Tie up 13 pin car to twin caravan adapter

[Mr C]

Hi, just got our new Ford S max, which we love, drives like a deam and so much more economical than our old auto petrol Honda CRV. We picked up the new car Saturday and had factory fitted tow bar and electrics, I forgot it comes now with 13 pin so we were not able to test the caravan. We went to White Arches for the drive and a nose, I saw the 13 pin car to twin adapters and was concerned about them dragging on the floor, with out old car the sockets were quiet high up and a twist in the sockets cables kept them up, in the SMax the 13 pin socket is pointing more downwards and is lower. My question is , how have people delt with the adapters or is it better to put a 13 pin socket on the twin cables from the caravan ? I am quiet a practical guy but I would be worried about a balls up and blowing up my nice new car or worse our caravan !!
Any advice gratefully received.
Thank you in advance.
All the best
Paul

 

[RickStevens]

Im going to be in a similar position very soon Paul.

We've just ordered a new caravan that comes with the new 13 pin socket, and I have the old style sockets on the car. We've bought an adaptor, and there does seem to be quite a lot of excess cable.

Im tempted to try and use some bungee cord to take up some of the slack

Rick

 

[Allen774]

A bungee hanging from the nosewheel crank handle taking up the slack on the cables,worked for me for years.

 

[JTQ]

I think the 13 pin system is better and more reliable than the twin 7 pin one so would be tempted to do a "proper job" and fit it to the caravan.
Its not rocket science and the connecting sequence; colour wire to pin matching is well documented. It is a task well within moderate DIY abilities, just needs care and being systematically rather than skilled.
The adaptor route will never be better than a bodge; acceptable with care for temporary use but far from ideal as a permanent solution.

 

[JonnyRockstar]

I have a S-Max with the 13 pin electrics. The caravan had the twin sockets so what I did was slightly pull the 2 cables back under the the van to take up some of the slack and then added a couple of cable ties for good measure.
Won't have the problem for much longer as I am collecting my new Coachman Festival 640/6 on Saturday with a lovely 13pin socket !!

 

[Ancientcaravanner]

Paul,
If your caravan is a Swift Sergents sell a replacement cable with a 13 pin connector that just plugs into the fuse board in place of the two 7 pin. I had to open up the sealant where the cable comes through the floor and reseal with Silkoflex - but that was the only problem.

 

[Surfer]

All we do is wrap it around the jockey wheel once and it is clear of the road! Done this for years with no problem.

 

[Mel]

We have just had our car twin electrics swapped to a 13 pin. Did have an adapter and towed from the East midlands to Wales where we discovered that our arrangement of flopping it over the A frame (hard to explain) was inadequate and the cable had dragged on the floor causing the outer rubber to wear off and expose the inner covering of the wires. Now have an adapter surplus to requirement.
mel

 

[MichaelE]

As said i would replace the caravans twin plugs for a single 13 pin why add in another point of failure?
You could replace the twin cables with 1 cable for the 13 pin plug easy to do.
If you continue with the twin plugs shorten the cables by unclipping underneath the A frame and pulling them back

 

[GrahamDerby]

I do the same as Surfer, just wrap it once around the A frame it works fine , i have also done this for ages and never had a problem.
Simples

 

[Philspadders]

since the cable is quite stiff i made a loop aprox 10" in dia held together with a large tie wrap ( cable tie). The cable tie is fairly lose so the cable will pull through if needed.

 

[whitetop]

+ 1
Just adjust the "hang" to about half the normal slack to ensure no chance of the cable(s) straining

 

[whitetop]

Ooops....double post

 

[tug100]

I converted my van from twin to 13 pin after not getting on with the adaptor. When I used the adaptor I used a bungee to keep it off the road! Not ideal. Looking back converting it was a good move.
I bought the cable from my dealer (make sure it is pukka) and ensured I bought chocolate block connectors that were rated high enough for the current. I removed the old cable right back to inside the van and fastened everything to the bulkhead inside the van under the locker right next to the fuses and the water heater. A nice neat job, and i was chuffed.
The 13 pin connector is streets ahead of the old grey and black ones. The twist action when connecting is really positive, and I don't expect the annual corrosion issues or melting of pins that plagued the old set up. Happy days.

 

[tug100]

I converted my van from twin to 13 pin after not getting on with the adaptor. When I used the adaptor I used a bungee to keep it off the road! Not ideal. Looking back converting it was a good move.
I bought the cable from my dealer (make sure it is pukka) and ensured I bought chocolate block connectors that were rated high enough for the current. I removed the old cable right back to inside the van and fastened everything to the bulkhead inside the van under the locker right next to the fuses and the water heater. A nice neat job, and i was chuffed.
The 13 pin connector is streets ahead of the old grey and black ones. The twist action when connecting is really positive, and I don't expect the annual corrosion issues or melting of pins that plagued the old set up. Happy days.

 

[cookie2]

have had mine hanging on 2 reuseable cable ties through the metal "D" rings for 5 years...no problems!