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Dragging the 7 pin cable - disaster!

mandt
mandt Member Posts: 158
edited December 2020 in Trailer & Towing
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.
Mickey & Terri
2016 Max S
Kalamazoo Michigan
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Comments

  • dragonsdofly
    dragonsdofly Member Posts: 1,927
    @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! 
    2017 t@b sofitel(Dr@gonsFly)TV 2015 Silverado 2500hd(Behemoth). Wyandotte, Michigan.
    Draco dormiens numquam titilandus.
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  • mandt
    mandt Member Posts: 158
    More like lucky than resourceful...
    Mickey & Terri
    2016 Max S
    Kalamazoo Michigan
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  • dragonsdofly
    dragonsdofly Member Posts: 1,927
    @mandt, I know I wouldn't have thought of the horse trailer option.
    2017 t@b sofitel(Dr@gonsFly)TV 2015 Silverado 2500hd(Behemoth). Wyandotte, Michigan.
    Draco dormiens numquam titilandus.
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  • jgram2
    jgram2 Member Posts: 1,522
    edited June 2018
    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.
    John, Judi, Guinness & OD in PDX
    T@Bit@t 2015 S Max Outback, ‘18 V6 4Runner 


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  • Vikings
    Vikings Member Posts: 147
    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.    
    Kim & Mary Kay,  2016 CS-S,  Spokane, WA


    Map of Provinces I Visited

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  • Photomom
    Photomom Member Posts: 2,217
    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!
    John and Henrietta, Late 2016 T@B S Max in Western New York
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  • mandt
    mandt Member Posts: 158
    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."
    Mickey & Terri
    2016 Max S
    Kalamazoo Michigan
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  • fiddlefoot
    fiddlefoot Member Posts: 62
    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.
    Denise, Rea and Ruby
    2016 CS S, 2008 Toyota Tacoma
    Somerset, VA


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  • ChanW
    ChanW Member Posts: 3,165
    $35!?! You had an angel looking over your shoulder! Good sign for a good trip!
    Chan  -  near Buffalo NY
    2014 S Maxx
    2011 Tacoma 4cyl ... edit: 2022 Tacoma 6cyl - oh yeah! 

     A_Little_T@b'll_Do_Ya
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  • Marceline
    Marceline Member Posts: 1,745
    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. 😄
    San Francisco Bay Area
    2013 CS-S us@gi
    2015 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner Double Cab
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  • Sharon_is_SAM
    Sharon_is_SAM Member Posts: 10,061
    Sounds like it came loose and got pinched to shear it off that cleanly.
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • Ratkity
    Ratkity Member Posts: 3,770
    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.
    2017 820R Retro Toy Hauler from 2015 Tabitha T@B from 2009 Reverse LG Teardrop (but a T@Bluver at heart)
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  • runaway30
    runaway30 Member Posts: 86
    edited December 2020
    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.  
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  • pthomas745
    pthomas745 Administrator, Moderator Posts: 4,521
    @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."

    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • ChanW
    ChanW Member Posts: 3,165
    I think ours has about 4-5' 'extra', that I coil up around the tongue jack handle. 
    Chan  -  near Buffalo NY
    2014 S Maxx
    2011 Tacoma 4cyl ... edit: 2022 Tacoma 6cyl - oh yeah! 

     A_Little_T@b'll_Do_Ya
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  • runaway30
    runaway30 Member Posts: 86
    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.


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  • pthomas745
    pthomas745 Administrator, Moderator Posts: 4,521
    I've never thought of this before, but apparently 7 pin extension cords do exist.


    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • runaway30
    runaway30 Member Posts: 86
    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.
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  • N7SHG_Ham
    N7SHG_Ham Member Posts: 1,261
    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.
    2019 T@B 400 Boondock Lite
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  • Sharon_is_SAM
    Sharon_is_SAM Member Posts: 10,061
    If you add a 7 pin extension, will it impact the voltage delivery to the TaB battery?
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • ChrisFix
    ChrisFix Member Posts: 743
    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.
    2025 T@B 400 Boondock Black Canyon with 400Ah Battle Born and Victron Multiplus 3000
    2025 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition with Redarc Trailer Brake Controller
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  • TNOutback
    TNOutback Member Posts: 633
    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!
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