Harbor freight tag-along trailer

[Mike in AR]

I just bought a Harbor Freight Tag-Along trailer yo use on weekend trips and maybe to buy groceries and such. My 2000 I/S trike has a 6 pin round plug, which I need to haul my Aspen camper on long trips. My problem is that the tag-along has a flat 4 connector, and I'm not sure how to change it so that I can use my 6 pin plug on it. I tried a 6 pin to flat 4 adapter, which did good on the running lights, and turn signals, but not the brakes. How do I fix this? Do I need to re-wire the trailer and add separate turns, run, and brake lights? Any help will be gratefully appreciated. Thanks

Mike in Ar
 I am not an electrician, nor have I ever acted as one, anywhere. lol 

[3W-lonerider]

to use the 6 pin connector. yes your going to have to rewire the trailer and add a set of separate turnsignals.
if you use a test light.  draw a plug on a piece of paper and draw the pins into the plug.
then check each pin with a test light and enter your findings beside the pin you drawed.
then you can rewire the trailer and install the new 6 pin plug on the tag along and get the wiring right.
some are going to say to install a hoppy converter. but that's only going to work if you convert the trailer you pull now to a 4 pin connector and have brake and turn signals going back on the same wire.
keep in mind that 1 pin in that plug. and I think it's going to be the white wire will be ground so your test light will not light on that wire.

[Brewer]

Adapters are available at parts stores

[3W-lonerider]

yes 6 round to 4 flat adapters are available at any parts store.
but its not going to work for this situation.
you can convert it on cars because the 6 round  connector on cars only uses 4 pins in the connector because the brake and turn signal wires run back on the same wire.
he's using all six pins which means he has separate turn signals and brake lights on the bike. you cannot go from separate wires in the bike system to a four pin flat. where the brake and signal would join togather at the connector.
he's either going to have to rewire the new trailer to match the 6 pin or rewire the old trailer to match the 4 pin and that would require an addition of a hoppy converter. he would be better off rewiring the new trailer. adding either separate brake lights or separate turn signals and wiring the six pin accordingly.

[IamGCW]

You could add the Hopkins isolation converter and leave the 6 wire hooked up.  That way you have both  a 6 wire and 4 wire connection. 

Gil

[sandy]

You could add the Hopkins isolation converter and leave the 6 wire hooked up.  That way you have both  a 6 wire and 4 wire connection. 

Gil

I installed a Hopkins 5/4 powered converter to pull my Roll-A-Home camper. Then parallel wired a 5 wire setup to pull a Unigo. Both wire setups are under the rear fender.

[WintrSol]

I just installed one of these: http://www.wiringproducts.com/5-wire-to-4-wire-tail-light-converter.html, because my car has flat 4, but both bikes that will pull it have round 6.

On a side note, when you put it together, did you take the hubs apart? I did, because of the reviews on the HF site, and found one bearing over-tightened, the other too loose, and not enough grease on either. Just sayin', the Chinese apparently don't understand trailer hub assembly.

[old2soon]

I just installed one of these: http://www.wiringproducts.com/5-wire-to-4-wire-tail-light-converter.html, because my car has flat 4, but both bikes that will pull it have round 6.

On a side note, when you put it together, did you take the hubs apart? I did, because of the reviews on the HF site, and found one bearing over-tightened, the other too loose, and not enough grease on either. Just sayin', the Chinese apparently don't understand trailer hub assembly.

                What he said PLUS remove the small spring leaving ONLY the main and rubber wrapping the bolt where the main leaf rests. I replaced those "bearings" that came with the trailer with Timken brand bearings. Whatever they are passing ff for grease in those hubs-gasoline hardly takes it off. RIDE SAFE.

[Mike in AR]

Thanks to all of you for the help and suggestions. I was afraid I was gonna have to rewire it and add some brake lights. Now the fun begins. I may be coming back to this post for more input about the actual wiring part of this.
  WintrSol, I will be sure to go back and pull the hubs and check the bearings out. Thanks

  Old2soon, what is the purpose of removing the short spring and leaving just the main one?

Again, thanks to all of you who responded.
 
   

[WintrSol]

I'm trying to figure out what small spring? Do you mean, drill out the rivets holding the small leaf to the long one? I do understand adding cushioning to the spring bolts, as I did mine to keep the rattles to a minimum.

[old2soon]

Thanks to all of you for the help and suggestions. I was afraid I was gonna have to rewire it and add some brake lights. Now the fun begins. I may be coming back to this post for more input about the actual wiring part of this.
  WintrSol, I will be sure to go back and pull the hubs and check the bearings out. Thanks

  Old2soon, what is the purpose of removing the short spring and leaving just the main one?

Again, thanks to all of you who responded.
 
   

               Softer ride cause you shouldn't get near gross with the M/C anywho. On the H/F website for that trailer there are a lot of other suggestions for improving this unit. Soon as I purchased mine I bought an L E D lighting kit to replace the old style crapola. RIDE SAFE.

[allanbegg]

All you need to do is wire one of these in before the flat 4.

http://www.amazon.com/CURT-58240-Tail-Light-Converter/dp/B001EP0GI6

That will let you keep your 6 pin for the Aspen and use the flat 4 for the H/F.

[WintrSol]

I'm also adding one of these to mine: http://theusatrailerstore.com/swivel-hitch/
For some reason, the HF hitch has 2-1/2" spacing on the bolts, though, while every other trailer I checked matches that swivel, so I'm using a Dremel to grind the holes, so that both bolts still make good contact in the pull direction.

[IamGCW]

I'm also adding one of these to mine: http://theusatrailerstore.com/swivel-hitch/
For some reason, the HF hitch has 2-1/2" spacing on the bolts, though, while every other trailer I checked matches that swivel, so I'm using a Dremel to grind the holes, so that both bolts still make good contact in the pull direction.

I bought this for my mini-mate.  They are made to fit the trailer, so no grinding.

http://www.openroadoutfitters.com/swivel-hitches

Also many have made a swivel type hitch saving money.  Google and youtube should help you find their designs.

Gil

[WintrSol]

Yes, we found both that site (and others with the same prices), and pages on how to make you own. We went with the one I linked, because my friend was buying, and figured a little time grinding was worth the extra $.