trailer wiring question?

[jafo9]

i never really paid any attention to how my trailer coupler was wired until it failed. i tow alot, so when the lights stopped working on the trailers, i dove into the wiring. it was wired with a standard 7 pin round RV style receptacle next to the receiver hitch. connected to the receptacle was a box that took power directly from the battery via long wire running the length of the vehicle. it apparently took power from the battery and not from the vehicle light wires. the splices were there to get the 12v signal to actuate the trailer lights, but the power came from the battery. i'm guessing if your trailer had alot of lights this would be helpful.

anyway, all my napa had was the standard type of trailer wiring for japanese vehicles that use an amber turn signal to combine the brake/turn/ into one wire for the trailer lights. i even added a reverse light wire since it wasn't initially wired with one.

my question is: is there any reason to go online and order one of the fancy kits like i had originally to get the 12v from the battery and not from the rear light circuit?

thanks.

 

[Brentbba]

That run from the battery may be power for electric brakes...if you're running a 7 pin plug. The standard converter box (like a Hoppy) would supply the connections for the brake, turn and running lights.

What exactly failed? Do you just need to rewire a new plug? More info is in the trailer section.

 

[jafo9]

hard to say what failed. its a sealed/potted box. it was getting power coming into it, just not coming out of it. i hadn't thought of electric brakes. my biggest trailer just has surge brakes.

i'll look in the trailer section. apologies if i posted in the wrong section.

 

[Brentbba]

No apologies. There is a converter box that has diodes in it that can and does fail. That box takes the 5 wires from the cruiser to the standard 4 wire plug. At least in my case, the extra two wires into my 7-pin connector are power direct from the battery and the control wire from the brake controller for electric brakes. The middle pin of a standard 7-pin round connector is for auxiliary wiring. It's why I asked if you had electric brakes.

Hoppy makes a plug and play little black box that plugs directly into the wiring harness of the cruiser. It's been awhile, but the used to be in the $40-50 range if they are still made. The four wires from that converter box go to the turn, brake and running lights and then you've got the two separate wires I mentioned above.

 

[Offroads4x4]

A solid power pin also gives power to the travel trailer to run lights and acc.... and charge the trailer battery let alone run some trailer brake systems.

 

[psfpilot]

my question is: is there any reason to go online and order one of the fancy kits like i had originally to get the 12v from the battery and not from the rear light circuit?

thanks.

I have one of each style from Hoppy. The one that pulls its power from the brake/turn wires puts out lower voltage to the trailer lights than the one powered from the battery. The difference in brightness is noticeable on a trailer with incandescent lights, but not with LED trailer lights.

 

[skintunes]

Sounds like you had a power tailight converter- not needed for a non computerized tailight set up like a 'cruiser -unless your trailer has like 29 running and clearance lights like an Airstream .You just need the standard foreign converter- Hoppy has it as does your local auto, If you have electric brakes you would /should have an electric brake controller under the dash-
Your power diode box took a dump - hardwire a new box in- whit, brown, green, yellow- the red will be eliminated to the battery- If you have hot stuff like work lightsor for battery charge in trailer that feed should be fused hot and-usually goes to center pole of connector..... 7-wire wiring diagrams are all avail on net