Jmoor85 Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 (edited) Hey fellas/ladies So I already have a towhitch and receiver. I need the 7prong harness for trailers. Have any of you hooked these up? Did Nissan have a place in the rear designed to tap into the harness? Also I am looking and it seems the MAX towing is 3500lbs? Seems higher than I thought. Is this right? I just towed my buddies boat and it was 2200lbs. No trailer brakes due to lack of harness. But it didn't feel like anything was there until I was coming to a complete stop. Anyone have much experience with towing? I'll be looking at towing a 21ft fiberglass boat constantly. Advice? Edited April 26, 2016 by Jmoor85 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdj Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 You'll need an electric brake controller on your truck first. The harness won't activate anything without one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmoor85 Posted April 26, 2016 Author Share Posted April 26, 2016 Do you have an example of one? I have searched for one and they range from $30-$499. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdj Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 Not off hand the last one I had came with the truck, but I'd guess $150 would get you a good one. It's not something I'd cheap out on considering it's purpose. Wire harness would probably be under $50. They do sell them with a combination 4 and 7 blade connectors so you can also tow trailers without brakes and not have to use an adapter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmoor85 Posted April 28, 2016 Author Share Posted April 28, 2016 Well it looks like not all boat trailers are the same. Some don't even have brakes so best wait for that until I decide. I am getting the hitch harness though. I'll need that regardless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdj Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 No they are not. Unless you have an electronic brake on your truck you have no use for a 7 pin harness just the four pin. Just like unless you have a trailer with electric brakes you have no use with the 7 pin harness without electronic brake on your truck.. Without the brake controller on your truck ALL YOU NEED IS THE FOUR PIN. WITHOUT BRAKES ON THE BOAT TRAILER ALL YOU NEED IS THE FOR PIN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmoor85 Posted April 29, 2016 Author Share Posted April 29, 2016 Well I have the adapter for the four. So isn't it better to have the 7 pin harness on the truck in case I tow a trailer with brakes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPath88 Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 I personally would not waste the time or money on the controller, wiring and time/cost of installation unless I actually had a need for it. Not sure about this but I doubt you will find a trailer that has brakes unless it is designed to carry heavy loads and(or?) is a dual axle. If the need arises in the future you can always address it then. Although I have a small, light duty single axle trailer and have towed heavier ones (with other vehicles) I am not even sure if or trucks are capable of safely towing a load heavy enough to require trailer brakes. But again not knowing the exact federal DOT and your states DOT requirements, I cannot say for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdj Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 Well I have the adapter for the four. So isn't it better to have the 7 pin harness on the truck in case I tow a trailer with brakes? Are you &^%*ing with me? You must be fskciing with me. You need controller brakes on your truck,.Puttuing a seven pin harness WILL NOT GIVE YOU ELECTRIC BRAKES ON YOUR TRAILER. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vagabond Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 (edited) all the boat trailers I've seen have surge brakes or no brakes, also on the wiring I think mine came from uhaul and it plugs into the tail/brake harness by the light assembly and it has the converter built into it Edited April 29, 2016 by vagabond Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmoor85 Posted April 29, 2016 Author Share Posted April 29, 2016 kdj- step away from the alcohol. How did you get that from what I said? What I'm saying and yes I agree with RedPath88 about our vehicle not meant to tow heavy loads thus not needing trailer brakes is that there are trailers and Dolly's that have braking systems. The ones that are adjustable with a wrench. I used my buddies car dolly to tow a car a few miles and his dolly actually had brakes on it. I was not able to utilize those brakes due to not having the proper harness. I would never think adding a wire to a tow hitch would magically make a trailer have brakes. Cmon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdj Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 O.K. I give up...good luck with no brakes..the bigger the boat the better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdj Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 (edited) Had to edit. Sorry I didn't know your buddy had magic brakes. You have know idea about wirering do you? Edited April 29, 2016 by kdj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmoor85 Posted April 30, 2016 Author Share Posted April 30, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdj Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 Sorry about my opinion. I should know better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmoor85 Posted April 30, 2016 Author Share Posted April 30, 2016 Don't be sorry man. U know what they say about opinions. I think we are talking about two different things completely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdj Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 Sorry aboiut my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdj Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 Sorry but feel bad about stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPath88 Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 Ok time for everyone to step back and let this go. If you have nothing constructive to add please do not post I'd hate to have to remove people from this topic, close it outright and/or hand out warnings 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mechanicalbaron Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 1. The manufacturer has your vehicle towing capacity. Find out what it is. 2. Boat trailers have surge brakes. Electric brakes and water don't mix. 3. Regardless, if you want a 7 pin trailer harness, put one in. You can get an adapter to operate a 4 pinion harness. 4. If you decide to go with a 7 pin harness you will need a brake controller. I like prodigy. 5. Last but not least, utilize all of your resources to determine what will work for you. Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 It says in the owners manual if the trailer is over 2000lbs it should have brakes. So, go with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad251 Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 If a trailer has a 7 or 6 way round plug. It has trailer brakes. You can get a decent brake box for less than $100. Most boat trailers don't have electric brakes. Honestly I think most things that have electric brakes are too heavy to be towed by a Pathfinder. Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmoor85 Posted April 30, 2016 Author Share Posted April 30, 2016 UPDATE: Just towed and launched my boat. Boat it 2200lbs according to factory specs. Add the extra batteries and trolling motor, amps ect. Trailer is 500lbs. So I'd say just a hair under 3000lbs. It toes it just fine. Takes a lot longer to brake. Maybe 40ft extra going 60mph. But it pulled it right up the steep boat ramp. So I'd say the 3500lbs they have it listed online is accurate. Maybe need a brake tune up. I think for now I'll just do the four prong connection. It's cheaper and I only use my buddies dolly a couple times a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdj Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 My manual says 3500lbs for a standard and 5000lbs. for an auto if that helps, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdj Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Ok time for everyone to step back and let this go. If you have nothing constructive to add please do not post I'd hate to have to remove people from this topic, close it outright and/or hand out warn No warning needed...I'll retire and miss you all. I have enjoyed this site thiough! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now