trailer brakes towing 5 wire with 4 wire vehicle

[RCKYMTAIR]

Hi,
I just bought a new Crestliner boat and it has surge brakes on it and a 5 wire plug. My Explorer which I am going to be pulling it with has only a 4 wire plug on it. The dealer told me that I can to it with that, just when I am backing up the brakes will lock into place so I have to put some kind of key in so it do not lock up, I also was told by someone else you can turn your wire at a 90 degree angle and turn on park lights and the brakes will not lock up. Has anyone towed a 5 wire with a 4 wire and is it difficult to do these things?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: trailer brakes towing 5 wire with 4 wire vehicle

it is very simple to change the vehicle plug, the 5 wire, comes off your back up lights. just splice into the positive wire to the back up lights, run the wire to the connector. the cut the connector off, and splice in the new 5 wire plug.

http://www.accessconnect.com/trailer_wiring_diagram.htm

i will be doing this next weekend, adding a 7 prong plug, as we will be adding the back up solenoid, and installing an electric jack stand. that leaves us one extra connection.

 

[burp]

Re: trailer brakes towing 5 wire with 4 wire vehicle

................ just when I am backing up the brakes will lock into place so I have to put some kind of key in so it do not lock up

....... Ask the dealer where the "some kind of key" is and how to use it. Otherwise as a temporary way around the problem........

The tow vehicles 4 pin connector will plug into the trailers 5 pin connector and all the marker, turn signal and brake lights on the trailer will work. What won't be working is the trailer brakes lockout solenoid which is needed when backing uphill. To get around the backing uphill/lockout solenoid problem... disconnect the trailer 5 pin electrical connector from the tow vehicle. Rotate one of the connectors 90 degrees and insert the trailer connectors pin for the blue wire into the tow vehicles brown pin and turn on the lights on the tow vehicle. The connectors will form somewhat of a "T" shape and only 1 pin in each side of the connectors will be connected. The tow vehicles lights must be turned on in order for the brown wire to have 12 volts applied to it. Since the pin for the trailer's blue wire is connected to the tow vehicles brown wire, the trailer's lockout solenoid will be engergized allowing you to back uphill.

**NOTE** this is only a temporary connection for the purpose of backing up as no lights on the trailer will be functional.

Color wise the wires of the connectors are white= ground, brown=tail/marker lights, yellow=left turn, green=right turn and blue=brake lockout solenoid

Tashasdaddy is correct in the best place to get the 12 volts for backing up is tapping into the wire at one of the tow vehicles backup lights. I think you will find on a Ford Explorer the wire that you want to tap into to be a black wire with a red stripe on it.

 

[scs1080]

Re: trailer brakes towing 5 wire with 4 wire vehicle

I had the same setup on one of my tow vehicles. On my trailer it comes with a small pin that is attached to the trailer It slides in thru a hole behind the tonge and will not let it slide back to lock the brakes then you just pull the pin when done.

 

[Boatist]

Re: trailer brakes towing 5 wire with 4 wire vehicle

My brake coupler has and pin you can pull out before backing and it locks the coupler so it will not apply the brakes. My unit automaticly unlocks when you pull foward. I used it about twice but it is a pain. When backing up hill like into a drive way or in my case into the back yard and you hit a bump or apply the brakes and the pin unlocks. Then you have to get out and start over.

Just get the reverse lockout solenoid and wire it into your back up lights.