Suzuki Equator Forum

In my previous post I described how to install the pigtail and relays required for your trailer lights to work. This post shows you how to install the plug that you use to connect to the trailer. There are two types of plug. A four pin (or pole) and the seven pin/pole.
If you are towing a trailer with electric brakes, you're going to need the seven pole, if not the four pole will do. I chose to go with the seven pole because all four pin/pole plugs hang somewhere under the truck. This to me is a problem waiting to happen. I also like the clean look of the seven pin/pole connector installed next to the receiver of the hitch, and in fact I went one step further and installed my connector directly into the face of the stainless steel bumper right beside the license. I was a bit nervous at first about drilling a hole in that nice chrome bumper but now that I'm done, I'm very happy with the results.
The installation of the plugs themselves is pretty straight forward. It's basically plug and play . First you'll need a plug. This is a picture of the four pin/pole plug that came with my hitch. The two plastic pieces shown in the picture are the factory caps that are inserted in the female ends of the wiring on the truck. These are installed by the factory to keep dirt and water out of the connectors until the trailer plug is installed. CIMG0005.jpg You will have to remove one or both of these depending on whether you're installing the 4 or the 7 pin plug.
The connectors are located at the back of the truck on the drivers side attached to the frame. To remove them you will need a small flat head screwdriver, which is used to push in on a small retaining clip on the side of the factory connector. This picture shows the two factory connectors. The one I am pointing at is for connecting the four pin plug to. The one immediately to the left is for brakes and 12v power and is used with the 7 pin plug. CIMG0004.jpg
If you're using a four pin, only remove the insert in the connector I'm pointing at in the picture. Leave the other one in to keep dirt and water from entering the factory connector. If you're using a 7 pin, remove both connectors and insert the corresponding male ends into these connectors. They are both different shapes and colors so you can't insert the wrong one by mistake.
As I said, I installed the 7 pin plug so you can see that I have made use of both factory connectors. The plug that I bought came with the wires all secured inside plastic tubing with special auto fasteners already attached that plugged directly into existing holes in the frame to secure the wiring from this point to the 7 pin plug itself.
The next step is to run the wire from the factory connector to the receiver end of the hitch. If you use the 4 pin, the plug will usually hang from one of the safety chain eyes (located on the hitch receiver) until you need to use the plug. Make sure you secure the wire along the route with nylon wire ties to keep any excess from hanging down where it might snag on something.
If you are using a 7 pin plug you will have to attach the mounting bracket to the bottom of the bumper or to the hitch itself.
Before I decided to mount the plug in the face of my bumper I considered the bracket. There appears to be two pre-drilled holes in the bumper designed to accommodate a bracket. If you use these it's simply a matter of bolting the bracket to the bumper and bolting the plug to the bracket and you're done.
In my case I installed the plug into the bumper itself.
To do so I started by disassembling the plug and finding (marking) the best spot on the bumper. Once I had the center located I used a metal punch to create a small dent where the drill bit could rest to keep it from sliding along the chrome. Then I drilled a pilot hole about 3/16".
After doing this I noticed that the filings from the drilling were getting between the plastic step cover and the bumper itself. I didn't want to leave those there as I thought that would result in rust pretty quick, so before I went any further I removed the plastic step cover. It just pulls off if you take your time and are patient. (You can also access the back of it and push on the plastic fasteners that hold it to the bumper.)
Once this was off I used a 2 1/8" hole saw and slowly cut a hole in the bumper. I used a low speed and sprayed the bit with oil regularly to help lubricate the bit and cut down on the heat.
Once through I used a rotary tool with a grinding stone to smooth out the cut. I then put the plug in place and marked the holes for the bolts that attach the plug to the bumper and drilled those.
Before finally installing the plug I applied a generous amount of silicone caulking to the back of it. Once the plug was installed and bolted down the caulking squeezed out any gaps and sealed the hole to prevent any rusting.
The last step was to reinstall the plastic step bumper cover, connect the wires and test the lights.
These pictures shows the end result. CIMG0001.jpg CIMG0002.JPGI think it's a nice clean install with nothing to get hung up on. What do you think?

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2009 Suzuki Equator JX Radiant Silver
2007 Suzuki XL7 Limited Cobalt Blue
There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.

Thank you for the info and the pics ambenisar. That's a really nice job you did. I'm thinking about getting a small fishing boat and I'll definitely need this info.
Much appreciated.

Thanks Sonny. I'm really pleased with the through bumper install. If you have any questions when you move forward with this feel free to ask.
Andy

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2009 Suzuki Equator JX Radiant Silver
2007 Suzuki XL7 Limited Cobalt Blue
There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.