How to keep gooseneck trailer electric cable from getting caught in bumper?

[chrisclark]

I was practicing alley docks with my trailer over the weekend, a gooseneck flatbed. I had the alarming experience of seeing the trailer electrical cable go completely taut and then snap. It seems that the trailer electrical cable had gotten caught in the bumper on an earlier maneuver and pulled out of the power plug, then with the plug caught on the passenger side of the rear bumper, attempting to alley dock to the driver's side over-stretched the cable.

I'm looking into having a 7-pin plug installed in the truck bed, but until I get that done, what can I do to prevent this from happening again? The previous owner of the truck pulled frequently with only the 7-pin plug on the bumper. I imagine that if it were a significant issue, he would have had a plug installed in the truck bed.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[pmsmechanic]

Here's what I did. I got tired of replacing 7 pin plugs on the bumper that were rotted out due to salting the roads. I moved the plug into the box of the truck and haven't had any troubles with salt since. I made a small extension cord for pulling bumper pull trailers and that works quite well. When I don't need the extension cord it gets stored on a hook in the box. The next time I do this I will just install a cord in the box that is long enough to go over the tailgate for bumper pull trailers. It's just that many less connections to deal with. I use a soft elastic bungee cord to hold the plug up and I don't have problems with the cord getting caught anywhere.

If I was in your shoes I would just use an elastic bungee to keep the cord up and out of the way. A rubber bungee wouldn't have enough give to it.

 

[Gunny]

Like pmsmechanic said, use an elastic bungee to keep things in place while you get the plug installed in the bed.

The in bed plugs are simple to install, other than drilling the hole it's pretty much a plug and play operation. I'd rate it as a one beer job, then a second while you're admiring your handiwork.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I was practicing alley docks with my trailer over the weekend, a gooseneck flatbed. I had the alarming experience of seeing the trailer electrical cable go completely taut and then snap. It seems that the trailer electrical cable had gotten caught in the bumper on an earlier maneuver and pulled out of the power plug, then with the plug caught on the passenger side of the rear bumper, attempting to alley dock to the driver's side over-stretched the cable.

I'm looking into having a 7-pin plug installed in the truck bed, but until I get that done, what can I do to prevent this from happening again? The previous owner of the truck pulled frequently with only the 7-pin plug on the bumper. I imagine that if it were a significant issue, he would have had a plug installed in the truck bed.

Thanks,
Chris

I think you just had bad luck. I have towed a lot of trailers with lots of trucks and never had this happen.

Your extreme maneuvers seem to be the cause.

Chris

 

[BKBoiss]

I have seen this happen way too many times to count. When I built my gooseneck I ran the cable all the way to the front and down the post just behind the kingpin. When I hook up the cable goes over the tailgate and down to the plug. I just have a bungee inside the box to keep the cable pulled up and snug. Of course I lent the trailer to my brother and he hooked the bungee to the cross member on the neck and we all know what happened when he made the first turn out of the driveway.

 

[powerscol]

My plug cable is long enough that I run it inside the bed and through the bottom seal on the tail gate.

To accomplish this, I open the tail gate, place the 7 pin plug in the bottom crack and slowly raise the tail gate to allow it to fall through, then pull enough slack to plug in and then fully close the tail gate. This works on a F350. My neighbor has a Chevy and he pulls the gate off one hinge while his wife runs the cord. The cable get pinched between the bottom rubber seals. Been doing this for years with no cord damage.

 

[RobertN]

My truck is standard type 8' bed. For hauling the 5th wheel, I put the plug in the bed so I do not have to worry about this happening...
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Recommended 5th Wheel Gooseneck Trailer In-Bed Wiring For 2012 Dodge Ram 3500 SLT Dually | etrailer.com
5th Wheel-Gooseneck Wiring | Hitches Online

 

[tcartwri]

I keep a copy of the plug wiring in the truck....

 

[pmsmechanic]

I keep a copy of the plug wiring in the truck....

My brother pulled the plug off with his truck one too many times. This was so that he could fix the plug himself. And of course since I took the picture with my cell phone it's now sideways but I'm sure you get the idea.

 

[chrisclark]

Thanks for the ideas. I'm definitely looking into putting a 7-pin plug in the bed somewhere. I assume it would be better to put it on a vertical surface so a load in the bed doesn't sit on the plug and damage it. I'll have to try running the cable under the tailgate in the interim. My truck is a 2006 Dodge 3500.

Thanks!
Chris