Help with a dumb towing question

[jastevenson]

Hi all!

Will be towing for the first time ever soon (rental travel trailer). Am excited but also clueless. Was getting my stuff together and found this. It is my understanding that it is a 4 way connector....I think?

The trailer rental folks said I need a round 7 pin connector. My questions are:

A) Ford says the Expy comes with a round 7 pin, but I can’t find it. In the event that I can’t find it, do the 4 to 7 pin adapters work? I found them on Amazon and may need to buy one assuming they work.

B) What do I do with the side of the cable with the “naked” wires? I know how to work with a plug, but don’t have the slightest idea what do do with the free wires.

Thanks for helping a clueless newbie.

 

[shane_th_ee]

Pull off the receiver cover. The 7-pin and the 4 pin connectors are each under their own flap to the left of the receiver...

 

[Greg Parker]

Hi all!

Will be towing for the first time ever soon (rental travel trailer). Am excited but also clueless. Was getting my stuff together and found this. It is my understanding that it is a 4 way connector....I think?

The trailer rental folks said I need a round 7 pin connector. My questions are:

A) Ford says the Expy comes with a round 7 pin, but I can’t find it. In the event that I can’t find it, do the 4 to 7 pin adapters work? I found them on Amazon and may need to buy one assuming they work.

B) What do I do with the side of the cable with the “naked” wires? I know how to work with a plug, but don’t have the slightest idea what do do with the free wires.

Thanks for helping a clueless newbie.

Jay...that cable you have looks like it could be for a trailer brake controller and wires-up to a port under the dash. If you don't have a trailer brake controller already on your Expy and you're towing over 2000# ...you'll have to get one.

(EDIT: unless the travel trailer is truly a flat, 4-pin connector. In which case, if the trailer has brakes, they are likely surge brakes.)

 

[Gary Waugh]

As stated that plug is what you wire into a connector under the front dash and allows you to connect an electronic brake controller to your car, You probably also have to add a fuse to the fuse box as Ford wont have fitted it. You purchase the brake controller (usually about $100) and there are 4 wires that you have to connect up,Positive, Ground/negative, Brake active signal, and the output wire which feeds to the actual trailer plug on the rear of the car!! The hardest part for me was choosing where to mount the brake controller inside the car and then drilling holes to mount it!!

Gary

 

[Greg Parker]

As stated that plug is what you wire into a connector under the front dash and allows you to connect an electronic brake controller to your car, You probably also have to add a fuse to the fuse box as Ford wont have fitted it. You purchase the brake controller (usually about $100) and there are 4 wires that you have to connect up,Positive, Ground/negative, Brake active signal, and the output wire which feeds to the actual trailer plug on the rear of the car!! The hardest part for me was choosing where to mount the brake controller inside the car and then drilling holes to mount it!!

Gary

That's a bummer ...fortunately, I have the factory installed TBC. But I had a top of the line Tekonesha (sp?) that I was able to buy vehicle-specific cables for (with premade connectors). I think that Tek TBC has lived in 4 different vehicles now and I never had to wire anything ...just plug-and-play, with the right adapter cable. Pretty surprising if that isn't also possible on the Expy.

 

[jastevenson]

Doh, ok that’s for helping me figure out what that cable was for. I actually special ordered a cable off eTrailer that is apparently plug and play for installing a brake controller box (which I also bought...Tekonsha P3).

But in that case, what cable would I use to connect the plug next to the tow hitch to the trailer?

I didn’t receive any cables with my vehicle other than the one above? Google showed me various cables but not sure which is correct. It’s a 21’ 2016 trailer so pretty modern.

 

[Gary Waugh]

Doh, ok that’s for helping me figure out what that cable was for. I actually special ordered a cable off eTrailer that is apparently plug and play for installing a brake controller box (which I also bought...Tekonsha P3).

But in that case, what cable would I use to connect the plug next to the tow hitch to the trailer?

I didn’t receive any cables with my vehicle other than the one above? Google showed me various cables but not sure which is correct. It’s a 21’ 2016 trailer so pretty modern.

Unless I have misunderstood your question, you don't need any cable, the trailer will come with a cable that either has a 4 pin or a 7 pin plug on the end and you plug that cable into your car's rear plug (near the tow hitch).. No other cables are needed.

 

[Greg Parker]

Doh, ok that’s for helping me figure out what that cable was for. I actually special ordered a cable off eTrailer that is apparently plug and play for installing a brake controller box (which I also bought...Tekonsha P3).

But in that case, what cable would I use to connect the plug next to the tow hitch to the trailer?

I didn’t receive any cables with my vehicle other than the one above? Google showed me various cables but not sure which is correct. It’s a 21’ 2016 trailer so pretty modern.

Jay...that cable you have (in the pics above) definitely seems like an under-dash connector.

The rear of all 2018+ Expeditions have both a 7-pin (round) and 4-pin (flat) connector for the different types of trailer wiring. There is actually a 5-pin, flat connector out there these days and I had one on a boat trailer. To get that to work, I have a 7-pin round -to- 5-pin flat adapter and just use that for pretty much everything these days (cuz it also works for the old 4-pin flat).

You have a "body blank" right under the liftgate. It's a little worrisome trying to pull it off the first time, but comes off pretty easily once you see how it clips into the bumper cover. After that hitch cover is removed, you'll see the Class IV receiver and then just to the left of it is where you connect the trailer connector to the Expy. The left-side door/cover is the 7-pin round, and the right-side door/cover is the 4-pin flat.

 

[Greg Parker]

Here's some pics...

 

[jastevenson]

Ahh, the whole time I assumed I needed my own cable. Makes sense that it would come with the trailer. You guys are seriously awesome. Wish I could send a beer over the internet. Thanks for your help!