What Gauge Wire Is Required On a 7-Way Connector

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Question:

I want to make a 4 foot extension on my 7 blade rv connector. I want to know what guage wire i need. I think the power and the ground are different gauges than the other 5. Thanks for the help.

asked by: Tom

0

Expert Reply:

On a 7-Way connector the suggested minimum wire gauge for the White (ground) wire, the Red or Black (power) wire, and the Blue (brake power) wire is 12 gauge. The minimum wire gauge for the remaining Green (right turn/brake) wire, the Yellow (left turn/brake) wire, the Brown (tail lights) wire, and the Purple (reverse light) wire is 16 gauge.

I have the Hopkins 7-Way Molded Trailer Wire Connector with Lead, part # H20042. This is a 7-Way blade plug on one end and a 3 foot wire lead. Also, the Hopkins 7-Way Molded Trailer Wire Connector with Lead, part # H20046, which is a 7-Way blade plug with an 8 foot wire lead.

I am including a link to a FAQ page on wiring.

expert reply by: Jeff D

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Gerald G.

5/11/2020

Looking for information on what gauge wire the tow vehicle manufacturers GM, Ford, RAM would typically use for this connection? Especially for the plus and minus. We have a Bull Dog 650 hoist from etrailer.com that we intend to power from this connection.

Reply

Chris R.

5/13/2020

I'm not sure there's really a standard but typically 12 to 10 gauge wiring would be used for the 12V circuit on a factory 7-Way harness. I highly recommend hooking up the Bulldog Hoist directly to the truck's battery or an aux battery for best performance.

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Angel

8/11/2024

I converted my 4 lin trailer plug to a 7 pin. The 4 to 7 pin adapter has 14 awg so I ran a 14 awg wire to my brake controller as well as to the battery. I see on the internet that it's fine but I am a little scared it won't work because I also see that the 12 volt lead from the 7 pin to the battery should be 12 awg and the wire from the 7 pin plug to my brake controller shouod also be 12awg. Am I okay with the 14 awg or do I NEED to switch it

Reply

Jon G.

8/12/2024

@Angel Great question. We prefer to recommend 10 and 12 gauge wiring for this purpose (nothing wrong with going a little bigger), but 14 gauge wire is still safe to use so you won't need to rewire everything.

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Answer 1

You'll basically just need to remove as much of the oil from your hubs as you can and then pack them with grease instead of oil. Oil seals and caps seal better than grease seals and caps so to make the conversion you want to make is not hard at…

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Answer 2

Typically 4-way wiring consists of 18 and 16 gauge wires. For a 4-way that has all 16 gauge wire you would want the Wesbar 4-Pole Flat Connector #W787264. The part #HM38138 uses 18 gauge for all wires but the white that uses 16 gauge.

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Answer 3

For your 12V wiring to your 7-way, we have people running many different things off that 12V wire. 12 gauge or even better 10 gauge ensures that the power is transferred timely and accurately. We have a kit for brake controllers and 12V wiring for…

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Answer 4

Hey Wesley, thanks for reaching out! The Brake Buddy Select 3 #HM39524 does come with a battery charger, yes. The likely reason why that was suggested is that most brake kits don't have a battery charger, and you'll have to disconnect your…

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Answer 5

Hey Ron! Those parts are going to work great with your 2025 Buick Encore GX AWD. However, you're also going to need a braking system. Since your Fleetwood Discovery has air brakes you'll want the Demco Air Force One Flat Tow Brake System for…

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Answer 6

Yes, we do. Check out the picture I attached that shows a diagram of all of the parts of the Roadmaster BrakeMaster #RM-9160-900002 that you referenced. Once you figure out which parts you need email me back and if we do not have the parts on our…

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Answer 7

It's a wire color difference but not a function difference on the pins of the 7-way. The difference comes from the fact that the two different styles are representative of two different areas that uses trailers. Traditional is usually seen on…

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Answer 8

I recommend using at minimum a 12 gauge wire like #12-1-1, but preferably 10 gauge wire like #10-1-1. When you try to run 12v power for electric brakes through a thinner 14 gauge wire to power something like your brakes it overloads the wire and…

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Answer 9

I checked with Dexter, manufacturer of many trailer parts, and according to them there should be at least 1 inch of space between the tires when under load. So once your trailer is loaded and ready to tow, if you have more than 1 inch of space…

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Answer 10

The 7-Way trailer connector #PK11893 does not take any wire directly. It is what is called a US car connector. There is a mating harness that plugs into the back of it that will either already be on the vehicle or you would use #PK11998 which uses a…

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Answer 11

The Optronics 7-Way Connector - Trailer End #A7WCB will handle 8-gauge wires on the positive and negative connectors. If you want the same gauge wire on the vehicle side, I recommend the Hopkins Endurance 7-Way Trailer Connector Socket - Vehicle End…

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Answer 12

Hello Vincent, thanks for reaching out. Some 14 gauge wire would be acceptable for the 12v power wire. Generally, we would use a 30 amp circuit breaker for this. To prevent any backfeed you can install a diode like part #RM-690. I hope this helps.…

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What Gauge Wire Is Required On a 7-Way Connector

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