Towing Hitch
#1
Towing Hitch
Just installed a tow hitch on my FEH. It was a:
Valley Class III Round Tube Receiver Hitch with Integrated Wiring
Part Number: V88030
Came with a wiring harness that dropped right in.
Piece of cake to put in. Everything lined up and the special wire thingy to thread the bolts into the frame channels worked like a champ.
Got mine from eTrailer.com.
Valley Class III Round Tube Receiver Hitch with Integrated Wiring
Part Number: V88030
Came with a wiring harness that dropped right in.
Piece of cake to put in. Everything lined up and the special wire thingy to thread the bolts into the frame channels worked like a champ.
Got mine from eTrailer.com.
#2
Re: Towing Hitch
Did it require a special wiring device... I forget what they're called, but I've heard our FEH's electrical systems can't handle direct wiring, there's some device that hooks in and manages the trailer lights. That's what I'm wondering if you have one of those or not.
-Tony
-Tony
#3
Re: Towing Hitch
It came with a harness for lights. Part of that harness was a box that appears to do what you ask. Have not hooked it up to a trailer yet. Will let you know if there are any problems with it when I do. So far the checks are good.
The harness was set up to hook into the lights with plug in connectors. Nicely set up. I selected that one partly because it came with a wiring harness and also because it had the trailer connector cut into the tubes that form the receiver frame itself (so I don't have a dangling plug).
It did require one 3/32" hole to be drilled to attach the ground wire from the trailer to the frame.
The harness was set up to hook into the lights with plug in connectors. Nicely set up. I selected that one partly because it came with a wiring harness and also because it had the trailer connector cut into the tubes that form the receiver frame itself (so I don't have a dangling plug).
It did require one 3/32" hole to be drilled to attach the ground wire from the trailer to the frame.
#5
Re: Towing Hitch
It came with a harness for lights. Part of that harness was a box that appears to do what you ask. Have not hooked it up to a trailer yet. Will let you know if there are any problems with it when I do. So far the checks are good.
The harness was set up to hook into the lights with plug in connectors. Nicely set up. I selected that one partly because it came with a wiring harness and also because it had the trailer connector cut into the tubes that form the receiver frame itself (so I don't have a dangling plug).
It did require one 3/32" hole to be drilled to attach the ground wire from the trailer to the frame.
The harness was set up to hook into the lights with plug in connectors. Nicely set up. I selected that one partly because it came with a wiring harness and also because it had the trailer connector cut into the tubes that form the receiver frame itself (so I don't have a dangling plug).
It did require one 3/32" hole to be drilled to attach the ground wire from the trailer to the frame.
The box with the 12V connection is sort of a power supply for the trailer lamps. It reads the condition of the lamps without pulling power and then powers the trailer lights with the 12V connection. The problem without it is that the FEH has a detection system that looks for the current being pulled by the lamps and if it pulls too much it signals that their is a problem and your lights will not work.
I'm guessing you have the first box that converts the separate brake/tail lights into a combined trailer signal... but, you don't have the second one. You'll know if your tail lights stop working (or turn signals) when you finally plug in a trailer.
If the trailer has LED's you might get away with it.
#6
Re: Towing Hitch
I have the box without the 12v supply, It works lights on or off on a small 4x8 uHaul trailer (which is about all the FEH should be towing, actually over the 1000lb limit when loaded) I think it has like a 5 watt limit or something, but it works for smaller trailers.
#7
Re: Towing Hitch
OK update, the lights worked for about 5 minutes. My right turn signal went out a short way into my drive last weekend. Even with disconnecting the trailer, and switching the bulb it still doesn't work. I'm gonna go try and unplug the trailer harness from the right side now and see if that works.
Is there a way to reset the blinkers once they've shut themselves off?
Edit:
I disconnected the trailer wiring harness on the right side reconnected the lights and the blinkers worked. Reconnected the harness and they worked again, so i guess this was the way to reset the blinkers. The next time i plan on towing with the FEH wold be to tow my bike on a very small trailer, I will make sure it has all LED's. This problem didn't come about until i plugged the U Haul trailer in, which did not have LED's, so I think that may be the difference.
Last edited by Wh4tig0t; 04-10-2009 at 03:37 PM.
#8
Re: Towing Hitch
Picked up a trailer and sure enough the turn signals, starting with the right turn, went out with a warning display on the panel.
They reset by turning the car off.
Any leads on where to find the box with the separate 12v supply wire?
Many thanks...
They reset by turning the car off.
Any leads on where to find the box with the separate 12v supply wire?
Many thanks...
#9
Re: Towing Hitch
Called E-trailer yesterday about this. They hooked me up with Valley. Valley indicated they have seen this problem and may develop a new module. They agreed to send me a new module with a separate power supply. I'll let you know how that one works.