ago. Not as large as what your planning on pulling, but just to give you frame of comparision you definitely will want the WD hitch and most likely sway control. Equalizer does both, but will cost you more on the front end. I purchased a W/D hitch and sway control setup from this site:

The Hitch Store

They were fast on delivery and relatively inexpensive. My camper is only 5000LBS GVWR, 3850LBS dry, so I went with a midline setup; truck / trailer sit fine and ride well. Check for the relays under the hood; you'll definitely need those. In addition to the brake controller, an aftermarket trans temp gauge maybe something you want to consider to monitor trans temp since the Big Tow Titan does not come equipped. I may add one in the future, but for now I use tow mode, tow in 4th and grab 3rd on hills. IMO, the Titan pulls just fine like this. The only additional items I could think you may want to invest in are some quality rear shocks (OEM's are garbage) and possibly some upgraded shackles for the rear since the OEM versions have been known to fail. Sounds like your are on the right track - keep the truck weight down and happy camping!

Pops · 09-14-2009, 11:16 AM

I would say "Yes" because you'll need some sort of Sway Control. I bought my Prodigy and Equalizer hitch for a great price from RVWholesalers.com.

ISPYFROMABOVE · 09-14-2009, 09:23 PM

OK so if i find an OEM titan hitch, what do i need to go along with that, sway control bars ect??? or would it be better to go with the equalizer hitch. do i need the equalizer hitch to go with the stock one... ug still confused.

Also, i see pictures of the WD hitch not attached to a vehicle and i am having trouble picturing how it attaches to the trailer.

BK19702 · 09-15-2009, 05:28 AM

You need a receiver (OEM or otherwise); the WD hitch is a whole package unto itself. The head, ball, and shank portion attach to the receiver on the truck and the bars mount to the head on the truck and frame on the trailer. Brackets get installed on the trailer frame to accommodate this. The sway portion if purchased separately mounts between the trailer and hitch head on separate balls. So, a rough list to get started:

- Receiver (Class III minimum)
- Brake controller (Prodigy is nice)
- 7 way plug
- Relays
- Weight Distributing Hitch
- Sway Control

An Equalizer hitch will cover the last two in one package, but costs a little more.

Pops · 09-15-2009, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ISPYFROMABOVE

..... Also, i see pictures of the WD hitch not attached to a vehicle and i am having trouble picturing how it attaches to the trailer.

Here's mine hitched up.

ISPYFROMABOVE · 09-16-2009, 12:28 AM

OK cool. Thanks for the help. I just picked up an OEM titan hitch for $150, i'm going to put that on tomorrow and get the rest of the stuff ordered here next week.

Thanks again for all the help.

ISPYFROMABOVE · 09-17-2009, 12:44 PM

OK. I installed the hitch today and noticed that there was a factory 7 pin connector allready there. hooked it up.

Looked under the dash and there was the connector for the brake controller.

Does this mean that the truck came with the big tow package?? Ir is this regular equipment on the 06. Also, if the truck did not come with the tow option but has all the wiring, do i still need to get the relays??. where are the relays located??

**Carbeaux** · 09-17-2009, 12:50 PM

If your truck is an '06, and it's 2WD, the one thing that will tip you off as to whether it's BT or not is a trans temp gauge. If you have it, it's in the center of the RH cluster of gauges on your dash. Right in the middle of the oil, temp, etc. I'd bet it's not there. It seems that most of the trucks were wired to be able to accept the 7pin and a brake controller, regardless of whether they were geared for big tow or not.

You'd find the relays up under the hood in one of the two boxes back behind the battery.

Edit to add: On your XE, if it doesn't have BT, then you're almost certainly missing the relays. You can get them very cheaply from UHaul.

ISPYFROMABOVE · 09-18-2009, 11:15 AM

AH...

Ok no temp gauge. Also no relays. So no Big Tow

Oh well the trailer i want wont overload the truck so thats ok.

Anyone know if there are any decent aftermarket trans and rear end temp gauge kits out there??? I saw someone selling an A-pillar gauge pod. Maybe i could throw a trans and diff temp gauge in there if there are decent sets of gauges out there.....

Thanks a bunch for all the help.