Caravan electrical connections

[GWH]

Have just taken delivery of our td6 HSE and looking to get it ready to tow our caravan. A MY 18 built dec 17.

What is the wiring configuration of the factory supplied 12 pin connector? Dealer cannot tell me.

Auto elect said it also needs an adaptor to enable the vehicle towing system to detect when the van is connected because the van has LED lights which apparently may not draw enough current for the disscovery to detect when the van is connected.

Any experience feedback would be helpful

Thanks

[stevo]

There is some good info on trailer plug wiring at the top of this section, I am still waiting for my TD6 HSE Lux was held up due to changes in the emission testing by the government so hopefully rocking up soon as I am also going to wire up a brake controller cradle which will take my Tekonsha controller.

Ordered the 3035-P wiring kit so this should get it working.

Also so on list is Dash cam and dual battery.

[IndusD4]

If I were you I would check that your car detects the trailer with LED lights. Mine is a MY18 and it does detect a trailer with LEDs, so no need to add resistors. This does not appear to work on MY17 models however there is someone on the UK forum with a MY17 that also correctly detects a trailer with LEDs.
So before spending any money, check it out.

Ron

[tony_s]

Ours is a 2017, apparently MY16.5, and it is fine with the LEDs on our van.
Tony

[IndusD4]

Did they do a MY16.5 D5 ?

[tony_s]

That’s what it says

[IndusD4]

Ok, interesting to see that your 2017 car does recognise the trailer, as many don't.

[tony_s]

I take it all back IndusD4! Mine doesn’t read the van, but it will soon!
Tony

[DiscoMick]

Does yours need a separate Anderson plug to connect to the battery charging system in the van, or does it also go through the 12 plug?
On our Defender the bottom six plugs are standard trailer wiring and also work on our box trailer, however the charge for the camper battery goes through a 7th plug on the top row.
Some caravans come with a separate Anderson plug for the battery charging.
Your sparky should know.

[tony_s]

Does yours need a separate Anderson plug to connect to the battery charging system in the van, or does it also go through the 12 plug?
On our Defender the bottom six plugs are standard trailer wiring and also work on our box trailer, however the charge for the camper battery goes through a 7th plug on the top row.
Some caravans come with a separate Anderson plug for the battery charging.
Your sparky should know.

I have a separate plug for charging the van batteries through a Redarc M30. I need resistors in the indicator and brake light lines to meet LR’s specified resistance.
Tony

[IndusD4]

Tony, you will only need a single resistor in one of the indicator circuits. You can do both indicators but it isn't necessary, nor is a resistor in the brake circuit.

Ron

[tony_s]

Thanks. Yes, that is what I did in my D4 and it was fine. But if you want the trailer symbol to show up with both indicators then you need a resistor in both indicators. I’m pretty sure that was the case anyway.
Tony

[GWH]

146666


Have just taken delivery of our td6 HSE and looking to get it ready to tow our caravan. A MY 18 built dec 17.

Thanks for all the responses.

I thought it may be helpful to share my experience.

Have had a specialist Landrover autoelect complete the wiring for towing.

In my case I needed the resistance added (LED module). The owners manual does specify a minimum current draw for the vehicle to pick up a trailer connections and highlights that some trailer LED systems may need this. Now mine does, and automatically disables the rear sensors when backing etc with the van connected. (it may cause other actions when towing but have not discovered these yet).

The supplied 12 pin trailer connection had to be discarded as it is a sealed unit and I needed a 30 amp connection for the caravan fridge. The wiring diagram I got from my dealer showed that wiring was only good for about 16 amp ( I have a wiring diagram for trailer connections but its a bmp which I cannot seem to upload. now attached )

I was surprised that wiring the vehicle for towing with a tow pro elite, battery isolator, anderson plug (for charging caravan battery), cable for the monitor for the caravan rear view camera, plus the above, was so complex. The autoelect said he has done at least 50 of these and he estimated the job would take 15 hours. It actually took a bit longer.

[IndusD4]

Good to read you got everything sorted. I'm surprised you need 30amp wire to run the fridge. From memory caravan mains connections are 15amp and that runs the fridge without any issues - I don't understand why you'd need a 30amp wire when charging from the car then.


it may cause other actions when towing but have not discovered these yet

You'll notice the gear shift pattern changes, with the car holding on longer to gears before shifting up. Also auto access mode isn't working with a trailer detected.

Ron

[drivesafe]

Hi Ron, the amount of current being drawn by a 3 way fridge depends on the size of the fridge.

There are three sizes of 3 way fridge elements, and these draw around 9 amps, 15 amps and 25 amps for the largest ones.

So setting up for a 30 amp fridge circuit covers all possibilities.

[IndusD4]

Fair enough, but how do you get mains power to them from a campsite? Do they have 25/30amp sockets, or you use 2 15amp sockets? We had a 3 way fridge in the Jayco which via the mains was powered by a single 15amp lead.

Ron

[Geedublya]

Fair enough, but how do you get mains power to them from a campsite? Do they have 25/30amp sockets, or you use 2 15amp sockets? We had a 3 way fridge in the Jayco which via the mains was powered by a single 15amp lead.

Ron

The 30 amp is DC, current required is a lot less at 240v AC.

Ohms law.

[drivesafe]

Hi again Rob, you are talking about two different things.

GWH is talking about 30 amps at 12v, coming from his tow vehicle, and you are talking about 230vac, from the mains, and yes this is only 15 amps, at 230vac.

[IndusD4]

understood, thanks!

[Numb Thumbs]

I am confused - which many would argue is my natural state...

If I want to wire in two ballast resistors so my D5 knows when it has a trailer attached, do I wire them in series Option A in the diagram below, or do I have to wire them in parallel with a switch, as in option B. The purple rectangle is the trailer plug on the car.

https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/hh78/drj153/Resistors.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds (https://app.photobucket.com/u/drj153/a/3c73c6e9-cc96-4243-bac4-f960510868cd/p/8429bc02-7396-4e8e-9f7a-ee19664d4170)

I am guessing B because of reduced current flow, but I would be very happy to be corrected.

Also, can anyone tell me where to find the wires - easiest access, please - and what colour wires I need.

Cheers
Numb Thumbs ;)

PS Lockdown is very time consuming...

[Graeme]

B because the resistors increase the current draw (load) on the circuit to simulate an incandescent globe.

Best if you can fit the resistors to your van rather than the car. My van's lead from the trailer plug breaks out under the bed so it was easy to fit mine there.

PS I've added the switching on of the brake lights, parkers/clearance lights and hazards if the breakaway switch is triggered.

[Numb Thumbs]

Thanks, Graeme.

My problem is that I tow more than one trailer with LED lights and I can't fit resistors to all of them. One is mine, but the others are not. I suppose I can fit the resistors to mine and just use a Ford dongle for the others. If so, do I just wire the resistors across the Indicator and Earth wires without the switch?

Cheers
Numb Thumbs ;)

[Graeme]

If the earth ends of 2 resistors are joined then the earth switched then when switched off power will feed back to the other side blinker unless diodes are installed. However if a double pole switch is installed (1 pole per side) then no feed-back will occur.

I don't bother with my box trailer so it doesn't trigger the instrument cluster indicators.

[Hugh Jars]

Hi NT,
'B' is what I used on mine. The push on/push off DPST switch that I placed on the luggage compartment panel was not the best choice, as it's vulnerable to being pressed by loads in the back. I've already cut the hole in the blank switch, so I'll need to fabricate (or find) a plastic guard to protect it.

[Numb Thumbs]

Thanks, Graeme and Hugh Jars.

So, Hugh Jars, where did you find access to the wires to tap for the resistors and switch?

Cheers
Numb Thumbs ;)

PS Hugh Jars, I have ordered a short air hose for my compressor install - it is being couriered to me.

[Hugh Jars]

NT,
I removed the rear tray that holds the towbar bits and covers the compressor.
I don’t think you have a subwoofer in the SE, but I removed mine to get better access to the wiring.
There’s a large wire bundle on the passenger side that exits at the very rear of the car through a large rubber pass-through near the centre.
I can’t remember the colours of the wires, but you can see they’ve been adapted for the Aust market. I used a multimeter to trace from the 12 pin plug to the loom inside. I used Posi-taps to tap the wires, as Scotchloks are rubbish.
Hope this helps...

[Numb Thumbs]

Can you remember what colour/size Posi-Taps you used? Seems they are available on eBay.

I'll have a look tomorrow for the wiring...

Cheers
Numb Thumbs ;)

[Hugh Jars]

NT, not sure of the gauge, but they are red barrels with a grey end (for the wire you're tapping into). The wires you'll tap into are thinner than usual, probably because it's CAN wiring.
I'll check in the morning if I have any left, and take a photo.

[Graeme]

You won't be tapping into CAN wires unless you're doing something like I did when adding a rear e-diff controller to the HS CAN network of my L322.

[Numb Thumbs]

Graeme

You used my Jeep Grand Cherokee to work out the LLAMS system for them years ago... How is the farm going with the drought?

I am afraid I do not understand why there is a difference between connecting the two earth wires from the two resistors directly to the earth return and doing it through a double pole/single throw switch. The end result is the same, is it not, whether the switch - in a closed state - is there or not?

Eventually I will get my head around this stuff...

Cheers
Numb Thumbs ;)

[Graeme]

If the 2 resistors are joined together without the earth connection then current from a live blinker wire will flow through both resistors to the other blinker wire as the LED blinkers require very little current to operate, much less than that lost (converted to heat) by the resistors.

I've been mindful of our history since you joined the forum. LY was worse drought than the year before but this year is looking promising.

[Numb Thumbs]

So, as long as the resistors are connected to earth at one end and to the separate indicator wires at the other, all is well? It is basically the same as wiring in a 21 Watt globe. All earth wires are a common ground, so connecting the two earth wires to the same earth cable is okay?

But, the switches should be on the indicator side of the resistor? Or doesn't it matter?

I'll keep my fingers and toes crossed for good rains for you. It was certainly dry along the Darling.

Cheers
Numb Thumbs ;)

[Graeme]

The switch (pair) can be fitted to either side of the resistors and the earths are common as for 2 globes.

We may shortly make a quick trip to Wentworth then up the Darling a little, possibly to Menindee. I was last up that way in 96 en-route to the corner, so longing for a revisit.

[Numb Thumbs]

Thanks, Graeme.

Here is the link to the writeup from our recent trip:

A Darling River Run in the times of Covid - Out and about with the Vista - Australia4WD Forum (https://forum.australia4wd.com/index.php?/topic/37695-a-darling-river-run-in-the-times-of-covid/)

Have a great time - we did!

Cheers
Numb Thumbs ;)

[Numb Thumbs]

Job done. Thank you Graeme and Hugh Jars!

I have wired up the resistors and they seem to work.

The wires you are looking for are plain yellow and plain green, as per the Australian Standard.

Cheers
Numb Thumbs ;)

Here are some photos after the effect...

Overview:

https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/hh78/drj153/General_view.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds (https://app.photobucket.com/u/drj153/a/c1b6d0e4-e94e-48a9-9267-df2febc04bc6/p/92427587-23b2-4ab4-9444-11b95be6899e)

In a bit closer:

https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/hh78/drj153/Overview.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds (https://app.photobucket.com/u/drj153/a/c1b6d0e4-e94e-48a9-9267-df2febc04bc6/p/06554819-5995-4aa6-9ce6-783f340b90c1)

Wiring:

https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/hh78/drj153/Wiring.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds (https://app.photobucket.com/u/drj153/a/c1b6d0e4-e94e-48a9-9267-df2febc04bc6/p/4616c2a3-2551-4edd-9803-33a7f65e7ac1)

Resistors closeup:

https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/hh78/drj153/Resistors_Closeup.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds (https://app.photobucket.com/u/drj153/a/c1b6d0e4-e94e-48a9-9267-df2febc04bc6/p/fac05033-662e-4424-ad19-8cf90cffc973)

The switch in the jack storage area:

https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/hh78/drj153/Switch.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds (https://app.photobucket.com/u/drj153/a/c1b6d0e4-e94e-48a9-9267-df2febc04bc6/p/5582de8f-5122-48db-b829-ff43a4f6a0a6)