Tow bar wiring

Hi Clint68,

I had an 07 Jimny and wired in my tow bar easily to the original wires via a buzzer unit that came with the kit. I didn't use the Scotch Locks that came with it, but soldered the wires into the loom behind the rear nearside panel, which is where the buzzer unit was also installed. I then covered the joints with heat shrink insulation.

I'm now in a similar dilemma to you, as I have a 12 plate Jimny and have recently fitted a tow bar to that. I haven't wired it in yet, as the weather isn't being very kind at the moment. However, the relay/buzzer unit supplied with the kit requires a permanent live which I am reluctant to find. I'm even thinking of finding a professional tow bar installer and ask them to wire it in.

It used to be so simple before!

fozzie wrote: Hi Clint68,

I'm now in a similar dilemma to you, as I have a 12 plate Jimny and have recently fitted a tow bar to that. I haven't wired it in yet, as the weather isn't being very kind at the moment. However, the relay/buzzer unit supplied with the kit requires a permanent live which I am reluctant to find. I'm even thinking of finding a professional tow bar installer and ask them to wire it in.

It used to be so simple before!

I would use the tail light feed as the permanent live. That way you can test everything works by turning your sidelights on and operating the indicators, and in normal driving you have a choice of lights off and no buzzer or lights on and a buzzer. Or buy a buzzer that doesn't need a permanent live. They are only a few £.

Hi Fozzie, I used the same method as you on my Volvo with the wiring but instead of soldering in the buzzer, I soldered in a can bus relay to the wiring with built in buzzer. I was lucky that the Volvo has a 40 amp dedicated tow bar live feed sitting next to the r/o/s light cluster which feeds the permanent live on the relay. You would have to take a 20 amp feed from your fuse box and run it the length of your car to the boot. The relay should have two separate 10 amp feeds that link into your 20 amp feed. Did you settle for a flange type ball on your Jimny or the extended swan neck to enable the ball to clear the spare wheel on the back door?

I bought the removable extended swan neck type from Amazon. It's the same as the one I put on the 07 Jimny. I fitted the tow bar in about an hour at the latter part of last year, I just looked at the new buzzer wiring and thought "sod it ! That's changed".

I did look quickly on line to see if I could buy another buzzer/relay as before that didn't need the permanent live, but I couldn't find one. Therefore I will have to stop being so lazy and run the live feed from somewhere under the bonnet.

I'm an Electrical Power Tech by trade and I hate wiring anything once I get home!

Wait, what? I've had my towbar (from Towbars-UK) delivered, and I fitted it (with some degree of difficulty). However, I've yet to wire it in. The wiring diagram that comes with it simply says to connect the seven wires to the seven wires already there (with an audible relay supplied). There's nothing said about a permanent live.

Hi Barry, the permanent live is only when fitting a can bus relay as I had to do on my Volvo as it uses can bus wiring. I could of wired it without the relay but then it would drive the ECU mental with bulb failure notifications on the dash. From what I understand, the Jimny don’t use can bus wiring so your ok.

By the way, what type of tow bar did you get?