How to Wire a Trailer with Brakes Easily

Connecting a trailer to your vehicle can be a very convenient thing to do for all types of recreational activities, like boating or jet skiing. Sometimes trailers are needed for the more mundane things in life, such as moving furniture. Whatever the reason, you have to know how to wire a trailer to the vehicle or the trailer won’t be very helpful at all! If you are mechanically inclined, it will be very easy to wire a trailer to your vehicle. If you want to become mechanically inclined, there are many resources that will show you how to wire a trailer the old fashioned way. But if you just simply want to have your trailer hooked to your vehicle in the quickest manner possible, then take the easy way out and follow these steps to know how to wire a trailer. These steps tell you how to wire a trailer to a vehicle if the vehicle does not have a rigging system already installed.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Vehicle to trailer wire connector kit for your specific vehicle
• Drill
• Screw

1. Determine the transportation regulations in your specific state so that when you wire a trailer to your vehicle, you are doing it legally. State regulations vary, so make sure that you make any adjustments for compliance with those regulations as you determine how to wire a trailer to your vehicle.

2. Find the rear taillights of your vehicle and find the cover that protects the taillights.

3. Locate the plug for the wiring that leads to your vehicle’s taillights.

4. Remove the plug and insert one of the plugs on the connector that came with your kit into the location where you removed the taillight’s plug. Plug the taillight’s wire plug into the connector.

5. Repeat process for the other taillight.

6. Drill a hole in the metal part of the trunk or bumper of the vehicle if there is not a place to attach the grounding wire that should come with the connector in your kit.

7. Put a screw in the hole that you drilled. Attach the ground wire to the screw.

8. Leave a sufficient amount of slack in the wire to allow for turning. Verify that the brake lights work both on the vehicle and the trailer.