American Adventure Lab Ford Ranger Trailer Plug Tuck Kit Install

[TheRealSasquatch]

Ford Ranger Trailer Plug Tuck Kit
I finally received my American Adventure Lab Ford Ranger Trailer Plug Tuck Kit and got it installed. The install is really easy if you have all the tools listed in the directions. I substituted an oscillating saw instead of cutting the plastic with a knife and used a 2 inch hole saw instead of the 2 1/8 inch asked for. 2 1/8 was far bigger than the original hole so I stepped it down.
The new metal frame is 3/16th smaller than the original bracket welded to the bumper where the retention clips are so the fit is firm and it won’t be rattling out!
If you plan on driving your truck where departure angles are going to be an issue you will damage or destroy the original bracket and plug. Before an off-roading trip I dismantled the original mount and painted where I cut it off with a cutting wheel then painted it with Trim Black paint. Then I tucked the wiring and zip tied the trailer plug. Plus, I found without mud flaps I was flinging rocks straight back at the wiring. This is well worth the 45 bucks and 45 minutes of work to save rewiring the trailer plug.
American Adventure Lab Ford Ranger Trailer Plug Tuck

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[John E Davies]

THANK YOU for posting, they are very nice pics, mine is due to arrive tomorrow. The above pic is why God makes silver Sharpies! They show up way better on dark surfaces like your bumper. Look for sales, prices are all over the place, this price is a good one.

SHARPIE 39109PP Metallic Permanent Markers, Fine Point, Silver, 4 Count

I will probably leave my OEM bracket in place, I haven't dragged it yet, if it gets bent in the future, I will deal with the carnage at that time.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

 

[HHIRAP]

Finally got my American Adventure Lab kit today and installed it tonight. It is a very nice kit that was easy to install, and the housing snaps in ridiculously tight!

Very pleased with the kit.

 

[AdventureLab]

Thanks everyone! Glad you like it!

Great photos!

Good call on the oscillating saw. I left that out of the instructions because we don't want people to think that is a required tool.

Almost all of these have shipped that are on order. We have sent a ton of them out in the last week. I also pre-powder coated a lot of them and we have finally gotten ahead of those orders with larger and larger batches each time.

We have a few Raptor Red (Prismatic Powders Race Red) that will be done at powder tomorrow. Those should ship in a couple of days. We'll also have those in stock.

I'm working on a pile of new products for the Ranger this week. Stay tuned!

More at https://www.instagram.com/americanadventurelab

 

[RaptrJr]

Will a 35 fit in the spare tire location with this kit installed?

 

[TheRealSasquatch]

Will a 35 fit in the spare tire location with this kit installed?

It will be very close. But if you de-loom the wires for the trailer plug and loom them into a 90 degree bend then zip tie everything away you will probably just have enough room than vibrations wouldn’t rub the wires.

 

[Franco]

Has anyone installed flush mount lights in this same location? (On each side of the license plate)

 

[AdventureLab]

As an update, we got all of the open orders for these shipped out late last night, except the red ones. Those should ship today!

 

[BigAir]

I'm working on a pile of new products for the Ranger this week. Stay tuned!

More at https://www.instagram.com/americanadventurelab

When do you expect to announce the new products? I might wait to order my trailer plug kit if you'll be announcing soon.

Also, it is awesome that you updated your product webpage with pics showing the tire clearance. I know for myself, and I'm sure lots of others, that was a concern.

 

[AdventureLab]

When do you expect to announce the new products? I might wait to order my trailer plug kit if you'll be announcing soon.

Also, it is awesome that you updated your product webpage with pics showing the tire clearance. I know for myself, and I'm sure lots of others, that was a concern.

Probably within a couple of weeks. We're working on them now, with some of them already finished. I'm just laser focused on the shop producing to meet current demand without pumping in a lot more demand right now.

Glad the photos helped. I'm going to try to stay pretty in-tune with the forum here. I'm just as in love with this truck as everyone here is, so it's like cool new toy for us as well.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Here's some of the stuff we're working on today.

 

[pablo94sc]

I got my kit Monday and finally had a chance to install it today. Here are my impressions in no particular order


First off, your 30 minute estimate is very optimistic. I think I spent longer than that trying to get the bottom clip free. And I still haven't removed the original bracket. Lol

This kit is really well designed. The template might be a little overkill being made from aluminum, but I'm not complaining.

My wiring harness could have stayed clipped into the receiver and still reach the trailer harness, but I opted to use the included zip tie to move it up a bit more.

Install notes: The nuts included are 10mm.

You'll drill through some metal for the top holes for the new bracket. Have the proper bit for metal, and be sure to put a couple drops of lubricating oil on the bit. I will need to go back and paint those holes when I remove the original bracket.

I also used a 2" hole saw blade and trimmed the stray plastic with my blade. Oscillating tool made quick work of the rectangular portion.

After you mount the bracket, be sure to trim away any remaining plastic you see poking out from behind. It's a very snug fit.

I needed to put a board over the trailer harness and hammer the damn thing into the new bracket. Might be because my lower spring clip got deformed a bit during removal.

Dropping the tire will probably make taking the trailer harness out easier, but why do that when you can lay on your side fighting with the bottom clip like I did? It's good exercise for your stabilizer muscles!

Finally, FU to the person who okayed the bracket being under the bumper in the first place. Such a bone headed decision.

 

[Garaged]

Has anyone installed flush mount lights in this same location? (On each side of the license plate)

Mine aren't perfectly flush but close enough (as in the bolt goes through the plastic along with the wires and the back is flush). Two Altiq Rock Light Pros. They get very bright, tied into both Aux 4 as well as the center wire from the trailer connector which is activated during reverse (bunch of diodes to prevent backflow).

 

[Johnny 5]

How bad is the license plate light obstructed by this ?

 

[Franco]

Mine aren't perfectly flush but close enough (as in the bolt goes through the plastic along with the wires and the back is flush). Two Altiq Rock Light Pros. They get very bright, tied into both Aux 4 as well as the center wire from the trailer connector which is activated during reverse (bunch of diodes to prevent backflow).

Looks great! Thank you for the info!

 

[Garaged]

Looks great! Thank you for the info!

NP. They're another Australian company, with the lights made in China most likely. But, they aren't just bright, they can be ordered with interchangeable colored covers (clear, amber, green, red, blue) in addition to being very waterproof. I had 2 left in a pack of 4 that I stuck on the frame (heavy duty zip ties doing most of the work) and those filled with water for a couple weeks and still ran perfectly fine underwater since the PCB is sealed well.

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