hitch selection and wiring - Event Date: 21 Mar 2017 - 28 Mar 2017

We gave purchased a used 2016 179 that is waiting for us in North Carolina. Purchased a Highlander with added radiator capacity, and oil cooler, along with class 3 hitch wired with a 'four flat' coupling. The 179 has a 7 way round coupling, what is the best way to match my current wiring to the 7 way round?
Second question is about additional battery capacity? Marine battery?  Second standard battery? Solar panel recharging?
Oh yes one more thing, previous owner raised the body of the R-pod 3 " off the axel to not scrape bottom in rough camping lands. How will that effect any hitch height I will need to install off the back of my Highlander? Many thanks in advance. Billy

Hello Billy,
To answer your first question, you don't. You get and install the proper round connector with a brake controller for the 179's electric brakes. If you try to just adapt the 4-pole to the 7-pole connector, you won't have brakes in the trailer and that is dangerous. Go to etrailer.com and look for proportional brake controllers. Some people choose the Tekonsha P3 controller. I chose the Hopkins InSIGHT Flex-Mount controller. Either one will perform well. See this Q&A on etrailer.com. The answer recommends the Tekonsha. The Hopkins will work well also. You did not say what year. I went with the assumption that it is a 2017.
Second question: Best thing is to go with a true deep cycle battery. Most Marine batteries are not much different than starting batteries. I chose dual 6V batteries wired in series. They have much more capacity than a standard 12V battery and they are true deep cycle. We got our two from Batteries & Bulbs under the Duracell label. We got the 215Ah model. You could go with dual-12V batteries, but then they need to be wired in parallel. As for solar charging, what kind of camping are you going to do? If it is mostly in campgrounds where you will have shore power, save your money. If it is occasional camping without connections that is limited to a day or two, save your money. If it is extended boondocking, than solar would be a good investment as would a good quality generator. Some places limit the hours or outright prohibit the running of generators. In that case, solar is silent, but if you have shade, useless. Don't spend money you don't need to.
Third, do some searching. When the R-Pod is hitched, it should be level or with the tongue end slightly lower. Set the trailer on level ground and level it. Then take a measurement from the ground to the top of the hitch socket. That will let you know the height for your hitch. Now, given the vehicle, you will find it best to go with a weight-distribution (WD) hitch with sway control. We use an Equal-i-zer 4-point stabilization hitch. It is heavy, but performs well. Others use an E2 hitch. It has 2-point sway control, but is less expensive than the Equal-i-zer hitch. Others choose the Andersen No-Sway hitch. Whichever you choose, if you don't feel comfortable installing and adjusting it, get some help. You don't want it to be set up wrong and give you false assurance. It needs to be right to function properly.

We have a 2012 Highlander with tow package as a tow vehicle. When we purchased our Pod, our dealer threw in the extra wiring and a time-ramp brake controller as part of the deal.

I subsequently replaced the controller with a Prodigy proportional controller and noticed a huge difference in how smooth the brakes operated. I don't think I even changed the controller settings from the default; it just worked.