Steadragna

I'm looking to do reverse lights on my atv trailer has anyone done this if so how dose it look and is it worth it.

Dirttracker18

If you have a 7 pin plug then you are already half way there. The reverse should be built into the connection. Just wire up a 7 pin plug on your trailer and run the appropriate wire back to your lights.

smokeywren

Yeah, the 7-pin plug on the back of the pickup should include 7 wires, and one of those 7 wires is the auxiliary 12-volt power source, often used for backup lights on a trailer. But that 7th pin is often not "hot" from the factory, because "nobody" uses it. You need to use a 7-pin plug tester and test the 7-pin plug on the back of the pickup with the tranny in reverse. If the center pin is not "hot", then you must add a fused wire to the wiring harness, to bring 12-volt battery power to that pin. Here's one example of a 7-pin plug tester:
http://www.etrailer.com/Wiring/Reese/78118.html

So if the trailer already has a 7-pin plug, then you run a wire from the center pin and the ground pin on the plug back to the backup lights and you're done. If you wired it right, then the backup lights will have power whenever the key is on and the tranny is in reverse gear.

Here is a diagram of the 7-pin plug on the trailer. Note the reverse light pin is the one in the center of the plug:



Depends on how neat you are with adding the wires to the trailer and into the trailer plug on the tongue. As to how do the lights look, that depends on which lights you buy and how you mount them on the back of the trailer. They can look anywhere from factory standard to discount parts store bargain bin el cheapo.

If your trailer doesn't have trailer brakes, then it probably won't have a 7-pin RV plug. If not, you'll need to replace whatever plug it has with a 7-pin RV plug.

seaeagle2

My 2010 had a factory 4 wire plug at the bumper. I followed the harness back a couple feet and it's plugged into a 7 wire harness. I ordered a stock 7 wire harness, it comes with a 4 wire and a 7 wire receptacle. I had to fab my own bracket. On a boat trailer with surge disc brakes, the reverse wire is used to lock out the brakes in reverse. If you don't have a factory 7 wire harness lurking under your truck, you can by a kit from a place like etrailer and splice in the wires.

Steadragna

I have a 7-way on my truck from Factory and I have a 7-way on my trailer. So I guess I just need to find the wire and add my lights.

Abn150

Position #58 in the engine compartment fuze box is for the "trailer tow backup lamps" with a 15 amp fuze in place. I haven't checked to see if the center pin on the 7 pin plug is hot or not, but I always assumed that since thrre was a fuze in the box, that it would be hot.

Probably worth checking. thanks.

Steadragna

How would I check to see if it's hot the center pin on my truck

ccc150

Multi meter or volt meter set to dc

smokeywren

One way is as explained in my previous post: "You need to use a 7-pin plug tester and test the 7-pin plug on the back of the pickup with the tranny in reverse. If the center pin is not "hot", then you must add a fused wire to the wiring harness, to bring 12-volt battery power to that pin. Here's one example of a 7-pin plug tester:
http://www.etrailer.com/Wiring/Reese/78118.html "

Of course, the engine should be running and someone's foot on the service brake when that someone puts the tranny in reverse while you are observing the tester lights.

Dirttracker18

or you can purchase a cheap test light, or make one for that matter.

It is simple a light in a probe. One end has a clip to connect to ground (almost any metal part on your truck or the ground point on the trailer wiring connector) the other end has a pointy end to touch to something. If there is power it lights up. They can be found very cheap and work well for basic testing to see if 12v power is there.