[Demon Lemon]

O.K. as the title says: Whats the best hitch and wiring-harness setup for a 2003 EX? I'm thinking an U-Haul Hitch/Ball and a Honda wiring package is the way to go. Any input would be great, thanks.

 

[Box4Rox]

Everybody seems to like the Valley Class III which I believe is the same as the U-haul .

http://www.etrailer.com/pc-H~V82580.htm?vehicleid=20035600

The OEM harness is pretty pricey . . . '03's and '04's can get away with a simple aftermarket "diode or'ed" design that is a lot less.

Later years require more $$ and frustration.

Just plugs in behind the right side rear quarter panel trim and drops down into the spare tire well.

http://www.etrailer.com/pc-VWH~118336.htm?vehicleid=20035600

I've done the set-up posted here on an '03 and have had no problems for 155 K miles.

Good Luck !

 

[ApriliaGuy]

yUP...what Box4Rox said. I've got the Valley and a Draw-Tite wire harness. Works the same way as the Honda unit on '03 and '04 models. We got it easier than the '05 crowd....might as well take advantage of it. ;-)

 

[psschmied]

Because no one owner is likely to buy multiple models for comparison testing, you're not going to find the "best" hitch by asking, even if you defined what you mean by "best".

Try using the forum search and scan the responses. You'll find the most popular hitch and the most popular wiring harness, which aren't necessarily the same thing as the "best".

 

[Demon Lemon]

Searching...

I did a search, which wasn't conclusive. That's why I posted a thread with my idea/thought on the matter.

Thanks for the input people.

 

[psschmied]

I did a search, which wasn't conclusive. That's why I posted a thread with my idea/thought on the matter.

Of course it wasn't conclusive; this isn't Consumer's Reports or UL, it's a forum where people post their experiences, opinions and questions. A question phrased as "Is 'A' the best?" will never get you a conclusive answer.

Individual opinions (yes, even mine) are of limited value, because individual experience is limited. A collective opinion might seem to be more conclusive, but might be inaccurate. Think of how many widespread opinions that have shaped human history were based on faith, not fact, and have since been discredited.

What you can get from a forum is proportional to the time and effort you put into using it. A question phrased as "Will 'X' work?" can be answered by people who have done 'X". A few responses from people who have tried 'X' should tell you if it worked, and most likely they would point out any issues.

The previous threads have dozens of posts on this subject from dozens of Element owners (some of them very experienced with modifying/accessorizing Elements) in a few threads describing their experiences. Find some posts that describe the product you are considering, look for recent ones from active members, look at a sampling of those members posts and decide if you trust their judgment.

If so, try responding to those posts through those subject-related threads or PMing them, instead of starting another thread.

 

[ApriliaGuy]

The previous threads have dozens of posts on this subject from dozens of Element owners (some of them very experienced with modifying/accessorizing Elements) in a few threads describing their experiences...

part of the problem with that is so many of the better threads about the early cars ( "sure, no worries....the draw-tite harness is fine") get buggered up by posts from owners of later model Es that say things like "No, you need the special wiring" and/or other "true" but inaccurate statements when applied the model year in question. This is especially true of trailer wiring, seats, and dashes. And a good reason why members should fill in at least model/year info as a minimum in their profile.

Maybe if we're lucky one of the mods will find a good thread to merge this with. ;-)

 

[TJR]

Uhaul Hitch and Harness

Here's pics of the Uhaul Hitch and harness I got off ebay a few days ago for my '03 E.

http://picasaweb.google.com/88seriesiii/2003ElementHitchUHaul?feat=directlink

Note the new fasteners as compared to the carriage bolts and hole elongation I've read so much about.

This was the ebay auction , but it was only 132.99 a week ago..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...0517242979&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWNX:IT


I haven't installed it yet
...TJR

 

[ApriliaGuy]

That looks like the Draw-Tite maybe....I've heard that U-Haul is getting some of their product from them instead of Valley now.

Mine is a Valley, and looks different....as do U-Haul versions from a few years ago.

 

[Captain Obvious]

I've got one of the Uhaul hitches and I've been very happy with it. Plus it was easy to install. And the lighting plug was easy also.