Trailer hitch receiver stowage and attachment...

[swr]

Got my trailer hitch receiver, wiring harness, and tow bar/ball set yesterday... and went to scope out the wiring harness install (Planning to do a how to to demystify it for other Rover newbies)... and I noticed two things.

1. Missing receiver hitch slot plastic protector. Both the manual and the iconography on the towing area plastic cover refer to a protective piece of plastic that is inserted in the same place/slot the hitch receiver goes. Both warn you to remove it before inserting the receiver, store it in a safe place, and put it back when you remove the receiver. (I know, thats some impressive iconography)

However, I don't have a plastic piece in the slot!!?? Am I supposed to? Is this just a legacy of the manual... or do I need this mystery piece of plastic protection? Looked in the area and can imagine that maybe it keeps water/mud/rocks from damaging the slot and thereby making it more difficult to insert the receiver... but am not sure.

2. Hitch receiver storage. Again, looking in the manual... it says I should be able to store the hitch receiver on the left/driver's side hatch. The one opposite the jack/tool kit. It also shows a nice strap holding the receiver in this perfectly shaped space.

With some effort, and some scraping of plastic, I WAS able to get my receiver into the spot shown in the manual. But I did not see a strap, nor did I feel this was a secure/safe location for it as there were tubes/wires/aluminum piping lying unprotected from the receiver.

So, is this still the normal place to store the receiver? Where can I attach the mystery strap?

Thanks in advance
-sean

 

[broiler]

1. I also did not have the plastic insert, but I did get mine used so I had assumed that the previous owner lost it. But perhaps they didn't come with them?

2. Can't answer that question as I don't have the third row seats, so mine fits nicely into the tray in the back floor.

 

[toddjb122]

It is a shame that there is no place to store that hitch receiver in the truck. I believe if your truck comes from the factory with a hitch, that custom foam case is in your compartment. My dealer did not order any of its trucks that way (small part, cheap to add) so I end up leaving it on the turck all the time which I'd rather not do.

However, even if I had a place for the receiver, I still wouldn't have a place for the hitch itself...so although I rarely use it, I drive around with THAT on my truck also! I agree about the storage location. Too many fragile looking things in there to throw in a heavy chunk of metal unprotected. I suppose I could wrap it well and jam it in there, but I'd still be concerned about it getting dislodged when you go offroad.

Finally - I did look into purchasing the little foam cubby that holds the receiver. It looked like a ***** to install at the time. (the foam cubby).

Good luck,
-todd

 

[grommet]

The hitch receiver storage insert can be purchased from your parts desk. It's likely not worth it. It was dropped from the factory after 2005 on all models, when the hitch receiver was dropped as an "option" from the factory.

In reality, I never keep it there... when I need it, it's installed. When not, it's at home and not adding useless weight.

 

[swr]

Yeah. That was my thinking. Mine didn't come with the receiver and so I figured LR had just quietly quit including them to help with the profit margins a bit.

Like you said... I doubt I will need to tow something "by surprise"... so might as well keep the receiver, hitch, pin, etc all in the same place in the garage.

I do wish it didn't stick down so far... then I might be tempted to leave it on... but with it mounted the rear clearance is just ruined.

 

[swr]

Just got an email from my dealer. Said I SHOULD have the red plastic insert that goes in the hitch receiver slot when not in use...

He is going to grab one from parts and I will just pick it up the next time I am in the area.

 

[GMTIIFAN]

I have the SE7 and the compartment is on the left (driver side) and has a place molded for the receiver to fit. There is also a strap that has a buckle that you thread it through to help hold the receiver. I keep the plastic plug in the glove box. Unless you are doing some serious off-roading where you would need it to keep the area for the hitch clean and clear, I wouldn't be concerned about it. Congrats on your rig!

 

[vinnysca]

My 2008 LR3 HSE came with the red plastic insert. It was easily removed since there's only a tab that holds it in place. I would imagine that because of this, that many owners lose theirs because they drop out of place accidentally. Just a thought. I too, did not find any straps that would otherwise hold the tow assembly in place within the cubby. And you're right, it takes some struggling to get it in there. I was worried about the damage it could do while banging away during rough driving. But, seems like all the tubing for the rear A/C unit is pretty sturdy. One other option is to wrap some bungy cord around it.

Isn't it amazing how much a dealer would want to charge for installing the tow harness? I was quoted $1,200--1,500 for dealer installation. I bought mine from dealerfit.com for less than 500 bucks for the harness and the hitch mount and took me less than 1 hour!

Oh, has anyone successfully secured the wire harness along the inside aspect of the rear bumper? The harness comes with these plastic tabs that are supposed to be inserted into the factory holes but, after struggling and struggling, even with the rear tire lowered and out of the way, I wasn't able to secure it. I wasn't too worried , since the entire harness isn't long enough to be in the way of those free-swinging sensors on the rear inner corner of the bumper. (I'm assuming that these are sensors for the air springs).

Vince.