Connecting the Lada Granta towbar socket

The towbar on the Lada Granta, or towing hitch (TCU), is a metal structure that is bolted to the car body in several places.

The device may have a special socket for connecting to the vehicle's electrical wiring. The product provides reliable coupling of the vehicle with moving trailers of various designs and sizes and “powers” them with electricity from the vehicle’s network.

Installation nuances

Before installing the tow bar on the Lada Granta with your own hands, you need to carry out a number of preparatory measures:

Place the car on a viewing hole, overpass, or use a jack. This will greatly facilitate installation.
Clean working surfaces from dust, dirt and corrosion.
De-energize the vehicle.
Secure the car's wheels by placing a stop under them, or apply the car's parking brake.
Prepare the necessary tools (a set of keys), and the towbar itself with fastening elements, as well as a socket and wires.

Installation work is carried out according to the following instructions:

On the rear side members you need to find standard mounting points. They are sealed with a special film and coated with an anti-gravel compound.
Next, you need to take the traction device mounting bracket and connect the fastening points of the frame and two beams. Bolts with nuts threaded on them are inserted into the holes.
The same operations are carried out with two connection points located behind the bumper. To secure the bolt. Located behind the lip of the spare wheel cavity, a ratchet with an extension is used.
A coupling ball and a protective cap are installed on the mounting frame.

Types and selection criteria

It is not difficult to find different types of trailer hitches for the Lada Grant on the market. This is explained by the fact that several companies are engaged in the production of these devices for the VAZ 2190 car. Among the companies, it is worth noting such as “Leader-Plus”, “Bosal” and “Trailer”. As for the traction coupling devices themselves, they, according to the type of design, are divided into:

The device has a removable coupling ball. It is attached to the car using bolts. After dismantling the ball, a coupling slightly protrudes from under the vehicle bumper.

As a rule, it has a non-demountable design. It is welded to the fastening points or screwed with powerful bolts. Dismantling such a towbar is quite a long and labor-intensive task.

This type of trailer hitch includes flanged towbars with two and four mounting bolts. In addition, retractable traction devices can be found on sale. They have a special vertical mechanism, and if necessary, after dismantling the ball, such a hitch can be removed under the bottom of the car.

Towbars are also divided into:

Having low load capacity. This type of trailer hitch allows you to transport a loaded trailer weighing up to 1500 kg.
With increased load capacity. This type of trailer hitch makes it possible to tow a trailer with a curb weight of 3000 to 3500 kilograms.

Connecting the socket

In order for the lights on the connected towbar to work, you need to connect the tow bar to the vehicle wiring. When performing this operation, use the following installation scheme:

A black and blue wire is connected to the first contact. It is responsible for the operation of the left turn signal on the trailer.
A black-brown wire is connected to the second contact, which is responsible for the operation of the fog lamp.
The third contact is used to connect ground.
The fourth contact with a soldered blue wire is responsible for the operation of the right turn signal.
The green wire is soldered to the fifth contact. It ensures the functionality of the reversing light.
The brake signal is located on the sixth pin; a lilac wire is used for operation.
The seventh contact, together with the yellow-brown wires, is responsible for the operation of the side lights.

After the pinout has been completed, the socket is powered from the taillight connectors. At the end of the work, the wires are laid along the bottom of the luggage compartment of the car, the socket is assembled and treated with sealant. If water gets inside, a short circuit may occur.

Wires and a socket, in most cases, are supplied with the tow bar included.

Using a towbar makes it possible to use a trailer, trailer, or transport other vehicles. Before installing the trailer hitch, it is necessary to clarify whether the vehicle design requires the installation of this part. After equipping the car with a tow hitch, the modification is registered with the traffic police. This will avoid fines and problems with passing a technical inspection of the car.

Transporting heavy or large cargo by car is impossible - its trunk is limited in volume. For this purpose, trailers are used that are attached to towbars. In this review we will look at how to install a tow bar on a Grant. There is nothing complicated about this - roughly speaking, all you need to do is screw in a few bolts and make electrical connections.

Documents for a car tow bar

In 2021, the technical regulation of the customs union TR CU 018/2011 On the safety of wheeled vehicles is in force in Russia. It is this document that vehicles and the equipment installed on them must comply with.

Let's consider paragraph 77 of section 4 of chapter V of the technical regulations:

77. Vehicles are not subject to inspection in the following cases:

1) when installing components on a vehicle:

intended for this vehicle and have undergone conformity assessment as part of this vehicle, which is confirmed by the documentation of the component manufacturer;
provided by the vehicle manufacturer in the operational documentation;

2) when serial changes are made to the design on the basis of design documentation developed and approved in the prescribed manner, if on its basis an assessment of the conformity of the changes made was carried out.

So, there are 2 cases in which the towbar does not need to be registered with the traffic police:

Do-it-yourself coupling device for a passenger trailer

When making serial changes to designs. In this case, we are talking about installing a trailer hitch at the factory.
When installing a towbar as additional equipment, if 2 conditions are simultaneously met: The manufacturer has provided for the installation of the towbar in the operational documentation. In this case, we are talking about the instruction manual, which is issued when purchasing any car. Open this document and look for the section on using a trailer. If there is such a section, then everything is in order.
The towbar must have manufacturer documentation confirming that it is intended for use on your vehicle model and has passed a conformity assessment.

Thus, the list of necessary documents for using a tow bar:

Vehicle Operation Manual.
Documents for the towbar confirming that it is suitable for the vehicle of the required model.
A certificate for the tow bar confirming that it complies with the requirements of the Technical Regulations.

Please note that you are not required to carry these documents with you and present them to traffic police officers. You can also store them at home

Just if a traffic police officer has questions about the towbar, immediately tell him that you have all the necessary documents and the towbar was installed legally. Usually this is enough. If the policeman nevertheless decides to issue a report, you will be able to challenge it based on the available documents.

Features of the Lada Granta car

In the traditional configuration, the Lada Granta does not have a tow bar. When purchasing a trailer, car owners are faced with the need to install it. In some machines, this requires drilling mounting holes or making other modifications. If you lack experience, the procedure should be entrusted to the employees of the nearest car service center. The owners of the Lada Granta liftback car were luckier - towing coupling devices were developed especially for their car, fastened with just a few bolts. True, you will have to tinker a little with the electrics.

LADA GRANTA (2190, 2191)

Figure 2-10 shows the main version of the trailer hitch installed on the LADA GRANTA.

Figure 2-10 – Design and delivery set of LADA GRANTA trailer hitch (2190, 2191): 1 – rod assembly with brackets; 2 – socket box; 3 – hook

Remove the rear bumper.

On the inside of the cross member 2, Figure 2-11, the floor of the rear, right 1 and left 3 rear side members, clean the embedded threaded holes 4 (flat-head screwdriver) from the PShM layer.

Note: The design of the rear suspension of the main muffler for vehicles manufactured before 2021 allows the trailer hitch bar bracket to be attached to the left side member of the body in two places if there is an additional mounting hole on the bar bracket.

Figure 2-11 – Location of standard threaded holes for attaching the trailer hitch: 1 – rear right floor spar; 2 – rear floor cross member; 3 – rear left floor spar

Install the rod onto the body and secure, without tightening, with the bolts supplied.

Tighten bolts 2, Figure 2-12, fastening the rod 3 to the floor cross member, then bolts 1 of the brackets to the body side members (wrench 17, replaceable head 17, wrench).

Figure 2-12 – Installation of the trailer hitch rod: 1 – bolt securing the rod bracket to the spar; 2 – bolt securing the rod to the floor cross member; 3 – trailer hitch bar

Install hook 3 on the rod, see Figure 2-10, and socket 2 (wrench 19, replaceable head 19, knob).

Install and connect the electrical equipment of the trailer hitch.

Install the rear bumper.

Purchase and installation of a towing device (towbar)

Details on how to install a tow bar on a Lada Granta can be obtained from specialists. But even a novice car enthusiast can cope with this. The finished towing device for this vehicle is a U-shaped metal frame with a towbar attached to it. The structure is completely ready for installation, and there are already holes for bolts on the side members of the car and behind its bumper.

Review of Manufacturer Prices

№	Name / OEM part number	Price, rub.)
1.	Leader-Plus (101030)	from 2500
2.	VFM (844947MS)

Lada Granta Liftback / Lada Kalina

*prices are as of September 20, 2018.

The cost of a towing coupling device ranges from 2500 to 4200 rubles.

Obviously, in the first case, this is a budget option, which is purchased by most motorists. The quality and service life are at an average level, not comparable to top-end options made from high-quality steel.

Electrical connection

The mechanical part is ready - you can safely hitch the trailer and check the reliability of the fasteners. It remains to work on the electrical circuits, which will make the rear lights work. To do this, you need to connect the wires from the outlet to the vehicle's on-board network. The sequence of steps here is as follows:

Installation of the socket - it is fixed on the socket box, next to the trailer hitch ball;
The socket wire exits through a rubber seal located next to the bumper, on the left side - from here the wires are routed into the trunk of the Lada Granta;
Connecting wires to the side lights - the main thing here is not to get confused.

The connection diagram is simple. The left turn signal is connected through the first contact, and the right turn signal is connected through the fourth. Ground is connected through the third contact, and the brake light is connected through the sixth. The side lights are connected through the seventh contact, the fog lamp - through the second contact (can remain free). The fifth remains a reserve - additional equipment can be powered through it (for example, a transportable inner tube installed in a trailer).

Now you know how to install a tow bar on a Lada Granta liftback. There is nothing complicated here - you need to tighten the six main bolts, fix the socket in its original place, and connect the tow bar to the vehicle's on-board electrical system. The last stage is testing - it checks the reliability of the trailer hitch installation, hooks up the trailer, and checks the functionality of the lights. After this you can hit the road.

And if you have not yet purchased a trailer for your car, we recommend that you pay attention to the following models that are perfect for Largus:

Which spray gun to choose for painting a car

For the Leader Plus model, article number VAZ 01H, with a vertical and horizontal load of 50 and 900 kg, respectively, you need to pay about 1,800 rubles. In this case, the mounting, electrics and connection diagram are included in the kit;
A trailer hitch with number 2190011C with a similar horizontal load, but a vertical load of 75 kg, will cost 2,500 rubles. This is a model specifically for the liftback. Electrics are purchased separately;
Leader Plus with a type A ball costs 2,000 rubles when fully equipped. Strengths include horizontal load of 1100 kg;
There are a couple of trailer hitches from Bosal Autoflex. These are 1218A and 1229E. The vertical load is the same, 50 kg. Horizontal 1110 and 1275 kg, respectively. You will have to remove the bumper, but not trim it. The younger model costs 2,500 rubles when fully equipped. 1229E will cost 3,000 rubles, plus another 500 rubles for electrics.

These are just approximate prices, as they may vary depending on the region and the specific seller.