tow hitch

[redoctober]

How difficult is it to install a class III tow hitch on a qx4? I have a 2 wheel drive 2003 model. Is it pre-wired? Or is there quite a bit of wiring to be done? Can I possibly damage any electrical components by doing the hitch myself? How big of a MPG hit will I take by putting the hitch on?

Thx in advance.

[SVTCOBRA]

I put a hidden hitch on my 01 pathy by myself in the driveway. Was pretty ez. Would have been ez'er if I had somebody to help hold it up. Didn't wire it, since I got mine for using a basket.

[redoctober]

What about the wiring? I heard that may not be so trivial.

[kg03]

You can by a wiring kit on ebay for 10 to 20 dollars. It is plug and play so all you have to do is go behing the panel on the side that you sunroof draining tube runs down and poke a hole in the gromet to feed your wires through. No cutting of wires needed.

[donald]

raising the DEAD! but this is the closest thread I searched for that related to my question.

When installing the tow hitch I know I have to remove the OEM tow-hook-plates that are there currently.

2 questions.
1. can I put these tow-hook plates back on (outside of the tow-hitch mounting plates)?
2. if I cannot re-use the how-hook plates, what can I substitube use as the tow-hook? The hitch bar itself?

[ltsnotme]

1. you could, but they'd be useless, since they'd be blocked by the hitch.
2. yeah

[01silvapathy]

Lol at asking how many mpg you will lose by installing a hitch...maybe like .0000000077897968mpg. And yes, the main reason why I got a hitch was to use it as a rear recovery point. The hitch will more evenly distribute force being applied versus just using one of the stock tow plates.