Can I Wire My Backup Camera System into the Vehicle's 7 Way Trailer Plug

Question:

I have a 2005 F350 dumptruck. Id like to hook up my echomaster wireless backup camera. I want to have the camera stay on when the ignition is turned on. I need a product that allows me to hook up the red and black wire from the camera near license plate to either my 7 pin trailer connector or something else to allow me to connect it easily thank you in advance

asked by: Jerry

Expert Reply:

There isn't a specific product for this application but you could splice into your trailer wiring harness to provide power for your backup camera. The best solution for you on this is going to be to splice into the running light circuit on the 7 way connector, so that all you'll have to do is turn the lights on the truck on in order to activate the camera; using the 12v aux circuit would draw power from the battery constantly and likely drain the battery.

The running light/tail light circuit is located in the 11 o'clock position when looking at the front of the plug receptacle on your 2005 Ford F350 dump truck, so you'll want to splice into the wire behind that pin, but this would be my recommendation for you on completing the installation of this.

You could also potentially tap into the ignition switch, but that would involve running wires from the rear of the truck into the cab, which seems to be the opposite of what you're wanting to do here. We don't offer Echomaster camera systems, so I can't tell you which wire is which, but you'll likely connect one wire to the 7 way and one to a ground on the frame. I do recommend checking the instructions on your specific camera to make sure that's how it is wired. If you need any wiring parts like butt connectors you can use the Heat Shrink Butt Connector # DW05744-10, which will help make sure you've got good electrical connections when you complete this task.

I've also linked our article on trailer wiring that has some diagrams of the pin on a 7 way connector for you to have a look at.

expert reply by: Erik B