Forum Discussion

dmctlc's avatar
dmctlc
Explorer
May 27, 2017

Tow Dolly Brake and Dinghy brake lites

So I just got my Acme Tow Dolly with Surge brakes and very impressed with the quality of it. Of course time will tell but now that I have it I thought I was all set with electrical hoop up by going with wireless lites for the car but neglected to realize that though the dolly has surge brakes it still has a need for electrical hook up for it's own braking lites. I guess when towing I could leave the tow dolly lites off and just use the dinghy lites but wondering what others do? Does anyone have a similar set up out there and do have a set up for using both? I'm sure I could figure something out but even at my age I'm always open to suggestions from more experienced folks.
Thxs:)
  • mike2wheels's avatar
    mike2wheels
    Explorer
    May 31, 2017
    Our Endeavor has a 7-blade connector. I use this adapter to connect both the dolly lights and the car lights. Both are LED so the drain is low. Although the adapter takes a 4-pole connector and a 5-pole connector, it works with 2 4-pole trailer connectors.

    wiring adapter
  • blknomad's avatar
    blknomad
    Explorer
    May 30, 2017
    I have used my Demco for nearly 10 years with no lights on the toad. Also you can buy a 7 to 4 adapter at walley world for about $7.
  • ADOR's avatar
    ADOR
    Explorer
    May 28, 2017
    I also purchased an ACME tow dolly 2 months ago. It is the electric brake version. I have not used it yet. I will be in the next 4 weeks. I wired (added) and Emergency Break Away Kit (Electric brake version do not come with emergency brakes. The surge brake version do have the Emergency Brake Away Kit). I also added (wired) a 4 pin outlet and bolted it right on the tow dolly frame, to be used for the towed car brake/turn lights. I will have both tow dolly AND towed car brake/turn lights functioning at the same time. Purchased everything I needed for the project from Etrailer.
  • jk31668's avatar
    jk31668
    Explorer
    May 27, 2017
    when i got a master tow dolly i had to have my rv mechanic rewire the 7 point connector that came installed from the factory. none of the functions were right. he had a gizzmo that showed him what needed to go where.
  • Campinghoss's avatar
    Campinghoss
    Explorer II
    May 27, 2017
    I have two connectors on the motorhome. One I use for the magnetic lights and the other to hook the tow dolly too. Splicing another pig tail in would probably be the easiest way to go.
  • zigzagrv's avatar
    zigzagrv
    Explorer
    May 27, 2017
    Dutch_12078 wrote:
    A friend of ours has his tow dollies set up with an additional connector spliced into the regular dolly wiring for the wired magnetic lights he sticks on the vehicle in tow. I've had trucks that I wired with multiple trailer connectors at the hitch to accommodate different trailer configurations. Even splicing two of the same connectors together for a situation similar to yours is not unheard of.


    This is what I did. Easy!
  • mowermech's avatar
    mowermech
    Explorer
    May 27, 2017
    The next time you see a one ton dually pickup, look at the marker lights on the rear fenders. They are there because they are required by State Laws and Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
    Since your dolly is wider than the vehicle being towed, the lights on the fenders are required by law, and must be operational.
  • Dutch_12078's avatar
    Dutch_12078
    Explorer II
    May 27, 2017
    A friend of ours has his tow dollies set up with an additional connector spliced into the regular dolly wiring for the wired magnetic lights he sticks on the vehicle in tow. I've had trucks that I wired with multiple trailer connectors at the hitch to accommodate different trailer configurations. Even splicing two of the same connectors together for a situation similar to yours is not unheard of.

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