RV Pro Plug
Have you ever hooked up your trailer to the tow vehicle and none of the lights worked? So then you have to go and break out a test light or voltage meter and start checking fuses, connecters, and so on. What a pain!!! It would be a lot easier if we could look at the seven-way plug on the truck and see if it has power there without breaking out the tools. Then we would know right away if it was a truck problem or a trailer problem.

Well, there is a new seven-way plug out that does just that. The Pro Plug is a seven-way trailer connector that is easily mounted to your tow vehicle. What makes this plug so special is that after you wire the truck wires into an easy-to-see connector box, an LED light will light up (or flash, in the case of turn signals being on), to let you know when the wire has power. Wow, what took so long to think of that?

The actual installation was one of the easiest trailer plug installs that I have done. Granted, I had all the wires run to the old plug already. First thing I did was find a spot where I could mount the Pro Plug. The Plug housing is low profile, 2 3/8 in. thick and 7 in. by 3 3/8 in. It has 3M VHB (Very High Bond) double-sided urethane tape on the back of it to make it easy to mount on a flat surface. No holes to drill. If you don’t have a flat surface, you can purchase the mounting bracket to attach the plug to. After I found the best mounting location for my Pro Plug, I removed the wires from the old plug. I did pull the fuse so there would be no power at the plug, in case the wrong wires touched each other as I was taking it apart. I also wrote down all the wire colors and locations that were on the old plug.

Next, I decided which wire knockout on the back or sides of the housing would be best to run the wires through. At this point, I have not secured the housing yet to make sure everything is going to work the way I first pictured it in my head. Be aware that once you mount it with the VHB tape it is not going to come off. When mounted correctly this 3M tape has nearly 1500 lbs. of holding power. So make sure you have everything where you want it, first.

This was the easiest time I have had securing wires in a trailer plug. Everything was well marked and easy to figure out. After I had all the wires neatly run, I put the fuse back in and checked all the LED lights to make sure I did everything correctly. Remember, the only LED light that will be lit up at first is the battery light. The other LED lights will light up when you start turning accessories on, like the lights and turn signals.

The last thing I did was use the supplied alcohol wipe to clean the mounting surface on the bracket where I was mounting the plug. Then I carefully positioned and applied the housing to the bracket pulling the access wire through the bracket at the same time. I then pushed on the housing a couple of times to make sure it was secure, tied up the access wires, and I was done.

This install was a piece of cake, and next time my lights don’t come on when I plug my toyhauler in I will be able to quickly decide if it is a tow vehicle problem or a trailer problem. I lied earlier when I said you can check without any tools. You will need a screw driver to pull the Pro Plug cover off. For those of you thinking that the battery LED light will remain on all time and kill my battery: There is a diagnostic screw you can turn so none of the LED lights will come on until you need them.

To check out this plug and other products Pro Plug is working on, check them out online at www.rvproplug.com or for questions, give them a call at 541-312-2434. The Pro Plug retails for $54.99 and the bracket is $16.59.

-THM