12 core cable

Iainboyd · Tue Nov 17, 2020 9:20 am

Having just purchased a 2004 off road fully galvanized trailer with 10" electric brakes I want to rewire it as the existing wiring is a tad tatty.
Hard as I have looked I've not been able to find any company that sells 12 core double insulated trailer cable so that I can fully utilize the Ford trailer socket - any ideas on where I can obtain some ?
I have considered using a 7 core and a seperate 5 core but getting the correct amperage 5 core is again a real hassle.

Tue Nov 17, 2020 10:42 am

My van utilises the Ford 12 pin plug and it doesn't have 12 core wire, I have never seen a van with 12 core wire.
The Ford plug will not take the consistent amperage draw of a fridge, nor are the plugs sufficient to take a high charging current, that's the reason it is better to run some 100amp wire to an Anderson plug on the car and charge the batteries & run the fridge from that.
https://www.amazon.com.au/Cable-Trailer ... B07K34GFRV

Iainboyd · Tue Nov 17, 2020 2:44 pm

RossPat wrote: ↑Tue Nov 17, 2020 10:42 am My van utilises the Ford 12 pin plug and it doesn't have 12 core wire, I have never seen a van with 12 core wire.
The Ford plug will not take the consistent amperage draw of a fridge, nor are the plugs sufficient to take a high charging current, that's the reason it is better to run some 100amp wire to an Anderson plug on the car and charge the batteries & run the fridge from that.
https://www.amazon.com.au/Cable-Trailer ... B07K34GFRV

I have'nt either but its listed in the Ford manual and other than the normal lights and brakes the remaining 5 wires would simply terminate in a switch panel I've made. Trailers are a new concept to me.
The only battery I have installed in the trailer is a 12 volt lithium 20a/h that I had has a spare from the days I rode a GT Ducati - all it will run is the LED camping lights.
I'll keep looking - I'm not really interested in running an additional Anderson plug and I'm sure that some Chinese cable maker will come up with a 12 core cable with the correct cable sizes, there are enough Ford Rangers and Mazda BT50's around with the 12 pin socket to warrant the cable production.

Tue Nov 17, 2020 2:58 pm

Iainboyd wrote: ↑Tue Nov 17, 2020 2:44 pm
I'm sure that some Chinese cable maker will come up with a 12 core cable with the correct cable sizes, there are enough Ford Rangers and Mazda BT50's around with the 12 pin socket to warrant the cable production.
If it hasn't happened yet I doubt it ever will as there is no need for it in this country

Bala1 · Tue Nov 17, 2020 4:13 pm

As RossPat has said. If you want to run any sort of decent current to the trailer, to charge a battery for example you will not have a good outcome trying to do it through the 12 pin plug.

Run 7 core for the trailer wiring or that 12 core that is available and use heavy cable, anderson plugs and relays/solenoids as required for the large loads.

Iainboyd · Wed Nov 18, 2020 10:25 am

Bala1 wrote: ↑Tue Nov 17, 2020 4:13 pm As RossPat has said. If you want to run any sort of decent current to the trailer, to charge a battery for example you will not have a good outcome trying to do it through the 12 pin plug.

Run 7 core for the trailer wiring or that 12 core that is available and use heavy cable, anderson plugs and relays/solenoids as required for the large loads.

I've experimented with a Redarc BCDC charger, my 12 volt motorcycle battery from "flat" @ 10.5 volts to fully charged at @ 13.5 volts draws all of 5 amps dropping to 2 amps, so I'm not worried about the existing supply to pin 9, besides its only powered when the engine is running. The battery keeps the trailer LED camping lights fully illuminated for about 9 hours, which is more than enough.
Pin 10 is an additional earth.
I also want to use pin 11 - Fog lights, living in the mountains we have to put up with fog as a constant companion, take yesterday for example, sunny, cloudless and 35 degrees, today,16 degrees, rain and in places heavy fog, well, really its low lying cloud but very poor visibility all the same.

Iainboyd · Thu Nov 26, 2020 2:29 pm

I ended up making my own ten metre 12 wire cable consisting of a "standard" 7 wire cable from Repco, (each wire tinned and 24 amp rated) and then purchased 5 off ten metrte long 40 amp cables in the five required colours on eBay and a 20 metre length of flexible heat shrink tube from Jcar electronics along with the 12 pin plug. All done and wired up.