How to Tow with a Vehicle that has a 4 Blade Trailer Light Hook Up
Towing with a vehicle equipped with a four-blade trailer light hook-up is both simple and practical. The hook-up conveys electrical signals from the tow vehicle to the trailer. While other more complex hook-ups exist to operate trailer brakes, charge trailer batteries and utilize reversing lights, the flat-connector four-pin hitch runs all the legally required electric functions necessary to use a trailer on the road. Towing also requires that the correct procedure be followed for connecting the trailer tongue to the tow vehicle's tow ball.
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Things You'll Need
- Tow vehicle equipped with four-blade hook-up
- Trailer equipped with four-blade hook-up
- Tow vehicle equipped with hitch and tow ball
- Trailer equipped with matched receiver
Instructions
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Reverse your tow vehicle into a position where its bumper hitch is adjacent to the trailer tongue's receiver. Confirm that the size of the tow ball on the tow vehicle matches the size of the trailer's receiver, and that the male four-blade electrical hook-up on the tow vehicle matches the female four-blade electrical hook-up on the trailer. These connectors are industry standard and have a universal size and shape.
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Use the jack on the trailer tongue to raise the receiver to a level two inches higher than the tow ball. Maneuver the tow vehicle until the ball is immediately beneath the receiver, then retract the jack until the receiver descends over the ball and the tow vehicle is supporting all the weight of the tongue. Keep retracting the jack until resistance is encountered, then release the pin securing it in its vertical configuration and rotate the jack to its horizontal, traveling, configuration. It will seat with a positive click.
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Ensure the jaw of the receiver is locked around the tow ball; there are many styles of jaw, so consult the owner's manual if you are in any doubt. Install the trailer's safety chains onto hooks or through eyebolts provided for the purpose as part of your tow vehicle's tow package.
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Connect the two electrical plugs together. They will mate easily and positively. Correct alignment is determined by one mismatched terminal at one end of both connectors, which can only mate with each counterpart. Have an assistant confirm the electrical connection is correct by switching on the tow vehicle and running through sidelight, brake and turn signal function.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit camping,trailer image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com
