PSUFetch

This past weekend, I installed a Curt class III hitch and a Prodigy Brake controller. The model number for the hitch is 13060 and fits on the vehicle with the factory Class II hitch still installed. There are other posts that detail the installation of the hitch, so I won't go into too much detail here, but I did want to confirm that it does fit with the factory hitch. There are pictures below. A few things that I learned about the install: 1. The instructions say that you should use a 17/32" drill bit when installing the hitch. I was unable to locate one and I checked 4 different hardware stores. A 1/2" bit works just fine. 2. The installation was surprisingly easy. It took about 1 hour and that was because I fished the bolts through the wrong holes in the frame and had to fish them back out the end of the frame rails. Without that mistake, 45 minutes would definitely be doable. 3. I had some help holding the hitch while I got the nuts started, but other than than, it's a 1 person job. 4. I used ramps to lift the rear of the car so I'd have more room to work. When I dropped the exhaust out of the way, I used a jack to support the weight of the mufflers so that I didn't overstretch the rubber hanger in the center of the car. The brake controller installation wasn't too bad. By far, the worst part was figuring out how to run the wiring from the battery to underneath the dash. There was no obvious hole that I could find. I wound up poking a small hole in the grommet that surrounds the steering column and fishing the wiring through it. Here's what it looks like with the plastic trim piece removed. With the trim piece in place, the wires are routed up into the dash where they can be zip tied out of the way. I needed to run 3 wires to the controller....12 volt positive, 12 volt neutral (ground), and 12 volts back to the trailer plug for the trailer brakes. I used 12 gauge wire per the brake controller's instructions. Since I decided to route the wiring under the car rather than under the interior trim pieces., I used wire type THHW/THHN/MTW which is water resistant and also gas and and oil resistant. The 12 volt positive comes off the battery and through a 20 amp self-resetting circuit breaker. I tapped off a terminal that is located under the lid of the fuse panel that is located under the hood. I mounted the circuit breaker with self-tapping screws. I wish i had chosen a different location because it was difficult to get my drill in the location i chose. I had to use my right angle drill to install the breaker. I took the neutral tap off the ground point near the battery. In addition to the 12 volt positive and neutral, you also need to connect the controller to a source that is hot when the brakes are applied. I found that the easiest spot for this tap was on the switch that is located on the brake pedal. The switch is the blue and gray piece below. You can see the plunger for the switch that is pressing against the brown circle that is attached to the brake pedal. Using my mulitmeter, I found that the correct wire is the purple and white one that is on the left of the plug in the picture below. I used a "Scotch-Lock" style wire tap to tap into the brake signal wire and connect it to the wiring harness that came with the Prodigy. The Prodigy also comes with butt connectors to make the other 3 connections. Below is the harness installed. You can see how I routed the red and white wires up and over to the knee panel of the dash so that they stay away form the steering column. After securing all the wiring under the dash, I re-installed the knee panel. I wrapped the harness in black electrical tape to hide the wiring and ran them up to the controller. I mounted the controller so that it was easily accessible, but still out of the way. The instructions say that it should be mounted between 0 and 70 degrees from vertical for optimal performance. The knee panel is a perfect spot. I used this plug to adapt from the 4 pin plug that comes with the factory tow package. I bought it from Tractor Supply Company. Adapter Plug It takes the work out of connecting for brake lights and turn signals. I used one of the screws that holds up the heat shield for my grounding point at the rear of the car. I then cut a hole to mount the plug. the plug came with self tapping screws, but I found that they easily ripped out of the soft black plastic. I bought stainless steel nuts, bolts and washers for a more secure mount. Here is the best overall picture that I have. And Finally, with the trailer hooked up. As I said before, the hardest part for me was routing the wires. I used wire loom to protect the wiring as it runs underneath the car. I think this was the best way to run the wires since I don't have the patience to carefully pry the interior trim pieces off. I'm happy with the way it worked out. I was unsure of how the 2 receivers would look, but I don't think it's too bad. Certainly not bad enough for my to take the bumper cover off and cut the factory hitch off. Let me know if you have any questions. I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability. Hopefully this helps someone's installation go a little easier.

I've got a 2008 Edge with the factory tow package and I've been looking to upgrade to a class III as well. It looks like you could have saved yourself some money by not having the shop cut off the factory Class II hitch. According to Curt's website, the 13060 will fit beneath the OE 1.25" receiver. Your pictures seem to back this up as well. I haven't had a chance to really look underneath the rear of the car to see if this is possible though. I'm planning on getting a class III hithch because I'm going to be using a weight distributing system on my trailer and they all need a Class III receiver. From what I've seen here, the Curt seems to have the best quality. I think I'm going to try installing it without removing the factory hitch and see what it looks like, or if it's even possible. I'm also goingot be installing a brake controller this weekend. I'll be sure to take pictures along the way and post a how-to when i'm done (assuming I don't run into any problems )

The Gallery doesn't seem to be working. I just joined the forum a few days before the switch, so maybe I missed soemthing. Clicking on the Gallery button in the top banner, and clicking on the gallery forum both just take you right back to the forum list. Edit: Clicking on Lex Talionis' picture in his signature also does the same thing.

My wife and I actually test drove the Venza and Edge back-to-back this past weekend. We took the obligatory 10 minute ride in each with the salesmen in the back, and then took each out without the salemen for about an hour on some roads we were more familiar with. I won't discuss the looks too much as they are very subjective betwen people. The rear quarter of the Venza was more "sculpted" than the Egde, however the grille looks like somebody used an Edge grill and then placed it in the oven and melted it. The interior of the Venza was better looking in my opinion. The materials and textures looked and felt much more upscale than in the Egde. We both thought the seats in the Edge were more comfortable than the Venza. Interior room and cargo in both cars was similar. What turned us off about the Venza was the ride. It was surprisingly stiff for a Toyota. Especially one that seems geared towards older buyers, as some reviews have suggested. We were looking for a car that would be my wife's daily driver and our vehicle for longer trips and vacations, as well as some light camper towing. We also wanted room for kids in a couple of years. Both would work fine for what we need, but the Edge won us over. We ultimately bought a 2008 left over Edge limited on Monday and we are very happy so far. It's AWD, so I'll be keeping a look out for the PTU issues that have been posted here. From what I've seen of the forum so far, this looks like agreat place for info.