Will Pollak Trailer Connector Adapter Work For Wiring From Dump Truck To Equipment Trailer

Question:

Hello. I have a 2015 International dump truck with a 7-pole female wiring socket. Will this adapter work for an equipment trailer with a 7-flat male plug, including the electric brakes on the trailer? Thanks.

asked by: Andy

Expert Reply:

To determine if the Trailer Connector Adapter # HM47425 will work for your set-up, you will want to test to functions of the pins on the vehicle-end connector using a circuit tester, # PTW2993. Typically, the wiring connectors on commercial trucks aren't wired the same as the connectors on utility/equipment or travel trailers.

I have attached a photo showing the likely functions of the pins in your vehicle-side connector. I have also attached a photo showing how the functions would need to be wired on the connector to work with the # HM47425 adapter.

If the functions of the pins on your international dump truck don't match those needed to work with the # HM47425 adapter, the best solution will be to wire the truck for a 7-Way blade-style connector to use when towing the equipment trailer. This will allow you to keep the existing 7-Pole wired with standard commercial wiring while also having a 7-Way blade-style connector for trailers wired like the equipment trailer.

You can use a wiring harness like the Tow Ready Upgraded Circuit Protected Modulite with 4-Pole Harness and Hardwire Kit # 119179KIT to provide the dump truck with a 4-Pole connector. This kit comes with the equipment needed to hardwire the wiring harness to your vehicle.

Then, you can wire in our Universal Installation Kit for Trailer Brake Controller # ETBC7. The # ETBC7 will provide a 7-Way blade-style connector for the dump truck to connect to the equipment trailer. The # ETBC7 kit will connect to the 4-Pole # 119178KIT and then need to be hardwired for 12V power, electric brake wire, and reverse lights, if desired.

If you do not already have a brake controller in the dump truck, you will want to install one to be able to control the electric brakes on the equipment trailer. I recommend the Tekonsha Prodigy P2 Brake Controller # 90885. I have attached a link to all of our brake controllers for you.

I have also attached a help article on trailer wiring, installing the # ETBC7 kit, and installing a brake controller from scratch for you.

Typically, when installing a brake controller from scratch, you will want to splice into the stoplight wire above the brake pedal in order to obtain a signal for the brake controller to activate the electric brakes. On most commercial trucks, there is not a stoplight wire here to splice into. Some options for finding the brake light signal are the Center High Mounted Stop Light circuit or the stoplight wire at the existing 7-Pole connector. It is likely that the wire that carries the stoplight signal coming from the 7-Pole connector will be more easily accessible than the CHMSL circuit.