7-13 pin adapter

loobeloo
loobeloo Forum Participant Posts: 2
edited August 2012 in Your stories #1

We bought a new Sterling Eccles Sport 544 in June this year, as we have been caravanning for over 10 years our electric hook-up was 7 pin.  The caravan carried the new 13 pin connector.  We bought an adapter which cost approx £25-30.  We only had 1plug,as a result our new caravan fitted with the Alko ATC system was not connected. We were unaware that this was the case.  The salespeople didn't mention and we were ignorant of the system.  I had tried to get insurance before collecting the caravan however was told that we were covered under our cu rent insurance for 14 days.  After renewing ourinsurance discovered that we weren't covered unless the Alko ATC system was in full and effective operation .  As we had no idea what this system wasair how it worked some previous information on the subject would have been useful.  For those with only 1 7pin plug a new 13plug on the car is essential the adapter is useless .  So be warned 

Comments

  • SafetyGuy
    SafetyGuy Forum Participant Posts: 8
    edited August 2012 #2

    Are you being serious? Sorry but this post highlights your own lack of understanding not a warning to others. if your new caravan has a plug with 13 wires and your car has a socket with 7 wires something is not going to work if you go for the cheap option
    of an adapter. did you not think to ask? My own car has the old seven pin socket and I too went for the adaptor but I fully understand the limitations this imparts.

  • savernake
    savernake Forum Participant Posts: 3
    edited August 2012 #3

    when we changed our caravan it had the 13 pin socket so we had our car electrics changed, the caravan dealer lent us an adapter to tow in the old van for the exchange. the cost was not much more than an adapter and much better than all those extra wires
    looping about

  • Back2Sorento
    Back2Sorento Forum Participant Posts: 75
    edited August 2012 #4

    had you not realised that 13 into 7 does not go ? the 13 pin plug has been widely commented on throughout the caravan fraternity & press for a considerable time now. A little investigation through the caravan sales book should have given you some clues.
    Mind you I can't understand a dealer who does not discuss these matters before the sale takes place, they do have a responsibility to inform the customer of any safety features & possible violations of insurance terms & conditions. You should have been advised
    that you should have had at least twin electrics fitted with the correct earth & supply to run the ATC

  • Smartalex
    Smartalex Forum Participant Posts: 11
    edited August 2012 #5

    I should like to point out that if you have the black and white 7 pin plugs then a 13 pin adapter does work and so does the Alko ATC.

  • momist
    momist Forum Participant Posts: 3
    edited February 2015 #6

    Bumping a very old thread here, I know.  I came across this post because I too am replacing my old caravan with the 12N/12S 7 pin connections, and the new one has a 13 pin plug on it.  The caravan does not have ATC, so no worries there, but the dealer is
    throwing in a converter cable for me. 

    I've been scouring the CC site looking for proper solutions to this problem, and not finding any.  I feel the club should be issuing suitable advice to members in this position, including the issues around the ATC for those affected.  Yes, I can get the
    detailed wiring diagrams, and figure out my own solution, but that doesn't help everybody.  All the disparaging comments on this thread about the OP's ignorance is both disgraceful and unfriendly - offer some help here!

    I suspect that the cleanest solution for me will be to replace the 7 pin sockets with a 13 pin one, DiY, and then carry a 13-7 converter socket for the times I borrow someone's trailer?

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