Trailering and wire harness question

B

baz

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 19, 2009
Messages
6,083
Fluid Motion Model
C-24 C
Subject: Trailering and wire harness question

I'm a bit confused about how wiring is connected to the trailer and R-21EC.

I have just had a CURT Class III hitch installed and per Andrew's advice had a flat 5-pin receptacle added.

Now as I understand it, the trailer has lights and so does the R-21EC. The R-21EC comes with a wire harness tucked away in the anchor locker.

So if the R-21EC's wire harness is connected to my auto's flat 5-pin receptacle (does it?) how are the trailer lights connected ?

...or does the R-21EC's wire harness somehow connect to the trailer wires and then the trailer wire harness connects to the flat 5-pin receptacle ?

Hmmmm, then again, does the R-21EC in fact have trailering lights ?

Thanks. 🙂
 
baz":1ym6ej5n said:
Subject: Trailering and wire harness question

I'm a bit confused about how wiring is connected to the trailer and R-21EC.

I have just had a CURT Class III hitch installed and per Andrew's advice had a flat 5-pin receptacle added.

Now as I understand it, the trailer has lights and so does the R-21EC. The R-21EC comes with a wire harness tucked away in the anchor locker.

So if the R-21EC's wire harness is connected to my auto's flat 5-pin receptacle (does it?) how are the trailer lights connected ?

...or does the R-21EC's wire harness somehow connect to the trailer wires and then the trailer wire harness connects to the flat 5-pin receptacle ?

Hmmmm, then again, does the R-21EC in fact have trailering lights ?

Thanks. 🙂
Click to expand...

The trailer lights are connected to/powered by the 5-pin connector on the tow vehicle. A 4-wire pigtail is spliced into the trailer wiring ending with a male screw connector. This pigtail/connector is then screwed into a female receptacle located at the bow near the anchor line deck tube, thus powering side marker lights and brake/tail lights on the boat.

Best,
Bill
 
Thanks Bill.... I knew it had to work somehow and what you've described now helps me visualize how it all connects. 🙂 I'm going down to the Kent factory in the next week or so and will, besides check on my R-21EC build/assembly, make a test hookup to an R-21EC sitting on its EZ-Loader trailer just to make sure everything is working as it should.
 
You likely know this (I didn't so I will mention this should anyone else be wondering) but the reason for the 5 pin flat connector versus the 4 pin flat is that the 5'th pin is for the trailer surge brakes. The 5'th pin wire is spliced into a backup light wire on your tow vehicle so that when you put your vehicle into reverse it will lock out the surge brakes making backing down a ramp easier/possible.

FWIW, the people at EZ Loader told me that due to the disc brake set-ups on the trailers that the surge brakes are not always deactivated fully, simply by having the 5 pin wiring set-up. They said that if you find your brakes are still grabbing when backing up you may have to try using a lock out key pin (fits into the recess on the surge brake housing) to lock the brakes out, or use a large C-clamp so the surge brake actuator doesn't move. Ours seems to work fine just with the five pin wiring set up.
 
Good to know about the potential reversing issue with the 5th-pin and disc/drum brakes... thanks. 🙂
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

  • Tugnuts.com is the community hub for Ranger Tug, Cutwater, and Solara owners. Since its inception in 2008, the Tugnuts forum has grown into an active and thriving community of more than 9,000 members. It serves as both a meeting place for the best boating community online, and an invaluable archive of information.

  • User menu
Back
Top