13pin trailer electrics

[girlofwight]

Good evening, I’m on a steep learning curve…

I’m blessed with two Landrover’s in the driveway, old one has a 7 pin trailer socket, female. New one a 13 pin socket female.

I‘m blessed with two boat trailers, one with 7 pin plug, one 13 pin plug, both male.

Finally I have an adapter which converts 7 pin plug to 13 pin, so the trailer with 7 pin plug can go behind 13 pin car.

Problem, today I could neither get the 13 pin trailer nor the 13 pin adapter connected to 13 pin car.

My handyman who is a experienced sparky tried to help. Eventually with some surgery on lugs in the plug we got the 13 pin plug into 13 pin socket. However try as we might, the 13pin male adapter wouldn’t go into 13 pin socket. Had to give up, remove adapter and use 7 pin car.

After a deep Google, and I’ve found the 13 pin *plugs* can get misaligned, and I’ve found a YouTube on re-aligning plug, and also link to cover/tool to do this.

So far, so good.

But the 7pin to 13pin plug adapter is moulded and cannot misalign, yet it won’t plug in. This suggest the female socket on car is out of line. BUT I cannot fund anything out about *sockets* going out of alignment, just plugs.

So my question, does anyone know about 13 pin *Sockets* having alignment issues?

If so, I’d appreciate any insights / experience.

Fortunately car with 13 pin socket is due in for service / MOT on Monday, and independent garage I use is also a trailer specialist, so I’m sure they’ll sort it, but I’d like to be ahead of the issue and understand what may have gone wrong, as todays planned lift outs were messed up.

Oh, and why don’t I just pull 7 pin trailer behind car with 7 pin electrics? Well, 13 pin car is auto and much kinder to a long standing knee injury. A trip in 7 pin car = 24 hours of painkillers, such is getting old.

 

[VicS]

You do realise that a 13 pin socket is tested as part of the MOT?

 

[penfold]

13 pin sockets are ridiculous for towing anything short of a caravan; is it not possible to change the 13 pin car so it has a 7 pin socket? The 13 pin plug on that trailer would very quickly meet with a set of cable cutters here.

 

[Keith-i]

I actually prefer 13 pin sockets. Once you get the hang of the turning action to engage them there’s none of the wiggling and pulling that 7 pin sets require to separate them. You presumably realise you just gently place the plug into the socket then twist to engage and draw the two halves together.

 

[vyv_cox]

My car trailer has a 13 pin plug but the motorhome has a 7 pin socket. With an adapter the plug assembly is somewhat long and tends to fall out of the socket. I will probably put a 13 pin socket on the van, which seems to be a far more secure fitting.

 

[penfold]

I've never had any problems with a 7 pin other than where a socket or plug has been neglected and the brass has verdigris; easily sorted with a round file or a bit of wet'n'dry.

 

[duncanmack]

Had several (lots) bouts of fun with these in the breakdown business.
It's possible to remove the 13 pin plug from the socket when it's not really aligned. However it is the impossible to re-insert it.
To re-index the plug you need to dismantle it and reassemble it in the "insert" position. It's not difficult, a bit tricky perhaps and, I have to admit the first one is a pain. Could do them in a few minutes eventually. Go for it.

 

[girlofwight]

You do realise that a 13 pin socket is tested as part of the MOT?

I didn’t, but I struggle to see the relevance I’m afraid.

 

[girlofwight]

You presumably realise you just gently place the plug into the socket then twist to engage and draw the two halves together.

As I said, learning curve…. I didn’t until yesterday and this lot of problems came up.

 

[girlofwight]

Had several (lots) bouts of fun with these in the breakdown business.
It's possible to remove the 13 pin plug from the socket when it's not really aligned. However it is the impossible to re-insert it.
To re-index the plug you need to dismantle it and reassemble it in the "insert" position. It's not difficult, a bit tricky perhaps and, I have to admit the first one is a pain. Could do them in a few minutes eventually. Go for it.

Thank you, I got there. I was convinced it was the socket on car that was faulty as I couldn’t see any movement in the 7 to 13 adapter plug which looked to the world moulded solid, however some WD40 and a wrench and low it did move and realign. I’ll know for next time.

 

[girlofwight]

13 pin sockets are ridiculous for towing anything short of a caravan; is it not possible to change the 13 pin car so it has a 7 pin socket? The 13 pin plug on that trailer would very quickly meet with a set of cable cutters here.

That was my fallback option!

 

[VicS]

I didn’t, but I struggle to see the relevance I’m afraid.

You mention that the car is due for MOT.
The relevance is that it will fail if the trailer socket is faulty.

But you have now discovered that the plugs were (both) misaligned and presumably that the socket is OK

7 pin sockets only have to pass a visual inspection but 13 pin sockets are fully tested

 

[girlofwight]

You mention that the car is due for MOT.
The relevance is that it will fail if the trailer socket is faulty.

But you have now discovered that the plugs were (both) misaligned and presumably that the socket is OK

7 pin sockets only have to pass a visual inspection but 13 pin sockets are fully tested

Ah thanks. MOT passed…