Guide to Trailer Plugs: Towing & Charging Solutions | Accelerate Auto Electrics & Air Conditioning
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Confused about what trailer plug you need? Our simple explanation explains all.
Hi, I'm Briohny from Accelerate Auto Electrics & Air Conditioning on the Sunshine Coast. Some of the most common questions we get asked as auto electricians are, what the different types of trailer plugs are, and what each one is used for.
Today we're gonna take a look at the most common options for trailer plugs, the five pin, seven pin, twelve pin, and also the Anderson plug.
They're called five, seven, and twelve pin plugs because they connect five, seven, or twelve wires on your car to your caravan or trailer, i.e if you turn the indicator on in your car, the first pin connects the signal in the car to the trailer indicator and makes the trailer indicator work.
When it comes to getting your vehicle wired up to tow a trailer or caravan, there are few things we recommend. If you plan to tow a caravan, we usually suggest getting an Anderson plug installed, especially if you want to charge your caravan's battery from your vehicle.
Twelve pin plugs are not designed to hold a charge feed and will usually melt when exposed to that much current. If you have any other questions about the plugs, your car, caravan, or trailer needs, comment below, or call us at 1300 227 353, or email info@amae.net.au. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
That was really helpful. I hope your business is flourishing on the Coast.
Thanks for watching!
Accelerate Off-Grid Touring
Nice vid thanks 👍
No problem 👍
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Hi guys, luv your videos, my question, are the plugs from tow vehicle to the van interchangeable between manufactures
Thanks for your comment!
Trailer plugs & Anderson plugs can be quite universal across different brands but other manufactures may require a different pin configuration or wiring size.
Nice job on that video!
What about the 13 pin plug? On that plug, there are 2 pins (+2 for earthing) that are constant power (pin9) and switch-controlled power (pin10). Manuals say pin 9 (2.5mm wire) is for charging the caravan battery and pin10 (also 2.5mm wire) for caravan fridge.
So my questions is, can I just connect pin 9 (and pin 13[-]) to the caravan battery for charging it while driving without attaching any other electrical accessory (ie split charge relay, fuse)?
I'm kinda trying to do this but a camping trailer with no other elec in it. Can I just straight connect it or do I need something between plug and battery.
13-pin round is for ISO-11446 wiring configurations. This International standard is not common for passenger vehicles in Australia, but can be found in heavy vehicles.
Due to the extreme conditions in Australia, the 7-pin flat is preferred or the 12-pin flat is an alternative for basic supplementary functionality, for all the reasons Briohny mentions in the video.
Anderson Plugs are preferred for any High-Current applications, as also mentioned.
We are in the USA and purchased an Australian made trailer from a US distributor. The camper trailer comes with an Anderson plug for charging of the camper's batteries (there are three batteries and an 1000W inverter built into the camper trailer) from the vehicle or solar panels... however, here in the USA we do not use Anderson plugs. Our tow vehicle does not have any plug for this and we need to have one installed. Do we install it connected to the Jeep's alternator or the battery itself? What gauge wire do we need for this or is there a kit we can purchase for use in the USA? Any help or guidance would be appreciated.
We recently attended the Overland Expo West in Flagstaff, Arizona and we purchased a Black Series "Dominator" model there. We are excited to see how it holds up. Our goal is to eventually upgrade to a Patriot X1 model but it is top the line and a bit over our current budget. So, to get started and see how we like the camper trailer experience before we invest almost $35-40k in a Patriot model we got the Dominator. Looking forward to getting it out on our first trip within the month! :) TY for replying... it seems we do have a compatible plug here in the US - we just call it something different. My hubby figured it out but if we need anything, I will definitely keep you in mind!
@@JodiDiGaetano-AGG Anderson plug wiring is commonly connected to the starter battery. Wire gauge is determined by the length of the wire to the second battery. On my car the wire runs from the starter battery to the rear of the car where an Anderson plug is mounted near the towbar (positive cable is normally fused). The trailer plugs into the Anderson play near the towbar. The commonly used wire is 6B&S or 8B&S (fairly sure that is a metric wire size, look here: contenti.com/resources/library/bs-gauge-conversion ). Some more information on Anderson plugs: thedocaus.com/blog/?p=7457
In Australia, Anderson plugs are usually wired either directly (and fused) to the battery for live applications or through a Voltage Sensitive Relay (and fuse) to the battery.
Note that if you have a Smart Alternator in your vehicle (most modern cars do), connect the earth of the Anderson to the negative battery cable downstream of the current sensor.
Thanks for the video. My Hikux has a 4mm wore direct from battery to pin 2 of q 7 pin flat to power my ESC on the caravan. Is this ok to actually do?
Thanks for your comment. Yes, it is ok to run ESC through the 7 or 12pin. We would recommend it being 6mm cable.
@@accelerateoffgridtouring Thanks guys. Is this because you're not sure how much ESC draws when it activates? Because other trailer wiring sites recommend 3mm. Thanks once again
Hi there,
So I have a landy and was wondering if there is a plug that allows one to remove and install a roof rack with accessories that need power easier. At the moment is is hard wired which is a pain. I would guess it would need to be water tight. Does anything exist and does anyone have a solution.
Great video and some great advice.
Regards
Paul
Hi Paul, DEUSTCH connectors are the way to go. You can get them in 1 - 12 pins and all sorts of sizing. They do require special crimpers though, but are water tight and the bees-knees.
@@accelerateoffgridtouring Hi there, Thank you for replying.
I was talking to a friend and even though he has not had the problem, he recommended the same thing. Will source when i get there and looks to be the answer.
Thanks again
Regards,
Paul
Hi there I had a problem with my 12 point pin (new caravan) couldn’t get fridge to work of car so I called into thetford agent in cairns told me the problem was wiring only had 5 mil wiring on red an black told me should be 8 mil then I was told by another source cause was put lights on I did so and it started working normal I was told this was common with Isuzu mux my question is should I change to 8 mil cheers David
Thanks for your comment!
We would recommend referring to the manufactures specifications for the wiring size & following their recommendations.
So what's the difference between the grey and the red Anderson Plugs?
Both carry up to 50 amps, but red Anderson plugs only plug into red plugs and grey into grey (black Anderson plugs are normally fully compatible with grey plugs). The housing shapes are slightly different between the red and grey Anderson plugs, so they are not compatible. Red is commonly used for solar. It stops you mixing up incompatible inputs, like plugging a solar panel into the wrong input on a DC to DC charger.