Thread: trailer wiring

Check the ground on the tail light that isn't working. If it were a bare wire, you'd be blowing fuses. It's either a bad ground or the bulb sockets are corroded.

Thanks. I'm gonna take a look at that. I'm buying led lights on Monday to put on. Hope it all works. Them thangs are expensive.

It's most likely a broken wire. The brown wire splits in the tongue to go down each side of the trailer. Check it where it splits and from there to the first light.

my trailer lights would go off and on while driving (didn't even realize it till a cop stopped me), but my brown wire were it went into the tube had a bare spot from rubbing kind of hard to see at first because the color of the wire,,cut it put a crimp wire connector in and taped it up good and they work fine now,,,,knock on wood

Originally Posted by bluethunder

Thanks. I'm gonna take a look at that. I'm buying led lights on Monday to put on. Hope it all works. Them thangs are expensive.

I've found trailer wiring to be one of the more exasperating things about having a boat. It seemed like I was always fighting with it trying to keep everything working. My last and only new boat and trailer was with a Heritage trailer purchased in 2003. I think it was only 6 months later when I was informed the lights weren't working. Fixed it and it just seemed to follow with a string of situations where the lights weren't working properly and usually involving a ground wire running to the frame somewhere. Finally in 2009 I opted for getting led lights and having the trailer completely rewired at a trailer place. My instructions to them was to run a third white wire to each light for the ground return and for them to be generous in having plenty of wire at each light where it would be easy for folks like me very short on electrical or mechanical abilities could get in and work on those lights needing fixed. I just don't know why manufacturers don't just routinely wire boat trailer that way with the third white wire for the ground return since those screws or attachments to the frame seemed to corrode up so rapidly and obstruct the electrical return flow necessary for the lights to work properly.
I just love those led lights and knock on wood here it is three years later and I haven't had one iota of a problem with my trailer lights.

It's good practice to own a spare wiring harness for your trailer. With trailer wiring, it's not whether it will fail, but when. Even better is one of those temporary sets of lights with magnetic bases. If you're pulling out the driveway and see your lights have failed, you don't want to cancel the trip and spend that day doing the repair. Slap on the magnetic set, enjoy the day's fishing, and worry about the lights when you have the time.

like LBM said...run a dedicated ground wire to each light AND get LEDs. I did that 3 years ago and haven't had any trouble since.

I too have a spare set of magnetic lights just in case. Harbor Freight had them for $9.95 on sale then use a 20% off coupon and it's just good common sense to have