NTHEWIND Posted June 20, 2021 Report Share Posted June 20, 2021 OK So have been working on and off again on my 2012 Freightliner Day Cab single axle installing a DirecLink brake controller and Jackalopee. This might be child's play for some of you, but I found this installation very 'challenging' for me. I bought this truck for the main duty of pulling my 5th wheel gooseneck, a new 32' Load Trail. I have also decided that this HDT might be a better option to pull my 5th wheel toy Hauler. I got done with everything except permanently mounting the plug. I backed up to my goose neck and tried to plug it in to the provided plug that came with my Jackalopee. It would not push all the way in. It lacked just a bit to get it far enough for the lid to snap down on the tab. I pushed as much as I could and it just would not fit. I then backed up to my 5th wheel and that plug went right in. mmmmm. I looked at the plug on the 5th wheel and the slots were kind of wide, I looked at the plug on the goose neck and the slots are really thin. Has anybody else had this problem? Or heard of anything like this? I am thinking that I might have to get another plug that will work on both and rewire it. Boy what a PITA wiring that plug was!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTHEWIND Posted June 20, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2021 Alright, after stepping back from this for a few hours I went back and looked at everything again, and found something 'interesting' I looked closer at the gooseneck plug and notice some color code next to the pin. they are different from what I have read and wired the plug coming out of the Jackalopee. Starting at the one' O' clock it's labeled Brown, yellow, white, blue,green,red and the center pin is marked black. The way I I believe I've got it wired from the Jackalopee (standard RV order ???) Starting at 1 0 clock, Green, red, white, Blue, Brown, Black with the center pin marked yellow. So it there a different Plug for a Goose Neck, one more thing, there is no center 'pin' it's just a blank hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaydrvr Posted June 20, 2021 Report Share Posted June 20, 2021 Try the attached thread. Hopefully, that'll help clarify some. Jay https://www.rvnetwork.com/topic/142028-jackalopee-wiring/?tab=comments#comment-1052873 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix2013 Posted June 21, 2021 Report Share Posted June 21, 2021 (edited) The center pin on RVs is for the yellow wire and does nothing on probably 99% of RVs. On older RVs it used to carry reverse light current. RV sockets and plugs are indeed an absolute PITA to wire, that's why I am creating a wiring guide to make it more palatable. There is another issue I became aware about. Apparently some manufacturers found another "source" for the RV plugs than those manufactured forever in the past by Pollak. They are different enough to make it very hard to go into Pollak socket supplied with the Jackalopee. I bet you in our "global economy" they found somebody who can save them 10 cents per plug in some "developing country" with a knock-off mold and a buck per hour labor. NTHEWIND, I have some matching Pollak plugs, give me a call, I'll be happy to sent you one. Edited June 21, 2021 by phoenix2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTHEWIND Posted June 22, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2021 Thanks for taking the time to reply to my post. You were very helpful in the telephone conversations we had, but I am still having problems. I bought a different plug from Tractor Supply yesterday, the brand is Hopkins. I checked and made sure that the plug from my gooseneck would plug into it, it did. so I pulled all the wires out of the Pollak plug and wired the Hopkins. My first try at checking the lights, nothing happened, I was not hooked up to the trailer so I thought it might have been a ground problem, ( I thought it was was supposed to ground itself from the plug) So I got a Jumper cable and grounded the trailer to the truck, success!, we got lights. My euphoria was short lived, I didn't have any left turn signal on the trailer. To make matters worst the lights on the tractor were flashing that quick blink, that's what they do when a light is out. So I start trying to figure it all out. All the turn lights on the tractor, front signal, side marker/turn signal on the fender and the rear taillight are all flashing the quick flash. I unplugged the trailer and to my surprise the tractor still was on the quick flash. So did something happen to the truck to make my life more miserable? I checked the plug coming from the Jackalopee, I didn't get any blinking light on any pin. so no power ( no wonder no turn signal). By now I'm done for the day. Going to go at it today. I still have one unanswered question. The Wiring connector in the trailer owners manual shows starting at 1o clock, Brown, (Tail Lights) YELLOW! (LEFT turn signal) White (Ground) Blue or Black ( Brakes) Green (Right turn signal) Red (Charge Line) Nothing for a center pin, in fact there isn't even a pin in the center. This is different from the way I wired the plug from the Jackalopee. Mostly the yellow wire is in the center. I should also point out that I pulled this trailer with my 2500 HD GMC from the dealer and again to move my skid steer a short ways using the in the bed RV plug and everything seemed to work, lights, turn signals, brakes. ........... I am going CRAZY with this project! I'm going out today for more abuse and frustration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTHEWIND Posted June 22, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2021 I'm going to post a quick update. I learned something today, as did my Freightliner friend. The reason I had a quick flashing left turn signals and no power to the trailer plug. There is a fuse under the hood for the turn signals JUST for the trailer plug. I found this out from a YOUTUBE video. My friend who had owned several Cascadiea's did not know that. I'm still buttoning up this project tomorrow, hopefully everything will work as it should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance A Lott Posted June 22, 2021 Report Share Posted June 22, 2021 One thing I have found trailer manufacturers seem to delight in using wire colors other than what they say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl&Rita Posted June 22, 2021 Report Share Posted June 22, 2021 8 hours ago, NTHEWIND said: . The Wiring connector in the trailer owners manual shows starting at 1o clock, Brown, (Tail Lights) YELLOW! (LEFT turn signal) White (Ground) Blue or Black ( Brakes) Green (Right turn signal) Red (Charge Line) 14 minutes ago, Lance A Lott said: One thing I have found trailer manufacturers seem to delight in using wire colors other than what they say. There's several wiring diagrams floating around the intewebs. The user needs to pay attention to the small print, as some are shown from the front of the device while others are from the back. Quote I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication 2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet 2007 32.5' Fleetwood QuantumPlease e-mail us here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix2013 Posted June 23, 2021 Report Share Posted June 23, 2021 Does this clarify things? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix2013 Posted June 23, 2021 Report Share Posted June 23, 2021 (edited) The "ugly" socket wring Edited June 23, 2021 by phoenix2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlennWest Posted June 23, 2021 Report Share Posted June 23, 2021 Henry i would like a dot plug instructions for an rv. Thought I had mine right but not. Quote 2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix2013 Posted June 23, 2021 Report Share Posted June 23, 2021 7 hours ago, GlennWest said: Henry i would like a dot plug instructions for an rv. Thought I had mine right but not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlennWest Posted June 23, 2021 Report Share Posted June 23, 2021 Thank you sir. Quote 2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTHEWIND Posted June 23, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2021 19 hours ago, phoenix2013 said: Does this clarify things? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTHEWIND Posted June 23, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2021 (edited) I am sorry, but I see different wire locations and colors. This photo is from there Load Trail owners manual. I talked with a guy from engineering that confirmed they are using a standard RV Wiring plug. I guess I must be living in the Twilight Zone or an alternate universe where Red is Black, yellow is red, green is brown ,some plugs will work, some are different and won't work. and every way is wrong. Edited June 23, 2021 by NTHEWIND Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyretired Posted June 24, 2021 Report Share Posted June 24, 2021 3 hours ago, NTHEWIND said: I am sorry, but I see different wire locations and colors. This photo is from there Load Trail owners manual. I talked with a guy from engineering that confirmed they are using a standard RV Wiring plug. I guess I must be living in the Twilight Zone or an alternate universe where Red is Black, yellow is red, green is brown ,some plugs will work, some are different and won't work. and every way is wrong. I bought a Load Trail a couple of years ago and it works on my old RV socket. Quote Randy 2001 Volvo VNL 42 Cummins ISX Autoshift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix2013 Posted June 24, 2021 Report Share Posted June 24, 2021 3 hours ago, NTHEWIND said: I am sorry, but I see different wire locations and colors. This photo is from there Load Trail owners manual. I talked with a guy from engineering that confirmed they are using a standard RV Wiring plug. I guess I must be living in the Twilight Zone or an alternate universe where Red is Black, yellow is red, green is brown ,some plugs will work, some are different and won't work. and every way is wrong. NTHEWIND google RV plug wiring, multitude examples of this Whoever you talked to and whoever wrote that manual reside in an alternate Universe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix2013 Posted June 24, 2021 Report Share Posted June 24, 2021 (edited) The reason I got "motivated" to create a wiring manual was a picture a customer shared with me. This was the "electrical portion" of his bed conversion for which he paid good money. Needles to say this Jackalopee no longer functions and he's in the midst of replacing it with a new one. The manual will show how to do this which should result in this. Just to "clarify", Jackalopee does not need to look "this pretty" to function. Longer wires with good crimps in right locations will work just fine. But, doing it the way I show actually shortens the installation time and makes it easier to troubleshoot things if there are issues. Edited June 24, 2021 by phoenix2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix2013 Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 The installation manual is still a "work in progress", those who requested the latest version, I have a list of your names and email addresses. In the meantime I gathered some info from the Jackalopee land. I have those available for prospective hunters, note firearms limitations. It's obvious this lass was hunting without the permit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrformance Posted July 16, 2021 Report Share Posted July 16, 2021 👍 Quote 2006 Volvo VNL 780, " Arvey" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift 2003 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 2010 Forest River Coachman Freedom Express 280RLS Jackalopee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix2013 Posted July 19, 2021 Report Share Posted July 19, 2021 Had an interesting conversation with customer installing a Jackalopee in his Peterbilt, wants to pull his fifth with it but currently he is pulling the fifth with a Ford pickup. We were going round and round with the color code on the right side (RV side) of the Jackalopee, didn't seem to jive with the industry code. I posted it few posts above. Of particular concern I had was "which wire on the right side is connected to the +12V and the batteries in the fifth" since the black wire was doing something else. After some poking he said "my Ford setup has been working and Ford charges the fifth on the red wire". Hmm, if the Ford charges on the red wire and fifth plug matches the color code, the red wire coming back to the Jackalopee has nice and juicy 300 Amps of battery current to feedback into the red tab. Red tab is wired as LEFT/STOP. Over the last decade I've had three Jackalopees come back in sad shape with cooked etches on the boards. Never got a straight answer why? "It just burnt up". I replaced first one under warranty, haven't heard anything, next two they had to buy new ones. Never heard anything from those either. Take a peek at the PCB The burnt etch starts at LEFT/STOP red wire, me thinks my mystery is no more. Anyone with a knowledge of Ford pre-wired RV plugs scheme, inquiring mind wants to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatrack Posted July 20, 2021 Report Share Posted July 20, 2021 From this web site: https://rhondajones.top/ Ford Trailer Plug Wiring Diagram - People today comprehend that trailer is a vehicle comprised of very complicated mechanisms. This automobile is designed not just to travel 1 location to another but also to carry heavy loads. This article will be discussing ford trailer plug wiring diagram. Which are the benefits of understanding these knowledge? You will be surprised to understand it. Quote 2017 DRV Fullhouse JX450 2020 Volvo VNR 42-640, D13, 455hp, Ishift, 189"wb, factory single, ET Junior Hitch @ 195", Jacklopee, Directlink 2016 GMC 3500 Denali DRW, CC, LB, Curt 25k, Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix2013 Posted July 20, 2021 Report Share Posted July 20, 2021 hatrack, thanks for the reply, I'm looking little deeper into this "wiring forest", interesting species are prowling among the trees, will post what I find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrap Posted July 21, 2021 Report Share Posted July 21, 2021 SAE J2863 for flatbeds and non RV stuff the problem? https://storage.googleapis.com/curt-ust/ch-7-trailer-wiring/Complete_Trailer_Wiring_Color_Code_Chart.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl&Rita Posted July 21, 2021 Report Share Posted July 21, 2021 First year engineering prof said the most important thing you'll take from this course is the following phrase, "Constants aren't, and variables won't". This many years later, that's the only thing I remember from that course. Time has proven him right. Quote I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication 2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet 2007 32.5' Fleetwood QuantumPlease e-mail us here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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