Trailer plug in bed, here to mount it??

[cbmoore]

I will be ordering my GN hitch next week and want to get the wiring finished will I wait on the hitch. Here is the best place to mount the plug? I have and 05- SWR, short bed 350

TIA,
Brian Moore

[wrussell417]

I mounted mine on the forward side of the left rear post so that the trailer cord runs parallel to the side of the bed when plugged in. Obviously this requires a spray-in bed liner or none at all.

In my old truck I had a drop-in bed liner and had to mount it on the inside of the post so the trailer cord was parallel to the tail gate when plugged in. This is OK unless you carry extra stuff in your bed when towing.

Mounting it so the trailer cord is parallel to the side of the bed reduces the chance that something can bang into it and loosen or break the plug. I had that problem with my old truck.

[SmokeyWren]

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Here is the best place to mount the plug?

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A shorty with a gooseneck trailer? I hope you have a "V" nosed trailer and not a full-width front end such as an LQ horse trailer. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

The best place for the plug is on the driver's sidewall of the bed in front of the wheelwell. That way you can easily reach the plug while standing on the ground to plug and unplug the trailer. Crawl under the truck and look in front of the rear tire to the area between the outside of the bed and the inside of the bed. You'll want to use a holesaw and drill the hole from inside the bed, as high on the side of the bed as you can easily reach when you're underneith the truck to fish the wiring cable into that hole. (Mounting the plug closer to the floor of the bed makes it easier to install, but harder to reach when standing on the gound to plug in and unplug the trailer cord. So put it high as you can on the sidewall of the bed.)

The much-more-common location is in the sidewall of the bed but behind the wheelwell. That requires a shorter trailer cord. But if you have a wide-nose trailer, then you have to go into contortions to plug in or unplug the trailer - or else lower the tailgate and do it from the back.

On my '99.5, I don't see any easy way to install the plug in a stake pocket. There is no access from under the truck to get the wiring into the stake pocket. The perfect place to put the plug would be in the center stake pocket - over the wheelwell. But no can do without removing the welded-on wheelwell liner. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img]

[AllStarPSD]

mine is behind the driver's side wheel well .... look at my pics


thomas

[cbmoore]

Thanks for all the help. We do have a V style flat bed GN. I have a tool chest that fits inside the bed. I know I will have to be very careful when backing or making sharp turns.

Where is the best place to tap into the wiring for the extra plug?
I plan to use soldier,heat shrink tubing and then wire loom.
I am planning on doing the install of the hitch and the wiring since the 2 installers I contacted stated they just use the crimp connectors to tap into the harness. I do not want to have to chase down electrical shorts on the side of the road in a couple of yrs.

TIA,
Brian Moore

[FaC]

On mine, I went in the left rear stake pocket. As far as the tap, I unpluged the existing harness that went to the stock 7 pin plug on the bumper. I bought the length of the 6 wire cable from a trailer shop and did the tap on my workbench into the portion of the harness that I was able to remove - much easier than working upside down. After I had it together, I was able to just put it back in and fish the wire to attach to the new plug.

FWIW - FaC