5 Wire vs 4 Wire System Demonstration - Video
To tell if your vehicle has a 4 or 5 wire system what you want to do is have a friend go ahead and step on the brakes. And note which lights come on. Now what you want to do then is go ahead and turn on the turn signal while holding the brake down and turn on the right turn signal. As you an see you have your brake lights on and you see the amber turn signal going on to let you know you have a 5 wire system. Now on this vehicle here we have a 4 wire system. The way to double check that is go ahead and turn on one of the turn signals like the right one here. Note which bulb is burning and which filament on the inside and turn that off. Then go ahead and hit your brakes. And you notice here, it is one in the same. So that means your turn signal and your brake lights are one in the same and you just use a regular 4 wire system you do not need a converter. more
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Posted: 8/7/2008 10:53:59 PM
Pollak Black Plastic, 7-Pole, RV-Style Trailer Socket , Vehicle End Review - Video
Today we are going to do a review of the 7 pole connector from Pollak, part number PK12707. The outside of this plug is constructed of black plastic, and the interior has a noncorroding, shock resistant design. The plug features some terminal reinforcement dams that help eliminate shorting. The lid is spring loaded with a stainless steel spring, and also features a safety latch to ensure yo are fully connected to your trailer. Now lets take a look inside this connector and show you how to wire in the plug. :28 more
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Posted: 3/4/2010 5:32:36 PM
This Old Trailer : Replacing a 7-Pole Connector - Video
Today on This Old Trailer we are going to diagnose some wiring problems. The problem with this trailer is that when you plug the trailer into the vehicle none of the lights work. It could be a variety of problems but the first thing we are going to do is start from the front and work our way back. Just to make sure there is nothing wrong with the towing vehicle use an independent power source to power up the trailer just to make sure. Then we will turn on the lights and check in the back. We have got our power supply on and it looks like there is nothing working in the back and also it looks like the running lights were not working either. Lets go back up to the front and check the connector. 00:33 more
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Posted: 9/13/2010 7:22:12 AM
This Old Trailer: Replacing a 6-Pole Connector - Video
Today on This Old Gooseneck Trailer we are going to install part number PK11604 from Pollak. This is their 6-pole connector and we are going to replace the one that is originally on this trailer right now. Now, what has happened to this one is it has been basically pulled apart a few times and basically the insides are getting worn out and some of the screws a striped out. So, we are just going to go through it and replace it. The first thing we want to do is go ahead and take out this screw and this screw here. This little screw right here, this is kind of a clamp that holds the cable in place. Then this little set screw holds the inside in place and in alignment. OK, let us push that on out. Now, when you go ahead and take these wires apart, note which wires go to what. On the inside of the connector they are all labeled left turn, right turn, TM for trailer marker lights, S is for stop which will be for brakes typically and you have the A in the middle for auxiliary for whatever you want to use and then you have GD for ground. 0:55 more
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Posted: 9/9/2010 10:52:40 AM
Circuit Testing for Vehicle Wiring - Video
Today we are going to show you a little bit of wiring. Basically, like a wiring 101 and what to look for when you are going to hardwire into a vehicle. And what hardwire means is actually getting to the wires and splicing into them making a connection. We will go ahead and do our test and ground it. Instead of piercing the wires, if you have a junction that is easy to get to go ahead and pull it apart. And instead of piercing the wire, go ahead and test on the inside here. Just check each individual contact here until you hit something. Then make sure you actually have your running lights on and then go ahead and turn them back off. It also proves to us that our ground is good and it is working with our electrical system here. more
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Posted: 7/24/2008 3:22:08 AM
7-Pole Trailer Replacement Wiring Review - Video
Today on this trailer we are going to install part number H20046. What this part number is is a replacement 7-pole connector. This one is a little bit corroded up, it has got some battle scars on it so we are going to replace it. This wire harness runs into this junction box right here. Some trailers have a junction box, some are just hard wired into the harness on the trailer, so in this case we will take the lid off of our box and disconnect the original wires. It looks like our junction box also holds the breakaway battery, we will just set that right out of the way and we will deal with our wires here. Lets pull it apart and see what we have got. 00:51 more
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Posted: 10/6/2010 3:43:59 PM
Hopkins 7 Pole to 4 Pole Adapter with Tester Review - Video
Today we are going to take a look at the 7-pole to 4-pole adapter with tester and cover from Hopkins, part number 47345. Our Hopkins adapter takes our 7-pole end on our vehicle, and converts it down to a 4-pole end for our trailer. There is also a series of three LEDs that will let us verify the function of our trailer system on our vehicle. :21 more
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Posted: 6/22/2011 1:51:16 PM
Bully Trailer Adapter Review - Video
All right, today we are going to show you part number TC-701 from Bully. This adapter is actually a tester that will actually test between the truck side and also test on the trailer side. This will work on 4-pole and 5-pole trailers. We will go ahead and use it in a typical application here and show you how it works. more
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Posted: 9/17/2009 5:17:30 PM
Bully Trailer Connector Adapter Review - Video
All right, today we are going to show you part number TC-127 from Bully. This is their Trailer Connector Adapter. This is a 7-pole to 7-pole with a 5-pole and a cigarette lighter. And also the 5-pole can actually double as a 4-pole connector, too. more
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Posted: 10/30/2008 3:34:17 PM
Testing for a Correct Ground Connection Demonstration - Video
Today we are going to show you a little bit on wiring. Basically, a wiring 101 or what to look for when you hardwire into a vehicle. Hardwire means actually getting to the wires and splicing into them and making a connection. The first thing you want to do when you hardwire a vehicle is you want to make sure you are grounded and get a test. Make sure your tester is working fine. On some cars you will see this on one of the wires. Being the same color like these black wires. You will see a lot of them ran to a screw inside the body here. Chances are that is going to be your ground. You can actually use that ground for your light tester. What we mean by a light tester is a device like this right here. Basically, this connects to the ground and what this device does is this hooks around the wire you want to test and you push it together and it precises the wire and touches the copper wire inside, creates a circuit and lights up when you have power in that wire. more
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Posted: 8/8/2008 8:53:00 AM
Circuit Testing a Vehicle 4-Pole Review - Video
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Posted: 12/20/2011 8:13:03 AM
Fifth Wheel and Gooseneck Wiring Harness Installation - 2006 Ford F-350 - Video
Today on this 2006 Ford F350, well be installing the Pollack T-One connector part number pk11893-11932. We will start off at the bumper of the vehicle where you will find the previously installed 7 pole with a gray locking tab on it. We will undo the lock and pull the 7 pole free, but first we will need to loosen this bracket here for more working room. With everything separated we will start installing the T- One harness and lock it into position. Now that we have made our connections underneath we need to go ahead and drill a hole so that we can mount our connector in the bed. It is recommended that you have a minimum five inch clearance behind where ever you are going to drill. more
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Posted: 11/5/2011 3:52:57 AM
Pollak 7 Pole to 4 Pole Connector Adapter Review - Video
Today we are going to show you the Pollak 7-pole to 4-pole connector adapter, part number PK12716. Pollak offers this adapter that makes converting your 7-pole on your vehicle to a 4-pole on your trailer quick and easy. We are going to open the door on our 7-way and our adapter. Push it all the way in and make sure it is seated firmly. Then pull the cap off the end of the 4-way. Now we are ready to hook up the 4-way connector on our trailer. :28 more
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Posted: 6/17/2011 10:59:51 AM
Hopkins 4-Pole to 5-Pole Trailer Wiring Adapter Installation - Video
Today we are going to show you how to install the 4-wire flat to 5-wire flat adapter, part number 47515 from Hopkins Towing Solutions. This adapter piece allows us to plug in to the vehicles existing 4-pole plug and adapt to a 5-pole plug that you find commonly on boat trailers with hydraulic brakes that offer a reverse lockout. The adapter piece itself is very simple to install. Again, you have the one side that is going to plug into the vehicles existing 4-pole and the other end will come out with the new 5-pole plug that you will need for your trailer. What we do need to do for this adapter, however, the fifth wire is the reverse lead. So we will need to find the reverse wire on the tow vehicle and manually tap this in. So we are going to start by just plugging the 4-pole in, into the vehicle harness. And then we need to figure out a way to get up to the reverse wire on the vehicle. 0:53 more
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Posted: 3/21/2011 10:40:08 AM
This Old Trailer: Repairing a Trailer Light Wiring Problem - Video
Today on This Old Trailer, we are going to fix some lighting problems. Now what is happening on this trailer is that one side of the taillights is not working at all and the passenger side sometimes works and sometimes does not. So the first thing we need to do is go ahead and check to make sure we have power going all of the way back. That means we will start from the front and check our way on to the back. The first thing we need to do is go ahead and apply power. We are going to start checking our power from the plug on back. What we are going to do is actually take out the screw that holds the connector together. We are going to push it inside then we are going to pull it apart. Then we can see the contacts on the inside. We are going to turn on the running lights and we are going to hit the brakes for the taillights themselves. So, we should have three wires hot. We will go ahead and check that. It looks like we have power for a second here and it went away. We will try the other two. It looks like the same thing. So it looks like we are dealing with some multiple shorts. So we know it is something definitely on the trailer at this point. So we will go ahead and go back to the taillight and start doing a visual inspection. 0:57 more
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Posted: 3/7/2011 6:59:25 AM
Tow Ready 7-Pole RV to 6-Pole Round Adapter with Backup Alarm Review - Video
Today we are going to be showing you part number 118706 from Tow Ready. This is the 7-Pole RV to 6-Pole Round Adapter. And it also features a backup alarm and cover for the plug,to keep out the weather elements. This has a limited lifetime warranty. And next we are going to show you how it fits into your 7-pole connector and also demonstrate for you how the backup alarm works. more
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Posted: 4/20/2009 3:54:20 PM
This Old Trailer: Installation of a Junction Box - Video
Previously on This Old Trailer we installed the backing plates in the hubs and on this episode we are going to install the wiring. Basically what we are going to do is hook up the wires for the backing plates and run them up to the front of the trailer. We are going to install junction box part number 38656. It is a good idea to have a junction box in case you ever have to change out the lead going up to your truck. It is easily changed out especially if you have a wiring harness that is all molded into one piece. We are going to upgrade this trailer with our junction box so we can do that. Install it in this location in the channel on the tongue. Hold the box up to it, mark some holes out, and drill it out to 1/ 4 inch bit and use 1/ 4 inch hardware to hold it in place. When we get the hardware installed we can tighten it down into place. 01:29 more
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Posted: 2/26/2010 4:34:48 PM
