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Hopkins Custom Tail Light Wiring Kit for Towed Vehicles
(16 reviews)
Price: $109.22
Hopkins Custom Tail Light Wiring Kit for Towed Vehicles
Item # HM56009
Our Price: $109.22
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- Wiring Harness
- Plugs into Vehicle Wiring
- Hopkins
- Tail Light Mount
- Custom
- All Info
- Reviews (16)
- Q & A (20)
- Videos (3)
- Photos
- Why etrailer?
Hopkins Tow Bar Wiring - HM56009
Wire your vehicle and get the signal lights required for flat towing without having to splice into your wiring with this custom, plug-in harness. Integrated diodes prevent feedback from RV for safe operation. Wires as combined lighting system.
Features:
- Lets you wire your vehicle to accept your RV's tail, brake, and turn signal lights for flat towing
- Wires towed car as combined system so that brake and turn signals travel along same wire
- Provides 4-way flat plug at front of towed car to connect to motor home
- Plugs in quickly and easily - no cutting or splicing of wires
- Connection points are located near rear bumper
- Prevents electrical feedback to safeguard towed car's electrical system
- Weatherproof box keeps built-in diodes protected
- Won't interfere with electrical system when towed car is not hooked up to RV
- Custom designed for your vehicle
- Includes wiring harness, mounting bracket, and installation hardware
- Extension loop for connecting towed car to RV is sold separately
- Brake light relay (RM-88400 - sold separately) may be required if used with supplemental braking system
- 90-Day warranty
Wiring Your Towed Car with Hopkins
Wiring your car for flat towing has never been easier. No more testing wires or splicing into your electrical system. No need to painstakingly position multiple diodes beneath your vehicle. No worries about voiding your warranty. With this custom-fit towed vehicle wiring kit from Hopkins, all you have to do is plug the harness into your vehicle's existing wiring, which is located at the rear of the vehicle. No cutting, tapping, or splicing is required.
After plugging in the wiring harness, use the included bracket to mount the 4-way flat connector at the front of your towed car. An extension loop (sold separately) is required to connect your towed car to your RV.
Separate vs. Combined Lighting Systems
Some automobiles operate on a 3-wire system, wherein the brake signal and the turn signals travel along different wires to illuminate different lights. (Typically, these vehicles have amber turn signals.) This is referred to as a "separate lighting system." When you hook up for flat towing using this harness, your towed car's lighting system will operate in a combined fashion regardless of whether it typically has combined or separate lighting. This means that the brake and turn signals sent by your RV to your towed car will be carried on a single wire. As a result, your car's brake lights will do the flashing for the turn signals. Your vehicle will still function as designed when not hooked up to your RV.
Do You Need a Brake Light Relay?
Because this harness wires your vehicle as a combined system, a brake light relay (RM-88400 - sold separately) may be required if you use a supplemental braking system with your towing setup. A supplemental braking system depresses the brake pedal in your towed car every time you apply the brakes in your RV. So, if your towed car's brake lights illuminate when the brake pedal is pressed and the engine is off - as is the case when towing - then you need to install a relay to ensure that the lights on your towed car always act in accordance with the signals sent by your RV via the wiring harness. Without a relay, the brake signal from your towed car will override the turn signal sent by your RV when you slow down to make turns, creating a potential hazard.
56009 Hopkins Plug-In Simple Dinghy Towing Harness
Installation Details 
This Product Fits The Following Vehicles
2015 - 2019 Ford F-150
2017 - 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
California residents: click here
Video of Hopkins Custom Tail Light Wiring Kit for Towed Vehicles
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hopkins Custom Tail Light Wiring Kit Installation - 2018 Ford F-150
Hopkins Tow Bar Wiring - Plugs into Vehicle Wiring - HM56009 Review
Hopkins Custom Tail Light Wiring Kit Installation - 2017 Ford F-150
Video Transcript for Hopkins Custom Tail Light Wiring Kit Installation - 2018 Ford F-150
Speaker 1: Today on our 2018 Ford F150 you're gonna be taking a look at, I'm gonna show you how to install a Hopkins custom taillight wiring kit for towed vehicles, part number HM56009. This is what your wiring kit's gonna look like when you get it. This si gonna be a wiring kit for towed vehicles, when it's being towed, or pulled behind your RV or your motor home. The nice thing about this wiring kit is we don't have to do any splicing into the vehicle wiring. It's gonna plug directly into the existing wiring on the back of the vehicle.This has got your diodes in it, and what that's gonna do, it's gonna protect your vehicle from any back feed from the motor home if there's a short. So it's gonna protect your factory wiring on your towed vehicle as well as your motor home.This is your four-pole connection that you're gonna route to the front of the vehicle.
If you're using four-pole off the back of your RV, you just find a place to mount this, and this would sit inside of here, and that would hold it in place. You'll have two self-tapping screws to hold it.Now, for your installation here, our RV has a seven-pole plug on the back. So if your RV has a seven-pole plug, you'll want to pick up an umbilical cord. With that umbilical cord, you'll also get a six-pole plug. Pick one of those up here at etrailer.com using part number 47054.
It's gonna come with your six-pole plug, like I mentioned, and what we're gonna do is you're actually going to cut off the four-pole plug here on the end, and we're gonna tie that right into the six-pole plug. Six-pole plug, tying those wires in is very easy. It's gonna come with directions that are numbered, and tell you which one goes where. Green wire is always gonna be your right turn signal, yellow is gonna be your driver's side or left-turn signal, brown is gonna be running lights, and white is gonna be your grounds.Locate our wiring that we're gonna be plugging this into. Come to the back of the vehicle.
Our spare tire will come right to the right side on the inside of our frame rail. Now, we're on the driver's side, and you'll see three different plugs up here. They all look the same, except this one here. It's the same color as this. Now, you can't get these confused, because this plug will not fit in the black ones.
It will only fit in this grayish-colored one.So all we're gonna do is we're gonna unplug it. You're gonna push in on that tab. Go ahead and add dielectric grease to our plug. And then we're simply just gonna plug our connection in, and match our plugs. Push them in til they click.Now I'm gonna take my wiring. I'm gonna have to mount this somewhere safe, but I'm gonna take this, I'm gonna pull it over top of my frame rail, see if I can't get this up tight on some existing wiring up there. So we're just gonna follow our plug right over the top here. Get this pulled up. Just kind of bundling up my wire here, to keep it all together.Now you take this, and you see all this existing wiring up here I want to make sure I get above my spare tire, so my tire doesn't interfere, if I need to take it down. I think I'm gonna run a zip tie right through here, right up against that wiring right there.Now I'm gonna route my plug up to the front of my vehicle. Let me get that done really quick, and I'll show you how I did it. So how I ran it to the front waws, I just followed the existing wiring to the front of the vehicle. Right here, from the side of the spare tire, if you look up right along the frame rail, you can see existing wiring here. I just zip tied right to it. Run right along, again, staying on the inside of the frame rail. You'll get a glimpse of it every once in a while.When I got to here, I followed the wiring to the outside of the frame rail, zip tied it on this hard line right here, and I could've probably fed it behind here, but this wiring comes along the outside, so I just zip tied right to this bracket. Went over top of this piece here. We want to make sure we're staying away from anything moving, like the suspension components down here. I zip tied it to the existing wiring up here. Zip tied on top, zip tied here, went over top of this part of my frame, went back over top of the frame here, down to here.Now, if you're going to utilize the four-pole plug, you just need to find a place to mount this, and you can mount it anywhere that you feel comfortable mounting it. Just make sure that if it's on plastic, the plastic is durable enough that it's gonna hold it when you're pulling and pushing on the plug itself.Again, as I mentioned at the beginning, we are gonna be using a six-pole plug that comes with the umbilical cord. I already have it mounted. I'm gonna cut this off, and I'm gonna feed it up through the back, and then I'll pull this off, and then mount my wires to that plug.This customer actually wanted, when this is not in use, for his license plate to cover all those connections. Most of the time, when we do these, you'll have your air fitting or your connections outside. So that's gonna be a matter of personal preference, how you want to do it. He just asked for it to be like that, because this is a removable license plate holder, and this is the way it turned out.And if you look on the back, it's gonna tell you, GD for ground, LT for left turn. TM's gonna be running lights, RT, right turn. And then anything else you add, charge line kit, batter charge line, would go for the center post there. If you go with the six-pole plug, just make sure you put the boot on first, before you put your wires onto your plug, or else you're gonna have to take them back off.Now, using an alternate power source, we're gonna test out our wiring. This is gonna simulate being hooked up to our RV. Taillights, left turn, brake lights, right turn. That'll do it for a look at an installation on the Hopkins custom taillight wiring kit for towed vehicles, part number HM56009, on our 2018 Ford F150.
Customer Reviews
Hopkins Custom Tail Light Wiring Kit for Towed Vehicles - HM56009
Average Customer Rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars (16 Customer Reviews)
Wire your vehicle and get the signal lights required for flat towing without having to splice into your wiring with this custom, plug-in harness. Integrated diodes prevent feedback from RV for safe operation. Wires as combined lighting system.
- HM56009
by: Gary07/26/2018
2015 Ford F-150
No problems everything plugged right in just like it should. 546205
- HM56009
by: Carl04/06/2018
2015 Ford F-150
Worked as planned, easy to install. great product 493254
- HM56009
by: Paul06/21/2018
Great product. 524776
- HM56009
Kenneth - 02/09/2019
49329
by: Kenneth02/08/2018
Light kit was delivered very fast. Went together and worked as advertised. Always had good service from etrailer. 473749
Comments
Excellent, easy to install.
Kenneth - 02/09/201949329
- HM56009
by: Fred08/14/2018
2018 Ford F-150
Very happy with etrailer for the purchase of a Blue Ox tow bar with needed hook ups for lights, etc and an Air Force One Brake system for my 2018 F150. Crystal did a great job of comparing options and matching pricing from across the web. She offered free installation. The Installer, Shane was awesome, I wanted all hookups hidden by the front plate on the F150 when not towing, Shane came through and then some. Finally, the manager Robert was excellent on follow-up as we had some air leak once we got home. etrailer stood behind everything and follow was exceptional. Very pleased! 553938
- HM56009
by: Phil08/08/2018
2018 Ford F-150
Ford has at least three different electrical wiring plugs all about the same size, the picture really doesn’t show what is actually there! Try them all, once you find the right plug, all works fine! 551421
- HM56009
by: Scott07/31/2018
2018 Ford F-150
Excellent product. Super easy install on 2018 F150. 548038
- HM56009
by: Piet12/17/2017
Hopkins has great products for more then half off from what the the plate makers are selling. This is my second purchase and these kits work great, supper easy install and work as they are supposed to. Don't buythe cheaper bulb kits when for the same price you can have a plug and play kit from Hopkins and etrailer. 460975
- HM56009
by: Brett06/17/2019
This kit was very easy to install and works as expected. I tow a dinghy about 1x per month and this kit has really made the set up a quick and easy job 659190
- HM56009
by: Raymond04/12/2019
2018 Ford F-150 Raptor
Great product! Easy, quick install. Works great! All plug and play, no splicing. 624244
- HM56009
by: David R01/10/2019
Ford Transit Connect
My daughter moved the package indoors while I was on vacation. I did not open the package until 9 months later when I first needed it. Part of the components were missing. The box was damaged in transit. etrailer went above and beyond to insure that I received the parts needed to use the unit. Great customer service. I am a very satisfied customer. etrailer is a pleasure to have as a supplier. They worked with me when they were not bound to do so, which is a great quality to have these days. More companies should treat their customers like this. 596475
- HM56009
by: Chris Blair12/10/2018
You product was easy to install and took less than 1 hour. The best part is no splicing into the factory wiring. I have passed on your product information to my serving RV technician. 589650
- HM56009
by: Leon12/01/2018
2018 Ford F-150
hopkins hm56009: excellent product easy to install especially if you watch the install video. E-trailer easy to deal with and responsive to my needs. 586618
- HM56009
by: Randall09/19/2018
2018 Ford F-150
This is awesome,no splicing of wires plugs into existing wire harness on 2018 F 150 566801
- HM56009
by: Jim09/18/2018
2017 Ford F-150
Great product great people and great service I will keep using etrailer for my RV needs. 566220
- HM56009
by: Kim08/23/2018
2018 Ford F-150
Ordered the Hopkins tail light wiring kit for my 2018 F150, it fit OEM wiring perfectly. The order came when scheduled and am very pleased, now just need time to hook up to my RV. 557105
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Ask the Experts about this Hopkins Tow Bar Wiring
Do you have a question about this Tow Bar Wiring?
- Parts Needed to Flat Tow a 2017 Ford F-150 Behind an RV
- You can use your Even Brake # RM-9400 with your 2017 Ford F-150. The brake light relay # RM-88400 will be needed if you are using anything other than magnetic tow lights such as # C-ATL20A.
For base plates for the F-150 you can use # RM-524431-4. I do not know if you already have a tow bar but if not I recommend a non-binding tow bar such as the Falcon All Terrain # RM-522 rated for 6,000 pounds or the BlackHawk # RM-422 rated for 10,000 pounds. Non-binding tow bars like these mean that...
view full answer... - Parts Needed to Flat Tow a 2015-2018 Ford F-150 Behind a Motorhome
- In order to flat-tow a thirteenth generation (2015-2018) Ford F-150 with all four wheels on the ground behind a motorhome you are going to need a tow bar, base plate kit, safety cables, tail light wiring harness, supplemental braking system, and possibly a high-low adapter. There may also be a few other smaller components that are needed depending on options the vehicle is equipped with.
For a tow bar, I recommend the Roadmaster Nighthawk All Terrain Tow Bar part # RM-676. The Nighthawk...
view full answer... - Flat Towing Lighting Harness Recommendation for 2015 Ford F-150
- The wiring is different on vehicles that have trailer wiring and ones that do not come with it at all. We see this on other vehicles that will have connections made under the hood and pre-wiring ran to back of some vehicles and on others all of that isn't there at all. In your situation there is a different style of connector than what the part # HM56009 is compatible with. Your truck has a standard round connector since you have the tow package with a factory 7-way.
For lighting you...
view full answer... - Wiring Needed to Flat Tow 2016 Ford F-150
- For wiring to flat tow your 2016 Ford F-150 I recommend the Roadmaster Diode 7-Wire to 6-Wire Flexo-Coil Wiring Kit # RM-15267 and you are also going to need Roadmaster Brake-Lite Relay Kit for Towed Vehicles # RM-88400. If you take a look at the two videos I have linked, they will show you both of these parts being installed on a 2016 F-150 so you can see the exact process you'll need to follow.
view full answer... - Recommended Wiring Harness and Tail Gate Strip for 2018 Ford F-150 Lariat with Max Tow Package
- The Hopkins Custom Tail Light Wiring Kit for Towed Vehicles # HM56009 is a fit for your 2018 Ford F-150 but is used for the purpose of sending power from a motorhome to your tail lights when it is towed. That is not the correct fit for what you are seeking to accomplish.
To give you the ability to utilize the LED strip at your tailgate I recommend the Reese # 74682 if you have the factory 7 way for a clean connection, but it sounds like the computer may still disable your sensors....
view full answer... - Does Hopkins Tow Bar Harness part # HM56009 Fit 2018 Ford F-150
- The Hopkins Flat Tow wiring harness part # HM56009 that you referenced does fit both a 2015 and a 2018 Ford F-150 and would be a great solution for your 2018 model.
view full answer... - Plug and Play Tow Bar Wiring Recommendation for 2018 Ford F-150
- For a plug and play style of tow bar lighting kit that is a confirmed fit for your 2018 Ford F-150 we have the Hopkins kit part # HM56009 that is a confirmed fit.
This plugs in line with the taillight wiring of your truck and makes for a very easy install.
view full answer... - Wiring Harness to Flat Tow a 2015 Ford F-150 EcoBoost Behind a Motor Home
- Hopkins shows tail light wiring kit for towed vehicles # HM56009 as the correct option for your 2015 Ford F-150 EcoBoost. There isn't any other plug and play type of harness available for your F-150. I have included a link to a video review of this harness for you.
There is a 4-Way flat on the end and since most RVs have a 7-Way connector you could use kit # HM47047 and replace the 4-Way flat with the included 4-Way round.
view full answer... - Will the Hopkins Custom Tail Light Wiring Kit # HM56009 Fit a 2018 Ford F150
- Yes, the Hopkins Custom Tail Light Wiring Kit # HM56009 is confirmed to fit all models of the 2018 Ford F-150. It will work perfect for flat towing your F-150.
Keep in mind that a complete flat towing setup includes a base plate kit, tow bar, safety cables, tow bar wiring (which is what you inquired about), a supplemental braking system, and possibly a high-low adapter.
If you are missing any of these pieces just let me know and I can make some recommendations for you.
view full answer... - Recommended Tow Bar Wiring for 2017 Ford F-150
- For your 2017 Ford F-150, I recommend going with the Roadmaster Diode 7-Wire to 6-Wire Flexo-Coil Wiring Kit # RM-15267. This kit is confirmed to fit your truck and will wire it to accept your RV's tail, brake, and turn signal lights. The harness includes a round 6-Way connector that you will install in front of your F-150 and enough coiled wire to go from there to the RV.
I have attached an installation video on the 2016 Ford F-150 that you can use for reference.
Since you are using...
view full answer... - Parts Needed to Flat Tow a 2015 Ford F-150 Platinum FX Behind an RV Using Blue Ox Base Plates
- The Blue Ox base plates that fit your 2015 Ford F-150 Platinum FX are actually # BX2671. Blue Ox lists them for all versions of the 2015 F-150. I have linked a video showing an example installation for you.
For a compatible tow bar I recommend the Blue Ox Alpha # BX7365. It is rated for 6,500 pounds and comes with safety cables. For lighting you can use a diode kit, # RM-15247. I have linked a video showing an example installation for you.
You may also need a high/low adapter to keep...
view full answer... - Recommended Tow Bar Wiring for 2016 Ford F-150
- You are correct that aluminum doesn't work well with magnets. The Heavy Duty Magnetic Tow Lights - 20' Wiring Harness with 4-Way Flat Trailer Connector # TL21RK can only be attached to the cab of your truck if you choose to use them or to a steel bumper.
I recommend using the Hopkins Custom Tail Light Wiring Kit for Towed Vehicles # HM56009 instead. This harness connects behind your tail lights to your factory harness and then you simply run the connector on the harness to the front...
view full answer... - Comparting Roadmaster and Demco Parts to Flat Tow 2016 Ford F-150
- There is little difference between the Roadmaster EZ5 Base Plate Kit # RM-524431-5 and Demco Tabless Base Plate Kit # DM9519318, each of which fit your 2016 Ford F-150, as both base plate kits will give your truck a clean look and come with complete instructions. The photo I added is of the Roadmaster # RM-524431-5 base plates on a '16 F-150 and there is an installation video for the EZ5 base plates on a 2016 F-150 which I linked for you, though there is not one for the Demco.
The reason...
view full answer... - Replacing a 4-Way with a 6-Way when Flat Towing a 2015 Ford F-150 Behind an RV
- For help with wiring up the 6-Way I have included a picture that shows how both a vehicle side and trailer side 6-Way are normally wired.
On a 6-Way the 12 volt power wire could be attached to the center pin or the pin in the 10 o'clock or 2 o'clock position (depending on which side you are looking at). I assume the 6-Way you are installing is going on the front of the F-150. All you need to do is figure out which pin on the tow vehicle and/or wiring harness from the tow vehicle to...
view full answer... - 5-pole Adapter to Convert 2018 Ford F-150 4-Pole Wiring for Lance 650 Truck Camper
- If I have it right you want to add a reverse light circuit to your 4-pole wiring for your Lance truck camper.
If you have a 4-pole now and you just want to add another circuit and a 5-pole connector for the camper's reverse lights you can use a 4-pole to 5-pole adapter kit # 20036. This gives you a 5-pole connector and the extra wire to splice into the reverse light wiring on the truck. We don't have 5-pole kits that are plug-in.
If I have it wrong please let me know and I'll get...
view full answer... - Troubleshooting Running Light Circuit of Hopkins 56009 Tow Bar Wiring Not Working 2017 Ford Raptor
- Use a circuit tester like part # PTW2993 to test the green and yellow wire from the gray connectors for voltage when connected to a tow vehicle and the running lights on. If that circuit is active next check the green and yellow wire on the other side of the converter. If there's no voltage there then the issue is a bad converter box. If there wasn't voltage on the input side the issue is most like on the vehicle or the connectors. Try unplugging and replugging the gray connectors in as...
view full answer... - Installation Video for SMI Air Force One Braking System with 2018 Ford F-150
- We do indeed have an installation video on the SMI Air Force One Supplemental Braking System # SM99243 with your 2018 Ford F-150. I have attached the complete video that you can use for reference.
If you are using tow bar wiring that taps into the tail light wiring of your truck, such as with the Hopkins Custom Wiring Kit # HM56009, you will also need to add the Roadmaster Brake-Lite Relay # RM-88400. This is needed to prevent the truck's brake signal from overriding the turn signal...
view full answer... - Is T-Section of Hopkins Harness A Separate Part
- Just the t-section of the Hopkins Custom Tail Light Wiring Kit for Towed Vehicles # HM56009 is not available as a separate part; you would need the whole kit in order to get this section of the harness.
view full answer... - Can I Tow 2017 Ford F-150 with 4 Wheels on The Ground And Parts To Tow It
- I researched the owner's manual for the The 2017 Ford F-150 XLT 4x4 and it can be towed with all 4 wheels on the ground as long as the truck is switched to neutral tow mode. The 2017 Ford F-150 still records miles as it is being flat towed. The only way to avoid recording miles is to tow the vehicle on a trailer with all 4 wheels off the ground.
I recommend the Roadmaster Baseplate kit part # RM-524431-5 for the Ford. I like this design because when you are not towing the Ford you can...
view full answer... - Troubleshooting Hopkins Wiring Harness to Flat Tow a 2018 Ford F-150
- We've actually heard of this issue before. You can thank one of our tech support guys for finding a simple solution for this. Even Hopkins wasn't aware of it.
First of all the harness is just fine and you didn't install anything incorrectly on your 2018 Ford F-150. Technically, you can just keep towing your truck as is and you won't have an issue other than the lights look weird.
Like you said, your F-150 has two bulbs in each tail light for the turn and brake lights; one on top...
view full answer...
Do you have a question about this Tow Bar Wiring?
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Info for this part was:
Edited by:
Lindsey S
Expert Research:
Michael H
Expert Research:
Jameson C
Video Edited:
Jacob T
Expert Research:
Adam R
Video by:
Dustin K
Installed by:
Cole B
Video Edited:
Chris R
Photos by:
Zach O
Updated by:
Sarah W
Written by:
Alexander C
Photos by:
Stacy F
Test Fit:
Shane H
Video by:
Jonathan Y
Updated by:
Hannah L
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