Trailer wiring harness

I usually tow my Centurion with my Z71 but the transmission just isn't what it use to be, lets face it, she's getting old. So now I've decided to start using my '05 Toyota Sequioa but when we purchased it, it didn't come with the tow package. I called around yesterday and got a great deal on the hitch and opted to install it myself. When I asked the salesman about the wiring harness, he said I must purchase that from the dealership....Toyota wanted $128 (not including installation). It was a HUGE bags of wires,plugs, and a book as instructions.
Cant you just goto the local auto part store and pick a "T" connector up? Or is there a universal connector?
If you own a late model Seq., please shed some light on my delima!
Thanks!

If your truck isn't prewired with a plug you can buy a 5 wire flat plug with leads for under $10 at most auto stores, trailer stores, boat dealers, and even Wal-mart. You have to locate the wires in the truck to splice the leads onto. In additon to the plug you need 4 splice connectors. The ground wire goes to the truck frame under a clean bolt. I always do this my self. A trailer hitch shop told my brother they can only install the OEM wiring kit due to liabilities. The following link goes to a store with the plug - this one only has 12" leads which are way to short. http://shop.easternmarine.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=catalog.prodInfo&productID=49 98&categoryID=209

Thanks for the comment George...did you receive my payment for the racks? If so, when will they ship?

Wait 1 sec before ya go cutting up your wires... If your truck has seperate signals in the rear you need a converter. So first look and see if your turn signals and brake lights are two seperate bulbs in the rear if they are the find a aftermarket source for a plug in harness with a converter, plugs right in no cutting wire to cause problems later. You need a flat 4 connector not 5 wires. Toyota was prob. selling ya a 7pin thats why all the extra wires and harness. Aftermarket should be under 50 bones. If you do decide to cut and splice make your connections with soilder and heat shrink them.

Brad to prevent the brakes from locking up you need 5 wires. Left & Right Turn / Brake, Running Lights, Back-up, and ground. He said the Toyota did not have a place for an aftermarket plug-in. If it does that is certainly the best way to go.

JoJo - Received the payment. I couldn't get to FedEx before the deadline. They will ship on Monday and you will receive on Tuesday according to the FedEx website.

One more thing to note:

Blinkers are "blinked" by a thermal switch. Lets say you have 2 blinker lights at 25watts a piece. When you turn on your turn indicator, the current (50 watts) passes through this thermal switch, which heats it up. Once it reaches a certain temperature, there's a metal bar that expands and disconnects the circuit. Once it cools off, it falls back and re-energizes the circuit. And repeat.

The problem, when you add the a trailer (at 25 watts) onto that circuit you increase the current to 75 watts. The metal bar heats up in half the time. The result is that you'll get a rapid blinking light.

Usually, with the purchase of a towing package, the manufacture adds a relay or a heavy duty flasher to take care of this. On some of the manufactures, the relay is already installed, once you plug the harness in it activates the relay.

The good news, if you have fast blinker problem you can swap out your flasher switch/relay for about $12-15. Hit the autoparts store, it'd be in the section with automotive light bulbs. "Heavy Duty Electronic Flasher." The flasher goes into the fuse panel on your truck.

This is how things used to be up through the 90s. I suspect it's still the same way, though I'm not 100% sure how the manufactures handle 'flashing' now. Perhaps this will be a non-issue for you. If you do splice wires, I'd recommend just trying it, then solving the fast blinking problem later, should it arise.

Here's an example of one. I couldn't find one for a 05 Sequioa so I punched in chevy pickup.
http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?mfrcode=TRD&mfrpartnumber=LF12& parttype=121&ptset=A

George my bad on the 5th wire.I guess I have not run into an electornic brake disabler. After market connector will plug into the tail lights. they have a plug that has a male and female for the lights. Allowing you to disconnect taillight and plug in trailer harness then plug factory tail lamp connector in to aftermarket harnes.