How To Wire In A Trailer Battery To A Horse Trailer's Electrical Systems

Question

Question:

I have a 2004 Trailet horse trailer with an electric jack and breakaway system already installed. I would like to install an auxiliary battery to the trailer to power the jack without hooking it up to the tow vehicle. I also need the battery for the interior lights and fans I need to install to keep the horses cool on hot days. What would I need and how would it need to be installed so that it will trickle charge from the tow vehicle?

asked by: Scott E

0

Expert Reply:

To add in a battery, like the Go Power AGM RV Battery # 34276285, to your horse trailer and have it trickle charge while you tow you'll just need to connect it to the 12v hot lead of your 7-way. There should be a junction box somewhere near the trailer tongue that you can make you connections at. From there you can then run the lights and fans for the trailer directly to the battery or to the 12v hot lead in the junction box. Personally, I'd run the wiring directly to the battery with some in-line fuses to protect your wiring. You can leave the trailer jack routed to the 12v hot lead in the junction box so that if the battery every dies you can still work the jack with the 7-way.

To protect your battery and any connections to it from the elements I recommend also picking up a battery box. The NOCO Snap-Top Battery Box with Strap # 329-HM318BKS will cover group 24, group 27, group 29, and group 31 batteries.

expert reply by: Kevin C

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Answer 1

You can put a maintenance charge on your trailer battery with the 12 volt accessory circuit of the 7-way. The 1:00 position of your 7-way carries this circuit. You would just need to run a length of 10 gauge wire like part #10-1-1 (sold by the foot),…

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Answer 2

A 4-Way trailer connector has the basic lighting functions only; running lights, left turn signal and brake lights, right turn signal and brake lights, and ground. A 7-Way has these functions and a 12 volt circuit, a circuit for electric trailer…

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Answer 3

If your trailer has 7 wires running all the way back to the brakes, then yes, you can tap into the existing wiring. Each of your new brakes will have two wires for the brake magnet. One wire is for 12 volt power to the brake magnets and the other…

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Answer 4

When wiring a trailer connector, it is best to wire by function, as wire colors can vary. We have an excellent wiring diagram on our website, I will provide you a link so you can look at it. If you are looking at the inside of the trailer connector…

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Answer 5

In order to determine the torque rating for the lug nuts on your trailer you will need to know check out the chart I attached that shows all of the torque specs for all the trailer lugs available based on stud size, wheel material and wheel size.

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Answer 6

The only difference between 7-Way Utility and 7-Way RV is the color of the wires. The pin outs are the exact same so either would work just fine with the other. If you check out the picture I attached you'll see that the functions are all the…

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Answer 7

It could be a tow package fuse on the vehicle. Use the owners manual to find the locations of fuses/relays related to the tow package wiring to check them and replace as needed. If the issue is not a fuse or relay then you can test the vehicle side…

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Answer 8

If you just need a 4-pin to 7-pin trailer wiring adapter, then you can use part #C57672. This will plug into the 4-pin trailer connector on your brother's vehicle and give him the 7-pin socket for the trailer. Keep in mind, this will only give…

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Answer 9

The best way to power the interior lights in your trailer is with its own independent battery. You will not want to use the breakaway battery. The breakaway battery is only designed to operate the breakaway and will drain extremely quickly,…

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Answer 10

It's a wire color difference but not a function difference on the pins of the 7-way. The difference comes from the fact that the two different styles are representative of two different areas that uses trailers. Traditional is usually seen on…

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Answer 11

On a 7-Way connector the suggested minimum wire gauge for the White (ground) wire, the Red or Black (power) wire, and the Blue (brake power) wire is 12 gauge. The minimum wire gauge for the remaining Green (right turn/brake) wire, the Yellow (left…

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