Anyone wire a camper to the trailer plug?

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I am on the verge of adding a major accessory to my truck - a Lance 825 slide in camper (I know - its the small one, but its our first camper). Anyway, in looking at display units on the lot, it looks like the campers have a standard 7 prong trailer plug. My though was to just build/buy an extension and plug the camper directly into the trailer light plug (I have the factory tow package). My local Lance service center said no because the camper has to be wired into a 'dedicated' circuit and he wants his $5/ hour tech to do the cutting and splicing...

Has anyone just used the trailer plug? Good or bad results? I can't imagine the camper puts more of a load on the circuit than a regular travel trailer would. And I just can't see any good advantage to cutting into the harness if I don't have to. Finally, if I decide to tow something in the future, could I just make a splitter plug for the camper and future trailer to plug into the factory outlet?

I am new to the wiring game, so would this be a question of staying under the max amps for each prong?

Thanks, and sorry for the long winded question!

-Vic
99 Quad Cab 2WD Short Bed 6 speed.

 

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Save your money and use the trailer plug! Don't cut into those nice factory wires! I have plugged my Lance into the trailer plug from day one. The dealer even made me an adapter cable to fit my trailer plug on one end with a socket to fit the Lance plug on the other. The trailer plug is a dedicated circuit. One thing I did do is insert a toggle switch in the battery charge wire inside the camper. This allows me to use the camper battery when camped and not draw down the truck battery. Just remember to turn it on again when you travel.

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Ron

'96 Club Cab 2500 4x4, 4:10LS, Auto, BD Pressure Loc, Mystery Switch,TST 230/605, Cummins Chrome, Mag-Hytec rear and trans covers, Boost, Pyro and trans gauges, Optima Red Tops, All black. Tow 14k HitchHiker triple glide 5th Whl. Also use 9. 5' Lance. NRA Life Member.

 

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i would wire a dedicated circut with a selonid and 10 ga wire for the battry charge circut. the other wires should work ok

 

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I used the factory plug for our camper/boat combo 4 1 year before going to a travel trailer without problems. The one thing that I did do was to cut the orange battery charge line and put a solenoid in so that it was only hot with the key on instead of hot all the time.

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'99, 3/4, QC, SLT, 4x4, ISB, 5sp, 3. 5xlsd, tow pac, HD tcase, tow mirrors, camper pac, White over driftwood, Mist gray interior. 4-sale with less than 17,000 miles.

 

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Just use the factory plug, I have a 9. 5' and tow a flatbed with an extension hitch. I actually made 2 cords, 1 for just using the camper and 1 for the camper with a trailer. The plug for just the camper is just a 10' double male ended 7 way. You really only need to use 6 wires for this because you don't need the trailer brake wire to the camper. I put a waterproof switch in the loom by the reciever so I can isolate the camper without unpluging the 7 way.
The other plug I made is for taking the camper while towing. For this plug I took a male 7 way from the factory plug and split 2 runs out of it, 1 runs up 10' to the camper like the other one with 6 wires and an isolation switch and the 2nd runs to a female 7 way I mounted to my hitch extension. I can now plug in my flatbed just like normal.
The loads shouldn't be a problem, if you have the factory tow plug, it already has a relay in the running light circuit that is dedicated to the trailer plug and the charge wire is a 20 amp circuit.
One more thing I notice was the wiring diagram on the plugs I bought was wrong. I looked at the factory plug cover for the right diagram. Hmmm, when you try the blinker and everything flashes something is not right #ad


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2001 black dually,4x4, 6 speed H. O. ,loaded up. Jacobs E brake, lighted running boards, toolbox, solor visor, mag hytec cover, rhino lined, diamond tread rail protectors, mud flaps with genos chrome plates, megs exhaust tip, SPA digital pillar mounted pyro, boost,fuel press & oil temp gauges, rerouted blowby bottle, torklift class 5 double tube extension hitch and frame mount camper anchors... Its not a hobby anymore, its an addiction!

 

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I had em cut a hole just below the bottom of the left front stake hole and install a female 7 pin. Hardly noticable. Then they made me a 3 foot male to male extension. It's a much shorter run, plus the charge wire is thicker, and they installed a solenoid that runs off the ignition switch.

Wiring for the camper was part of the deal, made 'em work a little harder than they expected to but now I don't have a loose wire kicking around my truck bed when the camper is off, and I use my trailer connection for a back up light on my hitch step/platform.

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tedstruck 2500qc, no leather or abs
bigfoot & other travel pics 1500 bigfoot, no auto waterheater or microwave.
Cool Summit Pass Pics, & Alaska Journal
AMSOIL Battery Mounted Dual Remote

 

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Trailer plug, hmm funny story. . with an embedded warning...

Not so long ago I had used my car hauler to round up the sick garden tractor from the guy fixing it. (don't want to scratch the ram bed)

Hooked up the trailer and decided to plug in the wiring so I was a bit more legal than normal (dirt roads etc, who cares).

As I was about to pull on the superhighway next to my house (yep, same dirt road) I had the urge to check my safety chains (Dad lost a U-haul trailer eons ago due to the chains)

Well I get back to the rear bumper and thought I had walked into a funny smelling fog bank. (what the heck??) ONLY to realize that the trailer harness was not only smoking but in flames.....

I finished the job without the harness and still have not had the gutts to look under my rear bumper for any OEM damage. I am amazed that in seconds I could have destroyed my trailer harness without blowing a fuse somewhere.

 

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Originally posted by David_VT:
... Well I get back to the rear bumper and thought I had walked into a funny smelling fog bank. (what the heck??) ONLY to realize that the trailer harness was not only smoking but in flames.....

Hmmm. I guess you didn't let too much smoke out of the truck. If you had, it would have never worked again. #ad


Sounds like you plugged the keyed, 7-pin connector in 180 degrees off. I did this once. I found that doing this connects +12V battery to ground. Not a good thing. I also discovered just how hard it is to find those odd fuses Dodge, and only Dodge, uses.

Fest3er

 

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Sounds like you plugged the keyed, 7-pin connector in 180 degrees off.

Is that really possible??

 

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Originally posted by Vic R:
it looks like the campers have a standard 7 prong trailer plug. My though was to just build/buy an extension and plug the camper directly into the trailer light plug (I have the factory tow package).

Vic,
I have a larger Lance 900 11ft something. That is the set up that I use. Plugs into truck trailer for power and I still have usage for boat trailer as well.
Good luck.
Tom

 

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Thanks for the input. I think I am just going to skip all of the 'install' package that they offer and make up my own harness and put the happi-jack's in myself. I figure nobody is going to be as careful modifying my truck as I am.

Thanks again.

-Vic

 

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Originally posted by Dieselnerd:
Save your money and use the trailer plug! Don't cut into those nice factory wires! I have plugged my Lance into the trailer plug from day one. The dealer even made me an adapter cable to fit my trailer plug on one end with a socket to fit the Lance plug on the other. The trailer plug is a dedicated circuit. One thing I did do is insert a toggle switch in the battery charge wire inside the camper. This allows me to use the camper battery when camped and not draw down the truck battery. Just remember to turn it on again when you travel.

You hit it right on the head,The added switch will save a no start.


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>"One thing I did do is insert a toggle >switch in the battery charge wire inside >the camper. This allows me to use the >camper battery when camped and not draw >down the truck battery. Just remember to >turn it on again when you travel. "

Just out of curiousity, why did you choose a switch over an isolator? Any pros/cons I should be aware of?

-Vic