

And lastly, if you use your tow vehicle trailer plug for other things, such as towing a travel trailer, the fuse will still be good, and you can plug in other trailer connectors and still have power. Secondly, if there is an issue, the fuse closest to the electrical component will burn out, and you can check more quicker. The first is that replacing it will be easier since it is not under the hood and in a fuse panel. Add the same amp fuse as your truck fuse.Īdding an inline fuse to your 12V trailer plug will help in a few ways. If your component to power is over 75% of the rated fuse (for example, your fuse 10 amps and what you want to connect is 8 amps), I suggest you add an inline fuse to your trailer plug. Compare that with your power requirements on what you plan to plug in. If you can’t locate it, look at the fuse panel, which is usually labeled. You should see the relays and fuses for the truck. Go to your tow vehicle and open up the fuse box. However, if you are going to power some hefty components, such as a winch or a power inverter, I suggest the following:

If you are going only to power small electrical appliances, you should be OK with just having the truck fuse. And if you exceed the amp rating of that fuse, it will blow a fuse, and you won’t be able to get power from your trailer connector until you replace it. Your truck likely has a fuse for your auxiliary power at the connector. FuseĪnother thing to consider when using your trailer plug for power is to add a fuse. You can also buy one, cut the 12V socket off, and hardwire your electrical components. They also make a pre-wired Trailer connector to 12V socket. As you look to get that 12V power from your truck, these are the wires we want to focus on your 7 pin trailer plug. The trailer connector noted as number 3 white is your ground location, and the pin noted as 6 red is your charge wire location. Look at the photo below to get a sense of where exactly the charge and ground wire are on your connect. And the black wire is for your backup lights on a wiring harness. Just remember that it is different for trailer wiring and the white wire is the ground. This can be confusing as most truck batteries have the black color as negative or ground. The ground is a white wire on your wiring and trailer plug. Since the charge wire is positive, the ground is the next wire we need to find. You will need a positive (charge) and a negative (ground). To get power, the basic rules of battery power still apply. As you need 12V power direct from your truck, this charge wire will be the main focus. You don’t need to turn on your truck to get power at this wire. This wire provides constant 12V power to your connector from your truck battery. If you look deeper into the diagram, you will see a red wire, also called a charge wire. But what if you want 12V power you can tap into to do the things needed while working with a tow vehicle? All these wires are great for functioning the necessary power to each light or brake controller. When you look at a wiring diagram for your 7 pin plug, you will see trailer wire for things such as your trailer lights, your trailer brake, and back up lights.

#Tacoma 7 pin trailer plug how to#
How to manage your fuse and the safety of an electrical component Table of Contents.How to get the connector to work for 12V power.Where is 12V power on your trailer plug.It will go over, step by step, how to get power, including: This post goes over how you can tap into that power easily. You just need to know how to tap into that power. Luckily, with a 7 pin connector, your truck is ready to provide constant 12V power. Getting 12V power from your trailer plug is an easy way to power up your electrical devices on the road.
