Pop-up trailers are an extension of your vehicle and must have brake lights, turn signals and tail lights that are wired into your vehicle. To legally tow a trailer on public roads, it is the law to have these lights installed and properly working. You must know how to set up the tow-wiring package for any pop-up trailer you tow. When installing the tow wiring, the pop-up trailer must be compatible with the towing vehicle. By inspecting both the pop-up trailer and the vehicle, you will be able to determine what types of adapter you need, if any.
Look near the tow-hitch on the back bumper of your vehicle to determine the configuration of the plug in and which type of harness it uses. There are several different configurations for wiring harnesses and an adapter for each type of vehicle. You must find out which type of configuration your car has by locating the tow-light wiring harness. Look to see how many plugs are involved.
Look on the tow bar of your pop-up trailer to find out what type of wiring harness you have. Determine which type of configuration it is and whether the amount of plugs will mesh with your vehicle's wiring harness. The most common type of harness for a pop-up trailer is the five-wire harness. If the configuration on your vehicle does not match the configuration on your trailer, then you will need an adapter.
Buy an adapter at an auto supply store or online. Inform the salesperson how many prongs are on the trailer end and how many are on the vehicle end. It also helps to know the make, model and year of your pop-up trailer and vehicle.
Follow the directions included with the adapter to permanently attach it to the vehicle. Attaching the tow wire may require you to drill holes in your bumper or underneath the vehicle. The adapter should have come with all the necessary hardware for installation.
Plug the vehicle's harness into the correct side of the adapter as listed on the adapter instructions. Plug the trailer tow wiring harness into the other side of the adapter.
Check to make sure your pop-up trailer taillights are working. Have a person sit in the driver seat of the vehicle and push on the brake pedal. The brake lights on the trailer should work. Have someone turn the left and right turn signal lights on. If all the lights are working, the job was successful.
