Trailer Light Kit -- Looking for Recommendations

[c130king]

My Dad is coming to visit and one of the projects I have planned is to replace my trailer lights with an entirely new system including all the wiring.

Probably want to go with LED system.

2005 steel trailer.

Looking for recommendations for doing this. Don't they sell whole kits with lights and wiring harness?

Thanks,
Jim

[cub21rak]

Yea they sell the whole kit, some with more to it some with less. I just redid mine earlier this summer and it was fairly easy. I got my kit at walmart but I know harbor freight sells the led sets for a decent price. My trailer frame is an L shape so it was easy, but the kit will have directions to follow.
Ryan

[Québec 1]

I'm thinking of installing mine on the boat when trailering for all the good reasons.
Q1

[bobaefa]

I bought the individual LED lights at Northern Tool a couple years ago and have been very pleased. I also bought a higher gauge wire from them vs the cheaper wire you can get. The 18 ga wire that has a very plastic shiny look to it has not worked well on my trailors in the past. The 16 ga that "feels"more like rubber vs plastic has worked much better. I also ran a ground wire to each light vs grounding it on the trailer. A white ground wire runs to each light and then is grounding on the tongue near the ball. This has really reduced grounding issues. It uses less wire and cheaper not to do this but it has really made a difference

[Catigale]

Definitely go with LEDS Jim.

Replace the standard steel bolts on the lights with SS bolts and washers. This will make it easier to remove later if needed.

Dont use any crimp-ons. Solder all connections.


Run a separate ground wire and bring it up to the ground wire on the harness - this will eliminate about 90% of light problems. At the very least, run a separate ring connector ground from the light mount bolt to an independent ground on the frame.

For the fender lights, LEDs are so reliable you can actually just glue them on if you dont want to drill holes in your fenders - particularly useful if the new LEDs dont quite match your existing holes.

There are different lights required for >80 inch wide trailers like the MAC btw - get the right kit.

[c130king]

Gents,

Thanks for the 411. I do plan to go with LED's. I have found a WestMarine...will look for a Harbour Freight and check what they have at Walmart. And I think I want to do the grounding thing that a couple of you have mentioned. And I guess I will buy a soldering iron...I know my Dad knows how to use it and he can teach me.

However, I will now publicly display my lack of knowledge before my good friends on this board on things mechanical and electrical...my family already knows this of course.

How do you do this grounding thing...more details please. Isn't there only a single wire coming out of each light? Is there a second wire for the grounding.

Stephen I read your other post on rewiring your trailer but I didn't quite understand it.

Thanks for any help.

Cheers,
Jim
Sailing on König

[Catigale]

The lights ground by the mounting bolt rubbing on the frame (usually the toothed washer. As you dunk the boat, the connection corrodes and rust gets in there, and presto, your lights no longer work

The rest of the ground loop is...from the metal tang the light connect to, up the frame, all the way to the front of the boat, and then usually your ground wire from the harness connects to a bolt up at the brake connector.

The biggest problem is usually corrosion right at the light connector - exacerbated by the fact that your now corroded bolts cant be moved, so now you stuck.

If you make a ring connector

On my first pass (which worked well ground wise) I put a ring connector on the light mount bolt, and then grounded it on my SS bolts for my goalposts (another worthwhile mod imho)

Ill post some pics later today - when is Dad coming??

[c130king]

Something like this?

Submersible LED Trailer Lights

Seems like the same exact set is $69 at Defender.
Some questions:

1) Is a 25' wiring harness long enough? Will I need seperate wire for the grounding?
2) Can you add side lights (bought seperately) to this? If so, how?
3) Do I need to consider the trailer brakes and the reverse solenoid or whatever it is? I think I currently have a 5 pin connector.
4) Do you use Frame Clips to secure the wires to the trailer?

Thanks again.
Jim

[c130king]

Stephen,

Thanks. Dad isn't here until 28 Sept...but the time will go fast or at least the weekends will.

Next weekend I have to drive down to Atlanta to deliver my son and a bunch of furniture to his new apartment at Georgia Tech.

The weekend after that will be spent de-rigging the boat...again...and this time I will trailer it to the house. Took some measurements and assuming I can back it down my single-lane 150' driveway I am pretty sure I can park it and still have room for my wife's car.

And then I will spend a few weekends washing/waxing/cleaning/vacuuming/etc... before he gets here.

And of course sometime in the next week I am expecting my household goods from the UK to be delivered...or at least I am hoping/praying it happens this coming week as my son is expecting a bunch of furniture that we are to take down to Atlanta over Labor Day. I was told it arrived at the Port of Baltimore Monday before last...14 days ago. Extremely frustrating. Tired of living out of a suitcase and sleeping on an old mattress laying on the floor. Anyway I have to get all that stuff unpacked and get the house in order before my folks get here.

Too much to do and never enough time to do it all. With my commute I don't have any time after I get home in the evenings to do much of anything.

And of course I really want to go sailing again...but that will have to wait until October now

Jim

[Highlander]

Jim

Here's what I done to my trl I bought L.E.D. lights & done this mod for two reason's #1 seems alot of people like the L.E.D. lights but not the price of them ! so when installed on the trl pernamemtly they are two easy & temping to steal , had one stolen already at a Marina !!!
Anyway I noticed that when in traffic bumper to bumper or very slow moving traffic the vehicle's behind you tend to get very close to the back of the boat once they get up to about 8ft from you , your tail & brake lights disapear under the boat so if you start moving & then start braking again & their not paying attention I have had a few close calls even though I have this big orange flag flying off the back of the motor !!
So I made up an light bar from 3" X 1/8" x 41" long alum flat bar & install the led lights on them then solder pig tails onto the rear tail & cluster lights , then solder pig tails onto the light bar lights I can now install these on the very rear of the boat in two mins & remove and stow in the trk outa sight from anyone who had evil idea's
http://s844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... 010026.mp4

Here's the light bar mounted with 1/4" hitch pins on top with a bungy cord on the bottom to keep it tight & from flopping around going down the road
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... 010021.jpg

Here's the light bar
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... 010020.jpg

Here's the lights flashing see the diff between the reg & led lights on top
http://s844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... 010019.mp4

Here's the lights on , notice how the bottom lights disappear when I walk up close to the back of the boat

http://s844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... 010018.mp4

Here's what the reflective tape looks like when your headlights hit them
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... 010016.jpg

If you like I can post a pic of the light bar off the trl later on

J

[c130king]

J,

Thanks. Light bar is a great idea...but for a later date for me.

Never did see an answer to the questions of

1) Is 25' wiring harness long enough. Probably is.

2) Is the standard wiring for an trailer somehow different because of the back-up solenoid? Is this an issue?

Boat is in the shop (Harbin Marine on Hwy 1 between Lorton and Woodbridge) for the motor warning horn...the mechanic thinks it is probably overheating. The "tell tale" stream (aka "peeing") only shows that the pump is working...this water will not necessarily get hot if the motor is overheating. My guess is they will work on it for less than 30 minutes...replace a very simple part...then hand me a bill for $448.93.

Cheers,
Jim

[Indulgence]

Weellll, here in the great white rainy miserable bloody north,

I replaced mine with a complete set of submersible lights, wiring and harness
from Princess Auto for $19.95. Mind you they were on sail and that's in
Canuckbucks, so... $20.53 Americoin.

Not fancy, not LED, but will last longer than I'll own the boat and everything
fit perfectly.
Laurie

[Catigale]

Jim. I can't find the length on the kit that I used. I have an on the steel trailer so my measurements won't be the same as your rig of course

Ss

[c130king]

I do have the steel trailer...not the alumininiumum...never could spell aluminum.

[Catigale]

Jim

Steel trailer 2002

Its 7 feet from the taillight bracket to the 'bend in the frame just forward of the wheel.

Its 17 feet from there to the very front of the trailer tongue

I think that means a 25 footer will be fine. I dont try to run the trailer harness direct to the tow beast - I use a 2 foot extension cable to bridge the gap. That way I keep the trailer connection zip tied to the frame up snug - if I damage the wiring its the easily replaced part. That gives you even more leeway with that 25 foot kit of course.