[Mike Levesque]

Hi everyone. This is my first post here. I am setting up my 2011 Titan King Cab 4x4 to tow a fifth wheel camper. The camper is a small 22 footer and weighs about 4K or so. I bought this truck used, so I have no idea what it came with from the factory.

I believe I have the factory tow package in my truck. I base this off reading other posts on here which say if the truck has a transmission temperature gauge installed, then the truck does have it. Mine definitely has this gauge. Some of the posts mention towing mirrors also to designate a towing package. However, mine does not have towing mirrors, just the standard ones. I have a factory installed trailer hitch and the wiring to the lights and such at the hitch come from the factory wiring harness. As I understand it, there should also be a plug in for a brake controller located under the dash near the emergency brake(?) that would come with trucks that have a tow package.

I need to install a brake controller to operate the electric brakes on the camper. I read through the instructions with the connector made for a Titan of this year and I cannot find this plug in under the dash anywhere.

Would this plug be hidden somewhere that I am not looking at? How can I determine if I even have it to begin with? I also question if I really do have a tow package due to the missing tow mirrors and now, potentially, missing adapter for the brake controller.

If anyone has some experience with this, I sure would appreciate some guidance. Thanks very much in advance.


Mike

 

[Mike Levesque]

Sorry about the duplicate post, I did not realize there was a towing section.

Getting ready to tow a camper...need some help.
Hi everyone. This is my first post here. I am setting up my 2011 Titan King Cab 4x4 to tow a fifth wheel camper. The camper is a small 22 footer and weighs about 4K or so. I bought this truck used, so I have no idea what it came with from the factory.

I believe I have the factory tow package in my truck. I base this off reading other posts on here which say if the truck has a transmission temperature gauge installed, then the truck does have it. Mine definitely has this gauge. Some of the posts mention towing mirrors also to designate a towing package. However, mine does not have towing mirrors, just the standard ones. I have a factory installed trailer hitch and the wiring to the lights and such at the hitch come from the factory wiring harness. As I understand it, there should also be a plug in for a brake controller located under the dash near the emergency brake(?) that would come with trucks that have a tow package.

I need to install a brake controller to operate the electric brakes on the camper. I read through the instructions with the connector made for a Titan of this year and I cannot find this plug in under the dash anywhere.

Would this plug be hidden somewhere that I am not looking at? How can I determine if I even have it to begin with? I also question if I really do have a tow package due to the missing tow mirrors and now, potentially, missing adapter for the brake controller.

If anyone has some experience with this, I sure would appreciate some guidance. Thanks very much in advance.


Mike

 

[HRTKD]

I believe later models all came with the transmission gauge, but I don't know the cutoff. So that is no longer a telltale sign. All Titans have come with the brake wiring in place. The plug is tucked way up under the dash above the emergency brake pedal. You have to work to get it. Is it possible that it has already been brought down and you're not seeing it?

The most important part of the tow package is the differential ratio. You want the 3.36 gears. This is usually printed on the differential itself. The door frame tag also has this but if someone switched the axle the door frame tag won't agree. The chance of someone changing the rear differential ratio on a 4x4 Titan is almost zero as they would have to change the front also.

Even at 4K your fifth wheel is well within the Titan's capability if it does not have the tow package.

 

[Mike Levesque]

Thank you, HRTKD. Appreciate the input.

Since I posted the above, I found the connector for the brake controller. It was under the panel covering the area under the steering wheel Labeled clear as day, so I am good to go there. The door tag has no reference to rear end gear ratio and the differential has no tag or sticker on it. The more I think about it, I will bet I do not have the tow package. I will try the highway speed thing to confirm or deny. Luckily, the camper is going to be ok even without.

Thanks again!

 

[Carbeaux]

You have a 2011, so a trans temp gauge is standard regardless. The important difference between the two is the gearing in the differential(s). First go look at your rear diff and see if there's a sticker on it on the passenger side of the pumpkin. If so, it'll tell you the gearing. If it's gone, get out on the highway and see what kind of RPMs you're turning in 5th gear at 70mph by your dashboard speedometer. If you're on the big gears (3.36) your RPMs will be right about 2,000. If you're on the little gears (2.96) your RPMs will be closer to 1,700. Doesn't matter what tire size you're on for that test.

Mirrors can be swapped, though most folks swap out regular mirrors for the tow mirrors, not the other way around. Either way, they're not a good indicator either.

The brake controller plug is there, regardless of whether you have the big or little gears. It's up under the dash on the driver's side, above the parking brake pedal. It's tucked up pretty good, but IIRC it's a white plug you're looking for. Some folks have taken the bottom part of the dash off, the part below the steering wheel, to get to it. I didn't have to. Just be persistent looking for it. It is there.

 

[Carbeaux]

Answered your other thread with pretty much the same info. I'm going to merge the two threads.