Danpaine wrote:
Hi, Folks. I have a 2002 Nissan Frontier V6 4x4, which I'm going to have rigged for towing by the dealer who's selling me a TT (the TT is the proper weight, gvwr, etc. for the TV, so no concerns there). Currently, the truck has no towing gear installed whatsoever.
What is a fair, average cost to set it up properly, with the hitch, receiver, electric, anti-sway, etc? I've been driving a motorhome for years and know virtually nothing about towing, and don't want to get taken to the cleaners.
Thank you!
Not enough information and too generic
Agree with most of the other comments and add:
Depends on lots of things
First is the trailer size/weight and tongue weight %
Second is the condition of the TV, which is on the small size of half ton's
A good WD Hitch system can be over $1,000.00's to used in the hundreds of bucks
Drop shank will be in the $100 to +$200 bucks. This will take a few
trail and error cycles. Again depends...on the height of the receiver
on the TV loaded and tensioned. Plus the trailer tongue height &
weight (that drops the TV's rear end and how much the WD System
distributes weight off and over to both the TV front and a bit back
onto the tongue)...this all depends on the trailer's spec's, actual
weight vs your TV's spec and how you load up them both
Brake controller can be used at under $100 to several hundred bucks
Also, if your TV isn't wired for it, more labor to put in the wiring
Most installers are not well trained and we hear tons of folks coming
here asking...to find that their installer messed up. Can be hours
of work and lots of trailer sales has this tossed in 'free' and if
paying by the hour...can be a big bill or not much if everything slaps
together with little to not adjustments required....it depends...
You need to find these specifications for your TV: GCWR, GVWR, FGAWR,
RGAWR, and the receiver rating (both dead weight and WD)
Then the trailer's actual weight and the actual tongue weight.
Then do the simple math:
GCWR >/= TV + TT + Hitch + all the
stuff loaded into/onto both
. The TV weight should include both the
hitch system and tongue weight
Finally...is the TV's tranny an automatic or manual?
If automatic, then make sure it has the ATF external cooler and if
not, add the biggest you can fit and plumb it in series with the
line from the tranny to the radiator.
Good luck !
This is a visual of how the towing specifications and metrics look like
when you have gathered the information
Might be of help to see where the numbers for the simple math formula
above relate to each other
It is a system and always limited by the weak link in the food chain
down to pavement.

howmuchcanitow