[bobg1951chevy]

Hi Folks,
We purchased a Traverse several weeks ago, it does not have the towing package.

Is the trailer wiring harness available as an accessory?

Thanks in advance,

Bob

 

[danthechevyman]

No as far as I know it is not. Even by adding a hitch and wiring the Traverse is rated to pull only 2000lbs nothing you add will increase the tow rating. This has been discussed pretty throughly on this forum and I personally asked questions at the training sessions we went to and was told that you can not add the tow package to it. If you are only pulling one jetski or small utility trailer add a hitch and have the light harness installed but remember your limits.

 

[njboy]

Hi Folks,
We purchased a Traverse several weeks ago, it does not have the towing package.

Is the trailer wiring harness available as an accessory?

Thanks in advance,

Bob

You can buy the wiring kit from etrailer.com It's about $25 and easy to install. Plugs into the tail lights and there is no cutting or splicing involved.

 

[bobg1951chevy]

Danthechevyman ......It was my understanding ( can't remember the source ) that the trailering capacity was 5200 lbs or so. 2000 is a real surprise to me. :help:

I have gone from a TrailBlazer to the Traverse, wanted to tow, when needed.

Njboy, thanks for the website on the harness.

Bob

 

[danthechevyman]

I really hate to tell you this but you were miss informed the owners manual and all specs say 2000lbs without tow package which can not be added to the vehicle per GM, and 5200 lbs with tow package. I have talked to many people about his subject and it is no different on any of the Lambda vehicles.

 

[rbarrios]

5200 lbs is the amount it can tow WITH the factory tow package.
you are limited to 2000 lb if you DONT have the package.

the factory package- is a bargain because it comes with
factory installed hitch
heavy duty cooling system (larger radiator)
Steel spare tire
electrical connections at the rear
tow/haul settings for the transmission....

you can add your own aftermarket hitch too the Traverse... but the tow limit will remain at 2000.


I too have a trailblazer-- I now have about 148,000.... I did order a 2010 Traverse- and made sure to order the tow package.

 

[bobg1951chevy]

I guess I'm not seeing the entire picture here..... if I add a hitch, the wiring harness, already have the spare .....but not the larger radiator and/or tranny cooler, I don't see how I lose 3200 lbs of towing capacity.

As far as the tranny goes, I could manually shift the tranny with the side mount rocker switch on the shifter, thereby holding each gear longer to a higher, more usable torque.

Any thoughts appreciated.

Bob

 

[rbarrios]

I think the big part will be proper cooling of the transmission. (and engine).
I know where youre coming from....
I think as more people start to tow- withtout the factory package-- then we will know what the weak point is.....

 

[bobg1951chevy]

Thanks to all of you for your input. I just found this site yesterday, am happy ;Das can be with the Traverse, am looking forward to some good conversations.

Bob

 

[rbarrios]

what year Trailblazer did you have?
how many miles on it- and where you satisfied with it

 

[MartinC]

There's possibly another snag here re the wiring.
Those of us who have the towing package will be aware that in the underhood fuse bay there is a bunch of fuses specifically for trailer lighting and brake controller.
It could be that splicing an aftermaket wiring harness into the vehicle rear lights may cause electrical overload problems.
Just a thought

 

[bobg1951chevy]

rbarrios,

It seems you and I have chatted on the T.B. forum or perhaps on the C.T. forum. At any rate, I had a 2002 T.B. LS. I purchased it new and when it left my care, it had 146,213 miles on it. It was a great vehicle, enjoyed the vehicle thoroughly.

martinc,

It may be the "add on" trailer wiring would cause an issue, don't know. I do know I wish I had looked for a Traverse with a hitch, thought putting the towing package together AFTER THE FACT was going to be a no brainer. No such luck.

Bob

 

[kawazar]

Like rbarrios said, time will tell. The car is so new that not many people have explored towing without the package. The owners manual does say 2000 lbs. but thats not much.

 

[rbarrios]

rbarrios,

It seems you and I have chatted on the T.B. forum or perhaps on the C.T. forum. At any rate, I had a 2002 T.B. LS. I purchased it new and when it left my care, it had 146,213 miles on it. It was a great vehicle, enjoyed the vehicle thoroughly.

Bob

Ahhh... Yes.. I do frequent the Trailblazer forum--- and Chevytalk forums quite a bit.
small world!!!

 

[lewisra]

Like rbarrios said, time will tell. The car is so new that not many people have explored towing without the package. The owners manual does say 2000 lbs. but thats not much.

Check the Acadia forum, this has been discussed many times.

 

[d-squared]

I just purchased a Traverse LT1 three days ago which didn't have the tow package installed by GM. I was assured that it would increase the tow capacity from 2,000 to 5,200 at the time of sale. After seeing this and related forums, I called GM directly and they really couldn't give me any answer other than 'if the V92 package isn't installed it can only tow 2,000 lbs'.

After showing this discussion and related forum discussions, they contacted GM themselves and acknowledged that there is quite a bit of confusion about the different tow ratings. I'm still not 100% convinced that it won't screw up the tansmission, so to cover myself (at least during the warranty period) the dealer agreed to also throw in the transcooler as part of the installation and gave me a WRITTEN guarantee that it would now be able to tow 5,200 lbs and NOT VOID the warranty.

The only thing that they couldn't do was install the tow haul switch, but by using the manumatic shifting, I would be able to minimize excessive shifting - in addition to having to turn off the backup sensor.

My advice, make sure you get something in writing to cover yourself in the event that you need to tow anything above 2,000 lbs.