Adding 12 Volt Power to a Jayco Camper Towed by a 2006 Ford F-150 with Factory 4-Way  

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Expert Reply:

Since the trailer you have is a Jayco, the Adapter 4 Way Flat to 6 Way Square, # 30104, should fit the truck and pop up camper just fine. However, this adapter is taking the basic lighting functions from the 4-Way on the truck and converting them to the configuration used by the Jayco plug.

You will have left and right turn signals, brake lights, and running lights. Because a 4-Way plug does not have a 12 volt power function, it will not provide 12 volt power to the camper.

Adding a 12 volt function from the truck side, and a plug to make it all work, could be tricky. But I propose replacing the 6-Way square on the camper with a 7-Way RV style connector and then fitting the truck with a 7-Way as well. This will be much easier in the long run.

Starting on the trailer side you will cut off the 6-Way plug. The tricky part here is knowing which wire is for which function on the trailer. So you will want to trace them back to were they go on the trailer and label them. You should have wires to the lights, brakes (if equipped), and a 12 volt circuit.

Once you have them labeled, open up the 7-Way trailer connector, # PK12706, to attach the wires as described below:

1 oclock position = 12 volt power
3 oclock position = right turn and brake
5 oclock position = Electric brakes
7 oclock position = ground
9 oclock position = left turn and brake
11 oclock position = running lights

Once that is complete, you will add a 7-Way to the truck using # 37185. Plug your 4-Way into the back of this harness, mount the 7-Way, and attach the white ground wire to the vehicle frame. There will be 3 wires left. The purple wire is for reverse lights. The blue wire would go to a brake controller in the cab, and the black wire is for 12 volt power.

If you do not want or need reverse lights (if the trailer does not have them you will not need it) you can tape up the purple wire and stow it out of the way. If the camper does not have electric brakes you can tape up the blue wire too. Or if you do not want to use a brake controller you can tape it up.

For the black wire, you will need about 20 feet of wire # 10-1-1. Attach one end to the black wire and then route the other end under the vehicle to the front and up through the engine compartment near the battery. Avoid areas that may pinch or burn the wire.

Under the hood, route the wire to the battery and clip off the excess wire, you will need it later. You will then attach a 40 amp circuit breaker, # PK54540, to the metal in the engine bay near the battery. Attach the routed wire to the AUX post. Using the excess wire, attach one end to the BAT post and attach the other end to the positive battery terminal to complete installation.

expert reply by: Michael H

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