Geotab HRN-RW08K1 Harness: Fitment, Install and Specs

What Is the HRN-RW08K1?

The HRN-RW08K1 is an eight-wire harness kit for the GO RUGGED that lets a technician connect power, ground and engine data lines individually when the machine's OEM diagnostic connector is not supported by any other Geotab harness. It ships with a fuse kit and includes the HRN-RW08S1 harness.

Geotab's marketplace listing describes it as loose-lead wiring for manual installation, intended for a wide range of equipment and vehicle types, with off-road and construction as the typical setting. Think of it as the fallback that still captures data when plug-and-play is not available.

Schematic only: the eight leads of the HRN-RW08K1 with Geotab's published color definitions.

Which Vehicles and Devices Does the HRN-RW08K1 Work With?

The only device is the GO RUGGED. Geotab's GO9 RUGGED documentation lists the RW08K1 as the eight-wire kit with fuse kit for a customer's OEM diagnostic connector, and the identification doc frames it for connectors that no other harness supports. No make, model or year list is published, because the kit adapts to the connector rather than the other way round.

The data lines cover the main protocols found on equipment and trucks: J1939 and CAN on blue and white, J1850 and J1708 on brown and green, and the ISO K and L lines on orange and grey. Geotab lists the kit at 16.5 cm (6.5 in), with a 2 m (6.5 ft) maximum connected cable length and China as the country of origin. It does not list a superseded part.

What Problem Does It Solve on the Job?

Mixed equipment fleets turn up connectors that do not match any catalogue harness: an unusual OEM plug or a modified machine. Without a matching harness, the fallback would be a three-wire install with no engine data. The RW08K1 closes that gap. With the right pinout for the machine, a technician lands each data pair on the matching pin and the GO RUGGED reads engine information as it would through a plug-in harness.

For a fleet manager, that means engine data from a machine that would otherwise report only location and ignition.

How Is the HRN-RW08K1 Installed?

Geotab requires professional installation for the GO RUGGED, and an eight-wire job is precise work. Geotab publishes installation instructions for the kit; our technicians follow them along with these GO RUGGED requirements:

Before the install, add the GO RUGGED serial number to MyGeotab and confirm the machine runs with no warning lights.
With the machine parked securely, obtain the OEM pinout for its diagnostic connector and identify which protocol pins are populated.
Connect red to the power source using the supplied fuse kit, and black to a verified vehicle ground.
Land only the data leads the machine actually uses, for example blue and white for J1939, and insulate and secure any unused leads.
Plug the harness into the GO RUGGED, mount the device, and secure the device and wiring with cable ties clear of controls and moving parts.
Start the machine, confirm the six beeps and the ignition, GPS and cellular LEDs, check that engine data is arriving in MyGeotab, and complete the record in MyInstall.

Keep the total harness run at or under Geotab's 2 m (6.5 ft) limit, and never connect one T-harness to another anywhere in the run.

Schematic only: the matching data leads go to the OEM connector's populated pins, with fused power and ground alongside.

Spec	Detail
Part number	HRN-RW08K1
Type	Eight-wire harness kit
Device	GO RUGGED
Length	16.5 cm / 6.5 in
Kit contents	Harness and fuse kit, including HRN-RW08S1
Wire colors	Red power source; black vehicle ground; blue J1939+/CAN High; white J1939-/CAN Low; brown J1850-/J1708+; green J1850+/J1708-; orange ISO K-line; grey ISO L-line
Use	OEM connectors not supported by any other Geotab harness
Max connected cable length	2 m / 6.5 ft
Country of origin	China

What Should You Watch for When Fitting It?

Everything depends on the pinout. Landing CAN High and CAN Low reversed, or putting a J1708 pair on J1850 pins, means no data at best. Confirm the protocol from OEM documentation and meter the pins before connecting. Note the polarity convention in Geotab's color list: brown and green swap sign between J1850 and J1708. Use the fuse kit on the red lead every time, and cap off unused leads so they cannot short. Geotab warns that a loose connection can cause engine computer problems, so every splice and the device must be secured against vibration.

Which Related Harnesses Should You Compare?

HRN-RW03K4-A: the three-wire GO RUGGED kit for machines with no data connection at all.
HRN-RW07T1: a tri-pin GO RUGGED harness that plugs into a J1939 data connector when no diagnostic port exists.
HRN-CW08K4: the non-rugged eight-wire kit for GO9-family devices, which requires the HRN-CM24Y1-A.

What Are Common Questions About the HRN-RW08K1?

What are the HRN-RW08K1 wire colors?

Geotab defines red as the power source, black as vehicle ground, blue as J1939+ or CAN High, white as J1939- or CAN Low, brown as J1850- or J1708+, green as J1850+ or J1708-, orange as ISO K-line and grey as ISO L-line.

When should the HRN-RW08K1 be used instead of a plug-in harness?

When the machine has an OEM diagnostic connector that no other Geotab harness supports. If a plug-in harness exists for the connector, that is the simpler and preferred choice.

What comes in the HRN-RW08K1 kit?

Geotab lists the harness and a fuse kit, with the HRN-RW08S1 harness included. The listed length is 16.5 cm (6.5 in).

API Signal supplies and installs GO RUGGED devices and custom Geotab wiring kits on site at the customer's yard, with 35 years of twelve-volt experience behind every splice. Call 803-513-1009 or use Get a Quote to have our technicians look at your machines.

Sources: Geotab Harness Identification and Application; Geotab GO9 RUGGED; Geotab Marketplace, HRN-RW08K1. GEOTAB is a registered trademark of Geotab Inc. API Signal is an independent installer and is not Geotab.

Every Geotab Harness →All 83 harnesses and accessories by part number. Get a Quote →The HRN-RW08K1 supplied and installed on one written quote.

Geotab HRN-RW08K1 Harness