Taillight Converter Help

[dbs2071]

I've done a search on this subject but haven't come up with a clear conclusion and was looking for some help.  I am going to flat tow my zuk with a Ford Expedition.  It has both a round seven pin connector and a 4 pin flat connector.  My plan was to use the 4 pin.  I understand that the independent tail/stop/turn signal of the samurais require the use of a converter.  I picked up a Hoppy brand taillight converter that has a four wire side and a 5 wire side.  Just to double check I just plug the four wire side to the tow vehicle and hard wire  the 5 wires to the sammy.  Would a converter be needed if I used the seven pin connector?

[redidbull]

I've done a search on this subject but haven't come up with a clear conclusion and was looking for some help.  I am going to flat tow my zuk with a Ford Expedition.  It has both a round seven pin connector and a 4 pin flat connector.  My plan was to use the 4 pin.  I understand that the independent tail/stop/turn signal of the samurais require the use of a converter.  I picked up a Hoppy brand taillight converter that has a four wire side and a 5 wire side.  Just to double check I just plug the four wire side to the tow vehicle and hard wire  the 5 wires to the sammy.  Would a converter be needed if I used the seven pin connector?

I would get a volt meter and check what is what. Meaning what are the 4 pins of the connector giving you and the 7.  I think that probably the 7 pin would give you what you need without a converter. Go to a trailer place like U Haul they would probably be able to help. Jim

[GA_ZUKI]

if you are gonna flat tow it.

just get the universal 4-wire trailer kit from wally world and run it down the outside around the mirror and at the back and plug it into the ex. you will have to add a ground wire from the plug end to the piece of metal that you mounted the lights to.
it will not ground thru the ball and the zuk and if you dont it will make the lights do crazy thinks and make you pull your hair out.


or are you gonna make it to where you can plug into the Sammie's wires and use the stock lights

when i flat tow i run the lights down the outside a stated above

now for the converter
it is marked very clear on the back on how to run the wires
i used one and put it inside of my bumper

[Road Dog]

I'm pretty sure that the converter goes from a 5 wire tow vehicle to a 4 wire trailer. You can't just turn it around and expect it to work. The 7-pin connector provides electric brake control, 12VDC accessory power, and a spare (plus the usual parking, brakes and turn signal lights). My Sammy has extra trailer lights screwed on so.

There are converters just for towed vehicles. An RV place would have them but I don't know how much $$$.

[dbs2071]

I'm pretty sure that the converter goes from a 5 wire tow vehicle to a 4 wire trailer. You can't just turn it around and expect it to work. The 7-pin connector provides electric brake control, 12VDC accessory power, and a spare (plus the usual parking, brakes and turn signal lights). My Sammy has extra trailer lights screwed on so.

There are converters just for towed vehicles. An RV place would have them but I don't know how much $$$.

That was my main concern.  The instructions seem to have the exact scenario you are describing,  5 wire tow vehicle to a 4 wire trailer.  In my case it I would have to turn the converter around and use the 4 wire side for the tow vehicle and the 5 wire side to the trailer (in this case the Samurai)  Does anyone know if the converter can be turned around and hooked turned around and run backwards.  I hear a lot of guys running these converters are the hooked up backwards also? 

[GA_ZUKI]

I'm pretty sure that the converter goes from a 5 wire tow vehicle to a 4 wire trailer. You can't just turn it around and expect it to work. The 7-pin connector provides electric brake control, 12VDC accessory power, and a spare (plus the usual parking, brakes and turn signal lights). My Sammy has extra trailer lights screwed on so.

There are s just for towed vehicles. An RV place would have them but I don't know how much $$$.

i paid 10.95 for mine and at walmart i think it is 13.96
for the 4 wire to 3 wire

the 7 pin is for electric brakes and you still use the the other for the lights
and the 4 pin is with out electric brakes
i found a couple of pics of different kinds

i dont see whay you cant back feed it as you say

all it does is combine the lights or split them







 

[belleville95]

I dont see why you can't back feed it as you say....
[/quote
The converters use "diodes" to combine the signals. Diodes pass current in one direction only. Thus the converters can not be used to "back feed". I used some diodes I got from Camping World to patch the signals from our motor home trailer light connector to our sammie's tail lights.

[Road Dog]

i paid 10.95 for mine and at walmart i think it is 13.96
for the 4 wire to 3 wire

the 7 pin is for electric brakes and you still use the the other for the lights
and the 4 pin is with out electric brakes
i found a couple of pics of different kinds

i dont see whay you cant back feed it as you say

all it does is combine the lights or split them

Yes, its' 4-wire to 3-wire (plus ground). (Or a 3 wire to 2 wire since the parking lights are the same). The 4-wire (tow vehicle) side is powering relays and the 3-wire trailer side is connected to the relay contacts. You will pop a fuse hooking it up backwards.

[dbs2071]

I dont see why you can't back feed it as you say....
[/quote
The converters use "diodes" to combine the signals. Diodes pass current in one direction only. Thus the converters can not be used to "back feed". I used some diodes I got from Camping World to patch the signals from our motor home trailer light connector to our sammie's tail lights.

Okay now that I am thoroughly confused,  How in the h@$! do I hook this thing up?  Coming out of the tow car is a ground wire and a left turn, right turn wire (which is also the brake lights) and running lights wire.  Since the sammy has a brake light wire and a taillight wire going into the housing couldn't I hook the ground to the chassis, the running lights wire from tow car to the taillight wire of the zuk, and the combo turn/brake light wires from the tow car to the brake light wire of the zuk.  Then if I turned on the turn signal of the tow car it would make the zuks brake light flash just as a trailer light works?

[GA_ZUKI]

someone did it on here. i think it was surly

[Road Dog]

...and the combo turn/brake light wires from the tow car to the brake light wire of the zuk.  Then if I turned on the turn signal of the tow car it would make the zuks brake light flash just as a trailer light works?

Except the left and right brake lights on the Zuk are wired together. I suppose you could add a small DPDT (double pole double throw) relay to split the left and right brake light. The Zuk brake control activates the relay to turn on both brakes lights and the left and right trailer control could turn them on and off seperately. I'm too lazy to draw it out. Maybe I'll do that to mine.

[dbs2071]

My thoughts of having a flat 4 pin connector that stays on the tow bar so I could plug one end into the tow car and the other end into the zuk are not looking possible.  I think magnetic tow lights (which are my last resort) are looking like the way I'll have to go.

[belleville95]

My thoughts of having a flat 4 pin connector that stays on the tow bar so I could plug one end into the tow car and the other end into the zuk are not looking possible.

The tow bar sales places (like Camping World) sell diodes with heat sinks that are two signals "in" and one signal "out'. For each unit the "out" pin is connected to a Samurai light, one of the "in" pins is connected to the power source from the Samurai, and the other "in" pin is connected to the motor home power source for that particular light. I did that for left turn, right turn, left tail, and right tail. Using the diodes keeps the Samurai signals from feeding back into the motor home wiring and keeps the motor home signals from feeding back into the Samurai wiring.

So there are the standard four wires coming from the motor home (LT, RT, TM, and GD). And they activate the built in lights on the Samurai.

[GeoB]

It has been a while since I set mine up, so I prolly won't be much help.  I have an F250 tow vehicle, and I have two receptacles in the rear.  One (7 pin?) for my 5th wheel w/trailer brakes and I think a hot.  The other is 5 or 6 pin, don't remember.  It is wired up 'standard' so I can tow most anything .  I built an umbilical to my Zuke, and put a receptacle in the front of the Zuke. 

I didn't have to use ANY adapter.  It is possible (I'd have to check) that maybe the tow package on the truck separates all the signals so no adapter is required.  I bet this is the case.  I did tap into the Zuke electricals only up front.  I have the tail lights and side markers, the brake lights & turn signals all working perfect.  Have used it fer years.  No adapter.

Be darn careful with those adapters... on most of them get it wired wrong just a tiny lil innocent bit and BLIP!! it is toast.

[eruby]

i just bought a long 4-wire plug. long enough to go from inside my hood of the suk to the bumper of my tow rig. i spliced the running light wire into my running light and the left and right blinkers into my fron left and right lights. when i'm not towing, i roll it up and stow it under the hood. sure when i put on the breaks, they are orange but around here that's more than most cars. i'm in the process of building a bumper and use red tail and red blinkers. i've already got the lights (4 total) so i'll tie the running light bulbs from both together, use the inside bright bulbs for breaks and the outside for blinkers. almost all american cars and trucks use red blinkers so i shoulf be ok.

a $40 converter??  that's about 5% of the total value of my rig