This week, we replaced the 7-pin connector on our 2005 Ford F250 Super Duty for under $10.
We had the issue where we had a bad connection so the trailer brake controller would randomly show the trailer disconnected as we traveled down the road. I would have to pull over and get out all the time to jiggle the connection to get the brakes working again. It was getting very frustrating, so I went online and bought a new Hopkins 7-pin trailer plug for under $10.
Luckily, it was a very easy swap to make! All I had to do was unclip the wiring from the back of the old connector, remove the 4 bolts holding the old connector onto the mount, mount the new one, and then reconnect the wiring making sure it clips shut. The only catch was that the bolt pattern was slightly different on the Hopkins connector, so I had to drill and tap new holes. Pretty easy, but does make it a tiny bit more time. The other thing I did was to hit the contact points with some dielectric grease to make sure those connections were happy!
When I got the old one off, it was clear why it wasn’t working–the inside was caked with a ton of dirt! Honestly, I probably could have gotten away with cleaning the factory plug up, hit the terminals with terminal cleaner, and put it right back on. That said, the new one was only $8 something, so I figured I might as well use it for the peace of mind.
The good news is that it seems to have solved the issue. We just went out this past weekend to Santa Margarita Lake (video coming soon on that one), and we didn’t get a bad connection once.
This is a very easy fix and only took me about 20 minutes total to remove the old one, drill and tap the new holes, mount the new connector, and reconnect the wiring. If you are having trouble with your trailer always disconnecting, then you might just have a ton of old dirt in there. My advice is to take apart your current one and see if it just needs cleaned up. If it isn’t obvious you have a bad connection, then it might be worth trying to throw a new one on.
We hope this video helps to solve your problem. It got us back out on the road and making those memories with the ones that matter most, and THAT is #WhyWeWork!
See you on the next adventure!!
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