HELP Trailer with 5 prong adapter instead of 4. My Truck has the 4 prong adapter?

[RyanM3]

Recently purchased a 23ft Sea Ray. The trailer has electric brakes. Can someone tell me about the 5 prong connector? What do I need to buy to fit on my truck for the brakes to work? I just connected it to my 4 prong connector and picked it up and drove a mile to my house. Tomorrow I have about a 100 mile drive to my lakehouse and I want to be safe transporting it.

Never had a trailer with brakes before.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: HELP Trailer with 5 prong adapter instead of 4. My Truck has the 4 prong adapter?

The 5th prong is for the solenoid that locks out the trailer brakes when you back up. If you also have a 7 pin plug then there is an adapter to go 7-5. If you have a 4 pin then you need to rewire.

The plug doesn't effect your brakes when towing - you should have surge brakes.

 

[RyanM3]

Re: HELP Trailer with 5 prong adapter instead of 4. My Truck has the 4 prong adapter?

Im not sure on the plug. Trucks an 02 Yukon XL. Where can I go about finding an adapter? Are these carried in auto parts stores?

 

[spdracr39]

Re: HELP Trailer with 5 prong adapter instead of 4. My Truck has the 4 prong adapter?

The 5 prong should plug into the 4 with the extra trailer brake prong exposed. You will have to put in the pin to prevent the brakes from engaging if you are backing uphill otherwise it should be ok. They don't have an adapter for 4 - 5 you have to rewire. The fifth prong goes to your reverse lights.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: HELP Trailer with 5 prong adapter instead of 4. My Truck has the 4 prong adapter?

If you have a 7 pin on the truck, then this is what you would buy:
Hopkins Manufacturing 47375 - Adapter | O'Reilly Auto Parts

 

[H20Rat]

Re: HELP Trailer with 5 prong adapter instead of 4. My Truck has the 4 prong adapter?

Recently purchased a 23ft Sea Ray. The trailer has electric brakes.

The 5th prong is for the solenoid that locks out the trailer brakes when you back up.

If what the OP is saying, he has electric brakes, the 5th pin is NOT for a lockout. It needs to connect to a brake controller inside the vehicle, and when it is energized, it applies the brakes. No need for a lockout with electrics. Confusing the two purposes will end badly in either flipped scenario!

There is no standard for the 5th pin on 5 pin adapters. It could be used for a lockout, or electric brakes. I've also seen some vehicles/trailers wired with the 5th pin to provide a constant +12v for lighting inside the trailer. (small enclosed trailers sometimes run like this, as they are small enough they don't have brakes. A constant +12v for lighting is nice to have though!)

 

[oldjeep]

Re: HELP Trailer with 5 prong adapter instead of 4. My Truck has the 4 prong adapter?

If what the OP is saying, he has electric brakes, the 5th pin is NOT for a lockout. It needs to connect to a brake controller inside the vehicle, and when it is energized, it applies the brakes. No need for a lockout with electrics. Confusing the two purposes will end badly in either flipped scenario!

There is no standard for the 5th pin on 5 pin adapters. It could be used for a lockout, or electric brakes. I've also seen some vehicles/trailers wired with the 5th pin to provide a constant +12v for lighting inside the trailer. (small enclosed trailers sometimes run like this, as they are small enough they don't have brakes. A constant +12v for lighting is nice to have though!)

If true then that is weird. Never heard of or seen a trailer with a 5 pin and electric brakes. Picture of the tongue of the trailer would be good in this case.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: HELP Trailer with 5 prong adapter instead of 4. My Truck has the 4 prong adapter?

If true then that is weird. Never heard of or seen a trailer with a 5 pin and electric brakes. Picture of the tongue of the trailer would be good in this case.

+1
If it has a 5 pin and Electric Brakes, it has been Red Necked.
And will not be towable by anyone other than himself!
99.999% of other vehicles will have the REVERSE Signal on the 5th Pin!

5 Pin for Hydraulic surge brakes.
7 pin for Electric Bakes.

Install This Connector on the Truck and you can tow anything, 4,5 or 7, No Adapters.
And it costs about the same as ONE adapter.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: HELP Trailer with 5 prong adapter instead of 4. My Truck has the 4 prong adapter?

Install This Connector on the Truck and you can tow anything, 4,5 or 7, No Adapters.
And it costs about the same as ONE adapter.

Neat, but since most modern trucks come with both a 4 and 7 in the bumper from the factory - all you usually have to buy is the 5 pin adapter if you even need it.

 

[emilsr]

Re: HELP Trailer with 5 prong adapter instead of 4. My Truck has the 4 prong adapter?

This would be the cheapest solution: Curt Vehicle Wiring Harness with 5-Pole Flat Trailer Connector - 60" Wire Lead Curt Custom Fit Vehicle Wiring C58531

Everything will hook up the same except the 5th wire gets hooked into the backup lights. If your truck came with the trailering package, the wiring will be tucked up under the driver's side rear fender; just hook up the wires and go.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: HELP Trailer with 5 prong adapter instead of 4. My Truck has the 4 prong adapter?

This would be the cheapest solution: Curt Vehicle Wiring Harness with 5-Pole Flat Trailer Connector - 60" Wire Lead Curt Custom Fit Vehicle Wiring C58531

Everything will hook up the same except the 5th wire gets hooked into the backup lights. If your truck came with the trailering package, the wiring will be tucked up under the driver's side rear fender; just hook up the wires and go.

Cheap is over rated. Plug and play - $10 if it has the factory tow package or $32 if it doesn't. Its just not worth cobbling into vehicle wiring any more.
Trailer Wiring Harness for 2002 GMC Yukon XL 5 Flat | etrailer.com

 

[H20Rat]

Re: HELP Trailer with 5 prong adapter instead of 4. My Truck has the 4 prong adapter?

+1
If it has a 5 pin and Electric Brakes, it has been Red Necked.
And will not be towable by anyone other than himself!
99.999% of other vehicles will have the REVERSE Signal on the 5th Pin!

read this... In particular make sure to check the chart about the 5 way connector. Like i said, there is no standard for the 5th pin. In the boating world, yes, pin 5 is reverse solenoid. Outside of it, pin 5 is just as commonly used as an e-brake wire. Surge brakes on things like tandem axle car haulers are rare, electric brakes are standard.

Trailer Wiring Diagrams | etrailer.com

 

[oldjeep]

Re: HELP Trailer with 5 prong adapter instead of 4. My Truck has the 4 prong adapter?

read this... In particular make sure to check the chart about the 5 way connector. Like i said, there is no standard for the 5th pin. In the boating world, yes, pin 5 is reverse solenoid. Outside of it, pin 5 is just as commonly used as an e-brake wire. Surge brakes on things like tandem axle car haulers are rare, electric brakes are standard.

Trailer Wiring Diagrams | etrailer.com

Boy, I've never seen a car hauler with a 5 pin on it before. Even the one hauler I had with surge brakes had a 4 pin and a manual lockout. All of the others had a 7 pin connector.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: HELP Trailer with 5 prong adapter instead of 4. My Truck has the 4 prong adapter?

It looks like eTrailer has an error in their chart. (They can't say anything on the Internet that isn't true!) :facepalm:

This Site has it correct.

The 4 pin Flat Connector has Ground, Tail, Left and Right.
The 5 Pin Flat adds Reverse.
The 6 pin Round Drops the Reverse, and adds Brake and 12 volts.
The 7 Pin Round adds Reverse back in again.

If you make the pin signals optional, compatibility goes out the window and chaos ensues!

The [OP] stated he has never had Trailer Brakes.
He likely assumes that they are Electric because he is unaware that Surge Brakes exist.

If it has 5 Pins, it has Surge Brakes, or it has been Red Necked!