Hopkins Towing Solutions 47185 Multi-Tow 4 Flat to 7 Blade and 4 Flat Adapter

I purchased this for an install of a tow package on my wifes 2011 Chevy Traverse. There really isnt any place to securely mount this on a 2011 Traverse. I had to fashion a 1/2 inch thick metal spacer to be able to use it. I dont recommend buying this for a Chevy Traverse as it wont work unless you have the ability to cut, drill and install a .5 thick piece of metal stock. It was a PITA but only took 20 minutes because my neighbor had a drill press and metal cutter. The product its self is well built and works. The supplied bracket is not overly sturdy and you must use caution when plugging in a trailer as it could easily be bent.

The number on packaging says 47185 but no bracket was included like some of the pictures show. As such, there is no way to mount it. It is useless without a bracket to mount unless you already have one or figure out which one to buy separately. As of Jan 2023, if you look at the photos for the product, you will see two different product packaging with the same 47185 item #. On one of them, the label makes it clear that the bracket is included. The other packaging does NOT indicate the mounting bracket is included. It seems I received the one without that didnt clearly list the mounting bracket as included. Since this item has been sold for years, Im assuming something changed over the years. Whether I received an old version, or a newer version of the 47185, I cant be sure. Either way, be aware there is a risk you are going to receive no mounting bracket. If you dont need the mounting bracket then this wont matter. However, I did and Im sure many/most do. If they sold the bracket separately for a few bucks, I probably would have just gone ahead and ordered the bracket. However, that doesnt appear to be the case, so I dont really know what they expect you to do.

This product will do what is says it will do. That being said, it does not inspire confidence in heavy use situations. It does not appear very rugged. Nice that it comes with the mount, but again the mount is very thin and light and probably wont last very long. Also, the wire coloring does not match with the standard US codes. White is ground on the item, while in most cases in the US, black is the ground wire. Where was this thing made? Again, it is a good price, and a useful product, but just beware it might be very rugged or reliable. Make sure to read the enclosed documentation so that you match your wiring correctly.

Works just fine, installation was prety straight forward. A couple notes for those diy installers. The inputs to the 7 way are the old 4 way plug and then brake controller, power, ground, and reverse. If you already have a 4 way the power from that line is dead ended so instead of running a new power you can splice the 4 way. Also universal adapter - tow ready 118136 is highly recommended.

Good product bought to go with a brake controller as upgrade to factory wiring.

My installation was a little different than the normal hookup since I wanted to do four things: 1) tow a small trailer w/o brakes, 2) be able to tow a trailer with brakes using a brake controller, 3) provide power to operate a macerater pump for transferring black water, and 4) provide power to operate a power lift to help load and unload the back of the minivan. Therefore, I needed a little heavier wire to the back of the minivan, but otherwise the hookup was the same. The only thing I did differently than suggested in the package was to mount the plugs on the bumper rather than on the hitch - that was a mistake, since the angle bracket has taken some damage that it would not have experienced had it been attached to the hitch. My requirements 1) and 2) were very well taken care of by the adapter package. I run a separate black wire for ground rather than use the frame of the vehicle and, like I said, due to my load requirements, I needed heavier wire. I used the black wire from the adapter as my blue wire for the electric brake support. Unfortunately, my macerater pump uses the center wire (the one marked backup lights - purple) as an auxiliary power. If I get time, I will switch that to use the black wire (aux) which seems to be more suitable, but for now that is is how it is. The heaviest user of power is the power lift. It uses 30 amps of 12 vdc, so the wires (red for positive and black for negative battery were run to it first and then Td to the other operations (one for the power brakes (2) and one for the macerater (3). Since the lift does not operate during travel and would not be in use while the macerater is running, the power is shared among them as well as the lights for the trailers (both 1) and 2) ). I had installed the standard 4-wire small trailer package which is a prerequisite for this products installation. It all works like a charm.

Ive wired in a lot on a lot of cars the 7way is awesome for your camper and the 4 flat is nice to rent or if you have both stile trailers like me just back up plug in and hook up and go other then trying to find you 7 to 4 adapter you let a friend use so you got to buy anather and always use dielectricel grease on the wires and plugs and you will never have a problem with the ends by the way those 7 way to 4 flat adapters burn out this plug if kept up will last the life of a car

My Explorer came with the standard 4 flat wire attachment. However, all wires necessary to complete the 7 pin connector are pulled right under the right rear tail light. I was able to tap into 2 of the additional 3 wires needed at this location. NOTE: I also put on a 2 receiver which required the removal of the rear bumper. This greatly simplified access to these wires, which terminate into a junction/connector. Even though Ford provides all the connections, the blue wire for the trailer controller appeared to be only 14-16AWG (unmarked) although it is fused for 30A. Since multiple internet sources recommended 12AWG minimum, I chose not to use the blue wire provided but to run a separate 12AWG line up to the battery and fuse it for 40A (circuit breaker actually). I actually ran a duplex (2wire) cable just in case. The two that I deemed useable were the orange (B+, aux power) which I soldered to the Black wire from the 7 pin; it(along with RT and LT) are fused at 40A which should be sufficient. I also used the Black w/green stripe (Reverse, BU) which I soldered to the Purple wire from the 7 pin. It is fused for 20A so shouldnt be any problems there either. I really like the way the manufacturer sealed this item, and maintaining the option of using either 4 or 7 pins is really nice.

I added this to an old Ford Explorer that only had a factory flat-4 trailer wiring harness. Now I have the option of towing a trailer with the RV style 7-pin or an old school flat-4 plug in it. The flat-4 portion plugs directly into the existing flat-4 wiring on the vehicle so you dont have to cut anything off of the vehicle. The only thing you have to wire in is 12V auxiliary power and back-up lights, but only if you need them. Since my trailer does not use either of those options I just taped those wires up and left them there in case I want to wire them in later. It also comes with a mounting bracket and screws so mounting it is a piece of cake. I only had to drill two holes to mount the bracket. I would definitely buy again.

It great looks good and the plug seems to be hermetically sealed on the backside to prevent any moisture or water to get into the plug great product. the only thing that IO didnt like was the bracket that it comes with. Seamed flimsy to me and I didnt have any good place to mount it. So I just=cut a hole in my bumper and mounted the plug Looks great and mounted solid..