rob_engineer

Yes, it looks like this connector would work. Price is good. Still have to run a wire up to the battery and the blue wire for the controller. May not be as clean of an install compared to the mopar part, but still looks enticing for the price.

rob_engineer

I bought the 4flat to 7pin adapter today. I am thinking I should run two wires up to the battery. One to power the brakes and the other to provide auxiliary power for charging the batteries on the trailer. Is this what I should do?

4x4chick

We have to do the same on our 2012 2 door Rubicon to tow our tent trailer. I went to U-Haul and the gave me a quote for just over $200 for a digital brake controller and the 7 pin harness with installation. I think I will let them do it and then I don't have to wonder the hole time if the brakes will work or not.

rob_engineer

$200 sounds good. I paid $54 for the harness and brake controller wire kit. The controller will be another $100.

Former Shasta

I have that same bumper, but don't know if I want to cut into it. I'm thinking of hiding the 7 pole and attaching it sideways to the crossmember. Anyone see an issue with that? I don't want to do it lower on the bumper do to trail clearance.

moabicon

I didn't really want to bore the hole into my bumper either. But, after laying underneath it for 30 minutes I couldn't decide on a good/ convenient other place to locate it.
I used a 2 1/8 hole saw that I already had and bored into the bumper. I could not believe how easily the saw cut through this steel. The steel seemed really soft compared to other 3/16" i've drilled into before. Maybe because it's Chinese? Anyway I couldn't find any other suitable location so I put it there. It's up out of the way when wheeling and I'm happy with it.

Former Shasta

So I went ahead and bought this adapter from etrailer.

Adapter 4 Pole to 7 Pole Vehicle End Trailer Connector Tow Ready Wiring 30717

I'm a little confused, so I thought I'd ask a few questions.

1) If I plug it in to the four pin, and I have a 7 pin to 4 pin plug, then my four pin should work as usual, no?
2) How are people hooking the black wire to the battery? Mentions a fuse of some sort. Could I hook this into my Lockpick CHR 550 which has grounds and such, or would directly to the battery be the best?
3) Can I install a brake controller later when I actually am gonna buy a trailer? What would the danger of not hooking up the blue wire be?
4) The orange wire is an accessory wire. What should I use this for? I know I don't need to hook it up immediately, but what would I use it for in the future?

Thanks.

lazerpunk

The adaptor you bought plugs into the factory 4 wire harness. You can un-plug the adaptor and use the 4 wire plug like normal but you will have the adaptor dangling while unconnected.

I would connect directly to the battery, with a fuse on the positive connection. They are used to charge your trailers battery while you are driving down the road.

I am not sure what the accessory wire is for.

The problem with using this type of adaptor is corrosion. The crimp style connectors and the 4 wire connection will all turn green in a short time. You will alway be wiggling the connections to get your lights to work. I would recommend using the Mopar harness, it isn't really that expensive. It installs real clean any you will not have any problems with corrosion. I installed one on my 2007 JK when I bought it new. It now has 130K miles and I have never had an issue with the plug.

grumpy1

I when with the Mopar 7 pin wiring harness because it was a plug and play kit because I already had the 4 pin harness. It took me about 30 minutes to swap out. The hardest part was getting one of the plastic zip tie holders out that was on the top. I haven't takled adding the trailer brake yet but I should be easy to just tap into the factory wiring harness.

middleurb

Rob_engineer,

I have installed the mopar 7 pin harness and am using the tekonsha p3 brake controller. I have installed this combination now twice (2010 & 2012 JK) and its really a breeze. The mopar kit makes it easy and comes with plenty of wire, fuses, and is heat shielded to protect against exhaust heat. The only two wires you need to run to the front engine bay is the power wire to battery which is fused and the blue wire inside the cab which you will need a wire tap to connect it to one of the wires off of the brake pedal. I'm not sure off the top off my head which wire you tap but just PM me if you need to know and I will go look for you.

For the ease of installation I highly recommend the Mopar kit which I got from the dealer for around a $100+-