Trailer pigtail

[easysuper]

We just had the Factory hitch installed on our 2013 RT-S it came with a SQUARE 4 plug and my trailer has a FLAT 4 , where can I find a SQUARE 4 adapter ?

[Cruzr Joe]

We just had the Factory hitch installed on our 2013 RT-S it came with a SQUARE 4 plug and my trailer has a FLAT 4 , where can I find a SQUARE 4 adapter ?

it is easier to change the square one to a flat one.

the flat ones fit better too.

(Just thinking outside the box)

Cruzr Joe

[Hawk]

PM NancysToy , he is the trailer wiring guru!!

[Magdave]

http://myspyderstuff.wordpress.com/2...4-pin-adapter/

[NancysToy]

There is no adapter that I know of. There are several ways to address the problem, however.

1. Purchase a universal adapter from a trailer shop. This is a cable with four loose wires tied together in the middle. You can switch the wires around to fit any 4-wire connector shape...or even switch the light functions.
2. Purchase a square-4 pigtail and replace the flat-4 or splice it into your trailer so it has both.
3. Purchase a flat-4 pigtail and replace the Square-4 on the Spyder or splice it in and have both. I do not recommend this alternative because empty connectors on the live side can corrode or short out, and replacing the Spyder side with a flat-4 makes the harness an oddball as far as Spyders are concerned.
4. Purchase both flat-4 and square-4 pigtails and make your own adapter.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

There is no adapter that I know of. There are several ways to address the problem, however.

1. Purchase a universal adapter from a trailer shop. This is a cable with four loose wires tied together in the middle. You can switch the wires around to fit any 4-wire connector shape...or even switch the light functions.
2. Purchase a square-4 pigtail and replace the flat-4 or splice it into your trailer so it has both.
3. Purchase a flat-4 pigtail and replace the Square-4 on the Spyder or splice it in and have both. I do not recommend this alternative because empty connectors on the live side can corrode or short out, and replacing the Spyder side with a flat-4 makes the harness an oddball as far as Spyders are concerned.
4. Purchase both flat-4 and square-4 pigtails and make your own adapter.

Add a 5th one. Buy a 12" 4 flat extension, Hopkins #48145, and modify the one end as Magdave shows. You should be able to find one most anywhere that carries trailer wiring stuff.

[NancysToy]

Add a 5th one. Buy a 12" 4 flat extension, Hopkins #48145, and modify the one end as Magdave shows. You should be able to find one most anywhere that carries trailer wiring stuff.

[Magdave]

Add a 5th one. Buy a 12" 4 flat extension, Hopkins #48145, and modify the one end as Magdave shows. You should be able to find one most anywhere that carries trailer wiring stuff.

Cheapest way to solve the problem I have found. BRP wants $65 for a $5 plug

[Trickie Dick]

I had the same issue. I cut the flat 4 off my trailer and replaced it with the hopkins square 4.
http://www.amazon.com/Hopkins-111479...re+4+connector Simple as it gets.

[Magdave]

I had the same issue. I cut the flat 4 off my trailer and replaced it with the hopkins square 4.
http://www.amazon.com/Hopkins-111479...re+4+connector Simple as it gets.

I have those saved on amazon but you still have to splice. The solution I posted above all you have to do is cut the plug in 1/2 and glue them together. Splicing unless soldered and shrink wrapped tends to oxidize and ends up being a weak link. Still a viable way to do it though. Always remember to use Di Electric grease too.

[NancysToy]

I have those saved on amazon but you still have to splice. The solution I posted above all you have to do is cut the plug in 1/2 and glue them together. Splicing unless soldered and shrink wrapped tends to oxidize and ends up being a weak link. Still a viable way to do it though. Always remember to use Di Electric grease too.

I recommend that if you splice you use Posi-taps and waterproof the spliced end with heat shrink tubing. If you replace the existing connector use waterproof butt splices.

[jaherbst]

Simply change the pigtail on the trailer. BRP has it in the catalog. I am assuming you have the RT-622 BRP trailer.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I had the same issue. I cut the flat 4 off my trailer and replaced it with the hopkins square 4.
http://www.amazon.com/Hopkins-111479...re+4+connector Simple as it gets.

If the square fours are anything like a rectangular six, they can be a bear to plug/unplug even with grease on them. I have a set on my homemade trailer to enable pigtail changes and they are a lot harder to plug/unplug than the the 5 flat connector on the bike.

[easysuper]

Thanks for all the input guys , I just bought a tent trailer and wanted a clean looking harness , I have seen far to many muddle jobs out there and knew someone would have a great solution .

Thanks again . Bike and trailer 004 (1024x768).jpg

[NancysToy]

If the square fours are anything like a rectangular six, they can be a bear to plug/unplug even with grease on them. I have a set on my homemade trailer to enable pigtail changes and they are a lot harder to plug/unplug than the the 5 flat connector on the bike.

They may be a bit harder to unplug, but they are also a lot less likely to come loose going down the road. Everyone has his/her own preferences, but the truth is any type of connector designed for trailer use works acceptably.

[Erags]

I like to make a good solder joint and the heat shrink each wire and then heat shrink every thing. Remember to offset the joint of each wire so it keeps the over all joint small. You can almost make it look like they isn't a splice in the wire. The make thing is a good solder joint and that isn't all that hard to do.

[bluestratos]

I just reinstalled the trailer wiring on my bike and changed the 4 square to the 6 square so I can have a full time hot and an accessory line in the trailer. This allows me to keep my small fridge working whileI travel and or, charge my battery for the booster pack, camera or what not. I cannot find a good cap though so I am going to buy a second set and modify. WasWinger is correct as it takes more effort to do the 6 vs the 4 but works fine in practice.

If the square fours are anything like a rectangular six, they can be a bear to plug/unplug even with grease on them. I have a set on my homemade trailer to enable pigtail changes and they are a lot harder to plug/unplug than the the 5 flat connector on the bike.

[NancysToy]

I just reinstalled the trailer wiring on my bike and changed the 4 square to the 6 square so I can have a full time hot and an accessory line in the trailer. This allows me to keep my small fridge working whileI travel and or, charge my battery for the booster pack, camera or what not. I cannot find a good cap though so I am going to buy a second set and modify. WasWinger is correct as it takes more effort to do the 6 vs the 4 but works fine in practice.

I have rectangular-6 connectors on all my trailers except the RT-622. I prefer them...even for simple 4-wire or 5-wire systems.

[ChrisW]

I have a 2014 and will install a hitch, will my bike plug be the 4 plug or a 5 plug as my turn signals are yellow and my trailer is a 5 as i have seperate turn as well in yellow also. How will all this work???

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I have a 2014 and will install a hitch, will my bike plug be the 4 plug or a 5 plug as my turn signals are yellow and my trailer is a 5 as i have seperate turn as well in yellow also. How will all this work???

Are you buying the BRP hitch kit, or going with after market? Are you doing it yourself, or having the dealer do it? If you can stand to wait for a couple of days or so I will post my hitch project. I installed wiring to handle my 5 wire trailer which, like yours, has amber turn signals.

[NancysToy]

I have a 2014 and will install a hitch, will my bike plug be the 4 plug or a 5 plug as my turn signals are yellow and my trailer is a 5 as i have seperate turn as well in yellow also. How will all this work???

The BRP harness/module is 4-wire, so it will not work directly with a 5-wire trailer. Simplest answer is to wire a 5-wire pigtail directly into the Spyder harness (or the wires that feed the trailer module). You could also change the trailer signals to red lenses if available, and splice in a 4-wire connector. Beyond that it would take trailer wiring modifications to convert it to 4-wire, disabling the separate signals.

[ChrisW]

Are you buying the BRP hitch kit, or going with after market? Are you doing it yourself, or having the dealer do it? If you can stand to wait for a couple of days or so I will post my hitch project. I installed wiring to handle my 5 wire trailer which, like yours, has amber turn signals.

It's a BRP and I will install it myself, I want all your good info and will wait

[ChrisW]

The BRP harness/module is 4-wire, so it will not work directly with a 5-wire trailer. Simplest answer is to wire a 5-wire pigtail directly into the Spyder harness (or the wires that feed the trailer module). You could also change the trailer signals to red lenses if available, and splice in a 4-wire connector. Beyond that it would take trailer wiring modifications to convert it to 4-wire, disabling the separate signals.

I don't understand, the spyder has separate running, stop, turn, is that not a five wire setup. My trailer has all the same lights as the spyder and my 09 Goldwing and it works when I tow it with that bike.I think I am missing something

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I don't understand, the spyder has separate running, stop, turn, is that not a five wire setup. My trailer has all the same lights as the spyder and my 09 Goldwing and it works when I tow it with that bike.I think I am missing something

Yes, and no. The BRP kit includes a 5 wire to 4 wire isolator/adapter. They're readily available wherever trailer supplies are sold. It plugs into a Y harness that has available a power lead, plus the turn signal leads, brake lead, and tail/marker lead. Four wire trailer lighting is somewhat the de facto standard which, I think, is why BRP went that direction. Five wire trailer lighting is used a lot on motorcycle pulled trailers. Maybe that's because m/c riders are more enlightened! The Goldwing, if done properly, uses a trailer isolator with a 5 wire output. I used one of those plugged into the BRP Y harness to provide 5 wire power to my trailer. Plus, I tapped into the Y harness to connect my high mount brake light and turn signals.

[NancysToy]

I don't understand, the spyder has separate running, stop, turn, is that not a five wire setup. My trailer has all the same lights as the spyder and my 09 Goldwing and it works when I tow it with that bike.I think I am missing something

As WasWinger said, the BRP harness contains a converter module, changing the 5-wire output to 4-wire to match the BRP trailer. The original 2010 modules and trailers were actually 5-wire, but they were not very reliable. They were changed in 2011. To use a 5-wire trailer you will have to tap into the Spyder lighting directly, use the Goldwing isolator module, or modify your trailer to make it 4-wire.