First Flat Tow.....Lights??

Lineleader · 03-03-2007, 01:51 PM

My TJ is already rigged for towing with a Mopar trailer light kit, So is my tow vehicle, a Chevy Tahoe. Both have four pin receptors.

Now the question......Is there a kit or a way to simply be able to plug these two together? Would it even work? I would need a male receptor at both ends. Is this a crazy notion or do I just buy the stick on lights from Wal Mart and be done with it??

doug_1994 · 03-03-2007, 03:25 PM

I bought the "stick on" ones because I'm allways towing something different.

Doug

sgnellett · 05-05-2007, 02:06 PM

I'd love to find a way to rig my TJ lights to work like a trailer, so that I plug a harness into the vehicle towing it and the factory lights work with the tow vehicle. Any body ever seen anything like that done, or know how to do it?

Heepajeep · 05-07-2007, 11:59 AM

I have done this:
On the towed vehicle, run the 4-strand wire from the grill area to the back end of towed vehicle with male plug on each end. Long enough so that you can plug the front plug into the tow vehicle trailer socket and the back plug into the towed vehicle trailer socket.
But now, up stream of the towed vehicle trailer socket and upstream of where the wires branch out to the rear lamps, you need to splice in another plug and socket. When all hooked-up for towing this spliced in connection will be disconnected.

This way there is no feed back into the towed vehicle and your front parking lights are not shining into your rearview mirrors.

On the disconnect that gets spliced in, use vasaline on the metal pins to insure they don't corrode.

**TellyDSP** · 05-07-2007, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sgnellett

I'd love to find a way to rig my TJ lights to work like a trailer, so that I plug a harness into the vehicle towing it and the factory lights work with the tow vehicle. Any body ever seen anything like that done, or know how to do it?

I'm assuming the TJ and YJ wiring are a bit different.It'd probably take a little tweaking, but here's a start.

http://www.jedi.com/obiwan/jeep/flattow.html

PeteC · 05-08-2007, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TellyDSP

I'm assuming the TJ and YJ wiring are a bit different.It'd probably take a little tweaking, but here's a start.

http://www.jedi.com/obiwan/jeep/flattow.html

This is the preferred method. Both my YJ (gone but not forgotten) and my TJ are set up this way to be towed behind my Class A. Good write up by the way. The wiring colors may have been changed, don't know for certain, but everything else is pretty much the same.

Mine is set up a little differently though. My diodes are under the lip of the tub above the left rear tire. Inside the tub where the rear light wires are already run. It was just easier to work on there. They are completely water proofed using about 20 punds of electrical tape.

For the plug, I installed a 4 pin round (pretty sure, would have to look) female plug on the front of the Jeep. Cut a hole just under the left head light. Weather cover is already there. Screw it into the sheet metal.

The connector cable was bought. Accordian style, sealed, male plugs on both ends.

This is all mated to a Blue Ox self aligning tow bar. Sweet set up. Easy to set up, no hanging wires to put away.

The Mean Fish · 05-21-2007, 06:49 PM

I wired my TJ and my low boy trailer so that I could plug the Jeep in to the trailer and have my TJ's tail lights copy what the trailer lights are doing. It's hard to see the trailer lights which are close to the road but those LED on the rear of the TJ are hard to miss even in daylight. I used a 5 pin outlet on the trailer and made a short harness that stays under the hood of the Jeep when I'm not towing it. I used 5 pin connectors because I plan to add the reverse light circuit to the system when I get time. I want the TJ's reverse lights to act as back up lights when it's on my trailer.

I used diodes from a local RV place, 2 for brake/turn lights and a third for the running lights.

92blazn · 05-22-2007, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Mean Fish

I wired my TJ and my low boy trailer so that I could plug the Jeep in to the trailer and have my TJ's tail lights copy what the trailer lights are doing. It's hard to see the trailer lights which are close to the road but those LED on the rear of the TJ are hard to miss even in daylight. I used a 5 pin outlet on the trailer and made a short harness that stays under the hood of the Jeep when I'm not towing it. I used 5 pin connectors because I plan to add the reverse light circuit to the system when I get time. I want the TJ's reverse lights to act as back up lights when it's on my trailer.

I used diodes from a local RV place, 2 for brake/turn lights and a third for the running lights.

you want to do mine LOL, I need to get with ya so I can do mine last trip out forgot to look at your setup before I left

PeteC · 05-29-2007, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Mean Fish

I wired my TJ and my low boy trailer so that I could plug the Jeep in to the trailer and have my TJ's tail lights copy what the trailer lights are doing. It's hard to see the trailer lights which are close to the road but those LED on the rear of the TJ are hard to miss even in daylight. I used a 5 pin outlet on the trailer and made a short harness that stays under the hood of the Jeep when I'm not towing it. I used 5 pin connectors because I plan to add the reverse light circuit to the system when I get time. I want the TJ's reverse lights to act as back up lights when it's on my trailer.

I used diodes from a local RV place, 2 for brake/turn lights and a third for the running lights.

Plans are in the works to add this feature to the trialer I borrow. Mentioned it to some other people as well and they are going to run with it as well.

Thanks for the idea Mean Fish

**TellyDSP** · 06-04-2007, 11:02 AM

Using the towed vehicle's lighting is drawing power from the towed vehicle's power supply, right? I was considering doing this, instead of magnetic lights, but now am reconsidering, as the battery on my YJ is already fond of draining itself. I'm afraid to put the added draw of true lighting with no source of charge. Especially for an 11-hour tow like Tellico. Is there any chance of the power from the lights being provided from the tow rig, or is that wiring just opening relays?

PeteC · 06-05-2007, 12:02 PM

When properly set up (using diodes) all power for lighting is provided by the Tow vehicle. Same way as power supplied to a trailer with no power source of it's own. Your YJ battery will have ZERO draw.

**TellyDSP** · 06-05-2007, 12:27 PM

Good stuff. I plan to use these guys when wiring.

http://www.rvtoyoutlet.com/p-RVRM792.html

Giddy-up, it's project time.

coolit · 07-24-2007, 07:50 PM

TellyDSP is right on with the link to the jedi.com site! Thanks.
I just hooked up my '04 Rubicon lights almost exactly the same way as described on the link. Only difference is that I could not, for the life of me, locate the correct wires in the connectors under the dash. So I made my splice to the rear light wires under the wire hide just below the driver's door strap hook.

Wire colors for the rear lights are exactly the same for the '04 as the one listed on the jedi.com link.

Looking forward to my first flat tow this weekend.