All About 7-Pin RV Trailer Wiring
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- čas přidán 25. 02. 2021
- In this video, I cover pitfalls to avoid when wiring your trailer lights, including:
- differences in RVIA/NFPA1192 and SAE J2803 color codes
- color code and wire function cross reference
- industry trends
- intentional color code mis-wiring by RV manufacturers
- SAE vs AWG wire sizes
- wiring best practices
Project/Review Webpage:
www.rv-project.com/repairs/7pi...
Copyright www.RV-Project.Com - Jak na to + styl
I've watch a lot of videos trying to prepare to replace my dump trailer plug. This is the ONLY one that explains in an understandable fashion this confusing mess. I was starting to think it was me. Thanks you so much and Merry Christmas.
I've saved scores of trailer wiring vids for my new trailer that doesn't have working brakes. This vid had eluded me (somehow), until it popped up on my feed this morning! Thank you, sir, for the very helpful information, which has saved me money that I haven't had a chance to spend, yet!!
The most informative video out there for wiring. The fact that you get into the confusion aspect, actually clarifies things for us hyper analytical people out there. 👍👍 That's two thumbs up, great job.
I'm pretty sure I already know what I did wrong just by your video. I'm willing to bet my trailer that I have a pinch of stray voltage jumping from the right turn signal to the trailer brakes. Very scary stuff when signaling to get off the highway. Definably wasn't expecting the DEA style trailer tossing when I opened the door. But the good news is my refrigerator started working again. Like New!!! On gas, and electric. I should have given it a swift kick three weeks ago.😅😂🤣
Thank you for your comment.
I'm about to install a lithium battery on the little travel trailer, so I have been watching a bunch of 7 pin wiring videos. I need to install a 12v/12v 10 amp limiter so my alternator doesn't overheat trying to charge the lithium battery. I just want to say your video is the most in depth and simple to understand out of all of them! Thanks!
You’re my new best friend for today. Thank you for posting, i thought i was the one going insane in an insane world.
Absolutely the most informative and understandable video on this topic. Extremely helpful.
This video is very helpful ! I wish I'd watched this before I spent an entire afternoon trying to figure out why the running lights were being powered on the green wire. Thank you!
Hi RVProject, AT LAST !!! Someone who can finally explain 7 pin trailer wiring intelligently. THANK YOU !!! A lone voice in the darkness you are. This is the first video that actually is informative, clears up the insane confusion and lack of standardization. THANK YOU !!! I'm re-wiring a late 70's boat trailer to my 7 pin "vintage" car trying to make it all road safe (the trailer is structurally in top shape, just the lighting needs updating -- in Europe in addition to electronic brakes they require, a rear fog light, reverse lights and license plate light. Next thing you know, they'll be requiring our trailer lighting systems to communicate with outer space too!!! Anyway, thanks again and God bless !!!
Thank you for your comments. Glad the video helped you out.
Thank you for this so much. Bought a 2000 Ford F450 w/ 7 pin RVIA wiring. Crushed the plastic housing, so I bought a Hopkins 7+4 (quick connect for 08+ trucks, but works for my 2000 with a wire cutter… LOL). All the colors matched, except the 450 has a red wire, and the connector has a purple. I was *that* close to splicing every color together, with purple going to red, until I checked out the first chart & noticed the Hopkins 7+4 matched the SAE color chart. Thank you for saving me about a day + in troubleshooting!
Glad it helped.
incredible job!!! Thank you so much for sharing what is a lot of hours of learning with us Luddites!
Clearest explanation yet. Wish me luck tomorrow.....
This guy is awesome! Zero fluff, all information.
Thanks for the feedback.
I'm more confused after watching the video than when I started, but I believe that was your point. Thanks for laying it out for us in a relatively easily digestible manner!
Thanks for your video! Yes, I needed to see what the function was when I was diagnosing my wiring problem on my trailer. I have a Ram and needed to see a diagram of function pin placement. Found that and was done in 2 mins. Before that, frustrated. I was going by what colors the plug said.
STOP HERE: look no further, this guy is the BEST, hands down.
thanks sir..
Thank you for your comment.
This is an outstanding video on so many levels. Besides the detailed information including specification numbers, advice on marking connectors, etc., we are always looking at technical information and not watching a talking head. The only suggestion I would make is at 3:21 when showing the two standards (ha!) of pin-outs, you have a more visual transition between the two standards - I thought I had lost my mind when the numbers changed, I must have blinked.
Thanks for the recommendation.
good to be seeing videos like yours I have a 1976 Kit Road ranger. were the wiring is a complete mess. Fond its a RV standard wiring. Some crazy loon wired a 4 wire plug to it. now the joys of seeing what they by passed ect. and to trace every wire and see what is good or needs replaced and reran since most wires are behind walls ect Some cut and very old ect. man my life is going to be fun.
This is an excellent video on the topic, thank you for your effort and time. I am glad Im not crazy.
This video is an absolute life saver........THANK YOU!
Thank you for unraveling these mysteries!
Thanks for clarifying about to start the project, gotta figure out how to check if brakes work on the 65 trailblazer. I'll be watching this video another 8 9 times
This informed me that I didn’t know to ask. Great video
Bless AWESOME 👏 Learned a lot. Your effort is appreciated. Thanks 🙏
Glad it was helpful!
Man your video was use full. The new tail lights I have have well 7 wires crazy.
Excellent as always, thanks for sharing your always detailed knowledge ! Yes I’m confused and will need to refer to your website many times.
Happy to help!
You sound like the PLC Professor....
Very helpful. Thank you for making this video.
Very informative as always ! Thanks for the video
Thank you for your support of the channel.
Fantastic information and instructions. Thank you.😇
Glad it was helpful!
That's some amazing information thank you.
Thank you for your support of the channel.
I've pulled my hair out over this more than once and just decided I was dumb. Happy to learn that it wasn't me!
Confusion seems typical of the RV industry. Do you suppose they do it on purpose to intimidate owners into over-paying for RV work?
Very good. Thx
Lol 😆 Gotta love it ! I was teaching a guy today at work on trailer wiring and he ask hey they give the functions but they don’t give u the color code, I start laughing haha i said take the paper and though it in the trash lol .. that’s a Rv wiring setup it’s different for the trailers .. he was lost lol .
I told him think of the 7 pin as a clock 12v power across from it would be ?? Negative right like a battery .. LT and RT are across from each other .. same for Running lights and E-brakes .. then he asked what’s the middle one for I said that’s a two option it can be used for reverse lights on a trailer or it’s there for trailer brakes that are electric over Hydraulic.
Then I said it sounds like Chinese right lol 😂 he was so confused lol 😂. I made him a study cheat sheet color codes and pins .. i also reminded him when wiring a trailer plug it’s like looking in the mirror it’s the opposite right is left and left is right. Lol .. i told him just flip the trailer plug in front of you like your going to plug it into the truck and wire it like that . If u do that you will never mess up and make things backwards lol ..
I had so much fun teaching this lol
Thanks for sharing.
holy smokes well done!
Great presentation.
Thanks for watching
😀👍Good to know, Great Tips
Great video! On the AWG, SAE comparison table, I would remove altogether the AWG abbreviations from inside the tables. The AWG term on the SAE side is confusing. Just show them as numbers Under AWG or SAE.
Thank you sir.
Great Video! I am trying to find the max current for the pins in the connector itself per SAE J2803 (independent of the wiring). The connectors in the SAE J1239 standard (4 wire trailer) are designed not to exceed 7.5 amps but I cannot find a definitive answer, and thinking it is 30 or 40 amps max (though wondering if the center pin is rated differently due to the different surface area).
The use case is to run 30 amp circuit across 2 jumped connectors (4 connectors) and 2 for for low current sense lines. details below.
I have a little row boat that uses a 30 amp max electric motor and want to use this connector to swap the battery box between the motor and the solar charger that I have at the dock (small lake, would love to run AC, but would require a 1000 ft run. Stall current for my motor is 30 amps (unsure of run with back emf, but assume half), and the solar array can put about 17 amps max during charging. The 4 wires style connector is not rated enough for this and thinking the 7 blade is a good candidate.
Great information!
Thank you for your support of the channel.
So if I was going to pull a trailer behind my RV which colored wire should I use? Is the cable with the 10-gauge wires in it the cable I should use?
Thank you for doing these videos. I’m curious as to how many amps typically travels from the tow vehicle, to the RV trailer battery. I’d like to run my fridge on 12 volts while towing but it drains the RV battery over time, even though I have a 160 amp alternator.
Typically, the 12V lead of the trailer connector is 10AWG, which should handle a lot of current. But it also depends on how long the DC wiring is, whether or not your 12V fridge is connected directly to this 10AWG wire, or if you are using an inverter somewhere.
The only way to know for sure is to place a DC capable clamp ammeter on the 12V lead of the trailer connector.
@@RVProject
It's typically 30 amps that runs on the battery or constant power connection.
But I do agree with everything you mentioned above being factors.
On my RV's 7 pin there's no charge line and I'll need to add so my towed vehicle's battery can receive a charge while being towed. Could sure use some advice.
I think I just assumed there was no standard when I had to replace the trailer-side plug last year. I carefully recorded which colour wire went to each terminal first.
Fighting with 7 wires to make the actual connections was a bigger PITA...
Thank you for your input.
Yes there is is im am right cause i had that feeling and yeah girls guys its up to us to get it right cause this guy is right . ❤
Thank you
You're welcome
This is such a big help. Is there any chance you're willing to take the time to link the parts you have in this video?
For many of my videos, I do have an associated webpage which typically contains links to parts used. However, the links do not always show all of the parts as some are purchased at the local store.
Here is the webpage: www.rv-project.com/repairs/7pin.php
Good info
Thank you for your support of the channel.
Now, what about seven pole? Like the semi truck through the round one not the pin I’m having problems running these on trailers. I guess they have a separate function for the turn signals in the stoplight and they don’t have adapters from seven pin to seven pole, but I can find.
Theres Two Wiring Configurations!!?? Thanks, now I get it. I've been going nuts trying to wire my Utility Trailer with my new Truck.
And there is a third standard when you consider commercial trucks.
@@RVProject It Works! Your tutorial cleared the air and helped it all make sense. Thanks!
@@Robert-ex2qp Glad I could help and thanks for the feedback.
Just did the trailer side coupler change, ran into exactly what you cautioned, mismatched wiring standards. Just took extra time to confirm each wire function, then install a terminal end and wire the plug. Used a Hopkins coupler, Oops, got it all wired and then noticed the case split did not accommodate the wire loom, it had to be slipped through a separate hole in the housing prior to making connections, Sh**!
Someone hacked the 7 pin off my 1992 coleman tent trailer and put in a 4. In a attempt to regain some of the missing functions I wired a 7 back on. Seems my truck is standard 7 pin and the trailer is sae. So I end up with red connected to yellow for left turn for example. But then the color coding on my tent trailer doesn't fully match the sae wiring either. Fun stuff, bout to just push it off a cliff.
❤
What a headache!!! These wires go all the way up to the dashboard?
Now ADD a weather tight junction box and your GOLDEN!
Anyone have a hack for the 7 pin connector by itself which will allow the camera to come on the touchscreen when the blinker is one, without the trailer being connected?
There is battery available on the 7 pin connector, so any of the other pins (other than the brakes) can be connected to the battery. Depending on which circuit your camera is connected to, simply connect those two pins together.
For example, this plug would allow you to turn your running lights on from the 7 pin plug on the trailer. amzn.to/3LdCStJ
@@RVProject Thanks, i will give that a try.
You obviously know all the ins and outs of this wiring dilemma, but something so simple has left me more confused than when I got here. I need to install a 7 pin for an RV on a truck that has nothing. I'll investigate more to learn the process, but as far as simplicity and quality...Hopkins is the way to go? I'll spend the .money and I'll do the quality work...but i only want to do it once and with the smallest headache possible.
I do like Hopkins stuff.
Diagram about 6:40.
Isn't it backwards.
When looking at the socket isn't the right turn supposed to be on the right side?
You are looking at the back side of the connector, so everything left-right is reversed.
@@RVProject
Thank you . it just seemed confusing.
Now I will have to see if you have a video on brake controller, recomadations.
@@andrewsparks4112 No video on brake controllers. I use the factory brake controller that came with my GMC pickup.
@@RVProject
So no video yet!
@@andrewsparks4112 nope
2:35 the connection will NOT be able to go in ether way. Why 1 had a stopper in it and the other didn't
While its true the connection will only fit one way into the housing, marking/orienting the top slot helps you reassemble the connector without frustration, and keeps the pin numbering of the connections indexed properly.
For some connectors, such as those made by Curt, the stampings for each pin do not follow an ordinal numbering sequence pattern ( 1,2,3...), but rather skips numbers for adjacent pins.
Marking the index on the connector simply keeps things easy for some.
Indeeeed the unsanity of (2) Wiring layouts being used with the 7pin plug.
I learned this as many probably have. The hard way.
Still shaking my head that this is stillllll 🤷♂️happening. 🤦♂️
I hate to tell you this but most connectors and busbars in commercial and residental gear (panels, disconnects, power switch boards) is made of copper clad buss bars and connection components. Copper clad is not the worst of conductors.
I understand that this business of 2 standards is a PITA. However think about this: In 1976 or maybe a lil later Jimmy Carter was president for 4 years. He did a good thing, He got us started on the metric system. Someone else never finished the job. As a mechanic I have a near double investment in tools. I am also a machinist. I have to buy metric tooling and SAE tooling, my machines often need to be able to do metric and SAE threading. This increases my investment in machines and tooling and the time I must spend converting one standard to the other to make my old machine do the work of the new math...
Funny thing about standards... there are usually several to pick from.
Thanks for your video! I just learned my 2018 F-150 SuperCrew with a tow package will not charge the trailer batteries while driving. The RV dealer checked the 7-pin Aux 12V and it showed no power. I spoke with a Ford service tech and he stated in order to have power the truck needed to be parked and you had to keep your foot on the brake pedal. He then hooked up a device that simulated a towed trailer and when the brake was not pressed there were zero amps at the 7-pin., but when the brake was pressed it showed 6-7 amp at the 7-pin. Do you see any problem with me running a 16 gauge wire directly to the 7-pin Aux to have a constant charge to the trailer battery while towing?
That sounds pretty useless.
I mean, I look back to last summer when my RV battery went dead. I had to get home, and to enable retracting the slides and leveling system, I hooked my vehicle to the trailer and recharged the battery.
If I had to sit in the truck for an hour - with the transmission in park - with my foot on the brake, I would be pretty upset.
The lawyers must have run amok at Ford.
For liability issues, it's going to be hard for me to recommend any changes to your vehicle as they are very complicated these days.
Also, you would want some way to disable the connection so your trailer does not drain your vehicle battery when not in operation.
However, if it were me, I would run at least 12AWG.
@@RVProject Thanks, I appreciate your insight. I'd rather be safe than sorry.
my head hurts lol
Sorry.
@@RVProject lol its not you its I bought a new plug for a 2000 camplite popup I bought last year. I wanted to re do the wiring as it had dry cracks and rusted ground wire connections.. I bought a plug and never paid any attention to what or what.. And now I thought i did it right and half the things dont work now. I cant get the battery to turn on any lights only one signal works and the running lights.. So im trying to find out where I went wrong.. Now it looks like I will just re wire the whole damn thing lol ..your video is great it explained how far off I was.
I banged my head against my wall on this stuff but I think it doesn’t matter, when you look at the traditional versus the J2863 while the colours are different they match up on function. Example taillights are green in the traditional and brown on J2863 but both are at the 10/11 (clock face trailer side, 1/2 truck) position so if you had one on the trailer and the other on the truck they’d match up
Correct that the functions are the same pin-for-pin, but the wire color differences really mess most people up.
I recently did some rewiring of my trailer's lighting circuits near the rear tail lights, and the 7 pin connector was too far away for reference, so I sketched out a wiring diagram to keep everything straight.
Would have been a lot simpler is the color codes were consistant, but at least knowing the differences in the two standards allowed me to make the diagram, and that was the purpose of the video.
I am trying to chase a short in my running lights, any suggestions
@@canada59worldwide31 The biggest issue you will likely have is access to the wiring. And RV manufacturers are notorious for not securing wiring, but rather let it just flap around. This can cause the insulation to wear away and expose the wiring.
Also, older trailers often had metal in the light fixtures that the wires pass through, and the short could be there.
I would also suspect every connector as RV mfgs do not do a good job at splicing wires together.
I had no idea that something this simple could be so messed up. Please tell me the government was involved and that is the root of the problem
I dunno. Could be.
I think I am going to sell my RV and go back to boating... 😕
Boat trailer wiring is in a league of its own kind of horrible!!
Before I owned a RV, I owned many boats. To be sure, boat electrical wiring is far superior to RV wiring as they have to meet US Coast Guard standards on wiring practices.
Unfortunately, those standards do not include boat trailers.
I use commercial vihecle trailer quick connectors!