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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,587 Likes: 1
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,587 Likes: 1 |
trailer wiring is about as simple as it gets. a hot to each light and a ground. a kid could wire one.i don't understand. for 30.00 you can put a complete kit on most any trailer.they even come color coded so you can't screw it up.
Last edited by srwshooter; 04/25/15.
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 19,106 Likes: 5
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 19,106 Likes: 5 |
Trailer lights and trailer brakes are two differnt things.OP was having trouble with the brakes.
If God wanted you to walk and carry things on your back, He would not have invented stirrups and pack saddles
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Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 19,604 Likes: 15
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 19,604 Likes: 15 |
trailer wiring is about as simple as it gets. a hot to each light and a ground. a kid could wire one.i don't understand. for 30.00 you can put a complete kit on most any trailer.they even come color coded so you can't screw it up. Yes, they are simple. Which is why it's so frustrating they rarely all work as they should for any length of time. I've pulled and wired and messed with a bunch of trailers over the years. I've yet to meet anyone who has messed with trailers for any appreciable amount of time who can say "I never have any issues with trailer lights/wiring" LMAO. As saddlesore pointed out, my frustration on this was the with the brakes, and specifically the plug on the truck. And as a matter of fact the lights I've got on my 2 current trailers have 2 wires, neither of which is the ground. I almost upgraded to LED's (the ones I looked at did have 3 wires one of which was a ground) but didn't want to drop the coin.
Last edited by BillyGoatGruff; 04/26/15.
MAGA
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 9,589 Likes: 1
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 9,589 Likes: 1 |
trailer wiring is about as simple as it gets. a hot to each light and a ground. a kid could wire one.i don't understand. for 30.00 you can put a complete kit on most any trailer.they even come color coded so you can't screw it up. You're right in that 12V wiring is as simple as wiring gets. The problem isn't with new stuff. The problem is gremlins in older stuff, especially stuff that doesn't have any loom around wires strung inside of small spaces, like a trailer frame. Is your grounding problem the ground wire, the connector, or has your wire worn through due to no loom and you're grounding inside of the trailer frame? Or a combination or all 3? Regarding brakes, the above grounding scenarios could be the issue, or your actuators could be faulty, or they could be rusted open, or shut. If you bought used, add in that lord only knows what sort of madness resided within the cranium of the trailer's previous owner.
I can walk on water.......................but I do stagger a bit on alcohol.
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Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 42,899 Likes: 9
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 42,899 Likes: 9 |
not addressing the brake issue...
but on the wiring, all the rain we get every winter over here, just plays havoc with the lighting on my trailer...
So I went down to Platt Electric Supply and bought encased wiring in rubber, for about $60 for the trailer.... put in sealed lights...all the parts ran me right at $100....
but since I quit messing around with cheap crap from the Auto Parts store, and took the time to do it right, I've had zero issues over the last 3 winters now...
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 4,771
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 4,771 |
Electricity is magic. Ever since I was little and saw my sister stick a fork in an outlet I have thought so, and nothing I've seen since and shaken that belief. The summer when I was four, mom said I took a piece of metal that formerly connected the drive wheels on a wind-up choo choo, climbed up on a chair and with one hand on the exposed steam radiator pipe, inserted the thin metal piece into a wall outlet. I'd already learned not to grab the radiator pipe in the wintertime when the heat was on, so that wasn't a factor. Got lucky the first time and picked the "hot" slot, wound up under the kitchen table screamin' that my tummy was on fire. Mom was always too dramatic with her descriptions. So naturally when I was all growed up, got into working in housing construction as a plumber and electrician, among other things. Ain't hardly been jolted since the episode in the kitchen. As for trailer wiring, I have owned a trailer of some sort since I was 17 and now have two. In my (51 years) experience, trailer wiring only works when it really friggin' feels like working, regardless of anything done by me. One year I hauled the double axle flatbed to hunting camp to fetch a coupla cords of firewood home. Lights/brakes worked find when I left home. Hooked 'er up for the trip back, only had brake lights/turn signals. No problem, almost made it home afore dark.
If three or more people think you're a dimwit, chances are at least one of them is right.
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,375
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,375 |
JMHO from years of having trailers. Most problems I have run into have been grounding issues.
A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of the user. Theodore Roosevelt
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,475 Likes: 18
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,475 Likes: 18 |
JMHO from years of having trailers. Most problems I have run into have been grounding issues. Very true. That's why most of us who've had problems in the past recommend running ground wires from the plug to the lights, not grounding through the frame. Frame grounding seems like it would work fine but most grounding problems seem to show up there. Even worse is grounding through the hitch ball. Those always seem to fail when things get dirty.
βIn a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.β β George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
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