Trailer blinker light

[Woodbutcher]

I have a standard 4 wire hitch plug. I want to use 4 lights in the hatch, 2 stop lights and 2 blinkerlights and a licence plate light. Is this possible with a 4 wire plug?

[Leon]

With a 4 wire plug you should have 1: ground 2: running lights 3: left turn/brake 4:right turn/brake.
With that setup you would need an electronic adapter to separate the turn signals from the brakes. To make sure of your plug's capability, use a test light or voltmeter to check each function. The one terminal that sticks out (the others are sockets) should be the ground.

[madjack]

...white=ground, brown=running(license), green=rightblinker/brake, yellow=left blinker/brake...you will have to get a reverse logic circuit to do as you want and I have no idea where to get one or if one is even available...this is assuming that your tow is wired with a 4 flat to begin with...
madjack

[jagular7]

I have a standard 4 wire hitch plug. I want to use 4 lights in the hatch, 2 stop lights and 2 blinkerlights and a licence plate light. Is this possible with a 4 wire plug?

I don't understand the question relating to the lights he wants. The flat 4 plug is pretty much a standard trailer plug, especially with red rear lights on the tow vehicle to have running lights, turn lights, and stop lights on the trailer.

From your question, could I assume you are wanting to run the '4 lights in the hatch' on 12 volts from the tow vehicle?
If so, you'll have to get another plug that provides a 12v source from the tow vehicle, then another matching plug for the trailer. You could do this 2 ways. 1- totally separate battery source connector. 2- a 6-way connector.
http://www.etrailer.com/faq/wiring.asp

[madjack]

...I think what he wants to do is run seperate brake and signal lights...like what is done on most newer vehicles and the reason a logic circuit is needed to convert newer vehicles to standard trailer lights (combo stop/tail/turn lights).........
madjack

[Woodbutcher]

Thanks guys, Madjack is right. I wanted seperate brake and turn signal lights. When I had my hitch installed the guy put on the basic wire harness (4 plug) cause I didn't know any better. I have not run the wires into the trailer yet. He also had a 7 wire setup. If I just changed my harness from my tow vehicle with the 7 wire setup would I have the missing wires. I was trying to get more light on the rear of the trailer just to be a little safer.
If this is not possible can I wire each sides lights in series so either they both blink or stop?

[RKH]

I think you would want parallel, not series to maintain the full 12 volts to each (for brightness). Then both on each side would operate together.

If this is not possible can I wire each sides lights in series so either they both blink or stop?

[Leon]

A 7 wire plug would add other functions such as brakes, backup lights, battery charge. It wouldn't separate out the turn signal function unless the tow vehicle was set up that way and the plug wired in a non-standard way. If you do wire two lights together on each side, be careful of the power requirement that it may put on the tow vehicle. It could affect the flasher, fuses, wire size (my old Tracker had very thin wire going to the rear lights). You could go to LED lighting to add extra lights without adding a major current draw.

[madjack]

WB, does your tow have seperate brake and blinker lights...if so you could wire directly to them and use a 6/7 pin connector to bring them to the trailer...if not, as RKH sez...parallel not series..we used a combo LED surface mount 6x2 oval light ...they are bright and very noticeable (from RedNeck Trailer Supplies) and Chris C found some similar that are even brighter(but twice as expensive)
madjack

[PaulC]

Over here we run 5 or 7 pin setups. 5pin gives you stop, tail, LH indicator, RH indicator and earth. 7 pin gives you all the above plus two auxillary pins. Both trailer and vehicle have to be wired with the compatible plugs and the vehicle has to have a compatible loom. To get the tail lights to work from one wire they are wired in paralell as are the stop lights.

Cheers
Paul

[Woodbutcher]

http://tinyurl.com/mktnj

These are the lights I ordered. They are LED. My tow vehicle is the Jeep in my Avitar. Not sure if there are seperate bulbs in the tail light but I doubt it. I will check it when I get back home.

[Leon]

I doubt your jeep has separate bulbs, the vehicles that do usually have red for running/stop and yellow for turn. Mount 2 lights on each side, and connect the running wires together, and then the stop/turn together. You'll get a very visible indication from those.

[GeorgeTelford]

Hi

Nobodies asked and this is important, are these functions seperate on the tow vehicle?

If yes the simplist is to had a 7 Pin setup to vehicle and tear (gives you a couple of spare pins to play with.

If they are intergrated on the vehicle Do you really HAVE to have them seperate on the tear?

Let us assume that the vehicle is combined brake and blinker and you want the tear to be seperate

The logic to do it is simple enough (it is simple boolean logic, if you want to look it up), if there is power to both brake lights then two (2 position or change over ) relays allow the power straight though to the brake lights. The power from Left wire energises the right relay and visa versa

If power only comes down say the left wire then there is no power to energise the relay and the left power goes by default into the left indicator
Same with right side only.

I will try to post a diagram if I can.

[GeorgeTelford]

If power is applied accross pins 85 (-ve)and 86 (+ve) then the relay will energise

The relay pictured on the left above is in its natural (unenergised position) so if power were applied to 30 it would go to 87 (ie the indicator)

Now look at the right hand picture this relay is energised so the power is going to 87a (the brake light)

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To make this work in a vehicle

for left side of vehicle Connect as follows

30 is connected to the vehicles Combined Brake indicator wire for left side

85 (-ve, negative permenant connection)

86 goes to pin 30 on the relay on the right side of the car

87 goes to indicator

87a Goes to Left side brake light

Logically if power is applied to 30 alone it will exit the unergised relay at pin 87 and light the indicator/blinker.

If power is applied to 30 BUT also to pin 86 (this picks up power from right side which will only be there if the vehicle is braking) then the relay energises and the brake light is lit
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for right side of vehicle Connect as follows

30 is connected to the vehicles Combined Brake indicator wire for right side

85 (-ve, negative permenant connection)

86 goes to pin 30 on the relay on the left side of the car

87 goes to indicator

87a Goes to right side brake light

Logically if power is applied to 30 alone it will exit the unergised relay at pin 87 and light the indicator/blinker.

If power is applied to 30 BUT also to pin 86 (this picks up power from left side which will only be there if the vehicle is braking) then the relay energises and the brake light is lit.

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[madjack]

George, good info BUT I did ask in my last post above yours IF the tow vehicle had seperate circuits and if so, tapping directly into them and using a 6/7 pin connector to the trailer and if not, a logic circuit would be needed to make seperate brake/signal lights...the answer was no seperate circuits and the need was not absolute so in this case multiple lights(on each side) would be wired parallel on each respective side...
madjack