Replacing Damaged 4-Way Connector on Trailer with 8 Wires

Updated 01/02/2019 | Published 12/31/2018

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16 Gauge, 4 Conductor Bonded Parallel Wire - Per Foot

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Quick Fix (TM) 4 Pole Flat Trailer End

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$8.41

Question:

See picture. I ran over current trailer plug and need to replace. It has 8 wires but only 4 prong flat plug. What do I do?

asked by: Nicholas

Expert Reply:

Standard trailer wiring usually features a wire for right turn/stop, a wire for left turn/stop, a wire for the running lights, and a wire for ground. Your trailer likely has separate wires for each function along with a couple of ground wires.

In order to replace your broken 4-Way with a new one like the Hopkins # HMC20031 you will want to first test the wires on the trailer by applying 12V power to them (or trace them to where they lead to) to determine their function. Then it is just a matter of combining them and connecting them to the correct circuits on the new 4-Way.

This Hopkins 4-Way connector is labeled at the terminals with "GD" for ground, "TM" for tail/marker (running) lights, "LT" for left turn/stop, and "RT" for right turn/stop.

expert reply by: Chris R