Dragging the 7 pin cable - disaster!

mandt

So off we go on our first travels of the year (Indiana & Kentucky). Trailer/car is packed and hitched up. Wrap the 7 pin cable once around the tongue jack loose enough for turns but not too loose. Drive for an hour then stop at a rest stop. Walk back to check out to see if everything is looking ok with the trailer and discover that the 7 pin cable has been cleanly cut in half. Can't believe my eyes. Fortunately it is daylight because tail lights are not working. And the brakes did feel a little off. Figured the trip is over, but started calling around and found a company that sells horse trailers at the next exit. They took a look and said this is a fairly common problem when the 7 pin cable drags on the pavement at highway speed. He fixed it up with a new 7 pin connector, charged me only $35 and off we went. Losing maybe an hour of time. The mechanic says he suggests using a bungee cable to keep the cable from getting too loose.

Turned out to be a great trip with a shaky start.

dragonsdofly

@mandt, wow. Live and learn as they say. Very glad a solution was at hand and resulted in only a slight delay with a very small expenditure. I guess it's all part of the adventure, and thanks. Don't know if I would have been as resourceful! 

mandt

More like lucky than resourceful...

dragonsdofly

@mandt, I know I wouldn't have thought of the horse trailer option.

jgram2

Glad you found a relatively quick solution. We figured out the slack we needed to plug in the 7pin, folded the excess inside the frame of the tongue and it’s stiff enough to stay in, although after your experience, I think we’ll at least zip tie it in place. Then we use a 4” bungee cord to hold the plug in to the TV. The fact we don’t switch TVs simplifies things.

Vikings

Mandt...you say 7 pin cable "cleanly" cut in half.  Dragging on pavement would have caused, imho, a mess of frayed ends, etc.  If "cleanly" cut are you certain something else did not cause this? 
Your horse trailer dealer stop was inspired!  Good job.    

Photomom

One of the best things about our T@Bs is the parts that make it go - brakes, tires, bearings, wiring, etc. - are relatively simple and can be serviced by a good utility trailer shop. I keep reading about motorhomes that sit at an RV dealer for months on end waiting for some fancy doodad to get fixed. Simple is good!

mandt

Vikings - it was a polished smooth cut. Surprising to me, but the horse trailer guy looked at it and said "yup that is what it looks like after dragging on pavement at highway speed for awhile."

fiddlefoot

Horse Trailer place installed my brake controller for about $150 (including controller), have them inspect it every year, they have a pit so we can walk under and have a through look about.  They also installed a on off switch for the Jenson this year.  Wouldn't take it anywhere else, except nucamp.

ChanW

$35!?! You had an angel looking over your shoulder! Good sign for a good trip!

Marceline

mandt said:

Vikings - it was a polished smooth cut. Surprising to me, but the horse trailer guy looked at it and said "yup that is what it looks like after dragging on pavement at highway speed for awhile."

That’s not what it looked like when I dragged mine. 😄

Sharon_is_SAM

Sounds like it came loose and got pinched to shear it off that cleanly.

MuttonChops

mandt said:

The mechanic says he suggests using a bungee cable to keep the cable from getting too loose.

Your posting was enlightening.  So a good inspection and how to connect a bungee cord look/see was called for.

Well it appears GM factory installed 7-Pin connectors don't need help - - - they have a Lock Built In.

7-pin cover is spring loaded to keep it closed when not in use, the inside of the cover has a TAB feature that engages with the trailer 7-pin connector at the rear of the 7-pin 'key'.  This nicely locks the two together when the trailer connector is fully (correctly) inserted

into the tow vehicle.

Other manufactures might be doing the same.

Ratkity

I'm not sure I've heard of or seen any 7-pin vehicle female (vehicle side) sockets without the lock (great picts @MuttonChops!). Sometimes, the 7-pin may be a bit snug the first few times you hook up. Make sure the plug locks into the socket.

runaway30

Newby Question:

 Does anyone know how long the wiring/7 pin plug extends past the Hitch?  I have a 7pin  connection on the bumper and another in the bed.  

pthomas745

@runaway30 Are you talking about how far the wiring goes from the back of the vehicle toward the front? Or from the 7 pin plug on the trailer tongue into the trailer?  On a vehicle with a "tow package" the wiring should extend to behind the dash. What vehicle do you have?

On the trailer, the 7 pin wiring connects just under the front of the trailer directly behind/under the propane box.  There is a picture of it here.  the "junction box."

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/9507/t-b-320-trailer-ground

ChanW

I think ours has about 4-5' 'extra', that I coil up around the tongue jack handle. 

runaway30

Thanks pthomas 745 and ChanW.
I have a Ford truck with a 7 pin male connection on the bumper and another in the bed near the tailgate.  I was wondering if the trailer wiring might reach the one in the bed. 

I have not pulled a trailer with a 7 pin in a while so I went out to test the outlet on the bumper yesterday.  It was dead of course and after further examination I discovered the wiring harness (the female end)was disconnected from the socket behind the bumper and the inside of the housing was half filled with dirt.

I must have pulled it loose dragging the bumper over a water bar at some point.  
I gave the female end under the truck a quick test and it was live so everything should be fine after it is cleaned.

This made me wonder if I could reach the plug in the bed as its in pristine condition, being better protected.

pthomas745

I've never thought of this before, but apparently 7 pin extension cords do exist.

https://www.amazon.com/7-pin-trailer-extension/s?k=7+pin+trailer+extension

runaway30

Interesting thanks for the info.  I am pleased that after pulling the 7 pin housing off the bumper and cleaning it and the female end as well that everything is working.
Glad I checked before going to pick-up the new camper.

N7SHG_Ham

Unlikely you can reach the one in the bed (especially with tailgate closed) and back turns without damaging something. The bed ones are for use with a fifth wheel or gooseneck trailer. I do believe there are extension cords, if not one could certainly be made, but with a bumper pull, I would probably just use the one on the bumper.

Sharon_is_SAM

If you add a 7 pin extension, will it impact the voltage delivery to the TaB battery?

ChrisFix

MuttonChops said:

Well it appears GM factory installed 7-Pin connectors don't need help - - - they have a Lock Built In.

My Ridgeline has that same locking connector on the 7 Pin cover. Keeps the cord very securely in place. It's my first vehicle with a  7 pin connector...just assumed they all had that.

TNOutback

I might have forgotten to plug in the connector one time on our old trailer, and arrived at our destination only to realize it wasn’t hooked up to the vehicle - it was on the ground underneath the camper.  The plug itself had worn about 1/3rd off the face of it - but it still worked!