Gaari Means Car. Car Reviews & Car News

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J. Carter (Mableton, GA United States) –

  

After replacing my old truck (member of the family, but at 18 it’s time for them to go out into the world) I needed to add the U-Haul “standard” 4 lead trailer wiring to the replacement vehicle (2008 Toyota Tacoma).

I chose the 46255 converter because it provides separate power to the trailer lights, instead of the more common direct tap into the existing lights. This ensures that the turn signal flasher speed does not change when the trailer is connected and that a problem with the trailer wiring will not prevent the vehicle lights from working.

Installation is straightforward, but the separate power feed requires tapping into a 12 volt point that is always on (not key controlled) to ensure that the trailer lights (tail, hazard) always work. The Tacoma fuse box is under the hood and the fuse slot that powers the optional factory/dealer installed trailer wiring is easy to find. The terminal on the fused connector provided with the converter can be trimmed to fit in that fuse slot, providing a labelled source of power.

Running the power lead to the back of the vehicle is slow if you don’t have a lift to provide easy access, but can be done (minimum ground clearance on the Tacoma is 8 inches).

The wiring at the lights can be tapped either in the harness on the frame rail or inside the light cavity in the fender. I chose the light cavity as the connections are better protected from water and dirt, although the tap connectors provided with the kit are filled with a water-resistant compound to provide reliable connections under less-than-perfect conditions. If you have a passenger vehicle (car, van, suv), you would typically be making connections inside the trunk or cargo area where they would be protected from the weather. Having access to a copy of the vehicle service/wiring manual is helpful, as you don’t have to test the wires to see which one is tail, brake, etc.

All the added wiring on the truck is supported by the provided zip-ties every 12 to 15 inches. I used a heavy duty nylon zip-tie to mount the converter box under the truck instead of the light weight zip-ties provided with the converter – I want the installation to last as long as I keep the vehicle.

When I connected the power lead at the fuse box, everything worked as expected – there is no better recommendation than that.

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