Towed vehicle light hookup

[MikeChase]

To have stop/turn/running lights on a towed vehicle (samurai) is it possible to connect together the trailer light hookups on the tow & towed vehicle? In other words back feed the towed vehicle trailer connector. Or is this just asking for trouble?

Thanks!

[JohnC]

Asking for trouble, IMHO. Better to cut the wiring going to the tail lights on the towed vehicle and install a plug, like a trailer plug. then, put a matching plug on the vehicle side and plug them together. To tow, unplug from the vehicle and plug into the tow vehicle.

[arveetek]

Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes if you do that, you get backfeeding through the turn signal switch, and everything lights up at the same time.

Whenever we wire up vehicles to tow behind motorhomes, we always run dedicated wiring along with diodes, to prevent any feedback. This separates the two systems.

Casey

[cowboywildbill]

I would say a bad idea, it could at the very least blow a fuse or run down your battery. And it might reak havoc with the your vehicles BCM. Some foriegn made vehicles need an adapter from the vehicle to the trailer plugs.
Some of these vehicles have three seperate circuits for the tail lights brake lights and turn signals. The difference is that the turn and brake light bulbs and circuit are totaly seperate.
Trailers and domestic built vehicles share the turn signal and brake light function ie: left turn right turn operate the brake lights also.
If you are electrically savy you can install diodes in the system so you don't get the back feed on a foriegn made vehicle. Hope that helps.