It's not really F150 related, but I thought this might help someone out. I did a quick search and didn't see where it had been mentioned.

It's a handy little trick if you need to leave your trailer by the side of the road for some period of time (or just want to draw attention in the campground, I suppose).

Take a standard 2-pronged turn-signal flasher, and insert it into the 7-pin connector on the trailer between pins 1 and 7. (They're the top two if you're holding the connector "key up.") All the trailer's running and marker lights will begin to flash.

A buddy of mine told me about this after he had to leave his trailer to go get a flat repaired.... after the second blowout of the day!!!

Andy

 

This sounds like a great idea, but it must have an on-board battery to work.

 

Never thought to mention that, as mine is a T/T.

Andy

 

I have a buddy who is a volunteer fire fighter.
He wanted a cheap version of random wigwag. I installed flood lights on his truck with and without color filters and installed turn signal flashers in alternate side pairs to make them flash at non sequenced timing.

Works pretty good. At least it gets everyone out of his way on the highway.

 

Oh hell yah, gotta try that one

 

They do this little trick at RV shows all the time to get peoples attention.

 

I'd seen it, just never realized it was so simple.

Andy

 

Ok forgive me here, I get the idea, but I am not picturing how to wire with the battery? And what kind of battery are we talking about, car battery? Could someone please elaborate?

 

If you have a 7 pin connector on your trailer and the charge line goes to an on-board battery on the trailer... when disconnected from the tow vehicle the trailer wire plug is 'hot" because of a on-board battery.

In most trailers this means it will have a deep cycle battery on board. In a camper these are used to power the camper when there is no 120v. hooked up. In a horse trailer they are used for interior/exterior and loading lights. On a car hauler the battery could power a winch or jack.

When the trailer is disconnected from the tow vehicle by inserting a flash relay between the charge line and the park/running light slots in a 7 pin connector you complete the circuit using the on-board battery causing the relay to trip, flashing the park/running lights which normally would not be on, nor flashing.

I am not including a break-a-way battery in this senerio as it wouldn't last long and is a completely seperate circuit that runs parallel to the brake circuit.

 

Maybe this helps?



The trailer pic shows just the standard 4-wire "flat" connections. The "bare minimum" normally used. The round plug above it is found on RV's, etc., and is the one to which I was referring. The "12-Volt" wire runs to the deep cycle battery for charging, as Colorado mentioned above. (This battery also, in the case of a T/T, powers the breakaway brake circuit.)

Andy

 

OH okay, I get it now. Thanks guys.