If you need to upgrade your caravan's seven-pin towing plugs, click here to read our step-by-step guide.
How to upgrade your caravan's electrics
- Thread starter LizziePope
- Start date
Just a minor point............ but I hope your article makes it clear that your wiring example is only applicable to UK caravans complying with the post September 1st 1998 wiring convention.
Caravans produced before that date to an earlier wiring convention would require further modification if they were to be connected to a tow car fitted with the current 13 pin electrics.
These older caravans were not fitted with a habitation relay.
Caravans produced before that date to an earlier wiring convention would require further modification if they were to be connected to a tow car fitted with the current 13 pin electrics.
These older caravans were not fitted with a habitation relay.
Hi Gafferbill
You are so right! My brother in law bought a 1980's trailer tent and needed to work on 13 pin to match his 2 year old Skoda.
I had to rewire the whole trailer to make it compatible with today's wiring.
The original wiring didn't have a habitation relay so in theory if the trailer was on mains hook up the car battery would be charged as well depending on the cars towbar wiring.
Changing the plug can be just the beginning of a far more complex job
You are so right! My brother in law bought a 1980's trailer tent and needed to work on 13 pin to match his 2 year old Skoda.
I had to rewire the whole trailer to make it compatible with today's wiring.
The original wiring didn't have a habitation relay so in theory if the trailer was on mains hook up the car battery would be charged as well depending on the cars towbar wiring.
Changing the plug can be just the beginning of a far more complex job
I did this job recently and would add that wiring the 13 pin plug is a very tricky job. The article rather glosses over it, and I say that as one who does electronics as a hobby and have wired up countless miniature plugs in the past. Each core of the cable needs cutting to a correct length, and it is easy to miss a stand of copper going astray and causing a short.
The point I am making is that it is best to wire the 13 pin plug first, sitting at a workbench (or the kitchen table), thus doing the job in the opposite direction from that in the article. Much better to wire this plug at the kitchen table than kneeling or laying down at the front of the caravan. This approach also allows you to test the cable-plug connections before anything else is connected to the cable - like I did find a stray strand of wire was shorting one pin to another at this stage, it being difficult to see what is going on inside the completed bundle.
AFAIR some sellers offered cable with plug pre-wired, so you must then work in the other direction.
The point I am making is that it is best to wire the 13 pin plug first, sitting at a workbench (or the kitchen table), thus doing the job in the opposite direction from that in the article. Much better to wire this plug at the kitchen table than kneeling or laying down at the front of the caravan. This approach also allows you to test the cable-plug connections before anything else is connected to the cable - like I did find a stray strand of wire was shorting one pin to another at this stage, it being difficult to see what is going on inside the completed bundle.
AFAIR some sellers offered cable with plug pre-wired, so you must then work in the other direction.
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