Reccomendations on picking a trailer hitch 05 Yukon?

My new to me 2005 Yukon doesn't have a trailer hitch. I am having trouble understanding the differences between a few Reese brand hitches. I assume all of them will be visible under the bumper, since it appears the OEM one is anyway, right? What, besides price, seems to be the difference in these models? I know the last one seems to be of a "universal" design for many vehicles and the other two are more direct fit for my truck. Will any of them be "most" hidden or most like the factory installed option? 5000 vs 6000 lbs isn't much of a consideration for me--I won't be pulling very heavy loads or anything, since i wouldn't have the transmission cooler or external oil coolers either. I likely would only be towing a small utility trailer with a riding lawnmower, bike racks etc with this. What kind of wiring adapter do i need? I believe the factory harness is just tucked up under the bumper, correct? Has anyone installed any of these models or used them and have any feedback? Thanks in advance!

51201

44668

37042

I'd go with the 44668. It is a direct fit (not universal) and adds 300 lbs to the tonque weight versus the 51201, and adds 400 lbs versus the 37042. It's only $150, so might as well do it right the first time.

As for the electrical, my truck came with hitch/wiring installed, so I won't be much help, but my old '97 Tahoe had a place where you just unplugged a wire harness under the rear bumper, then plugged in a T connector I picked up at U Haul.

Check this out, it might be what you need:
http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Hitch-...192389&sr=8-4&keywords=gmc+yukon+trailer+wire

thanks. does anyone have an idea at what weight i should be concerned with adding a transmission cooler and/or brake controller? if so, what transmission cooler is recommended / oem replacement? i've never used a brake controller, my previous setup with a boat had surge brakes anyway. my guess is I probably won't need it at all unless i decide i need to tow really heavy stuff (i don't have a boat anymore)

You should already have a transmission cooler built in to your radiator. If you have hard metal lines going to and from the radiator, that is your trans cooler. For the small load you'll be pulling, I don't think a brake controller is necessary. Does your utility trailer even have e-brakes?

I'd look for a factory hitch at the junkyard. It's probably going to be the cheapest route. The factory harness for the trailer goes all the way to the fuse box, at least it does when you have a tow package because the trailer will have some of it's own fuses.
A side note is the stock transmissions in these trucks are not the greatest. It won't be taxing it to tow he small trailer and load you're talking about but it doesn't hurt to add a trans cooler to it just to preserve it's life. Get a corvette servo while you're at it. $18 bucks from oregonperformance and 30 minutes to install. There's a few threads about it if you search.

clandr1 said:

You should already have a transmission cooler built in to your radiator. If you have hard metal lines going to and from the radiator, that is your trans cooler. For the small load you'll be pulling, I don't think a brake controller is necessary. Does your utility trailer even have e-brakes?

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I wouldn't think the factory would've supplied a transmission cooler for my vehicle without any tow package, but that'd be awesome if they did.

I don't have ANY trailer at the moment haha, so no. I assume any small utility trailer wouldn't even have brakes anyway. Just thinking about future proofing, never know what I might have or need to do down the road.

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Chiggy said:

I'd look for a factory hitch at the junkyard. It's probably going to be the cheapest route. The factory harness for the trailer goes all the way to the fuse box, at least it does when you have a tow package because the trailer will have some of it's own fuses.
A side note is the stock transmissions in these trucks are not the greatest. It won't be taxing it to tow he small trailer and load you're talking about but it doesn't hurt to add a trans cooler to it just to preserve it's life. Get a corvette servo while you're at it. $18 bucks from oregonperformance and 30 minutes to install. There's a few threads about it if you search.

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Thanks, if i can find one in good shape that's an option. They don't typically have rust issues?

---------- Post added at 01:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:40 PM ----------

Is the wiring the same with and without tow package? In other words, does the tow package just add the plug on the hitch, which is, in turn, plugged into the wiring my non-tow package Yukon already has?

I couldn't tell you for sure since I've not been in your spot trying to add a hitch. I've just always had the tow package. The rust on the factory hitch should only be light surface rust making the paint peel. Mine has it, it's no big deal. An hour with some sandpaper and some rustoleum paint will take care of that, especially since 90% of the hitch is out of sight anyway. You might call a place like the local U-haul shop and ask them. They add wiring to install hitches all the time. I just remembered someone posted a link to the online chiltons manuals where you can see all the wiring.

Edit: http://tahoeyukonforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69125 That might help seeing the differences and what you'd need maybe. If not, it's still worth bookmarking.

treehan77 said:

I wouldn't think the factory would've supplied a transmission cooler for my vehicle without any tow package, but that'd be awesome if they did.

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Here's a picture of a 2005 radiator, from the passenger fender view. If you have the silver colored hard line just below the rubber coolant hose, you already have a method for cooling the transmission fluid.

Yea Most of these have a factory cooler in the radiator. Which makes it super easy to upgrade to a external like I did. You should have the wiring tucked right under the drivers side frame rail next to the spare tire. it will have a big plug to hook directly to a 7pin round mount.

I went to the junk yard and paid $20 for my factory tow bar. A little light sanding and paint and it still looks great 2 years later.