Trailer Connector

Did the 50's CJ's come with a factory option for a trailer connector? If so what kind was used and where did it attach at the rear of the jeep? What are most of you guys use, just the flat moulded 4 conductor?

 

Don't know that I've ever seen a factory trailer connector on any ecj5. The M38A1, I would imagine, had something that may be adaptable to a 12V divvy JEEP. The dealer may have, and probably would have, installed trailer wiring for the customer. Probably an old round 4 or 5 since that was the norm back them vs todays flat 4.

I suspect the standard flat 4 is what most people use. Easy to splice in and I doubt anyone would pull a trailer behind their JEEP that would have, or require powered brakes. I'll just do a flat 4 when I do mine so I can pull my Bantam.

 

That's all I plan on pulling too.

 

It did indeed. But it might be overkill in this application, with 12 pins.

I would go with Howard's suggestion. And keep a four pin adaptor under the seat.

 

Jeep Willys M38 M38A1 M151A1 M151A2 Trailer socket Including new and original | eBay

 

This link is for an Italian seller, but that is Matt's decription from QTM parts up in Georgia. Pirated listing?
-Donny

 

I didn't notice that. I linked it only as an example.

 

AFAIK Jeep did not offer a trailer towing option for the CJs. However, I recall they have always promoted trailer towing for the Wagoneer and trucks.

If you look here, the '78 trailer towing harness is shown in 3 pages. Tom 'Oljeep' Collins FSJ Wiring Page

These harnesses were plug-in to the factory harness, and I believe there is no corresponding 4-pin connector on the CJ that you can plug the Wagoneer harness into. Note that this is a 5-pin flat connector that includes the backup lights. Jeep also shows a "heavy duty" towing package that uses a group of relays to switch the trailer lights on and off, and a round connector.

I looked into this some recently, since my J20 came with hacked-in trailer wiring - no connector, just dangling wires - that I wanted to replace with a cleaner connector. It seems the 7-pin "RV standard" connector is the most common connector in use today. The 4-pin flat connector also seems common, but I'd avoid it because it requires leaving wires dangling under the Jeep when the trailer is not connected. Making a 7-pin to 4-pin adapter seems like the right approach, if you want to be able to connect to trailers using the 4-pin connector.

 

The 7 RV to 4 flat are commonly available anywhere that sells this type of stuff. Tractor supply, wal-mart, Lowes, Home Depot, etc., etc., or your local FLAPs