How to Wire a Jayco Trailer
Jayco is a privately-owned manufacturer of recreational vehicles. In common with most travel trailers, Jaycos have three separate wiring installations. External 12-volt circuits run the exterior lighting and mechanical functions of the trailer from a hitch to the tow vehicle; interior 12-volt circuits power lighting and outlets from a deep cycle battery and interior 120-volt circuits power appliances and outlets from a shore connection to a grid. The installation of all three systems is a complex project requiring comprehensive household and automotive wiring skills.
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Things You'll Need
- Electrical toolkit
- Wiring
- Connectors
- Seven-pin hitch
- Graph paper
- Pen
- Lighting
- Outlets
- Fuse board
- 30-amp plug
- 30-amp plug (optional)
- Circuit breaker board
- Converter charger
Instructions
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1
Install the system connecting the exterior lights, electric brakes and 12-volt charge to the on-board batteries through the tow vehicle hitch. Route wires to both tail light clusters to operate tail lights, running lights and tag illuminator and stop/turn signal lights. Route wires to the electric brakes, the on-board deep cycle and break-away batteries and to ground.
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2
Connect the exterior circuits according to the conventional color-coding and American Wire Gauge sizing as follows: 10-gauge white to ground, 12-gauge blue to electric brakes, 14-gauge brown to tail lights/running lights/license plate illuminator, 10-gauge black to battery charge/12 volt supply, 14-gauge yellow to left turn/brake light, 14-gauge green to right turn/brake light, and 14-gauge purple to backup lights.
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3
Install 12-volt interior circuits. Use 8-gauge black wire between the deep cycle battery's positive terminal and a fuse board, then fuse individual circuits to light switches and lights, fixed appliances and 12-volt outlets. Use white wire for all ground connections. Use graph paper and a pen to make a plan of your 12-volt installations, and store the plan with other trailer documents.
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4
Install 120-volt interior circuits. Use a 6-gauge cord sleeved in frost- and UV-resistant insulation to make the shore connection, and fit either a 30-amp or 50-amp plug on the remote end according to the Jayco trailer's appliance capacity. Wire the shore connection to a conventional household circuit breaker board. Install individual circuits to regular outlets in the living area and to Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter outlets in the galley and bathroom
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5
Install individual circuits to heavy-demand appliances such as air conditioners and the cooker. Install a converter charger to keep the 12-volt deep cycle battery fully charged from the shore power connection. Follow manufacturer's instructions for the connection of all appliances, and observe conventional color-coding of the wires throughout. Use graph paper and a pen to make a plan of your 120-volt installations, and store the plan with other trailer documents.
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Tips & Warnings
Use protective conduit where applicable, and use rubber grommets to protect all wires passing through metal panels and bulkheads.
Have a licensed professional carry out a safety inspection when the wiring projects are complete.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Wire Cutter image by Haris Rauf from Fotolia.com
