oang
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- California
Hi again,
I have a question still related to hitches but in an electrical vs a mechanical sense this time. When I purchased a hitch on-line, I used their "accessories wizard" to choose an appropriate trailer wiring kit. It seems straightfoward enough to install (open the plastic panel on the rear driver's side and stick this T-connector between the tail light harness). The brand name of this wiring kit is called "Hoppy." The box says it is a "4-wire flat trailer connector." Sounds peachy for a lighter, smaller trailers.
Now, later, what if we are interested in towing a trailer that will be equipped with electric brakes? From what I understand, this 4-wire connector only deals with the light mechanisms (right, left, brake, tail lights). And from what I have read it seems like trailers with electric brakes have 7 wires (same as the 4, plus backup lights, electric brakes, auxiliary power). Since 4 < 7 and this "Hoppy" is 4... how to achieve support for the 7 (or at least the electric brake part of it)?
I see that there are converters (examples on: http://www.hitches4less.com/adapters.html or maybe http://www.hitches4less.com/brakematekits.html ) but it would seem to me that the 3 extra functions would just get tossed out, since the Hoppy connector only deals with the 4 lights.
So... (again brief preface: the vehicle is a 1996 Cherokee Classic that has no towing package)
(1) Does the Jeep come pre-wired to support a brake control (or, anything more than the 4-pin). It seems like this beast exists (inside a kick panel I think), but would this be only if you had the towing package?
The owner's manual mentions that electric brakes are necessary for vehicles with ABS (as this one does) but doesn't elaborate any further besides one sentence! Not much help there.
If wiring does not pre-exist, does this mean that wiring must be rigged from the trailer 7-pin's "electric brake" section into the Jeep where-ever the brake controller would be mounted?
(2) Is this "4-wire Hoppy" contraption the right or wrong adapter to have?! The "wizard" I used only showed this one available for my vehicle, so I thought it was a no-brainer. Until after I received it and then read more about different possible trailer connections. I saw ChiXJeff metioned he (I will quote: "wired a pigtail to the back of the 7 wire connector, and plugged the 4 wire into that. I added another pigtail (a 4 wire with 1 lead trimmed off) for a dedicated ground, 12V positive, and electric brakes.)" From this statement, it sounds like it is possible to somehow re-use this "Hoppy" in a 4-wire and a 7-wire application. As I don't understand some of the terminology above, I'm not really sure what's going on in that description (I guess I'm more of a visual learner).
Of course I would never try these things myself, and would ask a mechanic or an RV place to do this. I would like to better grasp the workings behind this, and know did I buy the correct wiring kit in the first place (so I can return for a refund if not!)
(3) For those of you who have wired your own trailer kits, where did you route the wires? I have not even opened the plastic panel yet to see if there are some choices from there, but would the wires go somehow through the undercarriage of the Jeep, or perhaps through one of the rear light enclosures?
I guess not only am I not too mechanically inclined, neither am I too electrically inclined. Oh well... that just means there's more that I can learn!
Again, thanks for any information you may impart, or your own experiences with this (or a similar) type of setup.
I have a question still related to hitches but in an electrical vs a mechanical sense this time. When I purchased a hitch on-line, I used their "accessories wizard" to choose an appropriate trailer wiring kit. It seems straightfoward enough to install (open the plastic panel on the rear driver's side and stick this T-connector between the tail light harness). The brand name of this wiring kit is called "Hoppy." The box says it is a "4-wire flat trailer connector." Sounds peachy for a lighter, smaller trailers.
Now, later, what if we are interested in towing a trailer that will be equipped with electric brakes? From what I understand, this 4-wire connector only deals with the light mechanisms (right, left, brake, tail lights). And from what I have read it seems like trailers with electric brakes have 7 wires (same as the 4, plus backup lights, electric brakes, auxiliary power). Since 4 < 7 and this "Hoppy" is 4... how to achieve support for the 7 (or at least the electric brake part of it)?
I see that there are converters (examples on: http://www.hitches4less.com/adapters.html or maybe http://www.hitches4less.com/brakematekits.html ) but it would seem to me that the 3 extra functions would just get tossed out, since the Hoppy connector only deals with the 4 lights.
So... (again brief preface: the vehicle is a 1996 Cherokee Classic that has no towing package)
(1) Does the Jeep come pre-wired to support a brake control (or, anything more than the 4-pin). It seems like this beast exists (inside a kick panel I think), but would this be only if you had the towing package?
The owner's manual mentions that electric brakes are necessary for vehicles with ABS (as this one does) but doesn't elaborate any further besides one sentence! Not much help there.
If wiring does not pre-exist, does this mean that wiring must be rigged from the trailer 7-pin's "electric brake" section into the Jeep where-ever the brake controller would be mounted?
(2) Is this "4-wire Hoppy" contraption the right or wrong adapter to have?! The "wizard" I used only showed this one available for my vehicle, so I thought it was a no-brainer. Until after I received it and then read more about different possible trailer connections. I saw ChiXJeff metioned he (I will quote: "wired a pigtail to the back of the 7 wire connector, and plugged the 4 wire into that. I added another pigtail (a 4 wire with 1 lead trimmed off) for a dedicated ground, 12V positive, and electric brakes.)" From this statement, it sounds like it is possible to somehow re-use this "Hoppy" in a 4-wire and a 7-wire application. As I don't understand some of the terminology above, I'm not really sure what's going on in that description (I guess I'm more of a visual learner).
Of course I would never try these things myself, and would ask a mechanic or an RV place to do this. I would like to better grasp the workings behind this, and know did I buy the correct wiring kit in the first place (so I can return for a refund if not!)
(3) For those of you who have wired your own trailer kits, where did you route the wires? I have not even opened the plastic panel yet to see if there are some choices from there, but would the wires go somehow through the undercarriage of the Jeep, or perhaps through one of the rear light enclosures?
I guess not only am I not too mechanically inclined, neither am I too electrically inclined. Oh well... that just means there's more that I can learn!

Again, thanks for any information you may impart, or your own experiences with this (or a similar) type of setup.