Of course, everyone has different ways, but surely any person at least once in his life had to transport goods, move, pick up a crop from a summer house, but what else ... It's good when a truck is hidden in the garage for these purposes, and what to do if you have a car One, and it is intended for all occasions? That's right - get a trailer, well, or at least lend from a neighbor. But that's bad luck - the trailer is not so easy to attach. You need a special device - hitch. There are two options: seek help from professionals or take matters into your own hands and install the hitch yourself. But first, it is useful to find out in more detail what the hitch is and why exactly it is needed.

Content

• 1 A little about the towbars
• 2 Buy ready or do it yourself
• 3 What you need for self-installation
• 4 Connecting the tow bar
• 5 Installation of the hitch
• 6 Electrical connection
• 7 Network Integration

A little about the towbars

It looks set hitch

Almost all modern, and the majority of non-modern machines are not equipped with towbars from the factory. Therefore, it is necessary for car owners, if necessary, to install such a device independently. But before proceeding with the purchase and installation, you should decide which hitch is right for you. Turnbuckles are:

• fixed (fixed by welding or bolts) - the cheapest and most practical solution, but many owners of passenger cars are embarrassed by their appearance;
• removable - in reliability, such devices are often not inferior to fixed ones, but at any time it can be removed from a car (minus such a tow bar - the price, it is almost two times higher than that of a non-removable trailer hitch);
• flange (2 or 4 holes) - to install them, the car must be equipped with a special platform.

Buy ready or do it yourself

You can buy a tow bar ready or spend a lot of time (but save money!) And make such a device with your own hands. However, most people who want to install a hitch tend to purchase the factory product. And that's why:

Ready factory hitch

1. Due to the fact that such products are now being developed and designed using special computer programs, the manufacturer can quite accurately calculate what load the hitch can withstand and lay a certain durability resource in it.
2. Factory products are carefully monitored for defects, standards compliance, tolerances, etc. Control occurs at all production stages.
3. In addition, the manufacturer has warranty obligations to the buyer and in the event of a breakage of the tow bar due to the manufacturer’s fault (for example, factory defects) will be forced to replace the product with a quality one or refund you. However, do not be fooled - to prove that the product failure is not caused by improper installation will not be easy. That is why many recommend ordering an installation in the same company that produced the device, of course, if such a service is provided.

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What you need for self-installation

So, if you still decide to install the hitch on your own, you first need to take care of where the work will be done (ideally, a garage with a pit or a lift, in the worst case, an overpass). The entire installation process will require several hours of its time. For those who have decided to go through the purchase of a finished device, there is almost no cause for concern - all additional details, such as bushings, fasteners, sockets, wiring, etc., are included in the set of the tow bar. Those who decide to make a hitch themselves will be forced to purchase all the necessary parts separately.

To install the hitch you need the following elements and tools:

• directly the device itself;
• set of fixings for it;
• wires for supplying electricity to the trailer or trailer stoplight unit;
• drill with drills of various sizes;
• set of wrenches;
• may need a special device to remove the bumper.

Preliminary work consists in marking the place for future attachment of the hitch. The most convenient way to perform such work is the usual marker. To make the holes qualitative, experts recommend using a bit a bit larger than the size of the bolts used.

Remember! To prevent the appearance of corrosion in the field of drilling holes for fasteners, these areas should be treated with a special anti-corrosion compound. Only after this procedure, you can finally mount the hitch.

And if everything is quite clear about the installation of the tow bar itself, then connecting the electrics of the tow bar with your own hands can drive even an experienced motorist into a stupor. However, do not get upset in advance. Let's try to understand more.

Connecting the tow bar

According to the current legislation, the trailer attached to the car must completely duplicate all the signals given by the car during the movement. That is why the standard wiring of your trailer needs to be connected to the vehicle electrical system.

Appearance sockets for connecting the tow bar

Attention! Before you start connecting the electrics of the tow bar, you should carefully examine what types of connectors and contacts are responsible for.

Most of the factory towbars come complete with detailed installation instructions. If you strictly follow the recommendations of the manufacturer, and do not forget about the basic rules for connecting electricians in principle, then installation problems should not arise. If the tow bar is connected correctly, the trailer completely duplicates all the lights of the car to which it is connected. So, let's talk about installing more.

Trailer hitch installation

Typically, the installation of the tow bar does not cause the car owner special difficulties. Most likely, you do not even have to remove the rear bumper and / or drill holes in it. For example, we show the installation process of the tow bar on the car Lada Largus.

Carefully clean the bottom of the car, preparing it to install the hitch

Armed with a screwdriver, remove the plugs in regular places

Bend the device locker and insert the bolts into the holes provided

To firmly secure the hitch under the bumper, carefully tighten all the bolts

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After that we carry out a control check of the reliability of the connection between the car and the tow bar. Now you can connect the electrics of the tow bar with your own hands.

Electrical connection

For each specific trailer device, the manufacturer provides a connection scheme for the tow bar socket. Connect wiring should be exclusively according to this scheme. A special module is installed on the tow bar - a socket for connecting the electrics of the car with the trailer electrics. The most common are seven and 13-pin sockets. Russian cars equipped with towbars from the factory often have exactly seven-pronged plug sockets. Thirteen contacts are often found on Korean, Chinese and European cars, as well as on cars made in the USA “Extra” contacts are needed to connect various specific equipment on the trailer, which domestic designers considered unnecessary.

The following decoding applies to both 7-pin and 13-pin connectors. After the dot, the most common colors used in the installation of wires are indicated (be careful - colors may differ).

1. Turning (left). Yellow color.
2. Fog (rear). Color - blue.
3. Grounding pins 1-8. White colour.
4. Turning (right). Green colour.
5. Dimensions (left side) and license plate illumination. Brown colour.
6. Feet. The color is red.
7. Dimensions (right side) and license plate illumination. Black colour.
8. Reverse. Pink colour.
9. Voltage 12V with battery. Orange color.
10. Voltage 12V with the ignition on. The color is gray.
11. Contact grounding 10. Color - white with black.
12. Signal wire. Color - blue with white.

Approximate outlet wiring diagram

If the connector installed on the car does not coincide with the one with which the selected trailer is equipped, use special adapters.

Network integration

When the connector is selected, connect it to the on-board network of the machine. Make it more convenient through the technological hole in the block rear brake lights. In modern foreign cars when connected, malfunctions can occur, mainly due to the fact that in such cars electrician is designed for a certain voltage. The problem is solved easily - by installing an adapter with high resistance. Domestic cars in this sense are less problematic - their electrical system is able to withstand heavy loads. By installing the connector of the tow bar we connect the wires by color. It will be correct to insulate each wire separately, and then check them for operability.

Now more and more car enthusiasts are trying to equip their cars with towbars. This is not surprising, since having a faithful and reliable passenger car in everyday life, it is pleasant to think that, if necessary, it can carry bulk cargo or help tow another car. As can be seen from this article, install and connect the hitch - the task is simple. The main thing is to follow our recommendations and advice from the manufacturer.