Connection issues

[AprilL]

please remember this is my first trailer........
Plugged the power cord to my trillium4500 just beside the door.......hubby said flip the switch on the converter down to 'trans .........
ok did that then plugged in small fan it worked then flipped switch to middle which i thought was 'off but fan kept running??? so i unhooked the power cord to the side

Can someone give me a not too technical idea of what I'm doing wrong or what does
that converter do?

2nd question:
i got my van wired today but dummy me never looked to see what kind of plug trailer had, it has a big round one .....they wired van with a small square one ...what is that type of round plug in called??
any help would be much appreciated

[Brian B-P]

i got my van wired today but ... never looked to see what kind of plug trailer had, it has a big round one .....they wired van with a small square one ...what is that type of round plug in called??

The Bargman catalog shows the various types of connectors, including the very common 4-way flat connector and 7-way "RV" or "Bargman" style.

If a vehicle is wired only to operate the trailer's lights, not to run the trailer brakes or charge the trailer's battery, it typically has only the 4-way flat connector; the most common and most functional connection for RV trailers is the 7-way RV/Bargman connector. Perhaps the van's "small square" connector is the 4-way flat and the trailer's "big round" connector is the 7-way RV/Bargman?

[AprilL]

The Bargman catalog shows the various types of connectors, including the very common 4-way flat connector and 7-way "RV" or "Bargman" style.

If a vehicle is wired only to operate the trailer's lights, not to run the trailer brakes or charge the trailer's battery, it typically has only the 4-way flat connector; the most common and most functional connection for RV trailers is the 7-way RV/Bargman connector. Perhaps the van's "small square" connector is the 4-way flat and the trailer's "big round" connector is the 7-way RV/Bargman?

yes the van is 4 way flat. and the trailer does have brakes but they are not hooked up and i haven't found a battery in this trailer unless its hidden somewhere. Now i can tell them what i need and i imagine they will have to rewire the van or just change ends on the van?
Thank you very much for the help!!!
P.S I just looked at the catalog and i think the safest way is for me to take a picture of
the trailer end and take it to them

[Ed Harris]

please remember this is my first trailer........
Plugged the power cord to my trillium4500 just beside the door.......hubby said flip the switch on the converter down to 'trans .........
ok did that then plugged in small fan it worked then flipped switch to middle which i thought was 'off but fan kept running??? so i unhooked the power cord to the side

Can someone give me a not too technical idea of what I'm doing wrong or what does
that converter do?

2nd question:
i got my van wired today but dummy me never looked to see what kind of plug trailer had, it has a big round one .....they wired van with a small square one ...what is that type of round plug in called??
any help would be much appreciated

April
In the 4500 that converter is simply a transformer that takes the 129vac house power and makes 12vdc to run DC loads.
The switch has three positions and in the middle is off. The one labeled "Trans" converts the house power into 12vdc and sends it to the 12volt lighting over the seats and sink and that is all as mine was wired from the factory.The third position is "Batt" or battery where it links the same 12volt lights directly to the 12volt battery line from the tow vehicle as there is no conversion needed.

This all assumes it is still wired like it was from the factory of course.
In my 4500 I rewired so I had several 12volt lighter outlets I could use all over and I also rewired the "battery" line fron feeding from the tow vehicle to feeding from a battery I had onboard the trailer.

As for the 120vac side, the power comes in where you have the big black cord as you already know, then it goes into the other side of the converter box where there is a single circuit breaker and then it feeds the two outlets in the trailer,on mine there was one under the rear window and one on the side of the sink cabinet.
The converter does nothing else with the 120vac power. I assume that the fan you plugged in was a house fan> If so then it would not be affected at all by the position of that switch we talked about because that is for the 12vdc side not the 120vac side.

Hope this helps you understand?
Feel free to ask again if not.

There is NO CHARGER in that converter.

Ed

[AprilL]

April
I the 120vac side.

Hope this helps you understand?
Feel free to ask again if not.

There is NO CHARGER in that converter.

Ed

Thanks Ed i took the van in and they will change it, ok another question........
What does that Bergman connector do when hooked to van just power running lights on trailer?
ok 2 questions lol .....does the fridge run when travelling or has to be off? I really need a 'Camping for Dummies ' hand book Thanks for your time and trouble
April

[Brian B-P]

yes the van is 4 way flat... Now i can tell them what i need and i imagine they will have to rewire the van or just change ends on the van?
...
P.S I just looked at the catalog and i think the safest way is for me to take a picture of
the trailer end and take it to them

There are adapters to connect just about anything... including one which plugs into the four-way flat on the van, and has a 7-way socket for the trailer. This won't run the trailer brakes or provide power from the van to the trailer until additional wiring is done, but just the adapter and ground connection will get the van hooked to the trailer and running the trailer's lights properly. The van end can also be completely replaced, which is a neater installation. I use an adapter, so I can still unplug it and the four-way connector for my utility trailer, but there are adapters to do that, too.

The picture idea makes sense to me. Hopefully, the trailer side is wired correctly (according to the industry standard), so they will work together.

[Brian B-P]

What does that Bergman connector do when hooked to van just power running lights on trailer?
ok 2 questions lol .....does the fridge run when travelling or has to be off?

The additional contacts of the 7-way connector (compared to the four-way):

• brake controller output to the trailer brakes
• power to charge the trailer battery, run the refrigerator, etc
• an auxiliary connection for whatever you want (normally for backup lights or a separate brake light)

"3-way" (propane/AC power/DC power) RV refrigerators have the 12V DC power option just for this purpose, of running on power from the tow vehicle while driving. If you don't have power from the van to the trailer, the refrigerator would need to run on battery power (even if you have one, it won't run the refrigerator for long), or on propane (a major source of debate in this forum), or on AC power (but there's no where for that to come from). Many people just leave it off while driving, and it might stay cold enough if you don't drive too long at a time.

[bobinyelm]

I might add that 3-way fridges draw a LOT of current at 12v to work, and most people use way too light a gauge wire from their tow vehicle battery (hopefully through a circuit breaker, then a relay or solenoid) to their 7-Pin receptacle to supply the current their fridge needs.

The result is a dead trailer battery even when connected to the tow vehicle (since the voltage drop in the small-gauge charging wire reduces the available voltage at the trailer).

Depending upon the alternator installed in the TV, I use either a #10 or a #8 charging wire back to the Bargman connector, using an auto-reset 30 or 40 amp circuit beaker feeding a switched* continuous duty RV solenoid.

Bob
*activated only when the TV engine is running to prevent a dead TV starting battery.