I use Hoppy P/N 46255 - Completely isolates tow vehicle from trailer malfunctions. Power is taken directly from the battery.

The Nissan TSB covering wiring of the 350Z and Altima require the use of this style converter. There is no Nissan part.

Since these draw (practically) no current from the existing wiring (just read the voltage level) they are suitable for the 2006s LED Tail lamp assemblies.

Only downside is that you have to feed the source power wire all the way back to the battery, which takes some time to fish along the driver's side interior and through the firewall.

 

Why go down the driver's side? I ran mine down the passenger side, and other than getting the wire over the "B pillar box" (where the gas tank and storage box are) it was really very easy to run the wire directly from the battery to the back of the car.

Just make sure that you have some cord molding to protect that 12V from contacting ground!

 

Jim,

Did you get my PM about the heavy-duty hitch you designed? I've realized that using that with a hitch-mounted cargo carrier like this one would be a lot more convenient (and cost-effective) for me than a trailer, since I don't have a good place to store a trailer.

Considering the weak interest recently in the trailer hitch, it also might be of interest to other guys here who are in the same situation. As I mentioned in my last PM, I'd be happy to be your guinea pig to refine the frame hitch.

But if you're not interested in doing the development on it yourself, would you consider selling me your plans so I could find a fabricator to make one for my own use? (I'm not interested in going into the business of making them for others.)

Please e-mail me at editor (at) LFexaminer.com.

Thanks.

 

I meant passenger side. I've gotta stop those binge drunk posts.... Friends don't let friends drink and type.

 

Thanks to you both! Yeah, I bet the conclusion of fishing the wire to the battery will involve beer!

Paul

 

Took me about an hour or so to run the wire from the battery to the tire changing tools.

 

So can anybody verify if

a) this thing is still selling?

b) it can tow a bike 350 lbs? on a 4x8 to 5x8 trailer?

thanks..


PS: What's the maximum the lowest one can tow?

 

My tire trailer is 440 lbs total weight (trailer, tools, tires).

 

there is a group buy going, pending we can get enough people.
i believe due to his schedule, fabrication will not begin till november.

sign up!

https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....81#post2474681

 

whats the most a 350 can pull. a jet ski? 1or 2?

 

Hope it's ok to post this here but I will be selling my hitch that I bought in the original group buy. PM me if interested.

 

I'm no longer going to sell this hitch.
I brought the Z to a local custom hitch installer this week because I felt like I wanted a sturdier solution. He said that when he took off the rear bumper shell he saw that the aluminum bumper rail that the hitch was attached to was about to fail. I'm pretty lucky I brought it into him when I did as I probably would have lost my trailer this weekend if I used the hitch.
My new hitch is very professional. It attaches to the frame via bolts and welds. The reciever is flush with the bumper and comes out through a small cutout at the bottom of the bumper.

At any rate, I'm thinking that this hitch is best suited for bicycle racks but not long distance trailering.

Be safe.

Dave

 

That's why i opted to go with the Uhaul hitch over the this private group buy hitch..

 

Can you be more specific about what on the bumper was about to fail. I've been rear-ended with the hitch on and the bumper was fine.

 

Probably the reinforcement brackets.

I just got a pair seam-welded, and they're now on my car.

 

I welded the crap out of those brackets when I installed the hitch.

 

I also had the brackets seam welded when I did the original install. This is not where mine cracked. Mine cracked where the aluminum bumper bolts into the car. I am towing the cheapie harbor freight trailer which I'm assuming weighs less than 400lbs fully loaded. I've got the weight pretty evenly distributed so the tongue weight is minimal.

As for the U-haul hitch, it's basically the same as this one.

 

Huh?

The hitch "sandwiches" the bumper reinforcement, which mounts to the bumper reinforcement brackets, which mount to the unibody.

So are you saying that the bumper reinforcement itself cracked?

 

Ok, you made curious so I just got dirty to take a pic. My crack happened where the bumper bracket mounts to the car. You can see in the attached picture that the hitch guy welded it for me (on the very right). You can also see the orig welds in the bracket that I had my local muffler shop last year before installation.

 

Here's a better shot. It is looking towards the rear of the car.