12 pin or Anderson plug??

[mr_hilux10]

Hi everyone
We have upgraded the hawk to an  17 ft expanda (2012 ob hawk 4 sale by the way)
Question is if i currently have anderson plug and the new van has 12 pin should i change to that or keep current setup
Which is better? ?

[callmejoe]

If you already have the Anderson plug i would stick with that and a seven pin.
Anderson plug should be heavy wires so less voltage drop.
Also being a seven pin its more universal with other trailers. Plus easier  to replace if 1 end gets broken.

[MDS69]

How old is the Expanda.
Reason I ask is has it got ESC and is it an OB
The OB Expanda's charge the battery via the solar panel so you don't need to worry about that. You will need power for your electric brakes and if fitted the ESC which might require a bit of a re-wire on the trailer plug

[Green rv]

check as the 12 pin plug may be running other stuff

as the majestics that we have here have a 12 pin plug + grey anderson plug + red anderson plug if esc fitted. and each manufacturer does it a bit different
i will see if i can find a wire diagram

 
Adam   

[xcvator]

You can still use a 7 pin plug on a 12 pin socket

[Vitara_JaycoSwift_Outback]

I use the standard 12 pin on my Jayco Swift. Had the necessary wiring and VSR done on the car to enable it to work properly. Works well and I feel it saves have another thing to plug in and another accessory on the back of the car. Keeps things neater to me 

[tazzi]

I currently have 2 trailers that I tow - old one with 7 pin flat + anderson, newer one with 12 pin.  I changed the car 7 pin on the car to 12 pin, with the charging etc heavier pins piggy-backed onto my existing anderson.  As the 7 pin trailer plug fits into the 12 pin socket on the car this setup allows me to tow either trailer and still be charging battery etc.

[Rocky and Bullwinkle]

I have a 7 pin plug and an Anderson plug to charge the batteries, the other question is do you have a high or low voltage alternator? Also do you run an isolator between the car battery and the camper battery?

It gets complex real quick!

[Green rv]

12 pin plug regent caravan wired

[xvprado]

Once saw a 12 pin burn out with too much current on the charge wires, stuffed the ECU in the tow vehicle. That was enough for me, keep the electrickery separate i reckon

[Barry G]

A suggestion by the wiring guru ( Symon, 12 volt thread mod) was to use 12 pin, with 2x 5 pins as 12 volt '+' and 2 pins as 12 volt '-'.  If your camper already has the 5 pins in use this might not work for you.
The advantage for me is that I only need to connect a single plug when towing. Therefore one less plug to work loose / get damaged.
I also have an Anderson plug on both tug and trailer for running the compressor, charging via solar panels and connecting tug and trailer via an extension cable. The extension has a 'double adaptor' plug, so I can also connect the solar panels simultaneously.
Bottom line, I still need an Anderson plug.

[mr_hilux10]

Thanks for the input everyone
The caravan is brand new from jayco
Are they open to installing a Anderson plug as this is the feeling i am getting from everyone

[Rocky and Bullwinkle]

Thanks for the input everyone
The caravan is brand new from jayco
Are they open to installing a Anderson plug as this is the feeling i am getting from everyone

You need to find out if you have a high or low voltage alternator, if it is low you might need a DC to Dc charger for the batteries in your camper.

[Diver]

Just resurrecting this.  I have a 7 pin round on my tug that operates the lights and electric brakes.  I also have a anderson plug and VSR on the tow hitch to charge the batteries in my CT while driving.  My portable solar panels can also plug into the anderson on the drawbar while at camp.  So far so good.

Now I am looking at a Goldstream pop top with a fixed solar panel on the roof and it has a 12 pin plug on the drawbar.   I know I can get an adaptor for the 7 pin round utilux to the 12 pin on the goldstream that will run the lights and brakes OK.  Even though there is an 80watt panel on the roof of the goldy ,I would like to add an additional anderson on the drawbar to charge the batteries and run the fridge while driving.   Shouldnt be an issue I would think? - maybe even add a DC to DC to make sure the anderson is giving battery in the goldy a decent voltage.

Next question - can I run the solar panel while driving along with the anderson power from the tug at the same time??

Hope I havent confused you good people but I am sure there are others that have a similar setup.

[Cruiser 105Tvan]

Your possibly going to need the 12 pin flat on the car as well.
Along with the Anderson power Socket.
If you fit the red arc solar combination (also 12 and 240V) Charger then you'll need a wire from the ignition, to tell the charger when the car is running.
Keep the 12 volt heavy cables in the Anderson Socket for power from the car.
The size of the terminals in the 12 pin flat are not big enough for battery charging and will cause voltage drop.
Possibly even get hot because of movement while your driving around with the trailer on.
If you fit reversing lights to the "Goldy" you'll definitely need a 12 pin flat.

[gronk]

The size of the terminals in the 12 pin flat are not big enough for battery charging and will cause voltage drop.

They are if you use 2 pins for pos and 2 for neg......assuming you have enough spare pins to do it !!

Mine was already setup for an anderson when I bought it ( the 4wd ) as well as a 12 pin plug, and so was the van, so no need to change.

The big pins in the 12 pin plug are rated at 35A, so 2 are 75A, which is more than an anderson plug at 50A, so a good option for someone who wants to go that way..

[kylarama]

KT Cables do a 9 pin flat plug. Which is a standard 7 pin flat and 2 50amp pins.

http://www.ktcables.com.au/product-category/trailer-plugs-sockets-9-pin

I like the separate anderson plug personally.  Handy spot to plug things like compressors into.



Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk