Trailer Connector location

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M

Moretruck

Joined
Oct 9, 2019
Threads
14
Messages
39
Location
Michigan
While I have not seen our new Land Cruiser yet, it is in the garage waiting for us. One question I wanted to see if I could get some help with....

I understand that the trailer connector is on the passenger side which will be strange for me as I hook up to a trailer at least twice a day and trailers are oriented to do the hitching work from the driver side. Has anyone relocated the connector in an elegant way?

Thanks and thanks for the help back in the fall when I was putting the order together.
 
I have not relocated mine, but I know that etrailer has both 7 pin (or 4 pin) extension cords and lots of mounting options for either the 7 or 4 pin connector. If I were hitching 2 times per day, I'd want the connection on the DS too!

Where in Michigan?
 
Sandroad said:
I have not relocated mine, but I know that etrailer has both 7 pin (or 4 pin) extension cords and lots of mounting options for either the 7 or 4 pin connector. If I were hitching 2 times per day, I'd want the connection on the DS too!

Where in Michigan?
Click to expand...
 
I think Toyota put is on the PS side for a few reasons:
  • The exhaust is on the DS so you don't have to stick you face into a plumb of CO to plug it in
  • The LC is also sold as a right hand drive vehicle. You'll note the gas tank is on the PS side in the US, which if the trailer plug bothers you already will probably annoy you as well. I suspect the harness and gas tank are on the "wrong" side in the US in order to optimize for the RHD market.
There's not enough slack in the wire to move it to the DS. There's maybe 12" available I think. You have a couple options though:
  1. Get a 7-pin extension, plug it into the current harness, and then run that to the DS and mount it somewhere. Major challenge will be finding a good place to mount it, since it hangs low on the PS to the right of the tire, but you can't do the same on the DS because the exhaust pipe is in the way.
  2. Do the above but mount it into the bumper on the DS. Note the bumper is plastic so you'll need cut a hole and then figure out how to reinforce it so it doesn't crack the bumper if you put any stress on the plug (like when installing it).
  3. Live with it
I can see how if you have to hitch/unhitch daily stepping over the trailer tongue might be annoying. I'm assuming you don't have weight distribution bars, or else you'd have to do that anyway to connect/disconnect (I do... and so I do that). FWIW I find the location more annoying than the side - it's low enough to scrape on a trail, you have to squat down and bend over to see it, and it's far enough away from the receiver hitch that you may need a 7-pin extension anyway if your trailer wiring isn't long enough to reach when the vehicle is turned...
 
The trailer plug location is terrible for anyone who actually needs to use it. It’s right up there with the cup holders.

I’ve looked at a lot of aftermarket rear bumpers trying to find one that incorporates a trailer plug relo but I have seen any. Has anyone don this?
 
kcjaz said:
The trailer plug location is terrible for anyone who actually needs to use it. It’s right up there with the cup holders.

I’ve looked at a lot of aftermarket rear bumpers trying to find one that incorporates a trailer plug relo but I have seen any. Has anyone don this?
Click to expand...
Dissent does.

I think you could drill out most bumpers to fit it. There's a void to the right of the frame where it should fit assuming the bumper doesn't have any lights already in that spot.
 
Sigh. Yes, this is a pain. No, there isn't an easy answer as Geoff pointed out. Yes, Dissent's rear bumper does a modest relocation. But its not an extension so even that has limits. But at least they get it up on the bumper where it is easier to access. We have a hitch with a long "stinger" so I end up needing to use an extension anyway.
 
If you don't care for the location, it is easily resolved.


You also could hard wire an extension:


I tow a fair amount and don't have an issue with the location. Maybe it would save a few steps here and there, but I can afford to take a few extra steps.

I do have a RV plug coiled extension that I got at Harbor Freight that works really well for trailers that don't have long enough cords. It doesn't relocate the plug though.
 
CharlieS said:
If you don't care for the location, it is easily resolved.


You also could hard wire an extension:


I tow a fair amount and don't have an issue with the location. Maybe it would save a few steps here and there, but I can afford to take a few extra steps.

I do have a RV plug coiled extension that I got at Harbor Freight that works really well for trailers that don't have long enough cords. It doesn't relocate the plug though.
Click to expand...
Yep the TorkLift extensions you listed are what I was thinking. I think I bought a 2' one for $30 a couple years ago for our old trailer.
 
Dan Higgins said:
Sigh. Yes, this is a pain. No, there isn't an easy answer as Geoff pointed out. Yes, Dissent's rear bumper does a modest relocation. But its not an extension so even that has limits. But at least they get it up on the bumper where it is easier to access. We have a hitch with a long "stinger" so I end up needing to use an extension anyway.
Click to expand...
Personally I want mind in the bumper to limit the likelihood of damaging when wheeling. I clipped mine on a rock on Imogene Pass a couple years ago and it sheared off the tab at the bottom which makes it easy to flip open. Not a huge deal as I can grab the edges, but if I had an inch less of clearance I would've taken it right off I suspect. Given that I'm usually wheeling out west and have towed my trailer out there, losing the plug would suck. I actually considered mounting it in the bumper last year, but ultimately felt like there'd be too much flex and likely to crack the bumper unless I was able to reinforce it. That said mounting it in the bumper would make it more susceptible to damage if someone hits your bumper or you back into something solid even slightly.
 
linuxgod said:
Personally I want mind in the bumper to limit the likelihood of damaging when wheeling. I clipped mine on a rock on Imogene Pass a couple years ago and it sheared off the tab at the bottom which makes it easy to flip open. Not a huge deal as I can grab the edges, but if I had an inch less of clearance I would've taken it right off I suspect. Given that I'm usually wheeling out west and have towed my trailer out there, losing the plug would suck. I actually considered mounting it in the bumper last year, but ultimately felt like there'd be too much flex and likely to crack the bumper unless I was able to reinforce it. That said mounting it in the bumper would make it more susceptible to damage if someone hits your bumper or you back into something solid even slightly.
Click to expand...

The bolts holding the connector don't shear off easily. I learned my lesson on the original connector. The metal bracket just folds the connector up making it impossible to use. It's only 2 bolts and disconnect of the cable to take it off before playing on trails that could damage it, which is what I do now.
 
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