How to Determine if 2 Brown Wires on Trailer with 7-Way are Used for Running Lights

Published 01/31/2018

Products Featured in This Question

Pollak Black Plastic, 7-Pole, RV-Style Trailer Connector - Trailer End

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35 Ft 4-Way Trailer Wiring Harness - Wishbone Style - 42" Ground

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Hopkins 7-Way RV Style Connector with Molded Cable - Trailer End - 8' Long - RV Standard

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Wiring Kit for Hydrastar Electric Over Hydraulic Actuators

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Question:

My puppy chewed the plug off of my tandem axle landscape trailer. It’s a 7-way and I have the wiring diagrams from your site and from the cover on my truck. All seems logical except that, of the 7 wires, two are brown. None are purple. There’s enough remaining of the old plug that I can see nothing was attached to the center peg. No backup lights. So do I just connect both brown wires which I gather are running lights to the same post?

asked by: Bob C

Helpful Expert Reply:

It is very likely that the wiring on your trailer has 2 Brown wires which carries the running lights on either side of the trailer like the wishbone style harness # A35W42B from Optronics does.

You will want to verify this before connecting them to a replacement 7-Way though. You can do this by using a 12V battery, like what would be in your truck, and ground the negative terminal while using the positive terminal to test both Brown wires to see what light function they carry.

If you don't have a replacement 7-Way connector yet then we do have some available options for you. For just the connector you can use the Pollak # PK12706. However, if you need some wiring to reach your truck you can either use the Hopkins # H20046 or the # HS381-9000 that uses a junction box.

I have attached a link to the wiring article on our site that you referenced as well.