We have decided that our 2015 Subaru Forester with 6 speed manual transmission is not quite robust enough to haul our 13 foot Scamp. The area of concern is when stopped on a hill and having to get the rig moving again. Not pleasant at all! I bet the automatic would do better. So we are looking at a Honda Ridgeline, 6 cylinder, automatic, tow capacity 5,000lbs. The Honda comes with a tow package, including a 4 point pin connector but the 2017 Scamp was set up for us with trailer brakes and the 7 pin connector. I don,t think we need the trailer brakes with the bigger, heavier Rigdeline. Does anyone know if they make a 4 pin adaptor that plugs into the 7 pin connector on the Scamp? We have the adaptor that converts the 7 pin connector coming from the vehicle to 4 pins, so I can tow my other trailers, but I will need a 4 pin that plugs into the 4 pin on the new vehicle on one end and a 7 pin that connects to the Scamp on the other end, which will bypass the brakes and just power the lights. Does such an item exist? Does anyone tow a camper with brakes but not use them because they have a 4 pin connector on their tow vehicle? Is this a bad idea! Anthony
Mon, 07/23/2018 - 14:50
#1
Trailer with brakes, tug with 4 pin plug?
I pull my 13' Scamp with my Wrangler 4-door with a 4-pin. I believe there is an adapter, but my husband, wizard of all things electrical and mechanical, hard wired the 4-pin into the 7-pin on the trailer. I don't have brakes on my Scamp, don't really need backup lights on the trailer, and I believe the last "extra" connection is to trickle charge the battery. I keep the battery charged, so that hasn't been an issue. The Wrangler tow capacity is 3500 lbs, so the little Scamp is way under that limit. I feel totally safe towing this way, and we didn't really want to have the hitch company mess around with the Wrangler wiring. But. You already will have a 7-pin on the new vehicle, or am I misunderstanding? If so, why not use the 7-pin and the brakes?
Rhonda Riebow
I'm not sure Rhonda! I was assuming the Ridgeline would come with a 4 pin connector but maybe it does come with a 7 pin connector. That would be easy. It comes with a class III integrated hitch. I'll call the dealer tomorrow and report back!!
Anthony Memoli
There are brake controllers that mount on the Scamp, but the tow vehicle mounted brake control is best. Everything is conveniently mounted, and you do not need to look for the key fob controller in an emergency. Plus, you get backup lights and a 12 volt line if installed correctly. (If your trailer has brakes they need to be hooked up. Hard to explain in court if you’re not using the installed safety equipment.)
The Honda folks must have a 7 tin option for the Ridgeline. Any tow vehicle that can tow #5,000 must be able to tow trailers with brakes. If the trailer has brakes why would you not want to use them? Plus depending on your trailer electrical use you may be very glad you can charge the trailer battery while traveling.
A brake controller mounted on the Scamp? I think you mean an emergency brake setup if it comes unhitched. Our one-ton truck came with the 7-pin and a brake controller built into the system. On an aftermarket system, a brake controller unit is mounted somewhere in the cab, and you can adjust it. A different setting for a 2000 lb trailer vs. a 16,000 lb trailer. When you apply the vehicle brakes it applies the trailer brakes also. Ha ha, we sold our horse trailer last year and the buyer wondered if the trailer brakes worked. We turned the dial up in the TV, and when we just touched the brakes the trailer brakes locked right up--yup, they worked!
Rhonda Riebow
I did some further research and the Ridgeline does come with a 7 pin connector. What I still don't know is if there is a built in brake controller or would I have to add one. I believe the vehicle is wired for a mountable brake controller but is not included.
Anthony Memoli
My Nissan Frontier was pre-wired for both the seven pin connector and the brake controller. I suspect that most new vehicles that might be used for towing are wired for trailer towing.
I just installed a brake control on my Honda Pilot. It has a class three hitch and 7 pin connector. If you go to etrailer.com it will show you how to install the brake controller. It is very simple because the Honda has a plug under the dash which simply connects to the brake controller. You would need to order the brake controller and the connecting cable. There is a youtube video explaining how to go through the installation process. I believe the Pilot and the Ridgeline use the same connection process. I wish you the best of luck with the installation.
I pulled the brake controller off of my Subaru before I traded it in and found the pin connection under the dash in the Ridgeline to plug the controller in to but have not decided where I want to mount it yet. I have a couple of options. We took a trip last weekend and plugged in the 7 pin connector and pulled the camper a couple of hundred miles. Honestly, with the bigger vehicle, I didn't miss the trailer brakes, so I am not in a great hurry to mount the brake controller.
Anthony Memoli
that installs a seven pin connector. I'm used to trailer brakes, and would not tow.without them.Topping up the battery is handy, especially if you have the fridge running on 12v. while travelling.
If not now, when?
Larry