By Dustin Simpson
Part of towing your RV responsibly is making sure your trailer lights are working properly. “Why are my running lights or brake lights not working on my travel trailer or fifth wheel?”
We have all been there and asked that question one time or another, which is why you should have a tow vehicle wiring tester with you when traveling. This tester may not solve all of your issues, but it can definitely help you pinpoint some of the basic problems you may encounter while towing.
The tow vehicle wiring tester allows you to quickly and confidently confirm the functionality of your vehicle’s trailer wiring harness. This tester is used for testing your taillights, brake lights, reverse lights, turn signals, electric trailer brakes and auxiliary power. Just plug the wiring tester into your vehicle’s 7-way socket and have a helper check the LED signals as you activate them from the driver’s seat.
This will help you easily pinpoint if it’s something simple, like a blown fuse on the vehicle, to get you back traveling safely on the road.
This is the one I use and recommend.
More from Dustin
Dustin owns and operates California RV Specialists, an independent RV repair shop located in Lodi, CA. He thrives on sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm of RV repair and maintenance with his team, customers, and virtual friends.
Be sure to check out his YouTube channel where he shares what’s going on in the shop and the product offerings in the store. Dustin is also very active on Facebook. Join his group, RV Repairs and Tips – What’s in the shop!
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RVDT2915
These are great, but they need to have the lights be able to swivel or have the lights on both sides. My truck has the receptacle oriented ‘upside down’.
Solves half the mystery by ruling out a problem with tow vehicle wiring. The other half gets a bit trickier.
I have used one similar to this, and have had it for 4 years. Recently it decided to go bad. I kept getting a “Check Trailer Wiring” message on the dash with it plugged in, but when I plugged in the camper everything was good.
Thank you for the suggestion, Dustin. I will check the price. Might be an expensive, yet beneficial addition to our RVing gear. Have a great day and safe travels!
A part of our departure checklist was a ‘light check’. My wife would stand behind the toad with a walkie-talkie while I operated the tail lights, turn signals, 4-ways and brake lights in the MH, She was watching both the toad and MH and would confirm what she saw to me via the radio. When I did my final walk around I would make sure that the MH headlights were working.