Please help me out with a hitch question

[bgro]

Hi all,

I pretty much know nothing about cars/parts. I have searched the boards but am confused by all the info I have read.

Basically I am moving from Florida to New Jersey which is an approximate 1200 mile trip. I want to attach a trailer to my 2008 Pilot and from what I understand I can tow up to 3500 pounds.

Would I need a cooler for a trip this long? I called Uhaul and they will sell and install a hitch (Class 2 I think) for $316. The Honda dealership wants $1200. Is there any difference between the two?

Please help! I don't want to destroy my truck!!

Thanks

[N_Jay]

You will want a Class 3 to 5 hitch.

I would not get a U-Haul, as they tend to use a lot of different bands and you never know what you are getting.

The Honda hitch seems to be the only one that uses ALL the bolts the Honda engineers engineered to be used.

Some early aftermarket hitches did not have ANY of the center bolt connections.

Also, some aftermarket hitches do not allow the use of a full size spare. It is always a good idea to have a full size spare when towing because the little spare is not rated for the weight of the trailer and that means you might have to leave the trailer on the side of the road get your tire fixed or replaced and then come back for it. (and hope it is there).

As for the coolers, I have always figured better safe than sorry.

In the end it is all about operating conditions. Is a pilot towing without coolers at 50 the same as one without towing at 80? Who knows?

You could change the trans fluid as soon as you are done and all can be as if it was never done, or you could get stuck 1/2 way and wish you had them. No one here can give you a better answer.

[krygny]

I wouldn't let the mouth-breathers at U-Haul take out my garbage pails, let alone work on my Pilot. They will install crap and probably do it wrong. If you don't end up being sorry, it'll be an accident.

You can save at least half the cost of the Honda installation by doing it yourself. I understand that may seem ambitious if you're not so inclined, but Honda's instructions are very thorough and Honda parts will install like they're supposed to. You won't have to get "creative" or improvise with generic parts.

Take a look and see what you think:

https://hondacuraworld.hostasaurus.c...uctions/pilot/

https://hondacuraworld.hostasaurus.c...ailerhitch.pdf
https://hondacuraworld.hostasaurus.c...tchharness.pdf
https://hondacuraworld.hostasaurus.c...uidcoolers.pdf

[bgro]

Thank you very much for the advice/info...I am going to look into putting the honda kit on myself..it really doesn't look that hard at all..i'd rather spend the extra money and do it right...thanks again.

[Hondaru]

I did the full Honda hitch install with the coolers and a Prodigy brake controller. Not terribly difficult but very time consuming. Before you are done you will have taken the bumper off, removed panels from the dash, taken the cargo area apart, trimmed some plastic, soldered some wires, run wires from the battery to the hitch, etc. I did this in stages but probably 10 - 12 hours total. It was roughly $600 in parts (with the controller and the wiring kit from etrailer.com).

That said, I would not have done it any other way. The Honda hitch is a quality piece and all the parts and pieces fit without hassle. I was able to integrate the brake controller into the dash pocket - very neat and not something Uhaul would be prepared to do.

So if you have the time and the aptitude, my advice is to install the honda parts yourself and include a quality brake controller if you are pulling anything more than 2000lbs.

Dave