Advice

There are a few reasons why you might need the 13 pin over the 7 pin. Firstly, if you are planning on towing in Europe, European law states any towing vehicle must have a 13 pin style socket. If you are planning on towing in Europe then this is the correct kit and would put an end to the matter. Here in the UK we are still able to use the 7 pin socket, this is why they are still available to purchase.

When we talk about pins (i.e. 13 pin or 7 pin) we are referring to the amount pins inside the plug. I am sure you are familiar with the standard 3 pin plug we use with mains electricity. Same principle but for a trailer we need one plug to carry more circuits. For the 7 pin wiring the individual circuits for each pin is as follows.

• Pin 1- left Indicator
• Pin 2- Fog Light
• Pin 3- Earth
• Pin 4- Right Indicator
• Pin 5- Right Tail Light
• Pin 6- Brake Lights
• Pin 7- Left Tail Light

You will notice here there is not a circuit for a reverse light.

Reverse lights are required by law to be fitted to a trailer over 750kg (maximum authorised mass (MAM)) But are optional to be fitted to trailer under 750kg MAM. However, there is no requirement for them to be in working order. They come under optional lamps in The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/1796/regulation/20/made this is why in the UK we are still able to use the 7 pin electrics.

If you have a trailer over 750kg (a braked trailer) it is very likely to have a reverse light and therefore it will have a 13 pin plug, but will only be using 8 of the pins. Some 13 pin plugs only have 8 pins installed into them to cut costs in production.

Cycle carriers are small enough no reverse light is required, but the majority of carriers are fitted with a reverse. So, carriers can come with 7 pin or 13 pin depending if they have the reverse light or not. Witter do a few carriers that come with both plugs and I have seen a lot of carriers come with an adaptor.

The pin configuration for the 13 pin wiring kit is:

• Pin 1- left Indicator
• Pin 2- Fog Light
• Pin 3- Earth
• Pin 4- Right Indicator
• Pin 5- Right Tail Light
• Pin 6- Brake Lights
• Pin 7- Left Tail Light
• Pin 8- Reverse Light
• Pin 9- Caravan Battery Charging and power to fridge
• Pin 10- Caravan permanent supply
• Pin 11- Earth
• Pin 12- Not used
• Pin 13- Earth

The 13 pin plugs and sockets are far superior to the 7 pin. The plugs twist and lock into the socket giving a very reliable connection. The 7 pin just pushes in. This is fine when plug and socket are new, but after constant use, they do become slack and you will find yourself wiggling the plug to try and get the connection. If this starts happening, I advise to renew the plug and/ or socket.

Adaptors are available in both directions 7 to 13 or 13 to 7, I advise it is better to adapt from 13 to 7 than to 7 to 13. But in both cases a revers light will not work.

Yes, both the fixed and detachable towbars have the same towing capacity and S-value. The S-value or also called the nose load is very important to consider if needing a towbar for a cycle carrier. This is the maximum weight you can put onto a towbar the vertical load. Some cars only have a mere 25kg nose load but this can range up to 350kg. The S-value for the towbar I have quoted for is a very respectable 100kg. The weight of a carrier and all the bikes cannot exceed this amount.

NOTE the towbars I have quoted for are swan necks. This is compatible with towball mounted cycle carriers and not the flange mounted carrier

Most detachable towbars come with a flip up socket plate. The socket rotates up under the bumper so it cannot be seen. The fixed towbars come with a fixed socket plate so the electrics are on show the whole time. If you like I can supply a flip up socket plate with a fixed swan towbar. It would just cost a few pounds more.