After finally getting a hitch on this truck last year, I am thinking of possibly pulling a 20 ft trailer down the freeway. I haven't seen anyone asking about connecting magnetic trailer lights to the stock wiring of a truck of this era. I could be mistaken, but I do not think there is a harness built in for this, or if there is I would assume standards have changed. Any leads would be appreciated.

 

First off, Toyota trucks aren't a very good choice to pull a 20 foot trailer unless it's really lite.
Second, if you don't have a trailer connection there is a converter needed for Toyotas to change a 4 light system (two separate turn signals and two separate brake lights) into a 2 light setup.
Third, if your 20 foot trailer has trailer brakes or a connector other than a 4 way flat connector it will take even more to set up.
Fourth, there is nothing different about magnetic trailer lights other than the ground wire runs all the way from the plug to the lights rather than using the trailer frame.

 

This is on the 2WD 22RE?? What kinda of trailer are you towing that’s 20ft??

 

Actually I am looking at two 12 ft trailers that are both mostly empty of appliances / furniture and understand that one is light enough to not need its own brakes.

Is there a harness location on this truck that I don't know about? Is it common to splice the tail light to provide signal to the magnetic lights?

2.4L 22-re engine.

 

On mine, the trailer connector was dealer-installed (but not very well!) First, note that you cannot use the truck bed as ground (it's on rubber isolators for noise). The taillights have a separate ground wire. Second, the taillight assembly has a "pigtail" to a connector. When you splice into those wires, do all the splices on one side of the connector or the other (most likely the harness-side, so you can replace the taillight if need be). Don't do it like the dealer did mine.

 

If there is a 4 way flat connector hanging underneath near the rear bumper/hitch area then you have installed trailer lights.
There is a converter that gets spliced into the right tail light with a single wire run over to the left tail light and a pigtail attached that gets routed out and down to the hitch area.
I have never seen anything other than a simple 4 way flat trailer connector on a Toyota truck. They are for lights only. If you don't have this setup already you can purchase the trailer light converter at most parts stores or get it from a dealership or Amazon. they come with instructions that should answer all of your questions.

 

Any chance this converter would be compatible with the 2-wire brake lights as mentioned by akwheeler?

 

From experience (as I live in the mountains) anything you tow with your Toyota will require trailer brakes. My 2wd x-cab only weighs 2700 and my converted to 4x4 x-cab weighs in at about 35-3600 lbs. I have a trailer I made with the bed of another truck and with that being empty towing it behind my 2wd I can feel it wanting to push the rear of the 2wd around corners. Trailer box only weighs about 4-500

 

Thanks for the info, I will keep it in my mind.