[Pow]

I own a '99 Amigo 4WD auto with 3.2l power. After almost 4 years of ownership (only $2k left to pay! yeah!) I'm finally looking into adding a towing kit. I don't have immediate access to my owners manual, does anyone have the figures on what I can and can't do for towing on my 'migo? I am assuming that my specs would match the current Rodeo 4WD 3.2l specs (http://www.isuzu.com/rodeo_specs.jsp) of 4500lbs towing capacity minus vehicle cargo and trailer weight. So I should stop at a class 2 hitch, right? I will be having a tranny cooler installed to match whatever class I go with. Right now I don't feel that I will towing much in the future, but I don't want to unnecessarily limit what I can do.

I don't do this kind of maintenance myself, and a number of people (one of them being my Isuzu sales dealer) have recommended that I get the install done at U-Haul. One thing that I do work on in my ride and am quite picky about is the wiring. Soldered, shrink tube'd connections or high quality connectors, no wire-nuts or cheap crimp splicing here. Anyone have any experience with U-Haul installed gear, words of warning, etc.?

Any advice you guys would care to share with a towing "noob" would be welcome.

 

[Amigo-2k]

I bought mine from JCWhitney. Hidden Hitch. I have seen the UHaul one and I don't like the look of it since you can see the length of the metal bar across the back. Where as the hidden hitch you can only see the hitch part.

here is a how to install:

http://www.azwildfire.com/isuzu/hitch.htm

I also purchase the plug and play wire harness, so there was no cutting of wires (the Stock Isuzu plug in in your jack compartment).

 

[Pow]

Thanks for the input. I checked out the install, and the links to Hidden Hitch and 1800hitchit.

So class 3 hitches are made for my model. I guess I'll plan to go with that, probably overkill for anything I'd tow. Although I don't believe I've ever seen the wiring harness socket (my jack compartment is also stuffed with bungee cords) I don't think I'll have any problem finding it.

One person I've talked to recommended against an actual "hidden" hitch (not the manufacturer, just the design) for instances where you may need to tie on a rope but don't have a ball on the receiver. With a non-hidden hitch you have the entire bar to tie to. I'd like to get a better look at HH part number 70498, the tube style receiver. I've been impressed with tube designs, but I would like to see just how low it hangs at the flange ends. From the line drawing on the instruction sheet it looks like the ends are recessed a bit further up than on a straight bar, although not as far as on a hidden hitch.

What about the tranny cooler? This definitely goes beyond the type of work I would want to do myself. If I'm only going to have the cooler installed by someone that does this sort of thing for a living I'll either hit U-Haul or my dealer. I'm due for the 60k service anyway so having the dealer combine a cooler install with tranny fluid/filter replacement (again, I'm without my manual... it is time for this, right?) would probably be a good idea. Words of wisdom for this procedure?

 

[Canucklehead]

I'll bet flipping your Amigo upside down (like in the first pic) made it a lot easier to install that hitch. :twisted:

 

[Amigo-2k]

Tranny cooler.

I have read this both ways for Isuzu's. If you tow often within 25% of the limit a tranny cooler is a good thing. I have also read that if you live in a cooler climate that the tranny will have a hard time trying to warm up, when your not towing with a cooler.

If your only going to tow once a month, I personally would flush the tranny once a year.