Parts Needed to Tow Trailer with 2008 Chevy Uplander
Question:
I have a 2008 Chevy Uplander with the 3.9l and am looking forward to summer here in South Dakota and getting out fishing. We had a child and my regular cab truck will not work well for the family to go camping this summer. I am wondering if I need to upgrade truck to extended/crew cab or just add a trailer hitch to the van. The boat is a 16ft aluminum fishing boat and a 15 horse motor. Trailer, boat, motor and gear should be all under 1000lbs. Hoping for long life out of the van and if pulling wears hard on transmissions or other parts of the van i would rather upgrade truck but seems like the van should be able to handle it. Thoughts on this would be appreciated!
asked by: Carl A
Expert Reply:
Congratulations on the addition to the family!
I took a look at the online version of the owner's manual for your 2008 Chevy Uplander and it lists a maximum trailer weight of 3,500 pounds. With this in mind your van is more than up to the task of pulling your loaded boat trailer with a healthy safety margin intact. Since you will be staying well under the vehicle's limits towing the trailer shouldn't put too much stress on the transmission or engine. I do just recommend verifying this information in your copy of the manual in case you have a different model.
To set the Uplander up for towing you will need a trailer hitch, wiring harness, and ball mount.
Starting with the trailer hitch I recommend the Draw-Tite Class III # 75278 because it offers the easiest installation process and features a towing capacity that matches that of your van. This particular hitch also features an integrated bracket that allows you to easily mount the required wiring connector.
I have attached an installation video that you can use for reference.
For the wiring harness the Tekonsha T-One # 118396 will work perfectly. This custom harness will plug into factory ports behind the driver and passenger side tail lights to provide you with a 4-Way connector to power the trailer's signal lights. You can add the Mounting Bracket # 18144 to secure the connector to the integrated bracket on the hitch.
I have again attached an install video to assist.
If your boat trailer happens to be equipped with a 5-way connector then you can simply add the 4-Way to 5-Way adapter # 20036. This will just plug into the 4-Way mentioned above to provide you with a 5-Way to connect with the trailer. The additional blue wire just needs to be spliced into the reverse circuit wire on the Uplander.
Lastly you will need a ball mount and hitch ball. You likely already have these components but I have attached a great article that explains how to choose the best one for your setup in case you need a different rise/drop to keep the trailer level when hooked up to the Uplander.
Products Referenced in This Question
T-One Vehicle Wiring Harness with 4-Pole Flat Trailer Connector
- Custom Fit Vehicle Wiring
- Trailer Hitch Wiring
- No Converter
- Custom Fit
- 4 Flat
- Tekonsha
more information >
Tow Ready 4 Pole to 5 Pole Trailer Wiring Adapter
- Trailer Wiring
- Wiring Adapters
- Single-Function Adapter
- 0 - 5 Feet Long
- 4 Flat
- Plug and Lead
- 5 Flat
- Tow Ready
more information >
Product Page this Question was Asked From
Draw-Tite Max-Frame Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class III - 2"
- Trailer Hitch
- Custom Fit Hitch
- Class III
- 350 lbs TW
- 3500 lbs GTW
- 5000 lbs WD GTW
- 2 Inch Hitch
- 500 lbs WD TW
- Concealed Cross Tube
- Draw-Tite
more information >
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