Camper hookup

[NAKODTA]

First off, thanks all for your reply's to my questions. I'm new at all this so I have a lot of questions.
I'm looking at a little guy teardrop to pull with my Bronco Sport. A problem that I am running into is the electrical hookup. The camper has a 7-prong plug, the bronco takes a 4 prong. I believe I can get an adapter which will allow me to plug into the Bronco, however from what I have read it is only going to take care of the running lights. It will not charge the battery on the camper as I drive.
So first, I don't know how big of an issue that would be, not charging the battery, and 2nd, is there an adapter that will allow this? Or something? Thanks

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[Sleddog]

More than likely you will not be able to charge the battery with the 4 pin in your BS not even with an adapter. The 4 pin connection is lights only. Do an internet search about it you will find info at various sites like etrailer.

I can’t speak to the trailer. But you get a solar panel to keep it charged before your trip and perhaps use it to charge while camping.

 

[67L48]

I'm surprised that there's a ~1,500 lb camping trailer out there that would need a 7-pin connection. If you do, then you'd need to wire in something like this:

Small ~1,500 lb GVWR trailers generally won't have brakes. But, if they do, then I'd highly recommend getting a brake controller and wiring that inline, too.

Edit: I just looked at the Little Guy Trailers page. The only trailer that could possibly work would be the MyPod trailer, and you'd have to pack light. The other trailers are all way, way too heavy to pull.

 

[Mark S.]

I'm surprised that there's a ~1,500 lb camping trailer out there that would need a 7-pin connection. If you do, then you'd need to wire in something like this:

Small ~1,500 lb GVWR trailers generally won't have brakes. But, if they do, then I'd highly recommend getting a brake controller and wiring that inline, too.

Edit: I just looked at the Little Guy Trailers page. The only trailer that could possibly work would be the MyPod trailer, and you'd have to pack light. The other trailers are all way, way too heavy to pull.

I think the additional wiring is to support charging the camper's battery.

 

[NAKODTA]

The trailer is a 2013 5 wide. It is 900 lbs dry.
I don’t need the brakes or to charge the battery in the trailer, I just need the running lights. Will this one work just for that?

 

[jkeaton]

The trailer is a 2013 5 wide. It is 900 lbs dry.
I don’t need the brakes or to charge the battery in the trailer, I just need the running lights. Will this one work just for that?

The existing 4 pin will operate the lights on the camper. Nothing else. You mentioned charging the battery in your original post. You need a 7 pin to do that.

 

[Bucko]

Get a battery tender. Prior to the trip (say, two days prior), connect the tender to the trailer battery. It will be fully charged for the trip. If you are going to a camp site that has electrical hook up, bring your battery tender with you to keep it charged while at the camp site. If you are camping with no hookup, your battery should remain charged for a couple of days worth, depending on what lighting accesories or (?) you run off of the battery.

To test the length of the battery charge while camping, setup the camper at home and use the items you plan on using while camping. See how long the battery lasts. This will give you an idea with out worrying while doing the "real" camp outing. If your battery will not last the entire camp outing without needing a charge, consider getting a solar charge unit.

 

[67L48]

The trailer is a 2013 5 wide. It is 900 lbs dry.
I don’t need the brakes or to charge the battery in the trailer, I just need the running lights. Will this one work just for that?

A 4-pin connection will have (1) Right side turn and brake lights, (2) Left side turn and brake lights, (3) Running/tail lights, and (4) Ground. If all you need is standard lighting, then you are all set to go.

You just need a cheap 7 pin to 4 pin adapter to make the physical connection between your trailer (7 pin) and your BS (4 pin). Most of these will require a physical mount, as the 7 pin connector from the trailer + adapter is a bit heavy to put on the thin 4-pin of your BS. Here is one example.

Your OP stated you needed charging. That's part of what a 7-pin does. It does the lighting of the 4-pin, but it adds (5) Reverse lights, (6) 12 VDC aux/charging, and (7) Brake control. Sounds like you don't need those things, which means you don't need to do any wiring ... you just need to plug in and go (with adapter).

As for the trailer, dry weights are a marketing gimmick. It's the same as asking a 50 year old man how much he weighs and his reply being, "Well, I weighed 145 lbs in high school." You're probably OK, but quoting trailer dry weights when contemplating towing is a bit of a red flag. BS, like most vehicles, is payload (GVWR) limited. You have to think through the actual weights of what you're towing (which is only loosely related to the dry weight), the amount that drops onto your vehicle hitch, and everything else in or on the vehicle that wasn't there from the factory (including you and other passengers' weights). Subtract all that from the door jamb sticker's payload number. Easy-peasy.

Have fun.

 

[Mark S.]

You just need a cheap 7 pin to 4 pin adapter to make the physical connection between your trailer (7 pin) and your BS (4 pin). Most of these will require a physical mount, as the 7 pin connector from the trailer + adapter is a bit heavy to put on the thin 4-pin of your BS. Here is one example.

Alternatively, you get one of these. Then you can use a zip tie to attach the plug coming off the trailer to the trailer's tongue.

 

[NAKODTA]

Ok so we got the adapter , 7 prong and 4. Says plug in simple. Plugged it in. Doesn’t work.

 

[Bucko]

Ok so we got the adapter , 7 prong and 4. Says plug in simple. Plugged it in. Doesn’t work.

7 and 4, or 7 to 4? If it was a 7 to 4, and does not work, then the 7 prong wiring is installed incorrectly.

 

[Mark S.]

Ok so we got the adapter , 7 prong and 4. Says plug in simple. Plugged it in. Doesn’t work.

Can you be more specific? You get nothing?

 

[67L48]

Alternatively, you get one of these. Then you can use a zip tie to attach the plug coming off the trailer to the trailer's tongue.

No. That won't work. This is literally the opposite of what the OP needs. Your adapter takes a 4 pin trailer and attaches it to a 7 pin vehicle receiver -- like what you might need for attaching a small utility trailer to a 1 ton truck. Your adapter features a 7 pin female end.

The OP needs a 7 pin male like the one I linked to.

These are far less common because, frankly, it's a bit of a litmus test, gate keeper poke-yoke device ... if the trailer has a 7 pin connection and the vehicle only has a 4 pin receiver, it's a decent bet that it's too much trailer for the vehicle. May not be true in this case, but it's why these adapters are far less common.

 

[jkeaton]

What type of connector is on the trailer? 4 or 7 pin? If it is a 7 pin, I agree with 67L48 that it's probably too much camper. If it's only a 4 pin coming from the camper, you don't need any adapters. Simply plug it into the 4 pin socket on your BS.

 

[NAKODTA]

7 and 4, or 7 to 4? If it was a 7 to 4, and does not work, then the 7 prong wiring is installed incorrectly.

7 to 4. Thats what I think also, but having neighbor who is electrician check it out.

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