holding Connector plug in receiver

[Ron Gaillot]

I am having trouble keeping the towing cable (electrical) plugged into the 7 prong receiver. It fell out last year while towing and dragged on the ground wearing away half the plug. This must have happened after running over some rough pavement (lot of construction going on in the area we were traveling). We put what was left of the plug back into the receiver and used rubber bands to hold it there until we got home. Fortunately we had brakes and lights.

My question is "do they make anything to hold the plug in the receiver?" A clamp or some other means to hold the two parts together? I can't be the only one with this problem.

The connection was snug before, but now (after replacing the worn plug) the connection is looser than before. I considered using ball bungees to hold the two pieces together, but this doesn't seem like a permanent solution. Camping World suggested using wire ties, but that would mean cutting them off at every stop when we unhitched, and putting new ones on when we are set to go again. I have checked with two RV trailer dealers and one suggested the ball bungees, and the other told me to "use the clamps on truck" - I have a mini-van and a Scamp trailer - no truck. The receptacle was put on by U-Haul. I called them and they had no solutions either.

Does anyone make a clamp that would attach to the receptacle and EASILY slip over the "ears" of the 7 prong plug to hold it in? How does everyone else deal with this problem? Any insight or solutions would be highly appreciated. We leave in a week to go half way across the country. Don't want to grind down my connector again!

Ron

[Patrick Mc]

My Casita came with an adjustable "zip tie". You could also use a Velcro cable wrap.

[Greg A]

The seven pin barrel plugs, I found out the hard way, have an adjusting screw in the center of the female side. This apparently adjusts the depth and holding power of the receptacle. I found out when I couldn't get the plug to insert properly as we were leaving on a trip. A young fella at the neighborhood u-haul came out and immediately made adjustments to the center screw and it has been great again.
Never had it be loose, but this adjustment may not be correct on your plug like ours was.

[paulw]

Does anyone make a clamp that would attach to the receptacle and EASILY slip over the "ears" of the 7 prong plug to hold it in? How does everyone else deal with this problem? Any insight or solutions would be highly appreciated. We leave in a week to go half way across the country. Don't want to grind down my connector again!

Ron

The female half of the set up has a spring loaded lid with a locking feature. When I connect the male half it holds on to it.

[Herb Sutton]

Mine is the same as Willar. No problem.

1999 Casita SD
2000 Chev Blazer

This is trailer #4 for the Blazer

[james kent]

I had the local Chrysler Dealer add the 7 prong outlet on the tow vehicle and I wired the plug on the trailer. The spring loaded lid on the outlet has a tab that locks them together.The main problem is the fit. It's very tight and if I don't push the plug in far enough it doesn't engage properly and then my lights don't work as they should. It sometimes causes a word or two to slip out.

[CD Smith]

"The spring loaded lid on the outlet has a tab that locks them together."

This works until you unhitch and drive away without renoving the plug. I wouldn't do that, would I?

Well I did and now use an 'adjustable zip tie' like Patrick Mc.

[james kent]

[BobB]

I guess this is about how bad can it get before it needs to be replaced. Bargman is another good brand of trailer connector.

http://www.bargman.com/home.html

In order to lock the plug needs to be pushed all the way in (can be difficult) and the lift up gently to engage the tab.

[paulw]

It was really hard to seat the plug in the recepticle of my Trailblazer until I treated it to some dielectric grease.
Now it takes a firm push, but I don't have to lean on it.

[Ron Gaillot]

Just an update on the issue...

First off, I want to thank everyone for their input - especially the ones about the spring loaded caps and the lugs. I never realized they did this (having never towed before). I don't know if I just didn't have the plug seated properly, or if vibration was the problem (rough road - lots of construction).

I wanted to update everyone on the issue. We just returned from a trip between Pittsburgh, PA and Independence, MO, with a stop over in St. Louis. Most of the driving was on interstate 70 which has got to be the roughest interstate in existence!

I used a pair of ball bungees to hold the two halves of the connector together (remember I don't have a bracket - just a pig tail) and they worked great! I looped and "knotted" them on the cable behind the female connector, then brought them over opposing sides of the male plug to go over the "ears" of that plug. The cover (I did have one on the female connector after all) was engaged but seemed kind of wimpy at best. With all the vibration (stuff scattered all over the inside as never before), I never had to worry about the connectors coming uncoupled.

Lessons learned:

1. Find out things are supposed to work first (cable cap lock).
2. Don't over inflate the trailer tires! This caused most of the vibration - even had problems with screws backing out of the woodwork and bolts - even with locking nuts - coming loose. Wish they would fix those roads!!!

Ron

[Byron Kinnaman]

Just an update on the issue...


ILessons learned:

1. Find out things are supposed to work first (cable cap lock).
2. Don't over inflate the trailer tires! This caused most of the vibration - even had problems with screws backing out of the woodwork and bolts - even with locking nuts - coming loose. Wish they would fix those roads!!!

Ron

To stop things from vibrating loose try going a bit slower.