13pin adapters
Hi. Just registered for this forum so not sure where to go. We still have our 2007 caravan with the two 7pin plugs but just ordered towbar for our new car which has to have the 13pin socket. I see there are 2 types of adapter so I'm hoping to get some advice from people who have tried the different adapters. Thanks!
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Welcome.
Why not rewire your caravan to a 13 pin plug? It's not difficult and cuts out the need for a further connection.
Btw, if you go to your profile you can choose a user name of your own.
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There are 2 variations. 1 to allow a 13 pin car to connect to a 12N/12S caravan and the other a 12N/12S car to a 13 pin caravan. The single plug type adapters are just to provide lighting to the trailer .... again 2 types depending on where the 12N & 13 pin is
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As above. Re-wire the caravan to 13 pin. You will not regret it.
Colin
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No need for bungee straps, bits of string, or dangling cables if one gets the compact style of adaptor that locks into the 13 pin socket and has the two 7 pin sockets straight on the back.
A rewire done properly replaces the two plugs and their cables with a new cable and plug from the main lighting junction box. I have looked at doing this on my current caravan but it seems that Bailey start with that junction box and build the rest of the caravan on top of it!
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Dont agree, to much hassle, i have an Erich Jaeger made in Germany, connector, fits perfectly on to my tow bar, Kia tow bar, 13 pin connector and provides 2x7 pin outlets fitted 5 years ago works perfectly never take it off
I think approx £15 on the web push on pull down the locking lever job done 0 -
Having rewired a 13 pin plug after I damaged it, I would agree getting two 7 pin cables in and sealed would be very difficult. Unless they make a specifically designed plug. Much easier would be to put a junction box under or in the van and come out of there with 13 pin wiring.
I’ve not use one but if using an adapter, I would go for the compact version with no lead. I managed to drag our lead type along the road despite best efforts.☹️0 -
Agreed. It's not a hassle but a simple one off job.
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sorry misled you this socket is £26 on ebay with free postage, no wires no wiring it simply pushes on to your existing 13 pin towbar socket and provides 2x7 pin outlets with nice spring loaded caps to keep the pins clean and a very handly locking handle, couldnt be easier
saw one at £20 on ebay
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There was a system called Multicon WeSt which enabled either a standard 7-pin or a special hybrid 13-pin plug to be connected to a matching 13-pin socket without the need for an adapter for a 7-pin plug. The 7 pins were the usual round ones in their customary location, but the remaining 6 pins were flat and arranged in a circle around the 7 pins. I had it on a caravan of mine in the 90's, but the system never really caught on, probably because it was never adopted in any norm. However, I see that Mutlicon WeSt 13-pin plugs and sockets are still being sold.
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Then there is the NATO plug . . . !
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Possibly ....looks like it 😉 I just rewired my 12N/12S Lunar, though Lunar made it easy as the black & grey cables came from 2 fuse boxes so it was merely a case of removing them & wiring a 12 core cable with spade connectors & plugging them onto the relevant fuse .. .unlike my Coachman where the 12 core cable is run into a rats' nest behind the 'fuse box'
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I rewired our 2008 Swift group van to 13 pin as soon as we got it, making the mod inside the van via a dedicated junction box, but I believe you can get a cable from Sargents that plugs directly into the existing connectors on Swift group vans.
On our 1998 van, back in 2007, I had just put the 2 cables into the 13 pin plug, which was a little tricky but worked OK. Using a new cable was much easier.
Make sure you buy a good quality plug.
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I've been using a compact type adaptor for the last 3 years without any issues at all, I paid about £8 for it from fleabay, I used to remove it and keep it in the car boot, but for the last 2 years it's been left attached to the caravan wiring, so i just have to connect that to the car. I give it an occasional wipe over and squirt of GT85 (like WD40) and ditto the 7 pin plugs at the start of the season. Sure, if my wiring got damaged i'd rewire it to 13 pin [thanks for the posts with the links to the figure eight grommet version], but the adaptors work fine (over 100 nights away and several thousand miles of touring (in 2018-19!) March to October in the UK and France).
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Hi all
As a complete newbie who has inherited a 2006 Caravan with a 7 pin , we are having a towbar fitted with a 13 pin plug. Maybe in time we will rewire the caravan, but for now we intend to get a 13 to 7 adaptor.
However, we have been warned that where the socket is put on the car these days (it will be a removable towbar) it's possible that the lead on the caravan may not reach. We can get a simple plastic 13 to 7 adaptor, or get one with a lead (which I know we'll have to secure).
Looking online though, the only ones with a lead have both the black lead and the grey lead. Can you get one with just the black lead?
Thanks
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