trailer wire hookup | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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trailer wire hookup

4x4firefighter

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Joined
May 17, 2008
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City, State
Oneonta, NY
Year, Model & Trim Level
99 Eddie Limited
sure theres a post but i cant find one that helps.......need to wire up the trailer wiring but i have no idea where the hell i am supose to tap into or if there is a junction box or what? no wiring came with my edie.......ne one help?
 



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You just have the buy the wiring at a parts store or walmart, its less than $20.
There are connectors under the tail lights that you just plug into.
 






Have you checked behind your tailights? You should have a piece that looks like it has a red nipple on it behind your drivers side taillight assembly. That plug is where you'd connect a factory wiring harness.

If you don't want to get the factory harness, you can just tap into the wires with scotch blocks and get the same effect. The only negatives with the scotch blocks is that could fail over time.

A more permanent option is to cut off the plug and then use butt connectors or solder to connect the trailer harness to the wires inside your taillight.

As for the socket, there are a few of us who cut a hole in their bumper and installed the socket through the bumper. It looks really clean that way.

What are you towing, btw? It is strongly recommended that anyone towing get an auxiliary transmission cooler and filter with a sending nit for a temperature gauge.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!
 






only plan on towing atv but im crazy so if i have to hook on somethin large i might do it without thinking....lol
 






sure theres a post but i cant find one that helps.......need to wire up the trailer wiring but i have no idea where the hell i am supose to tap into or if there is a junction box or what? no wiring came with my edie.......ne one help?

All you need is a Hopkins part number 40325 which plugs into the wiring harness and provides a pigtail to plug the trailer lights into. Cost less than $20. Do a Google search if you don't have a local source. Wal-Mart used to carry them but did not the last time I looked.

=Vic=
Bear Gap, PA
 






The Hopkins connector is OK, but it's just the harness. Ford sells the package that includes the harness, a bracket to mount the receptacle to the bumper, a bolt for the bracket, and a couple of clips to route the cable down along the bumper and frame rails. IIRC, it's about $40 from the dealership.
 






1999 ford explorer sport trailer wiring connector

It took me an entire day of frustration to find this:

REESE 15241.
1995-2001 Explorer w/OEM tow package.
98-99 ranger w/OEM tow package.
98-01 b series w/OEM tow package.
I had eventually found it at Canadian Tire for $21


Every hitch shop i went to tried to sell me the $50 or $90 "Tee" kits instead.

They all pretented to not know what i meant when i said our trucks are prewired, and then when i gave them the part number they said, "oh yeahhhh, well we dont carry that in stock, its not very expensive"

It plugs right into my harness perfectly under the bumper. took 3 mins to install. I hope this helps others:

It looks like the Hopkins 40915 T, but i bought the Reese brand. Note it is not a "T" connector, but the package may show a pic of a T and call it a T connection too.
 






I removed the rear bumper from my 95 2Dr to paint it to match my new front winch bumper (RLC Welding). Here is a picture of the wiring behind it:
picture.php
 






I have a 96 EB with this harness behind the bumper. The factory-made jumper harnes was inside the left panel near the jack. When I hooked the jumper to the trailer, it blew a couple fuses. I spent most of a day looking for a short before realizing the wires in the jumper harness were in the wrong cavities. Once I figured this out, I used the colors of the wires to match up with the trailer wiring. There is a factory bulletin on this issue. Once straightened out, it works great. You might be able to find info on this at google or else go to a dealer. I hope this saves someone some time and trouble.
Mike
 






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