Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

by **dreadcptflint** » Thu May 29, 2008 8:41 pm

My brother in law decided to pay for my hitch at the dealership that he works at for my birthday. :thumbsup:

Which is one less thing that I have to pay for. :thumbsup:

Currently I am not towing any rig. I am thinking the best off the bat would be a seven pin as most modern are wired for that, if I need to charge a battery, run a brake system and plus it's easier to get an adapter and size down to a four pin if I go retro. His service guys are saying that if I go with a seven pin then I would need a brake controller if I go with the seven pin. The vehicle is a 00 Ford Exploder.

Should I stick to my guns and get the seven pin?

:thinking:

by **BrwBier** » Thu May 29, 2008 8:53 pm

You do not have to get a brake controller to have a seven pin. It only makes it possible to make the connection for a brake controller. If you can get the seven pin I say why not, like you said you can always get an adapter to go to 4 pin.
Brwbier

by **Alphacarina** » Thu May 29, 2008 8:56 pm

WalMart sells a flat 5 pin

The 5th pin is intended for backup lights, but you can use it for anything you like. Another advantage is that if you mount the 5 pin plug on your tow vehicle then you can still plug any standard 4 pin trailer into it. It's a handy compromise between ther 4 pin and the 7 pin connectors.

If you aren't going to install a brake controller, then you don't really need a 7 pin, IMO

Don

by **Steve_Cox** » Thu May 29, 2008 9:41 pm

I use a round 4 pin on all my trailers (with no brakes) and tow vehicles. The reason for the round connector is the connector on the car is mounted in a bracket that is bolted to the car and when the trailer cord is plugged in it locks in place. It plugs in like a 7 pin but just has the functions I need for my small trailers.

by **BPFox** » Thu May 29, 2008 10:15 pm

Your brother in law is paying, get the 7 pin. It is the industry standard for towing. You can never go wrong with the industry standard. It gives you options down the road that no other set up will give you. The blue wire is for the brake controler. If the guys are willing to do it, have it wired for a brake controler. Nothing wrong with having blue wire tucked up under the dash for future use. Don't buy the controler unless you are going to install brakes on your trailer. The hot wire will give you charging ability if you choose to have a 12 volt system in your trailer. Tell them you want the aux wire hooked up to your back up lights. You will want to get yourself a four flat adapter. You never know, if you ever rent a trailer (to move stuff or what ever) you will need the four flat. 5 flats and 4 or 6 pin rounds are fine, but they are not industry standards so they won't adapt well to other trailers or tow vehicles. With a 7 pin you will never need any changes down the road regardless of what you decide to do. And by the way, Happy Birthday!

by **madjack** » Thu May 29, 2008 10:59 pm

BPFox wrote:Your brother in law is paying, get the 7 pin. It is the industry standard for towing. You can never go wrong with the industry standard. It gives you options down the road that no other set up will give you. The blue wire is for the brake controler. If the guys are willing to do it, have it wired for a brake controler. Nothing wrong with having blue wire tucked up under the dash for future use. Don't buy the controler unless you are going to install brakes on your trailer. The hot wire will give you charging ability if you choose to have a 12 volt system in your trailer. Tell them you want the aux wire hooked up to your back up lights. You will want to get yourself a four flat adapter. You never know, if you ever rent a trailer (to move stuff or what ever) you will need the four flat. 5 flats and 4 or 6 pin rounds are fine, but they are not industry standards so they won't adapt well to other trailers or tow vehicles. With a 7 pin you will never need any changes down the road regardless of what you decide to do. And by the way, Happy Birthday!

...yep I would agree with most all of that...especially if your brother in law is footing the bill

.............

by **Dale M.** » Fri May 30, 2008 9:38 am

Yah... Go with 7 pin..... You only need a brake controller IF you are going to have trailer brakes.... One pin for brakes in 7 pin left unconnected does not reduce the validity of a 7 pin connector...

This way you can have battery charging and back up lights (don't laugh, ever try to back a trailer up in the dark?).

Actually if you can swing it, on my son's Ford truck it has a standard 7 pin and a rigid mount 4 pin on same bracket.... Best of both worlds....

Dale

by **dreadcptflint** » Fri May 30, 2008 2:14 pm

Thanks for the advice. I will stick to my guns and get the seven pin.

by **BPFox** » Fri May 30, 2008 6:25 pm

madjack, just curious, what part of my post didn't you agree with. Not trying to start anything but I didn't think I said anything too off the wall.

by **madjack** » Fri May 30, 2008 8:49 pm

BP, I didn't disagree with any ofit...must be a NvS dialect thingy

.............................

by **G-force** » Fri May 30, 2008 9:14 pm

Flat 5 plugs are intended for trailers, usualy boat trailers, that have hydraulic surge brakes. The 5th wire is used to lockout the brakes when backing up. Its usualy a 14ga wire, so I tould not be suitable to use as a charge wire for a battery.

Alphacarina wrote:WalMart sells a flat 5 pin

The 5th pin is intended for backup lights, but you can use it for anything you like. Another advantage is that if you mount the 5 pin plug on your tow vehicle then you can still plug any standard 4 pin trailer into it. It's a handy compromise between ther 4 pin and the 7 pin connectors.

If you aren't going to install a brake controller, then you don't really need a 7 pin, IMO

Don

by **Nobody** » Sat May 31, 2008 9:26 am

madjack wrote:BP, I didn't disagree with any ofit...must be a NvS dialect thingy .............................

Yep, when a 'southerner' says "I agree with most all of that. . .", we ain't actually 'excepting' any particular thing (probably nothing at all), just leavin' a little 'wiggle' room in case something comes up later. We can then say, "Uhhh, that's what I wuz wonderin' about!"

by **madjack** » Sat May 31, 2008 6:35 pm

Nobody wrote:
madjack wrote:BP, I didn't disagree with any ofit...must be a NvS dialect thingy .............................

Yep, when a 'southerner' says "I agree with most all of that. . .", we ain't actually 'excepting' any particular thing (probably nothing at all), just leavin' a little 'wiggle' room in case something comes up later. We can then say, "Uhhh, that's what I wuz wonderin' about!"