Trailer wiring question

[mollyteardrop]

See the connector in the attached photos? Notice how the white wire (ground wire) has exposed wire. I would like to either replace the connector, but don't know how, or should I just remove the connector and splice the wires directly together?
1. Suggestions?
2. Suggestions for purchasing another connector?
3. Besides the ability to disconnect the part that plugs into my truck, what is the purpose of this connector?
4. Is there a better set-up than what is shown in my photos?
Thanks!
Molly

[vreihen]

Is that connector a standard flat 4-pin trailer light plug? If so, someone may have cobbled the round (7-pin Bargman?) plug onto a trailer wired for 4-pin lights. My guess is that the 5th wire (heavy gauge yellow) is either for brakes or more likely for charging the trailer's battery from the tow vehicle.

If I'm right on the above, the 4-pin plug may come in handy if you ever want to tow that trailer with a vehicle that isn't wired for 7-pin. Just split the 4-pin connection, and plug the trailer side into the tow vehicle's 4-pin connector. Of course, you won't get battery charging like that.

My $0.02 is that if that white wire is the ground, it is obviously too short (which caused the wire to stretch and pull out of both halves of the connector). It is also severely under-sized as a trailer ground if the heavy yellow wire is +12V for charging the trailer battery. Some people think that they can get away with no ground because the hitch ball and safety chains conduct electricity, but both are moving pieces that lose contact over bumps. I would pull a new ground wire from the 7-pin Bargman plug all the way to wherever the white wire ends on the trailer, and make sure that it is at least the same size as the heavy yellow wire. I would also make sure that whatever wire grounds the negative battery terminal to the trailer's frame is not as thin as the white wire, just to be sure. You can probably get away with just putting some liquid electrical tape or some sort of non-conductive RTV sealant over the exposed wires if they still work, since they are only grounds and not a short circuit risk if they hit the frame.

Of course, my disclaimer that I'm not an electrical engineer or electrician is required here.....

[bobhenry]

The offending white wire IS the ground. It appears to me to have been very overheated. See the brown discoloration that is what tells me its been hot. That is probably why it it has melted away from the rubber plug body.

Somebody was thinking when the added the larger gage wire to feed what ever it feeds but failed to realize that those amps have to have an equal sized return wire to carry that amperage load. You can add a second heavier ground wire to assist the small one or replace it with a heavier gage ground wire altogether

[Dale M.]

Cut back behind flat four connector and splice on one of these....


http://www.etrailer.com/Wiring/Hopkins/H20042.html

"Other" sources have these in different lengths up to 8 feet...

And extend large gauge ground wire from plug cable to trailer chassis....

I just used one of these to redo wiring on may car carrier trailer and it neat and clean....

Dale

[Miriam C.]

Looks like Bob's right again... I got tired of having more than one adapter and had U-haul do it right. If you are only running 4 wires and not charging or using trailer brakes you might get a 4-flat wired in. If you are ever going to run brakes or charge you can have them do that too. I think they even a receiver that will do both....
http://www.uhaul.com/MovingSupplies/Wir ... 6-4?id=726