Hitch (yes another post about a hitch)

[Firesong]

I found a welder just outside Saskatoon. (15 minutes) and
we spent about 3-4 hours and presto... beautiful hitch from
scratch. Nice, strong and beefy yet not bulky looking.
He welded all the joins, not just spot welds here and there.
It's bolted on in 8 spots (where the little tube bumper
joins on is two per side plus 2 others using 9/16ths
grade 8 bolts further back on the frame) We tack welded it to the frame as well.
My choice. My delica is a 1990 exceed so no stabilizer
bars to worry about although im sure we would have worked
with it.

Total cost - no tax $300
I would have tossed in a case of beer but I forgot to bring some.

I'm happy :)
Now to wire in some light hookups.
Anything fancy I have to worry about there? Standard tap into
the rear lights at the back?

James

[Green1]

Standard tap into the rear lights at the back?

sort of... North american trailers use common brake/signal lights, where as our Delicas were designed in a much safer and more intelligent way with seperate brake and signal lights. As a result you need a little electronic box to convert the signal. (should be readilly available)

[mararmeisto]

Standard tap into the rear lights at the back?

sort of... North american trailers use common brake/signal lights, where as our Delicas were designed in a much safer and more intelligent way with seperate brake and signal lights. As a result you need a little electronic box to convert the signal. (should be readilly available)

Unless you wire your own trailer to have separate turn signals and brake lights (which I agree is the better arrangement).

[Green1]

Unless you wire your own trailer to have separate turn signals and brake lights (which I agree is the better arrangement).

You can, but then you will have non-standard connections which will cause havoc if you ever try to pull someone else's trailer, or if someone else ever tries to pull yours.

[mararmeisto]

Unless you wire your own trailer to have separate turn signals and brake lights (which I agree is the better arrangement).

You can, but then you will have non-standard connections which will cause havoc if you ever try to pull someone else's trailer, or if someone else ever tries to pull yours.

What if he was to wire it as a RHD trailer? Then it would only be as unique as his van, and most wouldn't want to borrow it anyway.

Seriously, though, if you go to a reputable car parts store (maybe even Canadian Tire, but I'm not sure of that), they should have the device you require. Don't tell them you have a Delica, just tell them it's a Japanese import (that will be something they will understand).

[Firesong]

Im a little confused.
Can I pop a wire to the left, right signals, one to the brake, the other the ground?
J

[Green1]

Im a little confused.
Can I pop a wire to the left, right signals, one to the brake, the other the ground?
J

no, you can't.

North american vehicles use the same bulb for signal as brake, therefore the standard "flat 4" trailer connection only transimits the following signals:
- ground
- left light
- right light
- running lights
(can't remember the order, ground is the odd one out, but I don't remember the order of the other 3)

Being that the left and right lights have to respond to both the signals AND the brake you need an electronic device to combine the 2 before sending it to the trailer (if you just wire the 2 directly together without such a thing you will mess up the lighting on your delica (and probably blow a fuse or 2...)). The electronic device to do it should be stocked by Canadian Tire, princess auto, etc. Pretty much every import, and some domestic vehicles require it. (basically any vehicle with seperate bulbs for the rear brake and signal lights)

[sasquatch-hunter]

I did my wiring on my trailer side. Jay helped me out on the van side. All you need is to buy that electrical conversion circuit box.

White = ground

Yellow = Left turn / Brake

Green = Right Turn / Brake

Brown = Tail / Side Markers

[Firesong]

Thanks
Will check out Princess auto tomorrow.

J

[sasquatch-hunter]

Can't go wrong with Princess Auto!

[Firesong]

Just cause I want to :)
I will take out the spare tire and take a couple of pictures of the
hitch. I was super impressed and will get him to do any
other welding. I was talking to him about changing the foot
steps / cutting them etc. He showed me his pipe bending
stuff and I am almost tempted to get him to make a guard
for my air conditioning rad (standard tranny model) and possibly
a different push bar.

<insert.. bought wiring kit and wired it in - took about 15 minutes)

J

[Erebus]

Looks good. Now you just have to survive bashing your shins for weeks until your brain finally learns to not have the legs try to occupy the space already occupied by steel.

[Firesong]

Actually the side plates are in enough I don't bash.
And I prefer to use the hitch tube to step on to get up top.
No bashes yet.. Im still waiting to find the head gash point
on the exceed.
On my 74 VW I always ended up with a blood sacrifice to
the VW Gods. Had a nasty little bolt that would catch my
scalp when sticking my head into the engine compartment.

The hitch worked great last weekend.
Had to get some parts for the VW out of the parts van for
the new owner. Loaded a 2 liter pancake motor into the back
and an automatic transmission onto the Princess auto basket
hooked to the hitch. After 250km with some back roads tossed
in the hitch never sagged or gave any indication that it was
having problems :)

Totally happy with it.
James

[Erebus]

I'm still waiting to find the head gash point
on the exceed.
On my 74 VW I always ended up with a blood sacrifice to
the VW Gods. Had a nasty little bolt that would catch my
scalp when sticking my head into the engine compartment.

Have you done the tailgate strut/hinge modification? http://www.delica.ca/forum/6-inch-tailg ... -1117.html
It raises the tailgate by 6" with little work, except the apparent impossibility of understanding how to actually do it without killing many brain cells. Read the whole thread very carefully. Good luck!

Erebus