How to Hook Up a 6-Pin Trailer Connector
A 6-pin trailer connector allows for two extra functions, most often auxiliary brakes and extra lights on the side or inside the trailer. Trailers are required by law to have running lights, brake lights and turn signals. This can be achieved using a basic 4-pin trailer connector, with the left turn and right turn lights each sharing a wire with the brake lights, the third wire running the tail and license lights, and the fourth wire as the ground. Changing the connector is not a complex process. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- 12-volt electrical wire (red, green and white)
- 6-pin connector
- Sharp-nose pliers
- Wire cutter and stripper
- Crimpers
- Wire nuts
Instructions
-
-
1
Draw a diagram of the trailer hookup, showing the colors. The basic setup is green for right turn signal and brake light, yellow for left turn signal and brake light, brown for taillights and license, and white for the ground. In a 6-pin connector, the red wire can be used for auxiliary brakes and the blue wire for extra trailer lights.
-
2
Replace the existing wires on the trailer if they are worn or bare in places. Follow each existing wire, pull it out with sharp-nose pliers, and replace it with the same color wire, making sure it is screwed down tightly to the connector, or use wire nuts and a crimper to join the old wires to the new wires. Connect the white ground wire to a clean, unpainted metal part of the trailer to prevent shorting--not to the tow hitch or bumper.
-
-
3
Connect the wires from the trailer to the male side of the 6-pin connector. Strip off 3 inches of the rubber from the outside of the new or existing wires to expose the metal core, making certain you leave enough rubber to distinguish the colors of each wire. Join the wires on the trailer to each of the pins in the male side of connector, making certain you connect green to green, red to red, and so on and screw them down tightly. Make sure there is no exposed wire.
-
4
Join the wires from the truck into the female side of the connector, making certain first that the battery is disconnected.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Blowing fuses or circuit breakers indicates a short to ground or a system overload. Check for bare wires or too many lights.
References
- Photo Credit remorque image by Nath Photos from Fotolia.com
