Does Power Wire of Curt Trailer Wiring Harness C56272 Have to Run to Vehicle Battery

Updated 05/27/2026 | Published 05/25/2026

Question:

Is there any reason I cant tie into the rear 12 volt receptacle to power the converter box. Ford puts the receptacle on a 20 amp fuse.

asked by: John F

Expert Reply:

Hey John, I know that's tempting but the reason you don't want to use that circuit as the power source for the Curt trailer wiring harness part # C56272 is because this would defeat the circuit protection that running straight to the battery provides. So yes the harness would still technically work if you ran it to the 12 volt receptacle but in the event of a short this circuit could potentially get damaged as well.

expert reply by: Jameson C

John F.

5/26/2026

This is why I deal with etrailer for all my trailer related needs. As someone that has worked with electricity all my life, I had to ask the question. Your answer was spot on. BTW, I just installed the receiver that I bought from etrailer last fall. Whoever came up with the fish wires to pull the bolts thru the frame rails deserves a HUGH bonus. Thanks again.

Jameson C.

5/26/2026

@JohnF glad to help! Yeah fishwiring bolts is pretty clever!

Richard

5/27/2026

@JohnF. I did run the power wire under the vehicle to the battery and used the fused connector. No problelms with that. Djid have some trouble fishing the light connector up the rear fender panel to the tail lights. Takes some patience and persistence. My first problem was I installed the wrong package on my 2018 Ford Edge. Then I learned that there is one package for t he two basic models and another for the other two models of the Edge. So I got to do the installation twice.