Installing 7-Way Trailer Connector on 1999 Explorer w/ 12-Volt Power Circuit for Trailer Battery  

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To install a 7-way trailer connector on your Explorer, you'd first need a functioning 4-pole. If you don't have a 4-pole, you can install one using part # 118345.

At this point, you'll need to decide if you need the 7-way to provide the lighting and battery circuits only to the trailer, or if you need to install a brake controller on the Explorer as well. If you just need the lighting and battery feed circuit, you can use an adapter like part # 37185. The adapter would plug into your existing 4-pole with 4 extra wires. The black wire would be extended with a length of 10 gauge wire like # 10-1-1 and ran to the positive battery terminal with a 40 amp circuit breaker # 9510. The white wire would be grounded to the vehicle frame, and the other two wires, the blue wire which usually carries the output from the brake controller and the purple wire that usually carries the reverse light circuit could just be bundled up out of the way, in case you should need them at some point in the future.

If your trailer has electric brakes, you'll need to install a brake controller like the Tekonsha Prodigy P2, part # 90885. You'd also need our Brake Controller Install Kit, part # ETBC7. The kit contains everything you'll need to complete the installation, including the adapter I mentioned above, and all hardware, circuit breakers, hardware and wire. I'll link you to a help article that explains how to use the install kit. I'll also link you to a video showing the install kit being used on a 1996 Explorer. The install procedure would be identical on your vehicle.

The 12-volt accessory circuit will maintain your trailer mounted battery, but will not have enough grunt to recharge a completely discharged battery. For that, you'll need shore power and a quality battery charger like # CTEK56353.

expert reply by: Mike L

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