Harbor Freight LED Trailer Light Kits

[TexasBayFisher]

Ok, let's try this again.


Does anyone have experience with either of LED trailer light kits available from Harbor Freight?
One is $40 and the other is $50, and I'm looking at buying a set. I haven't seen them in action but judging from the size of the LEDs they should be very visible.

Kit 1:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=95974

Kit 2:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94137
These ones are submersible!

Any reports on brightness or quality would be appreciated.

 

[TexasBayFisher]

Re: Harbor Freight LED Trailer Light Kits

bump

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Harbor Freight LED Trailer Light Kits

prefer #2, less connections to go bad. also suggest running continous ground, instead of relying or trailer frame for ground.

 

[kamby]

Re: Harbor Freight LED Trailer Light Kits

For the $40 dollar ones this is in there owners manual for that product.

DO NOT submerge the Light Kit in water. This Light Kit is water-resistant NOT waterproof, and will become seriously damaged if submerged in water or other liquids. This product is not intended for marine use.

Led trailer lights are popular around here and are often sold out at walmart and HF when i do manage to get up that way. And i havent seen any in the return damage section.

But like with anything you buy you risk getting a defective item, wether you paid 50 bucks for the lights or 150.

I do know the ones at walmart are the same at HF, if there not they sure are a spitting image of each other.

 

[ebry710]

Re: Harbor Freight LED Trailer Light Kits

I read the Harbor Freight catalog and it doesn't say the $40 once are submersible. I'd stick with the $50 ones.

 

[bpmcl00]

Re: Harbor Freight LED Trailer Light Kits

TBF. i was looking at that first kit you posted, but i ended up going with a non LED kit from Northern tool. Very simple to use and i would recommend it to anyone needing an easy wiring kit. here is the link in case you are interested

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_138883_138883

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Re: Harbor Freight LED Trailer Light Kits

Which set will fit the brackets on your trailer? Or are you doing all new.

 

[AZSenza]

Re: Harbor Freight LED Trailer Light Kits

I got the rectangular ones to replace my old ones. Simple bolt on and the are BRIGHT.....It said on the box submersible. They have been dunked more than once and have yet to have a problem. During the bright of day when the brakes are on you KNOW it! About the best 40 bucks I ever spent on a trailer (waited till they were on sale).

 

[VaGent]

Re: Harbor Freight LED Trailer Light Kits

I just got my flyer in the mail today & they are on sale for $39.95. I will have mine before the day is over. I've seen them on other trailers & you can see them really well at night.

 

[Biggems]

Re: Harbor Freight LED Trailer Light Kits

I recently re-wired my trailer and got a new light kit from Tractor Supply Co. It was similar to #1 that you have and it was only $28. AND, its submergible! It's the Blazer Submergible Trailer Light Kit. Comes with everything you need minus tools.

 

[ebry710]

Re: Harbor Freight LED Trailer Light Kits

I recently re-wired my trailer and got a new light kit from Tractor Supply Co. It was similar to #1 that you have and it was only $28. AND, its submergible! It's the Blazer Submergible Trailer Light Kit. Comes with everything you need minus tools.

They are building a Tractor Supply in Windsor, CA soon. I have to have the round ones and that is a good price.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Harbor Freight LED Trailer Light Kits

I've had the rectangular ones on three of my trailers now for two seasons and have had no problems. I put a set of the square ones on my one trailer and have dunked them a few times in freshwater with no issues, but the ones I got don't have the lense screws like they show in the pictures above.
They appear to be sealed. I didn't save the package so I don't have a part number. I do remember seeing that the wires were sealed where they exited the housing though.

Some trailers can't take the rectangular lights due to clearance or the fact that they would stick out too far.

Years ago, most boat trailers didn't come with any special type of lights, just plain Peterson lights, if you were lucky they had drains. I still have one trailer with those still on it, I just unplug them before launching and let them drain afterward.

I suppose if the LED board isn't sealed, it could be easily sealed in clear epoxy pretty easily too providing you can get to it.

 

[TexasBayFisher]

Re: Harbor Freight LED Trailer Light Kits

The ones at Tractor Supply for that price are regular trailer lights.
The HF ones seem to have bright LEDs, and I prefer the "instant on" response you get with LED lights not to mention the brightness.
I'm going to go buy a set of the rectangular submersible ones verrrry shortly.

 

[VaGent]

Re: Harbor Freight LED Trailer Light Kits

I went to HF yesterday morning & got lucky. I bought the last one they had on the shelf. The Mgr told me he had sold 44 of them in less then a week & he had no idea when he was getting another shipment of them in. Mine are the rectangular ones. Can't beat the price they have on them right now IMO. They will be on the trailer by the end of the week "IF" it stops raining long enough to got out & install them.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Harbor Freight LED Trailer Light Kits

The HF store here goes through them like water, one day there will be 100 on the shelf, the next day their gone. Each time they sell out, they double the inventory.
The problem I've noticed with HF, is that when an item starts to sell well, they up the price. Those LED lights were $34.99 when they first come out, now they have them listed for $49.99, they were $39.99 on sale for $29.99 when I bought my last set last fall. They even had a coupon and sale going on in which you could buy them for $24.99.

I look for them to cheapen them somehow next, right now their top notch lights, but like most other items I've seen there over the years, they drop the quality sooner or later to keep the price down.

 

[TexasBayFisher]

Re: Harbor Freight LED Trailer Light Kits

I picked up a set of the Submersible 18 LED rectangular lights.
Got them for 39.99 on sale just as VaGent said they were!

Once I have 'em on the boat I will post some day/night photos to try and show how bright they are. May not happen for a while, got so many little things to fix or maintain on the boat.

 

[TexasBayFisher]

Re: Harbor Freight LED Trailer Light Kits

The lights are going on the trailer today.

 

[turftech]

I realize this thread is old but I thought I'd give my take on them. I looked around at Wal Mart and they were Blazer's for $53.00. I had a coupon and HF was across the street so I figured I'd have a look. I bought a kit that had rectangular LED lights for 39.00 on sale plus my 25% off made a purchase that I'll call value conscious. These are manufactured by Haul-Master and are item # 94137

Mine were put on a very small trailer that had steps/guards built in over the 2" spaced mounting holes. The back of the 8" long light offered 3 slots for the stainless mounting hardware but the offset was the wrong way for my license plate illumination. I simply mounted these with my plate on the right and mis-color matched my wiring. My OEM set were not LEDS, I believe they are referred to as low profile being 6" long with the mounting slots in a even space over the center.

For the 30 bucks and 10 minute no welding, nodrilling required I couldn't be more pleased. Proof obviously will be in the longevity. I used the wire nuts included for the quick check and will solder and heat shrink tomorrow over where my heat gun and solder gun resides.

The fact this kit included some SS hardware impressed me and the ability to offset your mounting was certainly a plus.. too bad the offset wasn't right for my trailer but the other majority that are buying this for a full sized trailer will be happy with the purchase.

 

[kjsAZ]

I have the rectangular ones on my trailer since ~2 years and they work exactly as they should and were a drop-in fit. And yes, they are submersible which I naturally do all the time when launching and retrieving. One of the few HF products with lifetime.... When you compare them to several "main-brand" ones you will find out that they are exactly the same just with half the price. If you go today you even get 25% off with a printable coupon. That's what I did when I got mine.
I would never go back to non-LED lights as bright as they are which is an advantage as the boat trailer lights are usually low on the road.....

Unless you know how to solder and I mean really know it and how to stabilize the joints I would use bare metal butt joints to crimp and then dual wall heat shrink tube over it. There's a lot of vibration on these joints and the stranded wires tend to break where the solidified wire (by the solder) transitions into the "free" stranded.

My only complain with these lights is that they supply them with these wire nuts and not heat shrink butt joints.......