Trailor Lights

[EvinFla]

I'm in need of replacing my trailor lights. I tried two differnt kits and was not able to get either one to work. It should be as simple as plugging the new lights into your truck electrical extension? What could I possible be doing wrong. Is it possible a fuse was blown on my truck? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[boater4life]

Re: Trailor Lights

Test the plug for power.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Trailor Lights

EvinFla<br />Start with a good ground wire from the truck to the trailer, do not rely on the ball for ground.<br />After that then it depends on the type of truck you have. Some require a adapter to hook the trailer. <br />In general if your truck has seperate brake lite and turn signal light you will need an adapter.<br />I also wire a ground to each light so do now rely on a clean ground wire to the trailer frame.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Trailor Lights

I agree with boatist - most likely a bad ground, especially if none of the lights work. Find a bolt on the trailer frame with the least amount of rust, strip enough of the ground (white) wire to wrap it around a couple times and tighten it back up. You didn't say if it's an old trailer, but if so rust can inhibit a good connection. <br /><br />If the truck lights work then it's not a fuse.<br /><br />good luck,<br />jtw

 

[Boatist]

Re: Trailor Lights

EvinFla<br />One quick and easy way to see if it is a truck to trailer ground problem is to hook a jumper cable from the trucks frame to the trailer frame.

 

[EvinFla]

Re: Trailor Lights

Thank you all for your help,<br /><br />In response to Boatist, how would you hook up a jumper cable from truck to trailor, and what are you looking to accomplish.<br /><br />Thanks

 

[Lark40]

Re: Trailor Lights

You can use a length of light-cord wire with alligator clips on both ends; or, use one cable of a battery jumper set.<br /><br />What you are doing is making a certain connection between the vehicle and trailer grounds, which is usually the bad link in the connections.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Trailor Lights

The bumper-to-bumper jumper is a great trouble-shooting tip, boatist, I never woulda thoughta that. <br /><br />EvinFla, the current for the trailer lights flows through the colored wires on the wiring harness to the lamps, then back through the trailer chassis to the white ground wire, and on into your tow vehicle's electrical. The car battery negative post is connected to the chassis, so the jumper cable to the trailer will complete the circuit. Sometimes the hitch ball can act as a ground but it's unreliable - you need a good, tight connection.<br /><br />jtw

 

[Boatist]

Re: Trailor Lights

EvinFla<br />For any light to light you need two thing. 1: 12 volts from your tow vehicle. 2: A ground from the tow vehicle to the ground wire for the light. Missing either and the light will not light. Most lites today use a bolt to the trailer frame as the ground or a short wire to the trailer frame. Then the trailer frame must be grounded to the Tow vehicle or the light will not light.<br /><br />If you mount your light on a part that is not metal or not grounded to the main trailer frame then light will not light.<br /><br />Give us more details, Is it all Lights that will not light, or is it just one can not get to work???

 

[MrBill]

Re: Trailor Lights

Don't be fooled by the "if the truck lights work...it's not a fuse". Most late model trucks, I'll speak personally for Ford F150's are fused separately than the regular truck lighting for the auxillary trailer lighting. In fact, newer vehicles have three separate fuses for the auxillary lights...one each for left, right and the rest. Check BOTH fuse panels carefully, if the truck came out of the factory with the tow lighting it will have separate fuses for the connector. Also, the positive lead (first female, on a four conection plug) could be corroded...very common. This will require replacement of the whole connector. I've already replaced my 2001 F150 SCrew twice. To keep the plug corrosion free, particularly if you live in a northern clime and back into snow banks (I confess) coat it often with an electrical connection gel or keep covered.

 

[gss036]

Re: Trailor Lights

Mr. Bill is correct in that most all newer trucks have seperate fuses. I have a Chev Silverado and it has seperate fuses, but I ended up going to WallyMart late one night and buying a 7 pin (round)adapter to a 4 pin for my trailer. Then it is a simple plug and play option, just like your puter.

 

[Maximerc]

Re: Trailor Lights

Another trick .. find or buy a plug that matches the trailer and hook a battery chager to it .. something bigger than a trickle charger.. or a spare 12 volt battery that way you can be sure juice is getting to your trailer .. I use the battery charger method a lot and the bonus is that you dont run down your Truck battery when you forget and leave them on when you go out too eat.

 

[EvinFla]

Re: Trailor Lights

I drilled a new ground in the trailor. Also grounded each light to trailor. I got one of the lights to work. Right side. But the left side is still out. Checked all of the fuses and there ok. Any suggestions on why one side will light but not the other. <br /><br />On the 4 plug connection from the trailor, the plug that is female is surrounded by rubber. I had to cut the rubber off to fit it into the truck connection (Ford ranger 2002). Could this possibly be a problem?<br /><br />Thank you for all your responses

 

[salty87]

Re: Trailor Lights

please excuse me while i slightly re-direct this thread in-progess.....<br /><br />i've been using the ball for my ground but i'd like to use a real ground. the rear bumper is the closest location but likely to get dunked at some point....is it better to go further forward to keep the ground dry? does it matter?<br /><br />thx, now back to your regularly scheduled programming!

 

[Knightgang]

Re: Trailor Lights

You can avoid the "Bad Trailer Ground" problem all together by running another length of wire from the white (ground) wire at the lights back up to the toungs of the trailer and connecting it to the White ground on the trailer side of the harness. This way you do not have to rely on trailer conductivity, ball couplers and severly cuts down on the problem of rust.<br /><br />I have 5 trailers total, and at one time, 3 of them had the same light go out when the brake was applied, all due to bad grounds. I am soon going to run the third wire on all of my trilers to avoid this problem.<br /><br />As far as where to ground on the truck, I would run the wire under the truck and bolt it to the frame. Even if it gets wet, it will not matter as long as the connection itself does not rust up and corrode preventing conductivity. Of course, the further forward on the frame you go, the less likely that you will dip it in saltwater.<br /><br />Good luck to all.<br />Knightgang

 

[Franki]

Re: Trailor Lights

i personally think a 12v test light (the ones that look like a screwdriver with a lightbulb in the handle) or a multimenter is fantastic for finding problems.. <br /><br />if there is no power at the actual lights, move up to the plug, if there is power at the plug, then obviously the problem is in the harness somewhere. ussually somewhere near the lights themselves or at the trailer plug..<br /><br />I put water proof lights on my trailer recently and made a whole new harness, put on new plugs, and before that I actually put the toebar on the car and wired up the car side of the electrics.. its been flawless since and a my multimeter was definately my friend for the duration.<br /><br />rgds<br /><br />Franki

 

[cjcocn]

Re: Trailor Lights

Evinfla<br /><br />I had the same problem with my trailer, even changed out the first brand new set of lights for a second.<br /><br />What I ultimately did was to run two extra ground wires in the set up.<br /><br />From the front end of the new harness (the one that will plug in to the truck), follow the ground (white) wire to where it (on mine) ends about 18" back.<br /><br />Usually, you would bolt this ground wire to the trailer, but I found that did not work for me.<br /><br />Instead, I hooked up two new and separate ground wires to this 18" piece of wire and ran them back to each light assembly (therefore did not attach to the trailer frame ±18" back).<br /><br />I attached a post connector to each wire and connected each to their respective light via the light assembly mounting bolts.<br /><br />After this my lights have operated perfectly.<br /><br />Hope this helps.<br /><br />PS ... If this is not clear, let me know and I will try to explain it a bit more clearly.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Trailor Lights

evinfla, 2 months & still no lights? 60 days no boating - that's gotta hurt in Florida. <br /><br />Do like Franki suggests and get a tester, couple bucks at a hardware store. You can test each wire for voltage and find out which one is bad, or if it's the connector.<br /><br />good luck,

 

[ChrisMcLaughlin]

Re: Trailor Lights

Move out of Miami. Come to Tampa. None of the stinkin' folks up here even have lights on thier trailers!!!!(except me!!!!)

 

[armysfcret]

Re: Trailor Lights

Hooked up the 'toon trailer to the truck and found out we had no lights. Hooked up dad's truck and lights worked fine. Found out later that the six way plug was too close to the bumper that had been removed and reinstalled after some body work. Plug had not been pushed in far enough to make connection. Duh! Problem solved!