How to Power Trailer Interior Lamps Using Shore Power

Question:

I have a trailer with a standard 7 point plug. I want to plug it into an extension cord rather than my truck at home so I can use the lights in the trailer. Do they make an adapter?

asked by: Mike F

Expert Reply:

Assuming the lamps in your trailer are 12-volt, you'll need a bench-top type 12-volt power supply which you can easily find online. You'd also need a 7-way socket and pigtail like # 20024. If you choose a power supply with screw terminals on the front of it, the black pigtail wire would connect to the positive terminal and the white pigtail wire to the negative (this assumes that the lamps are powered from the 12-volt circuit from your trailer connector, sometimes they're powered by the running lamps circuit, in which case you'd use the brown wire for positive).

I've used 12-v power supplies before to power a CB radio and a police scanner, they would work very well for the lamps in the vehicle. A setup like this would allow you to quickly hook up power for your interior lamps without modifying the trailer wiring.

expert reply by: Mike L