Trailer wiring???
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Senior User
Joined: Mar 2010
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From: West Palm Beach, FL
Trailer wiring???
Was looking at pulling a little utility trailer with my 83 f150 and noticed that I don't have any thing to connect the plug from the trailer to the truck for brake lights and everything, what do I need to get for this and what's the easiest and cheapest route? Thanks for your input
FTE Legend
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 32,875
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From: Northeast, OK
Do a search on this forum for "trailer wiring" and click on "posts", not "threads". Somewhere there are a few posts about there being a plug that, IIRC, you can get at the parts store that will plug into the Ford wiring harness.
If you don't find such a connector, they sell short pig-tails that have a couple of feet of wire and the trailer connector on the end. Wire that into your truck's wiring by, preferably soldering and taping, but at least use the insulation-displacement connectors that have their own sealer with them. The problem is that the rear of a truck is a wet, dirty, nasty place and if the connection isn't done well and sealed properly it will fail.
Oh yes, google trailer wiring color code and you'll find how to determine which wire goes where.
If you don't find such a connector, they sell short pig-tails that have a couple of feet of wire and the trailer connector on the end. Wire that into your truck's wiring by, preferably soldering and taping, but at least use the insulation-displacement connectors that have their own sealer with them. The problem is that the rear of a truck is a wet, dirty, nasty place and if the connection isn't done well and sealed properly it will fail.
Oh yes, google trailer wiring color code and you'll find how to determine which wire goes where.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,251
Likes: 8
From: North Carolina
I know this one! The easiest route is to get a T-one connector. It connects right inline between two plugs found under the driver's side rear bed. I bought mine on ebay at the suggestion of another FTE member. But I think some auto stores may have it as well.
Postmaster
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 3,441
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From: Muskegon, MI (home)
I was looking for the "t type" direct plug in harness for both of my 84 trucks. From what I have found the only option for the 87 and older Fords is to buy the universal pigtail and splice it in. And as mentioned above make sure the connections are solid and well sealed. I personally prefer to solder and heat shrink wrap all the individual wires, then go over the top of all of them with tape or a big piece of heat shrink... never had an issue when doing it this way.
John
John
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2012
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From: Rocky Mountain High
Festus came equipped with this towing harness. It's marked LITE-MATE, FORD 1980 - ON, LM 5004. As Galendor noted, it just T's into the taillight wiring in the left rear. They must have changed their part numbers, as a quick search for 5004 brings up nothing online....
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,916
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I wish the previous owners of my truck knew about this.
The only thing electrical that's been butchered up on my truck is the trailer wiring.
It looks like they cut the majority of them, and decided to "touch" the wires to see which ones worked right and if they did, they went with them.
Those harnesses look pretty nice. I might have to hit a junkyard one day and get a taillight harness from a truck and one of these trailer harnesses from the autoparts place and see what I can do.
The only thing electrical that's been butchered up on my truck is the trailer wiring.
It looks like they cut the majority of them, and decided to "touch" the wires to see which ones worked right and if they did, they went with them.
Those harnesses look pretty nice. I might have to hit a junkyard one day and get a taillight harness from a truck and one of these trailer harnesses from the autoparts place and see what I can do.
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I just finished wiring in that very same part..
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