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RV Running Lights Hack

Use this simple running lights hack to light up your RV at night.

camper with the running lights on at night

Have you ever seen an RV exterior running lights on an unhitched trailer at night? Do you wonder how they have the lights on without running down a battery? Use these quick running lights hack to make it happen.

When we were staying at Wyalusing State Park we became friends with a camping neighbor named Juan. We were sitting around his campfire and when it started to get dark he went over and turned his RV running lights on. We were wondering how he did this.

Rockwood Mini Light camper with it's running lights on when unhitched

Juan told us about how he was at another Wisconsin State Park and most of the campers had their running lights on and it looked cool. He inquired how it was done and tested it out for himself.

Juan shared how he did this to us and now we are sharing it with you.

Trailer Running Lights Stay On Hack

Here is a look at Juan’s 7-way hitch receiver plug with a fuse plugged in to it.

7-way plug with a fuse in it to make running lights work when unplugged

This trailer lights hack involves putting a fuse into your hitch plug. You need a 10 amp or a 15 amp fuse.

Juan used a 15 amp for his trailer’s 7-pin connector plug. Stick the fuse into two adjacent slots at a time until the running lights come on.

7-pin connector plug with a fuse in it to make running lights work when unplugged

That is it! You might need to test different slots for it to work. We cannot guarantee that this will work for all campers.

If you are plugged into an electrical pole, you will not draw from the battery with this mod. If you are not plugged in, you will draw from the battery.

Not all people are fans of RV lights being on all night. Please be a good neighbor and remove the fuse before bed.

a campsite set up with a trailer with it's running lights on

Thank you to Juan for sharing this simple RV hack. We enjoyed meeting Juan, Jessie, Vinny, and Alex. We are camping friends for life and they are official members of the Let’s Camp S’more Mod Squad. May our paths cross again sometime in the near future!

Do you have a hack, mod, recipe, or anything camping-related that you would like featured here at Let’s Camp S’more? Read how you can join the Mod Squad and get your own Let’s Camp S’more sticker for your RV.

Other RV camper mods submitted to us to feature include Grace’s Dinette Tabletop Replacement, Ken’s Extra Storage Tongue Mod, and Steve’s Awning Bag Hack.

Jeff

Thursday 31st of August 2023

I did something very similar to this idea, but I included a motion sensor and relays to allow for the motion sensor to sense motion and then turn on the lights. This is all houses in a weatherproof box and a male vehicle plug. I just unhitch the trailer, pull my "box" out and plug it in. People always come by and say your marker lights are one, wait, your marker lights are on and you're not plugged in?

Dave

Thursday 6th of July 2023

looking to fined a way to hook my boat trailer to my travel trailer so the lights work when towing

Diana Hansen

Monday 10th of July 2023

Sorry, no experience with this.

Roger Nowatzki

Wednesday 2nd of November 2022

just turn them off when you go to sleep. I have a camper with a large back window and the red glow from the camper in the next row lit up our camper very nicely.

Diana Hansen

Thursday 3rd of November 2022

agreed

Walter

Saturday 2nd of July 2022

Viper made a 7 pin timer switch. When you turn it on it will come on that time every night and turn off 4 hours later.

Wolf

Monday 5th of September 2022

@Walter, do you have a link to that?

Diana Hansen

Tuesday 5th of July 2022

cool

Abel Sanchez

Saturday 7th of May 2022

Tried it on mine lights came on went to work that night came back next morning they were off the 15 amp fuse won’t burned. Is there a fuse in the trailer that needs to be replaced?

Diana Hansen

Wednesday 1st of June 2022

probably, check your fuse box in the camper

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