Voltruk

44339 Views 104 Replies 24 Participants Last post by golftdibrad, Feb 22, 2021

Roostre

Discussion Starter · Feb 27, 2017

2

I know, I know... gonna get some flak for this, but I'm willing to be the guinea pig here.

Trailer is 57" wide by 8 feet long. Weighs 290 lbs (132kg) and is made in Minnesota by a company named Floe.

Capacity is 1800 lbs (815kg). On the tongue it it shows that it can carry up to 33 sheets of 4'x8'x1/2" plywood.

Trip home from the dealer was about 50 miles. pulled at 70 mph like nothing was there.

See less See more

1 - 18 of 105 Posts

DMC5180

· #6 · Feb 27, 2017

You should see what I've towed behind my Prius. (Commercial Zero turn mower, snowmobiles etc). 1200-1500 lbs includes trailer weight. I've gotten some funny comments at the gas pump. "Now there's something you don't see everyday".

The result is the same, you barely know it's back there.

At some point I'll be adding a hitch to the Volt too.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

DMC5180

· #26 · Mar 11, 2017

Nice Trailer. Is it a camper? What brand?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

DMC5180

· #31 · Mar 11, 2017

KenC said:
What's worse is the wiring. Getting the wiring loom to the right taillight is so hard around the subwoofer. I did that last night and it was harder than the hitch.

Did you have to splice in the wiring or was there a plug-n-play kit.

When I put a Curt hitch on my Prius. They also offered a p-n-p kit for it. The installation was easy and looks factory.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

DMC5180

· #33 · Mar 11, 2017

What is the P/N for the wire Kit? I may use is it with a torque-lift hitch. I cannot use the draw-tite style hitch because I have plugless vehicle adapter under there.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

DMC5180

· #34 · Mar 11, 2017

I went to the Draw-tire website to do Vehicle application look up. They did not show Volt in the models list. So I used Cruse instead. The lighting kit that popped up was this one.

Part# 118508

Is this what you installed?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

See less See more

DMC5180

· #36 · Mar 13, 2017

No Plug N Play options for the Gen 1 model years. The taillight assemblies have integrated wire harness connections. Meaning there are no readily available Male/female connector options to make a T connection like the Gen 2 has. I despise scotch-lock wire Taps. I may make my own T junction.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

DMC5180

· #42 · Mar 23, 2017

Ken,

Fortunately, the Gen 1 does not have the Grommets you had to deal with. On a more positive note. I did some detective work and found out the part number and a source for the Male/Female connector used on the Gen 1 cars. I have the connector housings and terminals on order now for a wapping $3.00 + $5.99 shipping. I decided to purchase the Curt T connection kit that you used on your Gen 2. I will replace the Molex MX150 series connectors and replace them with the JST AIT-II series connectors. Then I'll have the Only Plug n Play Gen 1 trailer light kit out there. For now

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Reactions: 1

DMC5180

· #44 · Mar 23, 2017

Roostre said:
My recently purchased Red '13 had a secret that I didn't figure out until the new license plates came; the PO had intsalled a Torklift Eco- Invisi hitch.

Here is a shot of the setup. 8" drop hitch for this particular trailer to ride level. Plate is still visible when hitched.

What size receiver was on your car when you got it?

I will also be getting the eco-invisi hitch.

Right now I can't decide whether to go with a traditional 2" receiver or the 1.25" version. The benefit of 2" is many more adapter options. I've used 1.25" receivers on four other cars I've owned because it was the only size option offered and it was fine. But they were only used for towing. No racks or Carriers which are typically configured for 2" receivers.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

DMC5180

· #46 · Mar 23, 2017 (Edited)

Roostre said:
It has a 2" and that is what I would have ordered.

The only upside I can see for going smaller is the pin will be easier to fit in. I have to use my finger tips, but its not bad.

I guess I'll go with the 2".

I never had the option to choose the receiver size on my previous vehicle installations. I was thinking the smaller size would be a benefit for pin installation too. How far does the tongue need to stick out to clear the bumper cover? Did you have any difficulty finding the tongue you used?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

DMC5180

· #48 · Mar 23, 2017

What did the Net ball height end up being with that amount of drop? Did you get much settling in the rear of the car with the added tongue weight?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

DMC5180

· #51 · Mar 23, 2017

FranandPat said:
Reply #23 in this thread shows my setup. It is also an 8" drop and also behind the license plate. It ends up being about 17" from the ground to the ball mount. If I'd gone with the under mount I'd have had to lift even further causing more torque, etc. You can see it is just slightly high but I expect it to be more leveled once I get some gear in the Volt.

What is the brand and part number of you hitch tongue? I like the way it slopes versus the L drop.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

DMC5180

· #69 · Jun 8, 2017 (Edited)

Making a Gen 1 Plug-n-Play trailer wiring kit is somewhat involved.

Currently the only thing available is a Universal kit that requires wire taps.
I personal try to avoid using Scoth lock wire taps at all cost. That said, I've sourced all the Unique connectors that will allow me to adapt the Gen 2 plug-N-play trailer wiring kits to the Gen 1 harness connectors.

I originally considered just removing the Gen 2 connectors from the gen 2 kit and installing the Gen 1 style connectors. However, the Gen 1 connector housings are too small to accept the larger gauge trailer light wiring. Because of this issue, the only option left is to make short harness adapters with the appropriate connector on each end 20/22 Ga. wire. I sourced all the pieces to make these adapters but have not yet done the assembly work. I'll post photos once I get the done and installed.

Added Benefit of adapting the Gen 2 PnP kit is Warranty. If by chance there was an issue with the converter logic box. you can simply return it for exchange. I had to do this with a Curt PnP kit for my Prius.

I'll also post the final component list. Once everything is tested.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

See less See more

DMC5180

· #75 · Jul 2, 2017 (Edited)

The trailers themselves won't have much effect, but the wind resistance of the load may effect things more so.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

DMC5180

· #83 · Jul 8, 2017

I have all the components, but it's been low on my priority list at the moment.

That is the Universal kit for Gen 1's. I'm sure it works fine.

It's just not for me. I despise those Wire taps. Hence it's the reason I'm creating my own adapters.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

DMC5180

· #85 · Jul 8, 2017

Norton said:
I agree.

Those piggy back crimps destroy a lot of the original strand in the wires.
You can make proper 3 way splices with typical insulated butt splices.
You just need to know the proper procedure and color to use when doubling the wires on only one side of the splice.

The OEM wiring is 20 awg on couple wires and 22/24 on the rest. When you damage some of the strands with those taps it really compromises the integrity of the wire.

long gone are the days of 14/16 AWG wire as the default standard. Nowadays it's use the smallest wire you can get away with for cost and weight savings.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

DMC5180

· #92 · Jul 30, 2017 (Edited)

FranandPat said:
View attachment 137841 Haven't been able to go camping yet. (It's hard raising parents these days.) So we figured we needed to get the shakedown trip done somehow. While I only towed the pod to the backyard and not a bona fide campground it still worked out.

That is so cool. How long did it take to set up? Once you get the hang of it, what do you think you'll be able to get the set up and teardown time down too ?

DMC5180

· #94 · Jul 30, 2017

yeah, I did go back a reread the early posts.

Thank You

DMC5180

· #97 · Nov 11, 2017 (Edited)

Not commercially available. But I sourced the correct male/female connectors and terminals to make my own. I just haven’t gotten around to completing the assembly part yet. Low priority for me right now.

I will be making making short adapter harnesses the convert the Gen 1 style connector to a Gen 2 connection. Then I will plug-n-play the Gen 2 harness kit. It’s easier to do warranty that way.

1 - 18 of 105 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.