Parts Needed To Wire a Tandem Axle Trailer With a 7-Way and Full Length Ground Wires

Question

Question:

Hello! Im Resoring an old tilt trailer and will be rewiring in the next few days. I want to have every ground from lights and brakes to run back to my common ground wire that comes from my junction box as well as grounding that common ground to the main frame, and the tilt frame to the main frame on the trailer. Am i missing something or is this acceptable? I will be soldering and shrink wrapping all connections besides grounds to frame and Im trying to have as little points of failure in the form of ground screws and connectors as possible. Thanks in advance!

asked by: Bret B

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Expert Reply:

What you are looking to do is acceptable. Here are the parts I would use working on this type of project.

The 25 Ft 4-Way Trailer Wiring Harness # A25W2GWB has full length ground wires which will run down the side of each frame and carry the wiring for the tail lights and running lights. You will be able to cut off the 4-way and attach the wiring to a Junction Box # 3430001-JBK. The junction box includes ring terminals for connecting all the wires for the lights, brakes, and a 7-Way Cable # H20044. You will also need a Breakaway Kit # 3802346 to tie into the junction box. The Wire # 12-2-1 contains two 12 gauge wires allowing you to connect both the positive and ground wires for the brakes and run them both to the junction box. You will be able to splice these at each brake assembly and do not need to run 4 separate wires for each brake.

To make the job easier moving around the trailer we have the Cordless Soldering Iron # PTW2000 which runs on AA batteries. And we have 6" strips of Heat Shrink # DW05451 and # DW05449 to seal out the elements.

If you need help selecting any of the trailer lights or other parts you may need, please feel free to let me know what all you need.

expert reply by: Bud M

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Tandem Axle Tilt Trailer
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Answer 1

You can definitely ground your trailer brake assemblies to your trailer frame. This will be just as effective and also will be a much easier install.

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Answer 2

Hey Chris, thanks for getting in touch. The plug in your picture is known as a 7-way round pin connector. If you are wanting to keep the wiring on the trailer as-is, and you just want to swap out the plug for a standard 7-blade, it will definitely be…

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Answer 3

Are you looking for a wiring harness for the vehicle or the trailer? You normally wouldn't put a 4-way and a 7-way on the trailer as you'd pick one or the other based on if the trailer has brakes. Since yours is going to have brakes you'd…

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Answer 4

Hey Zach, congrats on the new trailer! You can either look at the info sticker near the tongue of the trailer to find the weight ratings of each axle or, if you can't find that, there is a sticker in the middle of each axle showing what the…

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Answer 5

If you are referring to two white wires from the brake magnet that are coming from the rear of each electric brake assembly, then it would not matter which wire is connected to ground and which wire is used for the brake feed. The magnet that…

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Answer 6

For the brake wire on your 7,000lb car hauler you will want to use a 12 Gauge Wire #12-1-1 for the power wire. The ground wire can either be grounded to the frame or you can use the Jacketed 2 Wire #12-2-1 if you are not using the frame as a ground.…

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Answer 7

It's up to you if you prefer having brakes on both axles or just one. Both setups are pretty common but obviously having brakes on both would give you the best stopping ability. For your tandem axle utility trailer, the 3,500 lb axles make it…

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Answer 8

It sounds like you are speaking of the wires for the brake magnets. If this is correct, you will need to connect one of the wires to the brake controller output wire on your trailer connector and the other wire will need to be grounded to a clean…

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Answer 9

Because a 3500-lbs axle will only use 10" brake assemblies you would only be able to use corresponding 3500-lbs brakes on your trailer and not a 7000-lbs brake, which is typically 12". I recommend using the Electric Trailer Brake Kit -…

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Answer 10

If your trailer has 7 wires running all the way back to the brakes, then yes, you can tap into the existing wiring. Each of your new brakes will have two wires for the brake magnet. One wire is for 12 volt power to the brake magnets and the other…

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Answer 11

Yes, 14 gauge wire seems too small. I would go with 10 or 12 gauge. For 10 gauge you can use #10-1-1 and for 12 gauge use #12-1-1. These wires are sold in increments of 1 foot. So if you needed 20 feet of wire you would enter 20 in the quantity box.…

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Answer 12

Hi Steve; I would use 10 gauge wire #10-1-1 for the brakes instead of 12 gauge. The same butt connectors #DW05745-10 will still work. If you're connecting 3 wires together I would either use a wire nut with plenty of electrical tape or solder…

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Parts Needed To Wire a Tandem Axle Trailer With a 7-Way and Full Length Ground Wires

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