Tow Smart "Submersible" LED tail lights are junk... better solution?

[airshot]

If the housing is sealed, no water should get inside to Led's or connections !
My lights get O water intrusion, check your housings before installing.

 

[ratdude747]

If the housing is sealed, no water should get inside to Led's or connections !
My lights get O water intrusion, check your housings before installing.

Assuming the gaskets and license light "window" are sealing correctly...

 

[cyclops222]

I do a COMPLETE coating / sealing of every seam / drain hole / screw head & hole / metal hole with bolt or screw / wires coming out of light. It seals every time.

 

[dingbat]

Assuming the gaskets and license light "window" are sealing correctly...

No gaskets or windows….should be one piece hermetically sealed to IP 67 or IP 68 Protection standard.

I will not purchase lights w/o this rating

 

[airshot]

Assuming the gaskets and license light "window" are sealing correctly...

Looking at mine, they appeared to be glued together as there are no replaceable parts inside. No screws to come loose and no gaskets from what I can see. There is a sealing grommet where the wires come out the back of the rear housings and same for marker lights housings.

 

[briangcc]

Mine are whatever Coyote trailers slapped on. Going off their parts list/cost, I somehow think they're Chinesium quality. Everything else about the trailer screams cheap so I'm not going out on a limb on this. Which reminds me I need to bring a wire wheel and some touch up paint with me on vaca to spot touch the trailer.

That being said, I leave them plugged in and have yet to suffer a failure over 7yrs now of dunking in fresh water.

 

[MNhunter1]

I just purchased a bunch of Optronics LED submersibles for by trailer rebuild. Made sure they were all noted as submersible and hard wired with the separate ground wires. I went with the STL56/57RB for the tails, MCL13 marker lights in amber/red, and the MCL70RB thin line id light. I skipped the standard 4 pin harness and ordered a 7 way plug with junction box and some 18/3(tails) and 18/2(running) tinned for the runs. Plan to homerun all the grounds back to the tongue/junction box.

 

[ratdude747]

I just purchased a bunch of Optronics LED submersibles for by trailer rebuild. Made sure they were all noted as submersible and hard wired with the separate ground wires. I went with the STL56/57RB for the tails, MCL13 marker lights in amber/red, and the MCL70RB thin line id light. I skipped the standard 4 pin harness and ordered a 7 way plug with junction box and some 18/3(tails) and 18/2(running) tinned for the runs. Plan to homerun all the grounds back to the tongue/junction box.

Looks like these do have integrated side indicators and license plate lighting.

 

[ratdude747]

Found a closeout deal on what appears to be optronics stl56&7 lights. We shall see...

 

[Black58]

The Optronics are good, think that's what I have in the barn for this trailer. They'll all leak eventually, all of them are cheap plastic whether sealed or not. Bang or bump them once and it might leak.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,..... These are what I use on all of my wagons, boat, or otherwise,.....
Truck lites,....

 

[airshot]

The Optronics are good, think that's what I have in the barn for this trailer. They'll all leak eventually, all of them are cheap plastic whether sealed or not. Bang or bump them once and it might leak.

I have a steel guard around my light housing, only busted one light in last 10 years....damn, shouldn't have said that !

 

[ratdude747]

Lights came in today. Installed no problem... same as before (heat shrink crimps and tape). The "old" tape was holding water... but the tape is mainly rock and chafe protection, as like with most old steel trailers, all cable holes are rough holes blasted in with a gas axe or carbon-arc gouge (my 2000 Heartland car hauler is the same way...

AFAIK these are the legit real deal Optronics... had the right markings and all. And the boards do look to have some form of conformal coating on them .

Did have an issue with overtightening a carriage bolt and the such spinning on me a bit... but that's my bad. Didn't appear to break through anything watertight so no worry.

I'd post pics but the intermittent server save issue is kicking my butt this evening.

 

[airshot]

Lights came in today. Installed no problem... same as before (heat shrink crimps and tape). The "old" tape was holding water... but the tape is mainly rock and chafe protection, as like with most old steel trailers, all cable holes are rough holes blasted in with a gas axe or carbon-arc gouge (my 2000 Heartland car hauler is the same way...

AFAIK these are the legit real deal Optronics... had the right markings and all. And the boards do look to have some form of conformal coating on them .

Did have an issue with overtightening a carriage bolt and the such spinning on me a bit... but that's my bad. Didn't appear to break through anything watertight so no worry.

I'd post pics but the intermittent server save issue is kicking my butt this evening.

If your interested, What I do is use a piece of rubber hose/ tubing and use "goop" to glue it in those ragged holes where my wires pass thru frame sections. No more chaffing wires and the goop holds it there for forever.

 

[ratdude747]

If your interested, What I do is use a piece of rubber hose/ tubing and use "goop" to glue it in those ragged holes where my wires pass thru frame sections. No more chaffing wires and the goop holds it there for forever.

The tape has done the job so far... but noted for future reference.