Trailer Taillight Blues

good article, valuable info

The article should say "you should never use a trailer without operating lights on public roads at highway speeds. It is not illegal to use any trailer on public roads at slow speeds such as when being pulled by a tractor without operating lights. Hazard lights are acceptable but most states only require a slow moving vehicle sign for farm equipment. It is not a major issue, but the article as written is technically incorrect. Finally, the wiring harness can be checked for electrical continuity to verify that the harness is bad. The problem could be just a connection in the light itself, and it is much easier to change just the light than the lights and harness. This article also assumes that there are no operating lights in front of the tire. Mine has those and it entails an additional step because many wiring harnesses do not have a split in the wire for this so you have to adjust the wiring for it, or add additional wire. If the wiring harness runs in a tube, it is likely protected from most wear. Check the light and wire outside the protection first. Otherwise, good article, and I appreciate the fact that the author is using LED lights instead of incandescent light fixtures. The LEDs do not burn out as readily, they draw less current, and they do not burn out all at once. With them, if the lights on one side of the trailer do not work, you really have a wiring problem. I put them (sealed LED light fixtures) on the back of my fishing boat's trailer two years ago after my original light's bulbs kept burning out due to water contact. No further issues with lights not working so far.

Make sure you also have a good ground, I pulled my boat trailer when I moved I was not getting a good ground they lit up could not see them during the daylight hours but night fall came and they were working fine due toi the gound connection on the hitch and ball the reciver was old and rusty as soon as it was back to bare metal they worked fine.

Good article, valuable info. Something to consider is when I redid my trailer several years ago, I changed from a 4-prong to a 7-prong plug. I ran a 12V+ through a 30 amp fuse and a 12V- from my truck battery back to 2 of the unused prongs in the 7-prong plug then to the trailer. Grounding the trailer to the 12V- gives you a back up to the ground connection at the hitch and ball. Ending the 12V+ and 12V- in a sealed box with a quick connect that I can plug jumper cables, 12V work lights or any 12V tools into so I can have power there at the trailer if needed. Came in handy this past winter when my snow blower wouldn't start due to a bad battery. It works for me.

I wire my trailer lighets with a groung wire soldered to the bulb socket on each wire and run a ground wire from the battery ground post to the light plug in. This way you will always have good trailer lights. Learn this from wireing trailer lights on over the road trailes.
Also put vasoline on the light bulb to keep it from carodeing.