Trailer Wiring Harness for 2005 Mercury Mariner

Question:

we have a 2005 mariner and the local hitch installer claims it needs a special module from the battery and 3 hours labor to install it for a lighting connector to the trailer. your site has a supposed easy to hook up harness. seems like a no-brainer. is this a con job by our local guy or is your site wrong and we need to spend a fortune to hook up our trailer lights? we appreciate your answer and hopefully look forward to doing business with you,

asked by: Steve B

Expert Reply:

It sounds like your installed might be describing a universal type-converter that needs to be hardwired into the vehicle.

We offer the Tow Ready Custom Fit Wiring, # 118551, which is a powered unit and requires you to run a power wire to the battery, which helps isolate the vehicle wiring from any short circuits that might occur in the trailer wiring. This harness installs inline with the taillight wiring, and other than having to run the power wire, is a plug-and-play install.

A quote of 3 hours of labor sounds excessive to me. If you wanted to install the harness yourself, allow about 2 hours including getting ready and cleanup, a professional should be able to in less time than that.

I have linked you to the installation instructions and an install video that will walk you through the process.

expert reply by: Robert G