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Wiring for trailer lights
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2020 8:47 am
by jcb
I have a 1983 Model 10 Eagle that has been used for touring its entire life. I would like to get it wired up for pulling a trailer this fall. The existing shreds of previous wiring have, over the years, become a rats nest of oil covered mass of indiscernible wires, that I would like to tear out and redo. Anyone have a surefire, minimally complicated (I know that’s a tough one) design for trailer wiring? I know it’s a 5 wire set-up, when most vehicles are 4, but it sure would be nice if this project didn’t turn into a major pain.
Thanks!!
Re: Wiring for trailer lights
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2020 8:48 pm
by Jim H
Hello Jim, Look under the articles file in the Info section on this website for the tail light conversion article written by our Jim Shepherd, great source of information on a project like yours. I used a commercially manufactured convertor on my 01 Eagle but the setup shown is a better option, for sure.
Have fun!
Jim H
Re: Wiring for trailer lights
Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2020 7:30 am
by beltguy
I can think of three options for the 5 to 4 conversion for a trailer/toad.
The first is to wire the trailer/toad for the separate brake light option. That means that you will have to make a nonstandard wiring of the typical 7 pin connector.
The second option is to use a commercial converter. That is pretty simple from a wiring standpoint. However, my experience is that they are not well made and tend to fail fairly early in their life.
My approach was to use a custom relay based circuit as described in the article posted on our website. It is not that hard to fabricate and is quite reliable. If one of the relays fails it is easy to replace.
Jim