hey guys, i have a 03 F150 with the factory tow package and the bracket that holds the electrical connections for the trailer lights/brakes is mangled. it's beyond me why ford would design something like that which hangs down and gets bent up every time a snow bank touches it. in my opinion it should have been built into the bumper or something, but whatever. someone else moved my truck, backed it into a snowbank, and the plastic plugs are cracked and the metal bracket is bent to ****. what's my best option here? can i get an entire new assembly from the dealer? any clue how much? and would i have to cut wires to put a new one in or is there a plastic connector somewhere in the circuit? i just don't know what my best option is with this, any input appreciated. thanks guys.

 

It should be a plug in line setup,you may get one from the junk yard off some pickup or the dealer.Just have to call for a price.I've read were others have got the setup for their truck that didn't have the factory tow package and put it on with the hitch setup.

 

I'd recommend just picking up a whole new unit from your dealer. As I recall, they're not all that expensive. They also pretty much plug right in. What I would recommend avoiding is any kind of splicing / hacking / cutting into your harness to repair or replace it. You'll find that with newer vehicles and their sensitive electrical systems, thus type of "repair" is just asking for trouble.

 

yeah, what he said.

 

awesome, thanks for the help guys. i just called the dealer and the entire unit with both the 4 pin and 7 pin connectors, plus the bracket is 65CAD, and there's a plug connection so no wires need to be cut. it's actually nice to feel like you're not getting totally bent over by the dealer for a change. any clue as to where underneath the truck the connector plug would be that connects the hitch electrical unit to the vehicle's electrical system? it's a super cab stepside 4X4, if that makes a difference.

 

The trailer harness connectors are behind the bumper. Lay on your back,slide under the rear bumper. Locate the 7pin & 4 pin connectors,follow the harness back. Should be a set of plugs near the bed about a short distance from the bumper. If you don't have large hands(I would have problems).

 

I used to have the same issue... I moved mine and mounted it with a pair of zip ties up out of the way. The plug is now vertical between the bumper and the trailer hitch. Been meaning to snap a picture or two of it... One of these days I'll make up a proper bracket for it, but in the mean time, at least it's not getting mangled by the lip of every sand dune or snow drift.

-Joe

 

Here is the section from the trail tow documentation, including the connector location, and part number for a replacement :


I find it easiest to lower the spare, this is on the inside of the frame, towards the spare tire.

2stoked is right, they are not that expensive. You can try your local dealer, or one of the 3 online parts shops.

Hope this helps

 

Question: I'm trying to wire some lights I put in my box and i want to tie it into the running lights from my 7-pin; but it didnt work for some reason. Maybe i connected to the wrong wire or the connection was bad, but it was hard to get at non-the-less. I was wondering if the 4-pin connector has a running lights wire going to it, and also which wire is it? The 4-pin seems a lot easier to get to.

 

1. Both should work correctly, if the trailer tow package was installed.

2. Did you check your fuse for your trailer tow parking lamps ?
2.1. Owners Manual page 181, shows fuse #5 20 A as for the trailer parking lamps.

3. Check that the trailer tow parking lamp relay is still in position 201
3.1. Owners manual page 183.

Trailer Tow install directions have the 7 & 4 pin trailer tow adapters in them :


7 pin the wire you should have been after was the Brown w/ White Stripe wire.
4 pin the wire is the same color, Brown w/ White Stripe.

 

Thanks for the info; I guess I tied it into the wrong wire, I did either yellow or orange (I blame being colour-blind). The lights worked when I put them straight on the right pin on the 7-pin but I guess they were in a different order on the back, either that or it was just my mistake. Thanks again for the info I'll be hooking them up tomorrow.

 

this is for skybound85 if u want solve the mangling issue take out a license plate light and cut the hole bigger with a hole saw and mount it there

 

thanks for the tip, but i'm pretty sure those license plate lights are a legal requirement where i live. i do agree that the plugs should be mounted into something. i'm going to try to come up with something new.