Wiring Replacement Trailer Connector to Trailer Wiring with Two Running Light Circuits

Updated 05/01/2021 | Published 04/30/2021

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Question:

My trailer has 5 wires ,White,Yellow,Green and 2 brown my truck has 4 wires not sure how to hook it up.

asked by: Joseph S

Expert Reply:

It sounds like your trailer has what's referred to as a wishbone harness. A wishbone harness splits the running lamp circuit into two 'legs' so you can run one leg down the driver's side, and one down the passenger side.

If you're wanting to install a replacement 4-pole trailer connector to your existing wiring, I'd recommend using the Hopkins Easy-Pull # HM38134 harness. The neat thing about this connector is it's really easy to use, so you won't try to unplug the trailer connector by grabbing it by the wires, which is why they fail all the time.

To install, you'd simply twist the two brown running lamp circuit wires on the trailer together, then connect them to the brown wire of the # HM38134. The other wires would also connect color for color. To join the wires together, you could use a butt connector, but soldering the connections and protecting them with heat shrink tubing like # DW05451 would make for a much more reliable connection that will last a lot longer. You can see a demonsration/install video for the # HM38134 harness by using the provided link.

expert reply by: Mike L