Is it ever just "plug and play"?

Picking up a new Cobra trailer at the port on Tuesday......wondering if I
can expect just to plug it into my SUV motorhome and have the lights working
correctly? Anyone with a success story ?

Trailer and SUV are both fitted witht the new large plug and receptacle.

Thanks!

J4

On Nov 30, 9:32*pm, "John Bojack" wrote:
Picking up a new Cobra trailer at the port on Tuesday......wondering if I
can expect just to plug it into my SUV motorhome and have the lights working
correctly? * Anyone with a success story ?

Trailer and SUV are both fitted witht the new large plug and receptacle.

Thanks!

J4

I doubt it will be plug and play, you can thank the crazy combined
brake/turn signal lights used in the USA. I assume you mean both are
wired with a US 7-way RV plug (Europe uses a very different "large
plug"). I still had to change a few wires around when I picked mine up
(factory wired with a 7-way RV plug). I expect you have to change
wires to bulbs in the tail light assembly and maybe at the trailer
connection as well. It was easier to just work it out than try to have
people say what needed to me moved where. Print out this page
http://www.marksrv.com/wiring.htm and take it with you. You should
only need a few standard screwdrivers and worse case a pair of needle
nosed pliers to help persuade any (Faston) blade connectors on or off.
The worse thing with my trailer was they had cut the cable to the tow
vehicle really short and it would barely reach to the (offset) 7-way
RV socket on my SUV. I ended up pulling out some lengths of the
internal wiring and stretching it to give just enough cable out front.

I also like to carry several alligator and similar clips on reasonably
long cables. With the right ones it makes debugging these sorts of
things very easy. Just use the clip leads to steal 12V DC or a
flashing turn signal from the tow vehicle socket and clip to all the
trailer leads in turn and go look at which ones tail lights flash etc.
and use this to draw a quick circuit diagram.

Talk to your dealer, they should have the best info, I believe some
dealers and/or the glider manufactures ask the factory to do slightly
different things.

Darryl

good luck with that. ive come to the conclusion that a total trailer
re-wiring starting from an unknowns state should be added to the private
pilot PTS, or at least the bronze badge requirements. ive gotten
amazingly good at diagnosing lighting problems and fixing them. you'd
think i was an electrician.


At 05:32 01 December 2008, John Bojack wrote:
Picking up a new Cobra trailer at the port on Tuesday......wondering if I

can expect just to plug it into my SUV motorhome and have the lights
working
correctly? Anyone with a success story ?

Trailer and SUV are both fitted witht the new large plug and receptacle.

Thanks!

J4






-Tony Condon
Cherokee II N373Y

On Nov 30, 10:32*pm, "John Bojack" wrote:
Picking up a new Cobra trailer at the port on Tuesday......wondering if I
can expect just to plug it into my SUV motorhome and have the lights working
correctly? * Anyone with a success story ?

When I took delivery of my 28 with Cobra I was provided with
instructions for a minor wiring change. I've heard others have
avoided the wiring change by rotating the trailer rear lamp lenses 180
degrees.

The US idea that it's safe or appropriate to combine brake and turn
signals is insane.


Andy

"John Bojack" wrote in message
...
Picking up a new Cobra trailer at the port on Tuesday......wondering if I
can expect just to plug it into my SUV motorhome and have the lights
working correctly? Anyone with a success story ?

Trailer and SUV are both fitted witht the new large plug and receptacle.

Thanks!

J4
Maybe--but mine wasn't.

I had the wiring digram from the Cobra (Spindlebarger) website, expecting to
make a Euro-to-7 blade RV pigtail.

The trailer came with a 7 Blade RV connector, and everything checked out
except that that the turn signals were reversed! (i.e. left turn on car ---
right turn on trailer) Customs security encouraged us to vacate the premises
ASAP--So I pulled into the nearest parking lot outside the gate and fixed
it--about a 2 minute job.

Hartley Falbaum USA "KF"

The US idea that it's safe or appropriate to combine brake and turn
signals is insane.


Nah, just stupid.

Tony V.

"John Bojack" wrote in message

... Picking up a new Cobra trailer at the port on Tuesday......wondering if I
can expect just to plug it into my SUV motorhome and have the lights
working correctly? * Anyone with a success story ?

Trailer and SUV are both fitted witht the new large plug and receptacle..

Thanks!

J4

Here is a table I made for myself in case my wires ever came undone
(note to self: make sure the lights are unplugged before pulling away
from the trailer).

Function Trailer plug/wire US plug/wire

R Turn 4-R Green 6 Brown
R Running 5-58R Brown 3 Green
Brake 6-54 Red 2 Blue (electric brake)
L Turn 1-L Yellow 5 Red
Fog 2-54g Blue 7 Center
GND 3-31 White 1 White
L Running 7-58L Black 3 Green

Here is a link to a European trailer wiring diagram - equivalent to
the one already posted for the US plug. PRINT BOTH:

http://www.tridenttrailers.com/trail...ng-diagram.htm

As has been mentioned, the problem is that the US 7-wire plug gangs
together right turn and right brake, left turn and left brake while
the European system has separate turn and brake lights. This is true
even if your car/truck/RV has the European tail lights - unless you
run your own wiring direct from the lights. The common solution is to
wire up the turn signals but not the brake (which on the US plug is
used to control electric brakes on some trailers, not for lighting),
then switch the brake and turn leads in the trailer light housing at
the rear of the trailer. Some people have gotten away with switching
the left and right trailer light lenses instead of the leads, but this
may not fit, depending on the specific trailer light modules. If you
don't switch the wires/lenses your turn/brake lights will be yellow,
which can upset some local authorities. If you choose to run this way
to get home don't ride the brakes and call attention to yourself.
Another possible solution is to get some red transparent plastic to
put in the trailer lens to make it more red though I have not tried
this.

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A FEMALE FOR THE US PLUG OR YOU WILL BE S.O.L. AT
THE PORT AS THE US AND EUROPEAN PLUGS ARE PHYSICALLY DIFFERENT.

Best of luck,

9B

On Dec 1, 5:54*am, "HL Falbaum" wrote:
"John Bojack" wrote in message

... Picking up a new Cobra trailer at the port on Tuesday......wondering if I
can expect just to plug it into my SUV motorhome and have the lights
working correctly? * Anyone with a success story ?

Trailer and SUV are both fitted witht the new large plug and receptacle..

Thanks!

J4

Maybe--but mine wasn't.

I had the wiring digram from the Cobra (Spindlebarger) website, expecting to
make a Euro-to-7 blade RV pigtail.

The trailer came with a 7 Blade RV connector, and everything checked out
except that that the turn signals were reversed! (i.e. left turn on car ---
right turn on trailer) Customs security encouraged us to vacate the premises
ASAP--So I pulled into the nearest parking lot outside the gate and fixed
it--about a 2 minute job.

Hartley Falbaum USA "KF"

Oh, yes. Also remember to keep track of whether you are looking into/
out of a male versus female plug - particularly if you wire based on
positions around a clock on the diagram. If you stick to the numbers
on the plug itself you should be fine though the print can be small
and hard to read as it is usually molded into the plug itself. It can
be useful to have a flashlight, magnifying glass and of course your R
and L shoes on.

Good luck.

9B

I think the best solution is to get the wiring diagram from the
spindelberger website, buy a female European connector from your
favorite glider vendor, and wire it up from the lights with separate
amber turn signals and red brake signals. It's a better system, and
means you don't modify your trailer, plus then you can come get me
from a field. This will be plug and play when you get to the port. The
Euro plug has spade connectors, so if you screw up it's easy to fix.
If your car is already wired, you just have to fish out the turn
signals. Most new cars come with a tailer harness plug with all seven
wires (and more) deep in there somewhere, so then you just call the
dealer and get the trailer wire plug.

John Cochrane

When my dad and I picked up my new Cobra trailer in March we were
prepared for everything, and that's what we got. The trailer's wiring
did not even match the factory's diagram. My dad (who is a retired
electrical engineer) could not figure out how it ever worked in
Germany.

Take a complete set of tools and spare widgets.

~ted/2NO