Maypole MP124 13-Pin Caravan Conversion Plug

Bought to use with a trailer, so i have only a single wire for the lights.The grommet that should seal the back end of the plug around the cable has 2 holes in it, one larger than the other, this is so it can be used with a caravan with 2 x 7 core cables (the old 7N and 7S wires)Unfortunately this means there's an open hole left when you fit just a single cable,i really must remember to fill that in with some sealant sometime.Would be nice if 2 grommets were supplied, one with a single hole and the one with a double hole.But apart from the grommet, the plug feels better quality than the cheapo one i have on my other trailer,

Just as expected, good value for money

After reading a number of reviews about these plugs I was sceptical about converting my 12N/12S cabled caravan. However, with patience and a couple of hours (which included testing),I think it it is a relatively simple job for an average DIY-capable person converting a post-1999 caravan.After removing the old 12N/12S plugs I found it best to first cut off the exposed copper on each of the wires. Then, I stripped down the new plug and fed the 2 cables through the new plastic gland screw, the two-holed rubber grommet and the plug's end cap. I used some silicon grease on the cables to lubricate their way through the grommet, though washing-up liquid or soap would work just as well. There was a plastic collar which is supposed to sit behind the gland nut; however, there is no way that a black 12N AND a grey12S cable will fit through it, so I left it out.I then started to wire up the plug using the wiring scheme on the back of the blister pack the plug came in - a Google search will also bring up helpful diagrams. I connected the 12N cable first because pins 1 to 4 are in the middle of the plug and it's easiest to do those first. I cut the wires to length so each wire went into its pin straight without kinking. After all 7 12N wires had been connected I did the same to the 12S wires, noting that the colours of some of the wires on the 13-pin chart are different to those of the 12S grey cable. At the end I was left with a blue wire and a brown wire spare from the 12S cable and I cut both off close to the grey sheathing. Many diagrams mark Pin 12 as unused; however, the electronic systems on modern cars use this pin to check if a trailer is connected by seeing if there is an earth on it, so I connected a short piece of wire between Pin 12 and Pin 3 (an Earth). I then checked the connections using a 12v battery to prove the correct lights lit when connected to the correct pins. To finish off, I tie-wrapped the black and grey cables together.

As stated by others, there isn't enough space to get both cables through without removing the outer sheath so I now need to get some self-amalgamating tape to seal everything up.Took a couple of attempts to get it right as I mis-read the pin numbers on the plug and ended up with flashing foglights etc - which I only worked out when I printed out a clear picture of the 13 pin socket layout from another site. I was then defeated by the caravan fridge, and after following the wiring through the caravan and finding the required 12 volt circuit wasn't even going live I poked my multimeter into the socket on the car and discovered one of the earth connections had been left out when the towbar was first fitted - I found the required wire neatly taped out of the way in the boot!So in summary, print out the pin-outs so that you know which pin is which, and don't assume your car is wired correctly if something doesn't work as expected.

Bought this to simplify connection of caravan leads to car. I don't understand complaints about 2 cables not fitting. Remove the hard plastic ring and just feed cables into the rubber grommet with 2 different size holes for 12s and 12n cables. Perfect. Great value and good quality.

all ok

This is the best value 13 pin caravan plug I could find. I am using it to make a 13-pin socket tester for my car so I can easily cope with the cable seal but I would agree with others that it might be a bit tight to get two 7-core cables through if I were using it for converting from 2 x 7-pin plugs. I do think that it wouldn't be a problem to anyone with enough ability to do the conversion.Use of a bit of self-amalgamating tape around the cables where they enter would fill the gap.The plug itself is well-made and solidly constructed so I give it top marks!

Everything was very good