help with 7 way tow plug

[turborich]

Hello, First post here, Have been a member over on FTE for a while. Just seems like this site is much more Explorer oriented. This will be my first of many posts.

Anyways, Here is my question.

My 2004 Explorer 4.0 came with the 1.25" receiver hitch, I have installed the factory class III 2" hitch with 7 way outlet. It was a plug & play deal. I don't have any power to the charge line though.

Is there a fuse or relay that I need to install to get power to the charge line?

Thanks guys, Rich

 

[turborich]

My mistake, I had a bad ground on my test light. When I plugged the 7 way trailer plug in everything worked.


Just in case anyone is wondering about the class III upgrade...

It is a bolt on upgrade for the 2002-2005 explorers and is very simple to do.
The 7 way will plug right into the factory wiring harness.
The class II equipped Explorers already have a large stand alone trans cooler, no need for another cooler.
The only difference is the gearing 3.55 vs 3.73 I'm fairy certain that the class III factory equipped Explorers also had an engine oil cooler. Shouldn't be a issue as long as you don't exceed the weight ratings.

I only upgraded because I needed the 500 lb rating for the tongue weight. My camper is around 3,000lbs but quite tongue heavy. Still within the 3,500lb class II rating.

 

[stoogefan]

Thanks for this post! I was wondering what it would take to swap receivers and it's great to know the electrical is also plug-n-play. My 2002 XLT has the 1 1/4" receiver and there are a lot more accessory options for a 2" receiver. I don't intend to pull anything heavier than Class II but it would be nice to use my old 6"-drop ball mount and bike carrier. It looks like I will add this to my Spring 2012 to-do list!

 

[turborich]

I'll let you know how I got my class III hitch because they are somewhat hard to find.

I e-mailed a few people who had 2002-2005 Explorers for sale on Craigslist and offered them $100 bucks plus my class II. Since they were for sale I figured I had a chance. First guy said yep to it. I thought it was a good deal.

I didn't want the aftermarket hitches because they hang under the factory hitch and look funny.

silly looking hitch

old hitch off

new hitch on

plug & play

all done

took about an hour to swap both hitches. I installed hitches for a couple of years though Very simple swap though.

 

[BigRondo]

Nicely done! :biggthump

Thanks for taking the time to post the pics!!

 

[justchecking]

If you want to install an electric brake controller, that is pre-wired also. The connector is behind the glove box (push in on the sides and pull down). The connector is taped up with black tape in the upper left. It's kind of hard to find, but it is there. I snaked the wire harness from my brake controller (mounted just to the right of my steering wheel) over the trans tunnel up to the connector. Tekonsha (and others) make a harness that goes from their brake controller and fits that connector.