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3500 lbs towing only with brakes? If yes where is the controller??

15139 Views 12 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  RSchleder
Hi,
According to page 271/410 of the users manual I need a trailer with brakes otherwise is just 1000lbs Max. for the trailer. :mad:
Do you know if the 4 or 5? prong connector by the hitch have the brake controller already? Or we're responsible for that to get installed (and risk loosing the warranty)?

Thanks!
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Not sure about the brakes but I did read somewhere on the forums here that reprogramming of a module is req'd for the connector to work.
oracle said:
Hi,
According to page 271/410 of the users manual I need a trailer with brakes otherwise is just 1000lbs Max. for the trailer. :mad:
Do you know if the 4 or 5? prong connector by the hitch have the brake controller already? Or we're responsible for that to get installed (and risk loosing the warranty)?

Thanks!
You can tow 1500 lbs with brakes. No wiring for brakes is provided. It is the 4 prong flat plug if you have the factory tow package.

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Why do you say 1500 lbs? (where did you get that information?) Mine is a v6 so according to the table is 3500 lbs.
Yes, the Terrain came with the towing package from factory with the flat connector.

According to the table all Terrain regardless of engine can only tow trailers without brakes of 1000 lbs. and the GCVW is 5071 lbs down from 8157 lbs in my V6 AWD.


Roesterman said:
You can tow 1500 lbs with brakes. No wiring for brakes is provided. It is the 4 prong flat plug if you have the factory tow package.
oracle said:
Why do you say 1500 lbs? (where did you get that information?) Mine is a v6 so according to the table is 3500 lbs.
Yes, the Terrain came with the towing package from factory with the flat connector.

According to the table all Terrain regardless of engine can only tow trailers without brakes of 1000 lbs. and the GCVW is 5071 lbs down from 8157 lbs in my V6 AWD.
V6 can tow 3500lbs with a trailer equipped with brakes. If not it is limited to 1000 or 1500 lbs. This is a recommendation... If you tow more than 1500lbs a couple of time during year it is not a problem you will not destroy your car. Just drive in consequence...
If you tow a trailer with electric brakes, you'll need to install an electric brake controller in the Terrain. This device allows you to adjust the brakes on the trailer to work in conjunction with the tow vehicle brakes.
Isn't there trailers out there with SURGE brakes?????
Yes and I have mostly seen surge or hydraulic brakes on boat trailers.
The only surge brakes I've ever seen are on boat and car hauler trailers. RV trailers ( if they have them, some of the very small ones don't) always have electric brakes.
G
The 1500lb and 3500lb tow rating has nothing to do with the towing power of the V6 engine. It has only to do with the braking capacity of the calipers at the wheels.

What they are saying is that the calipers, pads, temp rating of the brake fluid ect... ect.. can sufficiently handle stopping a 1500lb load on your rear end.

To have 1501-3500lbs back there adds too much stress and could be dangerous and overload the capacity of the braking system, prematurely wear them out or even potentialy cause them to fail out right during an extreme braking condition.

Thats why they say get brakes on the trailer to take the burden off the brakes on your vehicle.

Flat 4 connector issue - If you want the larger 6-way or 7-way connector for like a camper or boat trailer (i.e you want a 12V power and/or Auxillary line) just simply cut it off and terminate the proper leads to the proper screw terminals on a 6 or 7-way connector. Then manually wire in a 12V power, ground or auxillary. I did this with my wifes Honda Pilot. We cut the flat 4 and wired to a 7-way connecotr we got at the RV center ($25). This would mate directly to the connector on my starcraft pop-up tent trailer. We then wired in a 12V power and ground. Fortunately I already had a 12V line wired directly back from the car battery from an aftermarket audio amp I had installed a few years back (the amp is now gone but we left the power line there). We also had the heavier duty ground. Yes, you need to make a heavy duty ground. The ground on the flat 4 usually won't cut it especially if your are towing like a camper trailer where you have more lights, running the fridge, brakes and charging the battery while driving.
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I disagree, there is much history behind all that towing.. todays manufacturers go with the lowest common denominator and not get into liabilities.
In example the mighty explorer used to tow (per the manual) up to 5000lbs, nowadays it dropped to 3500lbs unless you have the 8 cyl and brakes are exactly the same.. huh?

Check this guys articles, he tows a 24' trailer with his Jaguar. Many people think he finally nailed it..
http://www.trailerlife.com/cforum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/15001533/gotomsg/15029773.cfm#15029773


mmarges said:
The 1500lb and 3500lb tow rating has nothing to do with the towing power of the V6 engine. It has only to do with the braking capacity of the calipers at the wheels.
What do you think the largest popup camper one of these crossovers can pull? I am looking at a 22' with a slide out and i can't find out its weight till I get off this boat and call the dealer.
I would think the V6 could pull the trailer you've described. One of the things to remember is the 3500 lb limit on towing is for a fully loaded RV with full water tanks, propane tanks, etc. Best bet is to weight one and estimate the additional weight you'll add. Don't forget to install a brake controller in your tow vehicle to control the trailer brakes. Good luck, Ron
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