Plug location?

[MacHaggis]

Gettin ready to take the plunge and cut on my baby for a B&W turnover. Will follow that up with Line-X, and will probably put a second electrical hookup in the bed. There once was a good thread with pix on locating the second one, but I can't find it any longer. My best recollection is that the plug being on the forward corner/shoulder of whichever wheelwell is closer to the harness (driver's side, I think) for the factory wiring works. Pluses, minuses on that spot? Plan is for copper taps off the harness, soldered, and heat shrink over brush on insulation.



Also, any thoughts on when to put the second socket in, before or after Line-X, are appreciated.

 

[klenger]

See http://www.klenger.net/dodge/7-pin-connector-installation/index.html

 

[RJOL]

Did both the mods your doing, on my 2005.



I put the extra plug just in front of the drivers side rear wheel well. It is double wall there, but just make sure you don't get to close to the inner fender. Get some trailer wire cable from your RV parts dealer and run it back, over the inner wheel well, and back to the rear 7 pin plug. I would soider the extra cable into the factory one (i. e. don't use clip on connectors).



The B&W is not that difficult to install, but there are some tight places, underneath, that you have to get to to torque the nuts and bolts down. Just make sure you measure twice, three times, or however amount it takes, before you cut that big hole. The bed could be off a little, so you may get a small gap between the hole and the turnover ball reciever. Mine had about 1/8" gap on one side. Have fun...

 

[MacHaggis]

Thanks, guys.



Haven't decided on where the plug should go yet. Klenger's harness is inviting and elegant for cutting down on the splices, but I've also got a length of the right 7-wire cable hanging arond that would do the fenderwell mount, too. Hmmmmm. Any connection that isn't a plug will definitely be a solder joint, with special attention to the blue wire!



And Rick. I hear ya on the measuring. I shudder at the mutilation (Oh! the horror of it all!) stories of guys that found their "center" measuring from the "wheel wells" on their bedliners. I had thought of measuring (three or four times) from the top, including on the bias from the corners of the bed, and running a small hole (smaller than the pilot on the hole saw) and checking that for center against the frame from under the bed, and probably will.

 

[RJOL]

Thanks, guys.



Haven't decided on where the plug should go yet. Klenger's harness is inviting and elegant for cutting down on the splices, but I've also got a length of the right 7-wire cable hanging arond that would do the fenderwell mount, too. Hmmmmm. Any connection that isn't a plug will definitely be a solder joint, with special attention to the blue wire!



And Rick. I hear ya on the measuring. I shudder at the mutilation (Oh! the horror of it all!) stories of guys that found their "center" measuring from the "wheel wells" on their bedliners. I had thought of measuring (three or four times) from the top, including on the bias from the corners of the bed, and running a small hole (smaller than the pilot on the hole saw) and checking that for center against the frame from under the bed, and probably will.

Klenger has some pretty good ideas... but I put mine up toward the front of the bed. Here is why... I only have about 5" of clearance between the bed rails and the 5th wheel. I wanted to have the connector up front, clear of the fifth wheel, so I could get at it easily. Sometimes the tailgate is not easily lowered, when the truck is at an angle to the trailer. Getting to the plug could be a challenge. It's also very easy to unplug it while parked for longer periods without having to get at it from the back.



Don't get too excited about measuring for the turnoverball hole. Just measure carefully and you will be close. I don't know what you would see by drilling a pilot hole. You can't install the hitch before the hole is drilled as it would be in the way of the drill. Trying to see if it is absolutely in the correct position is going to be tough before you get the hitch in. If you follow the instructions you will be close...