Should i hook up 7 pin

[immrbill]

Please bear with me this is long. I have a 1980 Boler 13ft that had a 7 pin when I went too look at it. When I went to pick it up my truck had a 4 pin. so a 4 pin pigtail was added to the wiring so I could get it home.

We have had it out a few times and all the lights worked etc.

I have since bought a different truck and it is equipped with a 7 pin connector. Should I wire the trailer back to 7 pin or leave as is.

We are going out for a few weeks the middle of August and I'm trying to get everything ready.

[Dave Fish]

The 7 pin usually adds brakes, a charge line to the battery and backup lights. If your Boler doesn't have these, then you are ok with the 4 pin.

[immrbill]

No backup lights, Did have Deep Cell Battery and I think Brakes. This picture is a backing plate on the wheel so looks like brakes. Trailer had 7 pin.

I've been using it with a 4 pin so I may continue. Crawled under trailer and the wiring looks like house wiring

[immrbill]

Originally Posted by Dave Fish

The 7 pin usually adds brakes, a charge line to the battery and backup lights. If your Boler doesn't have these, then you are ok with the 4 pin.

Thanks Dave

[Steve Hammel]

Originally Posted by immrbill

No backup lights, Did have Deep Cell Battery and I think Brakes. This picture is a backing plate on the wheel so looks like brakes. Trailer had 7 pin.

I've been using it with a 4 pin so I may continue. Crawled under trailer and the wiring looks like house wiring

If all the wires are still there from when it was a 7 pin go back to a 7 pin. If indeed those really are house wires and "solid" copper you need to change those to stranded copper. The reason they use stranded copper in moving vehicles is it has much better flex whereas solid copper after time will break.

[Donna D.]

I've never read where anyone ever regretted having brakes. If everything is there, all you need is a brake controller. Why would you NOT want to use brakes?

It's not the go... it's also the STOP, especially in an emergency situation. You'll be towing something that may weigh close to one TON (loaded for camping) behind you. You'd be relying on the tug to apply stopping power to both the tug and tow. This becomes a maintenance issue. Without trailer brakes, you'll be wearing out your tug brakes much faster. I don't know what your tug is, but I know replacing the brakes on my truck is $$$. Trailer brakes are cheap to replace!

Safe travels, always.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by immrbill

... This picture is a backing plate on the wheel so looks like brakes. Trailer had 7 pin.
..

That wire looks like the 10g wire that eTrailer sells specially for brake controller installs (which is good). The problem is that it also looks a lot like romex type house wire (which is bad). But the wire nuts are a bad idea for sure. Water will sit in them and rust it out in short order. They are not meant for wet environments. I would remove them, verify the wire is proper stranded wire, and reconnect clean wires with crimp on connectors of the right size. Use the type with built in heat shrink.

And yes, if you have brakes, use them. That means no 4-way. You could do it differently but the standard 7 way is best by far, largely because it is (for the most part) a standard.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

It's not the go... it's also the STOP, especially in an emergency situation. You'll be towing something that may weigh close to one TON (loaded for camping) behind you. You'd be relying on the tug to apply stopping power to both the tug and tow. This becomes a maintenance issue. Without trailer brakes, you'll be wearing out your tug brakes much faster. I don't know what your tug is, but I know replacing the brakes on my truck is $$$. Trailer brakes are cheap to replace!

Agreed.. and I have to ask Donna, is this a boilerplate text you have? I seem to recall the exact same text from you a few times before. The "do I need brakes" question is asked so frequently that having a standard reply makes sense to me!

[Joe Romas]

I believe I read that at least one state says if your trailer has brakes they need to be operable and that means hooked up and a breakaway system.

Your wiring looks like a mess besides being 37 years old.
Start over from scratch.