RE: Hitch and Brake Controller questions

[DC]

 
Hello,
 
 Were thinking of buying a 2000 Mercury Mountaineer that has AWD and a 5.0 Litre engine.  I test drove it this weekend and we like it.  It will be my wifes but we will use it as our TV on long trip vacations.  More room for the kids than my pickup.  It will no doubt pull our Santa Fe and a Bayside when we decide to upgrade. Since I can t yet search for the old posts from last year I have some questions about the hitch setup.
 
 It doesn t have a receiver hitch but I believe it has a tranny cooler.  I noticed another smaller radiator just in front and to the left (as you are loooking at it from the front) of the cooling radiator.  Is that in fact a tranny cooler?  I would put a receiver hitch on it anyhow...class III or IV.
 
 I know I will add a brake setup.  What is the preferred brand of brake controller?  Is it best for a RV dealer to set up?  What would I be looking at for cost?  Or can I do it myself?  I do most of my own mechanic work (lite stuff) but have never messed with a trailer brake setup.
 
 With the trailer brakes hooked up, do I need sway control?  If so, what is the preferred setup?  Can I install it myself of should I let the RV dealer.  Again, what is a ballpark figure for cost.  I ll get it if you folks think I need it.  Safety first!
 
 I don t need an equalizer hitch , do I?
 
 In summary:
 
 Brake Controller....Brand and cost
 Sway control (if needed)....Brand and cost
 Do I need an equalizer setup?
 
 Sorry about the long post....getting ready for summer!!!
 
 Thanks,
 

[AustinBoston]

 DC

ORIGINAL:  DC
 Brake Controller....Brand and cost
 Sway control (if needed)....Brand and cost
 Do I need an equalizer setup?
 

 Brake controller...Tekonsha Prodigy...$160 +/- OR a Jordan Ultima, don t know cost.  Avoid Draw-Tite or other Timer controllers at all costs.
 Sway controller...With the Bayside, yes definitely.  With the Santa Fe, a good idea.  Lots of good brands, all work.  $100+/-
 Equalizing Hitch...I probably would (with the Bayside), but may not be necessary with that tow vehicle.  Reese Mini-400, $220+/-
 
 Austin

[mike4947]

 DC
A couple of additions to Boston s advice. Add the plug & play cable to the prodigy controller. Ten bucks but no soldering or wire finding under the dash.
 Reese makes a plate for their sway control that bolts under the ball on the draw bar for the front mount of the sway bar; eliminates welding and makes it a DIY project.
 As for the Aux. cooler, follow the lines from it. One or the other should go to the radiator if it s a trans cooler.
 As for the hitch class III has a 500/5000 pound limit more than enough for the mentioned PU s and if I remember right also more than Ford s recommended limit for your TV.
 As for the WDH, first check Ford s requirements for hitchs. If they say no then forget it. If they say yes a WDH is an easy add on if you find you ve got rear end sag. The Reese WD 400 does not have built in sway control, but des have a higher weight limit than the Reese WD350 which does have sway control built in.

[Cadeuses]

 AustinBoston
**Austin has it right!**
 
 You won t go wrong with the prodigy contoller... IMHO the best one on the market.  When it comes right down to it we always end up buying what we can afford anyway... but another way to put it is like this...
 
   You are travelling down the road towing your PU well within the speed limit.  As you are approaching an intersection, a driver zooms through from the right hand street.  You know that if it were the TV only, you would have about a foot to spare with emergency braking.  Did you stop in time?  How much is your families life worth, not to mention your possesions?  With the prodigy the outcome will be good.
 
 No I don t have stock in the company, or work for them either.  Just something to consider.
 
 Have a great day!  Enjoy the new truck!  I think I ve guessed you already got it... right?[]

[TheWallRocks]

 DC
For sway control I use the Reese friction sway control " thingy" .  I installed it myself which required drilling 6 holes in the trailer (Bayside) to mount the ball plate.  The TV side has an adapter plate which mounts with the main ball.  Cost from:
 
 http://www.reese-hitches.com/sway_controls.htm
 
 Cost:  $90.00 (It is money well spent.... no white knuckles)
 
 The brake controller I went with is the Jordan Ultima.  Perhaps a bit more complex than others to install (but still pretty simple), the logic behind it being a truly " proportional"  controller makes sense to me.  It is the only controller that reacts equally and instantly to the amount you depress the brake pedal.  I would probably be happy with a Tekonsha as well.......  the Jordan just seemed more logical to me.
 
 http://www.jordanbrake.com/
 
 Cost:  $140.00
 
 I can t speak to hitches.  A class III is probably fine.
 
 Hope that helps.
 
 

[tlhdoc]

 DC
If your vehicle is wired for brakes hooking up the controller is easy.  If it isn t wired you may want the dealer to do the wiring.  I have the Tekonsha Prodigy and paid around $120 for it last year.  I love this controller.  I replace the controller that the dealer " threw in"  as part of the deal, with the Prodigy.  I would recomend sway control.  The piece of mind that you get having it is worth the $100.[]

[DC]

 DC
Hi Guys,
 
 Thanks for all the info....just what I was looking for.
 
 No, I haven t bought it yet.....MAN I HATE MESSIN WITH DEALERSHIPS!!!!!
 
 THe guy I m dealing with tells me this Merc Mounty has the tow package.  Someone has added a flat fout pin connector for lights.  He is telling me that that is the " Tow Package" .  No receiver hitch.  He says the bumper is the tow package.  WHAT BS!!!!  HE says that all I need is the adapter to go from four pin to seven.  I said what about the brakes!!!!?   " Oh...it should be fine" . And this Wingnut[&:] is supposed to be a friend of mine.  Actually his wife and my wife are friends so he thinks he is my buddy.  I wanted to ring his neck!
 
 Sorry to rant, but man.  I know more about Fords than this guy!  I oughta quit my comfortable engineering position and go sell Fords for a living.  I could kick butt!
 
 So that is going to hinge the deal....he says a tow package...then I want the 7-pin STANDARD conector and a Class III hitch added.
 
 Its a 2000 Mercury Mounty 5.0 litre AWD...24,500 Miles....Excellent Condition...all the options...cept for tow package obviously....$17,800
 
 Whadya guys think?
 
 Thanks for letting me vent.

[Cadeuses]

 DC
Well its  your call... but I think I would walk away.  You already feel like kicking his butt.  Buying the vehicle from him, and later when things creep up, you ll have wished you didn t.  JMHO
 
 PS:  You can still get a **NEW** one!
 
 Have a great dealing day!

[jackgoesthepopup]

 DC
I know how you feal .Sometimes it is best buying a car from someone you don t know because there is no conection . You might even get a better deal. My Dad bought a new truck form one dealership and got a real good deal so i went in a few weeks later and was talking to the same salesman. I told him that my dad had just bought one and i was looking also. He goes"  Yeah he said you were looking also" . I never said nothing to my dad . I couldn t wait to get out of there cause i knew he was lieing to me. so all trust was lost in the first 5 minutes.

[tlhdoc]

 DC
You could get the vin number and contact Ford to see what equipment came on the vehicle.  You  would then know if it has the towing package and find out what is in the towing package.  Things the package may contain are: rear axel ratio should be different, along with tranny cooler, oil cooler, wiring, etc.  If it does have the towing package I would go for it.[]

[SactoCampers]

 DC
Here is what I was able to find doing some research.
 
 Mountaineer AWD 5.0 V-8 Tow rating: 5,560 lbs  a,b,c
 Mountaineer AWD 5.0 V-8 Tow rating: 6,560 lbs  a,b,d
 
 Okay, " b"  to the right means tow package. I found out that the tow package for the 2000 model year Mountaineer with V8 and AWD had the 3.73 rear axle ratio. Those without had the lower (3.53?) rear axle ratio, which is the lower rating you see, above. So even if the Mountaineer doesn t have the tow package, it has a tow rating of 5560 lbs. Pretty good and more than enough to pull your popup. Not all vehicles with tow packages come with a tow hitch or accompanying wiring. My minivan didn t. So you can have any hitch shop install the Class III hitch, 7-pin wiring, brake controller, and sway bar/WDH, for you.
 
 Obviously the salesman doesn t know what he s talking about (what else is new). But the price looks pretty good to me.
 

[DC]

 DC
Hey Guys,
 
 Thanks for all the info.  I m letting it sit for a while.  It is a really nice outfit and do want it, but I m gonna sit out till the end of the month.
 
 I had already told him, before he came across the one he is trying to sell me, that I only want to spend $16k tops.
 
 This was New Years Eve night and I wasn t even going to mention vehicles cuz I didn t want to deal with him about it(BS time).  Well, he had home a 99  Lincoln Navigator from the lot.  We had to do an errand (beer run) and I asked if I could drive it for the heck of it.  Well a few beers later (not driving) I spilled the beans and said what we would be looking for, IN THE SPRING, and what we could afford.
 
 He wants $18K I offered $15K last Monday nite(the old " here is a number on this piece of paper" , with a list of things to check on/replace).
 
 Anyhow, he called yesterday and said, "   I ll give ya $2k for your Jeep(92  Cherokee, very plain, high miles, great shape, I m hoping to get $3k after I detail it real well) $18k - $2k = $16k...we re in there!  Since we just moved here (from a small town to a city) I wanted to say I didn t want my daughter going to the same school he went to!
 
 Speaking of which, my wife was picking up my daughter at school and ran into his wife.  She starts telling my wife...." why don t you just buy it, $3k isn t nothing to you guys, you can afford it...."  and started laying it on pretty thick I guess.  My wife was kinda ticked about the way she was talking.
 
 I m waiting till the end of the month.  He ll call back if it is still there.  I started with $15k.  Told him the other day $16k.....I ll go up to $16.8k at the end of the month.  Absolutely no higher.  I hope I win.  It is a nice outfit!
 
 I ll keep ya posted.  I kinda think I m going to end up getting it.  It s been on the lot for a week now.  And he keeps callin back.

[SactoCampers]

 DC
A " friend"   is giving you the " four squares on a piece of paper"  haggling routine? He is treating you no different than an ordinary customer. It actually appears he s using your wives  friendship to obligate you to spend more than you should, rather than cutting you a good deal. But maybe I m misreading it.
 
 You re in a really awkward situation. I feel for you, man.
 
 With used cars, in the past I ve asked dealers how they acquired the car, to show me their transaction paperwork, the service department invoice for making the car saleable, and then I would offer them a fair amount over that (~$300-$500). Most are unwilling, but it has worked. Looks like he s selling his right at private party value. I like to try and buy between trade-in and private party. Just remember, their " trade-in"  value book and the KBB blue book value below are two different books. Theirs is much lower. For example, the person who traded in that Moutaineer (if that is, indeed, how the dealership acquired the vehicle) did not receive that value from the dealer. They received less. So you should be able to get a deal closer to trade-in than private party retail. Of course, it s the middle of the winter in Montana and AWD may be in more demand than in the summer(?). All of these figures and advice are independent of your trade-in.
 
 Retail Value: $21,390
 [link=http://www.kbb.com/kb/ki.dll/kw.kc.urr?kbb.MT;042025;MT111&59108;suv&40;Mercury;2000%20Mountaineer&4;MV;B1&]Click Here[/link]
 
 Private party value: $18,370
 [link=http://www.kbb.com/kb/ki.dll/kw.kc.urr?kbb.CA;394922;CA113&95616;suv;p&751;Mercury;2000%20Mountaineer&4;MV;B1&
 ]Click Here[/link]
 
 Trade-in value: $15,195
 [link=http://www.kbb.com/kb/ki.dll/kw.kc.ur?kbb.MT;257302;MT111&59108;t&39;Mercury;2000%20Mountaineer&4;MV;B1&&&]Click Here[/link]
 
 Here s a few in your area (I just randomly picked a Montana zip code):
 [link=http://www.autotrader.com/findacar/results.jtmpl?model=MOUNTA&start_year=2000&end_year=2000&min_price=&max_price=&distance=300&advanced=y&advcd_on=n&make=MERC&address=59108&search_type=used&x=34&y=16]Click Here[/link]