No Splice In-Bed 7-Pin Trailer Connector
In a Dodge RAM (2000 - Current)

For towing a 5th wheel or goose-neck trailer, it is very convenient to have a 7-Pin trailer connector mounted in the bed of the truck.  I was looking for a way to do this without splicing to the factory wiring harness.  Reese makes a "T-Connector" adapter (P/N 15381) harness that works well for this application.    The adapter is available from Camping World using SKU 26693.  The haness is modified to replace the 4-pin trailer connector with an in-bed 7-pin connector per the following instructions and installed as shown in the drawing below.


Wire Function
Dodge
Drawing

(4)
Truck
Wire
Gauge
Wire
Color
(5)
10-Pin
Plug
(6)
7-Pin
Plug
(7)
Ground (1)(2)
8W-54-4
14
WHT
8, 9
1
Tail/Running Lights (1)
8W-54-3
18
BRN
5
3
Left Turn/Stop (1)
8W-54-3
18
YEL
10
5
Right Turn/Stop (1)
8W-54-3
18
GRN
2
6
Battery Charge (3)
8W-54-5
14
BLK (added)
4
4
Trailer Brakes (3)
8W-54-5
14
BLU (added)
7
2
Backup Lights (3)
8W-54-5
18
ORG (added)
3
C

Notes:
(1)
Remove 4 Pin trailer plug and connect these four wires to in-bed 7-pin plug as shown.  In my case, the wires were just long enough to reach the in-bed 7-pin plug w/o splicing.
(2)
I also attached the ground wire from the 7-Pin plug to truck chassis ground (optional).
(3)
Splice a new wire into the "T-Connector" harness and connect to the in-bed 7-pin connector as shown.
(4)
For model year 2004, reference Dodge drawing 8W-54-X for details.  Click here for drawing.
(5)
These are the colors for the wires between the 10-pin and 7-pin in-bed plugs on the Reese "T-Connector" harness.  The WHT, BRN, YEL, and GRN wires are included on the harness.  The BLK, BLU, and ORG wires must be added.
(6)
10-Pin connector is attached to the back side of the factory installed 7-Pin trailer connector located to the left of the license plate, and is part of the Dodge towing package. It is refered to as "Trailer Tow Connector-Add On" on the 8W-54 drawings.
(7)
7-Pin identification is the pin location as shown on the drawing below.
(8)
These instructions assume that the trailer towing package was installed at the factory.
(9)
These instructions are for 2004 models 2500 and 3500 RAM trucks, and have not been verified for other years or models.  According to Reese, the "T-Connector" harness will work on model year 2000 and newer RAM trucks.  Additional "T-Connector" configurations for other vehicles may be available from Reese.
(10)
I have made every effort to make sure that the information on these pages is accurate.  It is the sole responsibility of the person using this information to verify that all connections are made correctly.  klenger.net takes no responsibility for any damage to the vehicle or trailer that may result  from the use of this information.  If you do find any errors in this information, please contact info@klenger.net and we will research and correct as necessary.


Click picture for high-res image
Modified "T-Connector" Drawing  [ High-Res ]   [ PDF ]




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