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7-way Trailer Harness To 4-way Conversion, And Can I Tap It For A Powe

drumset5994

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drumset5994 Enthusiast

drumset5994

Posted
Posted

I didnt know where to put this, so i put it in the 1500 section.

 

My truck came with the 7-way Blade (RV-Style) connector, that looks like this...

 

7-Way-Connector.gif

 

For the life of me, i will never use this setup, and i have always used the standard 4-wire connector on my trucks.

 

That and, last year, somebody backed into me and luckily, only cracked off the mount to this connector...but also cracked the whole unit, so hense why i just want to convert it to 4-wire and forget it.

 

My question is, i see on the 7-way blade that there's obviously more wires that do more, but how much is that 12v Battery Charge able to handle? I was thinking about tapping off that wire, and putting something in the bed, like a 12v Outlet. I have a winch for my boat thats 12v electric, and i know its slim, but would the winch be able to draw off that wire? Or should i run a whole seperate cable thats thick (like my dad has)?

c4cruiser Enthusiast

c4cruiser

Posted
Posted

I would replace the existing 7-pin connector and go buy one of the 7-pin to 4-pin conversion plugs. That works fine for small trailers that use that type of connector.

 

The 12v power lead uses a 40A fuse in the underhood fuse center (it's either Stud #1 or Stud A but it;s marked onthe label under the cover) so you should be able to run small 12v items in a trailer. You can also buy 7-pin connectors and simply cut the 4-pin connector off the trailer harness and attach the 7-pin connector. You can then add an extra wire lead for the 12v pin back to whre you need it.

 

For a winch, you really need either a separate battery or run 4-6 gauge wire back to the truck battery. The 12v lead in the trailer connector will not be up to running a winch under load. If you put a battery on your trailer to run a winch, you can use the 12v pin and some wire to keep the battery charged up.

the blur Enthusiast

the blur

Posted
Posted

They sell the adaptor, but what I did, was cut the 4 wire plug OFF my Trailer. and installed a 7 wire plug on the trailer, only connecting the 4 wires necessary. The 4 wire plug on the trailers don't last very long anyway. that pin breaks off. so my problem is solved.

SLESierra Enthusiast

SLESierra

Posted
Posted

I would replace the connector put a battery on my boat trailer - the connector will charge the battery while in tow and run my winch from the battery on the boat trailer.

PasoRoblesJimmy Enthusiast

PasoRoblesJimmy

Posted
Posted

4-way is Light Duty. 7-way is Heavy Duty.

 

I have been a professional Aircraft Electrician since 1958 and I have been wiring trucks for towing rvs since 1972. Trying to connect a 7-way to a 4-way with a battery feed is amateurish, unsafe and unreliable.

 

Battery feeds are not to be jury-rigged nor tampered with. The ground cable to your trailer has to be the same gauge, or larger than, the battery feed. If you need a 12 volt feed for the battery in your trailer, install a 7-way on your trailer!!!!

 

The limited amperage cable in you OEM 7-way is intended only for charging the battery in your trailer. It will probably overheat and burn up if you connect it to a heavy load such as a winch.

 

U-Haul uses 4-ways because they are cheap! cheap! cheap!

TedH Enthusiast

TedH

Posted
Posted

I have the OEM 7-wire wiring/plug on my '03 Silverado Z71. For 4-wire equipment, I keep a 7-wire to 4-wire adapter plug in my glove box for use with U-Haul trailers. I just plug the adapter into the receptacle on the truck and the 4-wire connector to the 4-wire side. I don't recall ever using a trailer that required a 7-wire plug... however, I normally rent U-Haul equipment only so that may explain it.

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