I have an enclosed trailer with great 12 volt DC interior LED lighting. It sits next to the garage and I do a lot of work in it. What’s the best way to Connect 120 volt AC power to run the 12 volt lighting? Currently I just hook up the truck when I need to use it but this is getting old. Is there a way to run a converter to the 7 way plug on my trailer? 98095
In order to accomplish this you're going to need a converter like part # 34266167 and a battery. The battery will send the power to the lights while the converter actually changes the power from AC to DC so it works with your lights. Then you can simply run an extension cord to make sure the battery is charged. If you only need the lights for a minute you won't have to hook anything up. 73169
@JonG Thank you for the response. I will give this a try. 73270
I have a 2002 Chevy Silverado 3500 at my company. Its got a trailer attached to it, but doesn't work. I've been trying to fix it and I notice that its wired wrong(7 wire harness). Also, there's an auxiliary battery near the trailer neck which is connected to the junction box ( meaning two wires from the truck harness itself aren't connected to the junction box). All the wires from the trailer are connected to the junction box. Is this auxiliary battery necessary? 97491
If it's a smaller battery and the trailer has electric brakes then that would be your breakaway battery box. It is necessary because it applies the brakes on your trailer in the event that the trailer becomes uncoupled. 72836
Hi there, For people that already have a 4-way connector (e.g. by using Curt 55370) how would they go converting that to use 7-way connector and in particular something like Hopkins HM11141144? BTW HM11141144 is the best connector I saw with OEM like quality. I got that the +12V and ground for HM11141144 will come from the battery. Also the backup trailer lights will come from the car backup lights. I see how all the other trailer lights will come from 55370. What is not clear is what should be done with the trailer ground wire on the 4-way connector out of 55370. It cannot be used for trailer ground because it cannot carry enough Amps (55370 it's protected by a relatively small fuse). For trailer ground I already got the 10 awg wire from battery. Should I just ground that wire? Thanks 85896
Since you already have a 4-Way installed, and have your eyes on a 7-Way connector, all that you need is the Wiring Kit # 5506 . This includes the wiring needed to activate the new circuits on the 7-Way (brake output and 12V). The existing ground for the 4-Way will remain where it is. 67899
I have a 2013 Chevy Pickup 4-wheel drive. I hooked my trailer brake controller. It was working fine. Then I tapped into the power wire going to the controller, to power an emergency light. Just recently I reworked the wire connection and shorted out the power wire. Now I do not have power to the controller and no power at the two terminals at the front of the fuse box under the hood. The fuses look good at the front of the fuse box. Would anyone have an idea what the issue is. 84764
I have to imagine you popped the 12V brake controller fuse. I know you mentioned checking this, but it's all I can think of that would cause this. Check your Silverado's owner's manual to ensure you're looking at the right fuse location for that circuit. I also don't recommend tapping into that wire for anything else. 67898
@ChrisR Chris. I apologize for my error. I have check the fuse a couple of times. But not with a meter. I finally checked the circuit with multi- meter and replaced the fuses and the system works. I could not see where the fuse was bad. Thanks for your time and comments. Kevin 68040
@Kevin Awesome! I'm glad you were able to get it fixed. 68330
I saw both 20A and 30A specified for the +12V Red wire with the mention that 20A will only be good for 2 and 4 brake magnets. My car towing weight capacity is max 3000lb and 200lb tongue weight - small, so the campers I'm looking at are small. So 2-4 magnets will be enough braking for me. Is there a way to find out how many magnets a trailer has? Is there a rule of thumb like one wheel one magnet? 77873
Each brake assembly uses a magnet - so the amount of magnets is equal to the amount of wheels on the trailer (assuming all the axles are equipped with brakes). 63395
I would like a clarification on the wiring. I have a car that has a hitch harness in the trunk (power directly from battery, turn RH, turn LH, brake light, tail lights, ground directly to car body). I do not want to install any brake controller in the car. I plan to use a wireless one like Curt C51180. So in this case do I need to hook anything up on the Blue wire (electrical brake controller power output)? 77871
The blue (brake output) wire isn't needed at all for the Curt Echo # C51180 . It sounds like you've already got the 12V circuit active, so you don't need to change anything with your existing setup. Just plug the Echo in, pair it to your smart phone, and you're ready to go. 63393
Very nice article. I would suggest adding a note that for the section at the end Soldering: This is the best way to connect wires. Simpy solder your wires together for the strongest, most reliable connection using a soldering gun. Use heat shrink tubing to protect the soldered connection. that its always important to have the right length enough to give a good overlap of the insulation after soldering and size just a little larger than the insulation, for a tight fit of heat shrink tubing already on the wire prior to soldering them together!!! Its easy to solder first and then go Hmmm... now how do I get this tube over my wire? 64759
I would like to know how to best replace 2012 jayco 266RKS PULL behind 2 axel brake wires at wheel hub that tire blowouts made into spaghetti. 64752
You can use 12 or 16 gauge wire to make this repair. We sell each of them by the foot I will provide a link for both. 54986
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