4- Pin /6-Pin / Diodes?????

[Razorback Jack]

Need some advice....joining the ranks of the 4-downers....got an '05 Liberty 4x4....got a sterling tow bar...looking to order the Roadmaster baseplates and wiring kit.....believe the Itasca has a 6-pin plug...believe the tow bar is coming (Ebay) with 4-pin electrical hook-up.....what does a 6-pin do over a 4-pin??? Adaptor (6 to 4)?? Are diodes the best way to go? Any impact on vehicle warranty? I plan to install all myself.
Appreciate any advice/opinion (especially on the toad wiring). Thanks.

[Razorback Jack]

Need some advice....joining the ranks of the 4-downers....got an '05 Liberty 4x4....got a sterling tow bar...looking to order the Roadmaster baseplates and wiring kit.....believe the Itasca has a 6-pin plug...believe the tow bar is coming (Ebay) with 4-pin electrical hook-up.....what does a 6-pin do over a 4-pin??? Adaptor (6 to 4)?? Are diodes the best way to go? Any impact on vehicle warranty? I plan to install all myself.
Appreciate any advice/opinion (especially on the toad wiring). Thanks.

[RV Wizard]

Razorback Jack, you will want to be sure that the lighting is wired correctly. If the MH has amber turn signals and the car does not or vise versa you will need a converter to make the trun signals & brake lights work properly on the toad. If youhave room; and you should in the Jeep. You can add a light socket and have it own bulb for the lighting. This way you do not have to have any diodes or risk of damaging the electrical circuitry of the toad. Good luck and be safe.

[BillArf]

I recently set-up an '04 Jeep Wrangler as a toad. I opted tp place an additional bulb in each tail light. Another words, I did not go the diode route but wired the toad as if I were wiring a trailer. Keeps it real simple and bigge is you do not cut into the Jeep factory wiring harness which I think is a wise thing to avoid. Adding the extra bulb to the tail light is quite an easy thing to do. Check to see if you have room for an additional bulb. After install of the bulb the bulb has to be about 1/2" or more from the tail light lenses as you may have melting problems.

[Cruzer]

You only need 4 wires for wiring your lights. But, you may want to run additional things later on so using a 6 wire umbilical cord is always a good idea. You can always tie into the two unused pins on the toad's socket later.

On my Grand Cherokee Overland I ran this 6 pin setup. I utilized the 4 wires for the lights and did install the extra set of bulbs in the taillights because there was room. If you check the Blue Ox website they'll tell you that you should not use diodes on the Grand Cherokee because the computer will interpret it as a "bulb out" condition and warn you on the overhead console display screen.

I then used the 5th wires as a "hot" battery feed. I connected this to a circuit breaker and then to the toad's battery post. This keeps the toad battery from going dead as you tow. This is especially important when you consider a toad braking system, which usually pulls a fair amount of current from your battery. The 6th wire I no longer use but I once used it as the brake circuit wire to control my US Gear Tow Brake.

On the Wrangler I didn't feel comfortable fitting an extra set of bulbs but it was pretty low tech compared to the Overland so I put the diode pack in instead. I did wire in a battery charge line on the 5th pin but because I'm using the M&G Tow Brake I don't need the 6th wire at this time.

I originally had 6 pin sockets on my toads as well as my 2003 Suncruiser but now the Allegro Bus has a 7 pin RV socket so I just switched one end of the umbilical to a 7 pin plug and don't use the 7th wire on the Bus.

Be sure to do a neat job on the wiring. Sloppy wiring will come back to haunt you later. Throw away the ScotchLocks and solder all connections. Tape everything up real good to seal it from the environment and run the wiring inside wiring loom to protect it and wire tie it to something solid so it doesn't rub or dangle.

Your warranty will not be affected UNLESS they can establlish that whatever you have done has caused their components to fail. And that's not very likely on a simple lighting task.

[Razorback Jack]

Thanks for the info.....

Believe I like the extra bulb/socket deal...
and a direct wire.....

Any help on instructions/how to/parts etc.
Do you drill out a new socket hole in T/L
assembly?

Thanks again.

[Cruzer]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">.....Do you drill out a new socket hole in T/L assembly?..... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes, you do. Just be sure to run the wires in some sort of protective loom to keep them from rubbing through. Then solder the joints and seal them up, preferably with heat shrink tube (Radio Shack or any electrical supply house) rather than electrical tape to keep corrosion out of the splices.

[zetron]

Hello: In the same vein as this thread: I have a 4 pin connector coming from the MH and the Toad is a 1986 Chevy Nova. I bought one of those converters that has 4 in and 5 out. The brake lights and running lights work but not the turn signals. The right turn signal on the MH works but the left one does a fast on-off clicking routine and there is no turn indicator from the left MH turn light.

I finially got the Remco Lub Pump and US Gear Unified Braking system installed. I do not use the Remco monitor in the cab, instead I have an LED that goes out if the pump stops working and an LED that goes out if the power to the pump is interupted.

In order to better monitor the lube pump and Unified braking system I have a microphone in the Toad engine compartment with a amp and speaker in the MH cab. With this arrangement I can hear the lube pump running and I can hear the brake pump come on and off as I brake. The only problem is the system picks up the noise from the MH engine and it is difficult to monitor the Toad while driving fast.

[KOALAVA]

Hey Mark, I have decided to wire the extra bulb in the T/L and was wondering, where did you come into the tail light at ? From the side from the back? Do you have pics? Thanks
Harry



<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Cruzer:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">.....Do you drill out a new socket hole in T/L assembly?..... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes, you do. Just be sure to run the wires in some sort of protective loom to keep them from rubbing through. Then solder the joints and seal them up, preferably with heat shrink tube (Radio Shack or any electrical supply house) rather than electrical tape to keep corrosion out of the splices. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>