[Nateperez3]

I have never towed anything. I have a 2013 Sport with wire harness. Going to look at a boat this weekend with my wife. 19 foot weighs no more than 3,500 with trailer. About 2 hours away. Don't know for sure if I will make the purchase, but if I do I want to be ready. The seller said he thinks it is a 5 PIN. Does anyone see why I would not just be able to plug in and go?

 

[Carsmak]

If it's a 5 pin you'd need a 5pin to 7pin adapter. Maybe get him to snap a pic and post pics of it for someone here to comment on.

 

[Nateperez3]

If it's a 5 pin you'd need a 5pin to 7pin adapter. Maybe get him to snap a pic and post pics of it for someone here to comment on.

Thanks, I actually think I have a 7 pin adapter too. I'll take a look when I get home tonight. If I do, are you thinking that the 5 pin can plug into the 7 and everything works just fine?

 

[Carsmak]

Something Like this...

http://www.etrailer.com/Wiring/Tow-Ready/TR20141.html

 

[flymo]

Thanks, I actually think I have a 7 pin adapter too. I'll take a look when I get home tonight. If I do, are you thinking that the 5 pin can plug into the 7 and everything works just fine?

Nate, the Ridgeline's stock trailer wiring plug is a 7-pin round - those are used for some campers and other trailers with electric brakes. Chance are the trailer under the boat you are buying is a 5-pin flat connector, but buy a combo adaptor to convert 7-pin round to 5-pin and 4-pin flat, and you'll have all bases covered.

By the way, a 3500-pound rig requires trailer brakes in almost all states, so make sure those are operating before you try to tow anything home. Most boat trailers use surge brakes, and the 5th pin in the flat connector is a lockout for when you are backing up. So if the trailer only has a 4-pin connector, it means it does not have brakes and you should not try to tow it.

Flymo

 

[Ravenkeeper]

I have a 7-to-4&5 adapter. Works great. I found it at Wal-Mart. Some vehicles come with only a 4-pin. Believe that you will still need an adapter.

 

[Nateperez3]

Nate, the Ridgeline's stock trailer wiring plug is a 7-pin round - those are used for some campers and other trailers with electric brakes. Chance are the trailer under the boat you are buying is a 5-pin flat connector, but buy a combo adaptor to convert 7-pin round to 5-pin and 4-pin flat, and you'll have all bases covered.

By the way, a 3500-pound rig requires trailer brakes in almost all states, so make sure those are operating before you try to tow anything home. Most boat trailers use surge brakes, and the 5th pin in the flat connector is a lockout for when you are backing up. So if the trailer only has a 4-pin connector, it means it does not have brakes and you should not try to tow it.

Flymo

Thanks for the info. This is what I have.....
[/ATTACH]

 

[Nateperez3]

Nate, the Ridgeline's stock trailer wiring plug is a 7-pin round - those are used for some campers and other trailers with electric brakes. Chance are the trailer under the boat you are buying is a 5-pin flat connector, but buy a combo adaptor to convert 7-pin round to 5-pin and 4-pin flat, and you'll have all bases covered.

By the way, a 3500-pound rig requires trailer brakes in almost all states, so make sure those are operating before you try to tow anything home. Most boat trailers use surge brakes, and the 5th pin in the flat connector is a lockout for when you are backing up. So if the trailer only has a 4-pin connector, it means it does not have brakes and you should not try to tow it.

Flymo

Yes, the trailer has surge brakes. When I talked to the owner I believe he said it is a 5 pin. So will this not work with my 4?

 

[Carsmak]

The 5th pin is for the electric brakes, the others are ground, Left Turn, Right Turn, and Running Lights (4pin)....

 

[McChizzle]

Yes, the trailer has surge brakes. When I talked to the owner I believe he said it is a 5 pin. So will this not work with my 4?

If you don't need to back up the trailer at any point, then you could try and get away with using a 4-pin "in a pinch." But if you do need to back the trailer up, that 5th pin is needed to electronically disengage the surge brakes when you put the vehicle in reverse, otherwise the trailer will be working against you as you try to back it up.

Some trailers with surge brakes come with a brake lockout bracket (also called a "chuck") that you can insert behind the roller pin to keep it from moving when backing up the trailer.

​

Some surge brake systems have a brake lockout cap that lets you manually disengage the brake so you can back up the trailer without the trailer's brakes engaging.

​

If you have either option, you may not need a 5-pin adapter for a short trip. However, a 7-blade to 5-pin adapter is not expensive. You can use a 5-pin adapter on a 4-pin trailer (you just keep one hole empty) but you really can't use a 4-pin adapter to support a 5-pin trailer without it affecting the trailer's functionality.

 

[Nateperez3]

Thanks everyone, I bought an adapter at autozone for $20. It includes a 4 and a 5 pin so I should be set. I towed the boat and trailer home (110 miles) and the RL did a fantastic job. See the attached picture! Boat empty weighs 2800lbs and trailer is 740lbs. Filled up with 89 octane gas prior to a 90 mile drive down. That drive down empty mixed with the 110 mile drive home pulling the boat averaged 17.7MPG which I thought was incredible. Keep in mind it was all highway, but still. From other reports on here, I am wondering how people are getting so low. I was careful on the throttle and on downshifts as I was going up longer inclines, never let it rev much over 3000rpms. Coasting as much as I could on downhills and never going over 65mph total. This was the first time I have ever towed anything and it was amazing. Besides for a few bumps and hills, and lack of vision behind me, I would have never known I was pulling the boat! Now hopefully I have a few more weekends to get out on the water before Fall/Winter being in Ohio.

 

[Carsmak]

Great Job....

You'll find that the AWD of the RL can really help on some boat launches/ramps

 

[Nateperez3]

Great Job....

You'll find that the AWD of the RL can really help on some boat launches/ramps

Looking forward to seeing how it preforms there too. I think I''ll push the e-brake in and let off the brake slightly before putting it into park. I hear this avoids the "parking pawl" or whatever people call it. I have never launched a boat with the RL either so this is all new to me. Backing it in to my drive was rather difficult the other day, so hopefully the boat ramp isn't crowded this weekend when I test it out! I'll report back after this weekend. I'll also try to take a few more pictures of the RL on the boat ramp.

 

[McChizzle]

Cool boat! It's lightweight, low profile (less freeboard), and the fact that you kept it covered while towing will really help make the difference in MPG.

I tow a large boat and trailer (5,700 lb) with much higher freeboard and I get around 11.5 MPG towing it with the covers on and around 10.5 when the covers are off, all with premium gas (92/93 octane). If I tow with 87 octane, I get about 9 to 9.5 MPG. All of that is under highway and freeway conditions with only a few stop lights and a few rolling hills at speeds around 63 MPH.

​

Since most boat ramps are crowded on weekends, I encourage you to take your boat to an empty parking lot and practice backing it up into some parking spots until you get comfortable maneuvering. The biggest things to remember when backing-up a trailer are:

1. Make slow incremental movements with the steering wheel for they will translate to the trailer in big ways.
2. There is always a delay between when you make the steering wheel corrections and the trailer’s reaction to them.
3. Stay one step ahead of your trailer's movements. If you see it starting to go in the wrong direction, you are too late, try and anticipate what it looks like the trailer is about to do and counter-steer appropriately, but slowly.
4. Take your time and back up slowly. Don't let people at the ramp pressure you to go faster. The faster your back-up the harder it will be to control your trailer's movements.

After doing it three or four times, you'll get a feel for how to maneuver a trailer. Personally, I like the challenge of towing, particularly when faced with difficult maneuvers. It's also a lot of fun for me to face that kind of challenge with my Ridgeline for it handles it well.:act035:

 

[McChizzle]

Given there is no electrical outlet in the RL's bed, I opted to spend a little more coin to get a fancy 4/5-pin Hopkins adapter with a 12V socket (about $19) and a 12 foot 12V extension cord (about $8) so I can reach my trailer's tires with a good but basic 12V air compressor. Keeping your trailer tires properly inflated will help with your MPG, maneuverability, and tire wear (trailer tires wear quicker and have to deal with more weight and punishment than car tires).

 

[Nateperez3]

Thanks for all the info. Great looking boat there too! I wish I would have reset my trip after the drive down to get a more accurate representation of just mpg's while towing, but I'd say it had to be 15-16 based on my 17.7 average. I definitely will try to get the hang of the trailer and practicing in an empty parking lot is a great idea. I plan to go out this weekend and see what happens! Not a bad idea on the 12v socket, I'll have to keep that in mind for future.

 

[Nateperez3]

If you don't need to back up the trailer at any point, then you could try and get away with using a 4-pin "in a pinch." But if you do need to back the trailer up, that 5th pin is needed to electronically disengage the surge brakes when you put the vehicle in reverse, otherwise the trailer will be working against you as you try to back it up.

Some trailers with surge brakes come with a brake lockout bracket (also called a "chuck") that you can insert behind the roller pin to keep it from moving when backing up the trailer.

View attachment 203210​

Some surge brake systems have a brake lockout cap that lets you manually disengage the brake so you can back up the trailer without the trailer's brakes engaging.

View attachment 203218​

If you have either option, you may not need a 5-pin adapter for a short trip. However, a 7-blade to 5-pin adapter is not expensive. You can use a 5-pin adapter on a 4-pin trailer (you just keep one hole empty) but you really can't use a 4-pin adapter to support a 5-pin trailer without it affecting the trailer's functionality.

Interesting as I unplugged the electronics to back the trailer and boat into the water yesterday. Needless to find out, it did not back up! Brakes on the trailer must automatically engage. I simply plugged it back in, and backed up like usual. I'd assume most of these connectors can handle getting wet, although I never backed the truck into the water that much to find out. I'll look closer at the trailer to see if that button exists to disengage the brake while unplugging the connector.

 

[McChizzle]

Interesting as I unplugged the electronics to back the trailer and boat into the water yesterday. Needless to find out, it did not back up! Brakes on the trailer must automatically engage. I simply plugged it back in, and backed up like usual. I'd assume most of these connectors can handle getting wet, although I never backed the truck into the water that much to find out. I'll look closer at the trailer to see if that button exists to disengage the brake while unplugging the connector.

It's a very low amperage connection and can get wet without any issues. The only thing you should not get wet are exposed light bulbs on your trailer, given it’s an old trailer. If you have a very old trailer with trailer light assemblies that are not sealed, you should unplug your trailer connection before baking the trailer into the water; that will save the trailer's light bulbs. --The glass on the light bulbs don't like being heated up and then rapidly cooled by being put in contact with water.-- These days, the only thing you may need to concern yourself with is letting your trailer harness connections dry out after they get submerged in water. Rusty connections will give you all kinds of electrical trouble down the road.

Most boat trailers won't have a fancy switch or dial to manually disable the trailer brakes; but they all should have a slot for a brake lockout bracket (a.k.a. a "chuck") that you can insert behind the pins that move with the actuator to manually force the actuator not to move. These chucks are easy to loose, so you may not have one. Plus there are a wide variety of trailer brake actuator designs and they all have their own quirks. If you can take some pictures of your actuator assembly (i.e. different pixs of your trailer's tongue) and post them on this thread (particularly one picture of the left side and one of the right side of the actuator along with pictures of any labels that may still exist), I'll see what I can do to help.

 

[McChizzle]

Nateperez3, Sorry for not answering/commenting on your first question/statement. There is no automatic brake activation when backing up. The act of backing up pushes the trailer coupler into the actuator which then pushes brake fluid down the brake lines making the brakes contract. So if you don't have an electrical signal that tells the brake solenoid to stop brake fluid from flowing when the trailer coupler pushes against the actuator, then your trailer brakes will activate and lock up your trailer wheels.

On my boat's trailer brakes, I have a space where I can put my chuck in and keep the trailer coupler from pushing against the actuator, given my 5-pin connection is malfunctioning for some reason or I disconnect the electrical and need to backup my boat trailer.

 

[jsawler]

i'm really glad i read this post ! i'm in canada but bought an american boat and trailer , it has that set up . it's very uncommon up here in eastern canada , and i've never seen that ''chuck'' before . i've always used a set of big ''C'' vise grips .....now i'm hoping i can get that in canada :act006: