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4-Way Flat Wiring Harness Extension
California residents: click here
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Today on our 2008 Chevy Express Van, were gonna install the Hopkins 4-Pole wiring kit with part number 31345. First, were gonna need to access the rear cargo area of the vehicle. Behind each taillight is the manufacturers connection. Well be plugging inline with this connector. To make our connection, well need to split the two manufacturers connection. Pressing on the locking tab, well pull them apart.
Now we can take our new Hopkins connector and plug inline with the manufacturers. Next, we can take our white wire with the ring terminal already pre-attached; this is our ground wire. Here to the body of the vehicle is a manufacturer ground. So what well do is go ahead and remove this bolt and make our ground connection here. Alright, now weve got our ground bolt removed, you can see that it wont fit to the ring terminal.
So what Im gonna do is go ahead and cut it off and replace it with the one thats slightly larger so itll fit to the manufacturer ground. Well go ahead and reinstall our ground stud with our new ground. Now were gonna go ahead and route the converter box 4-pole wire and our red power wire in the hide in paneling and bring it out the lower access. Now with those wires in place, were gonna go ahead and set them aside for now and route the passenger side connector and green wire over behind the taillight on the passenger side. To do this, well just gonna follow the manufacturer wiring up and around the door frame.
As I go along, Ill just use some black zip ties to secure the wiring. Now weve made both connection points behind the taillight and we secured the wiring, lets go ahead and go back, cut up any excess from the zip ties with a pair of side cutters. This will just clean up our install a little bit. Alright, now that weve got our signal wire run and secured, we need to go back and add to our power wire. Our red wire with the yellow butt connector comes directly out of our converter box and well add it to the additional red wire supplied with our install kit.
For a little added security, Im gonna go ahead and wrap the connection point with some black electrical tape also. This will help to keep out any dirt, moisture and debris. Now, both wires, which is our 4-pole connection point and our red power wire need to be routed outside of the vehicle. Were gonna run straight down to the inside of the body panel using a couple of metal clamps to secure our wire and routing it along the floor, underneath the weather stripping and outside the vehicle that way. For an added security measure, you may add a zip tie here to secure their wiring and our converter box. Now to route our wires, well just come along the floor of the van and out the corner. What Im gonna do is take a pair of tin snips and cut a little of the body away so that we can make that corner and reinstall the wire stripping. Then we can feed our wires underneath the vehicle where our 4-pole will be routed over to the hitch and our red power wire is gonna get routed up along the frame to the battery. Were gonna be extra careful to stay away from moving components such as a steering or suspension or excessive heat such as the exhaust. Were just behind the front axle of our vehicle and weve run out of length from our power wire. The reason for this is because were working with an extended version so the length of the power supplied in our install kit isnt quite long enough. But now what were gonna do is strip down the wire and well add a butt connector and some additional length to our power wire. Just as I did before, well go ahead and tape up the connection point. Now we can go ahead and continue routing our wire. Alright, now weve got our power wire straight up into the engine compartment. Were right here at the battery so Im gonna install to the manufacturers wiring over to the positive battery terminal. Now, before I completely secure my wiring, we need to add a fuse holder. To do this, Im gonna cut off any excess length from my power wire, strip it back and add it to the butt connector on the fuse holder. Just as we did earlier to our butt connectors, were gonna go ahead and use some black electrical tape and tape this one also. Now, before I make my connection to the battery, Im gonna go ahead and remove the fuse and then reinstall it after we make our connection. Now we can go ahead and make our reconnection with our power wire ring terminal to the battery. However, with the side post mounted battery style, youll need to add a battery extender to do so part number DW05416. To add our extender, first well need to remove the old battery post. Now, to remove the positive battery terminal from the positive battery cable, well need to go ahead and push it out from being held in with the rubber coating around it. Now that we have the old one out, we can go ahead and install the new one then well reconnect the positive battery cable. Now well go ahead and remove our hold down nut and install our ring terminal and well secure that with the hold down nut and tighten it down. Now were ready to go ahead and reinstall the fuse in the fuse holder. As you can see, our 4-pole connector isnt gonna be long enough to attach to center of the hitch. So what well do is to add a 4-pole loop made by Hopkins part HM47115. As part of the install kit for our 4-pole loop comes dielectric grease. Well go ahead and take some dielectric grease and place it directly into the connector. Once theyre firmly together, Im gonna go ahead and take some black electrical tape and tape up the connection just to assist in keeping out any dirt and debris. Now weve got our connection made, well go ahead and route it to the center of the hitch. Now well go ahead and take some black zip ties to secure our wiring then we can take the end cap provided with our new 4-pole loop and install it at the end of our new 4-pole connector and secure it to the hitch. Thatll complete the install of our new 4-pole wiring by Hopkins part number 31345.
Average Customer Rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars (86 Customer Reviews)
The items I ordered will allow me to adapt my utility trailer for transporting my sea kayaks. Curt and Hopkins are both quality manufacturers.
On a shipping note, the box arrived at the Post Office broken wide open. Your shipping folks need to wrap small, heavy, items in bubble wrap. Then stabilize it with foam peanuts. Just putting it in a box then stuffing the box with craft paper does not cut it. Items were not damaged so I am good to go.
I have now installed the following on my 2017 Wrangler:
Brake light relay kit .
Hopkins Towed vehicle Tail Light wiring kit.
Blue Ox base plate.
Blue Ox Patriot Portable RF Braking System.
All of this has taken about 3 days of work spread out over a week or so. Overall it went well. Not too many surprises. Crawling around under a car at 71 is a bit of a strain but I'll get over it. I must say that Donna P. has been a wonderful source of great information and has stayed right on top of the process. eTrailer has been a great source for this project.
I would recommend you all with no hesitation.
I love the new setup for my truck. I changed the receiver to a Draw-Tite Ultra Frame model and mounted the connection on the receiver. It works great and accommodates both of my trailers with the 7 pin and 4 pin connections. Couldn't be more pleased. My rewiring of my light trailer is flawless, solid connections and good quality. Thanks!
Great service and selection, shipped fast and arrived ok. Parts work very well, and so far so good. Still working on a more secure and adjustable mounting solution so the light can be seen when the rack is up or down.
Works great
Very fast service and shipping!
What's not to like. I've made a bunch of pigtails in the past and this is nice and neat without splices and tape. I use it to connect the custom Hopkins taillight kit on my car to my motor home.
Lights have worked exceptionally. I didn't experience the wiring difficulties expressed by others, and I have the larger cargo carrier. My only complaints are that the wiring plug to the light fixture is exposed to the cargo and can be damaged, and the fixture itself can be pushed out by cargo. I made a protective cover mount to correct these problems. I would note that the above complaints can be applied to all the light fixtures I reviewed across the internet.
Works great as an added extension for when the other cable is shorter than you like it to be.
Chris B.
12/19/2017
I have used this numerous times and works well.
Product was exactly what I was looking for. No one local carried it. Quality was excellent as was the service.
Great job from a great company.
Merry Christmas to all at etrailer.
Bob M.
12/5/2017
Still working great!
*Although I have not installed the trailer jack yet it looks like a direct replacement for the original one on my boat trailer. The wheel that goes with the jack definitely looks like a better fit than original.
*The electrical 4 conductor plug set... I'm using for a quick disconnect for a third
( center ) brake light for tailgaters
Excellent fit. Makes good connection.
Works perfectly, just as described.
I used mine when I was installing of the ModuLite Circuit Protected Vehicle Wiring Harness Item # 119190, so I didn't have to back up to the camper when checking function before I finished the install. Now it will be extra parts if I need it.
Along with 7-pin to 4-pin adapter this added the length I needed for my cargo tray I had purchased from etrailer years ago.
I bought this item because I have one trailer and three different vehicles set up for hauling it. Each of the vehicles have different length pigtails, which pose a problem. This was an inexpensive solution! Much easier than extending the wires on two vehicles or the trailer. It's well-made, good price and shipped quickly. Thanks
Excellent quality. Good product. Using it to extend from my boat trailer wiring connection to my truck. Needed because I have a camper on the truck and also needed to have extended slide-in hitch extension.
The 12" Ball Extension Bar works Great! It allows me to make 90 Degree Angle Turns without hitting my trucks bumper. Of course I need to extend the electrical light connection (HM47115), just had to trim the soft plastic to fit perfectly into my trucks connection.
Using this for a hitch extension. The 4 wires are fused flat. Had to use 1/2 loom instead of 3/8. I understood the 3/8 would work when I ordered. Had the description shown the wires were fused flat i would give 5 stars.
The cargo tray is exactly as I expected. It meets and exceeds expectation. The LED light kit however is a big disappointment. The connector significantly protrudes into the cargo tray. Because of its design it is very susceptible to any load pushing it out of its socket onto the road. It would have been perfect if it had a pigtail connector instead. And the wire harness is to short! In the future suggest an extension. Oh well. When the inevitable happens I will make my own.
Excellent idea.Makes wiring from plug to lights much easier and more reliable. If plug gets damaged, now I only need to replace harness back to the junction box. I plan to install another box in the rear of the trailer to eliminate Scoth lock connecters that are susceptible to corrosion. Only suggestion, could have made the box smaller to fit inside the trailer channel. No need for it to be this big.
Item arrived and was as described. I felt what was really worth mentioning was the customer service. I had problems ordering on my smart phone due to coverage, so I had to call. I spoke with two customer service representatives and they were both fantastic. It's refreshing to see there is still a company that obviously cares about service.
Excellent quality. They thoughtfully included dielectric grease and a protective cap to help prevent corrosion so you don't have bad connections and dead lights.
Works perfectly. Teamed it up with a plug mount and no more dangling cable and plug, it's up on the bumper in easy reach.
Found exactly what I was looking for at etrailer. I purchased an 18" hitch extender to aid in launching my skiff. I paid for 3 days shipping and it arrived in 3 days along with the accessories I ordered. All products very well made and did the job.
The products received were as expected. All fit as they were supposed to. Thank you to Rebecca for steering me in the right direction with the extension wiring.
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John M.
6/15/2018
I am still in love with the products. My only issue is having enough time to use them more.