|
Washington Salmon, Steelhead, and Sturgeon Fishing Guides, Charters & Trips
|
|
Boat Trailer Lights Lights usually are a constant headache if used on trailers that are submerged in saltwater. There will be all kinds of lights, some of the "standard" lights will even be advertised as "waterproof". In actuality very few are. Some marine dealers will have simple automotive trailer lights on their shelves, & let the buyer beware attitude. Most trailer light units will be wired for 2 wires coming put of the unit & will need to have at least one mounting screw that is grounded inside, grounded to the trailer frame. This spot will need to be cleaned so that good contact can be made. It is also recommended that some chassis grease be smeared at this point to help reduce rusting & future non-conductivity of the connection. You can tell which one by looking inside the unit & finding the metal part that the bulb locks into. This one will then more than likely have the attaching bolt go thru it to the outside. The wires will need to be connected to the wires coming from the plug-in connection unit. At the point you connect them at the light unit, it is recommended that you get some heat shrinkable tubing. Slide a 1 1/2" section over the wire, & away enough so that the soldering does not effect it. After the solder job is finished & cool, slide the tubing over the new joint. Now take a match & heat the tubing up just enough that it shrinks & makes a tight seal on both sides of the joint. You could use wire nuts or crimp on connectors, but these are not waterproof. It also has been this persons observations that if you happen to be traveling over an extended rough road, (the Alcan for instance) that the weight of that connection will vibrate enough to where it will break the wire at the connection if the wire is not secured to the axle, frame or part of the trailer very close to the connection. You may have to make a choice of units that match your trailer needs. This can mean that you need a low unit if your trailer is so designed.
All units are mounted so that the license plate holder is mounted on the LH side looking forward. All units will come with about 10" of color coded wires protruding for you to attach to the main trailer wiring. The RH unit will have a brown & green wire, while the LH unit will have a brown & yellow wire protruding.
Universal wiring color code --
The normal trailer wire colors will be white, brown, green, & yellow. Other colors may be red & blue, and will normally be used for auxiliary (side clearance lights on larger trailers) and electric brakes. However these are 2 that you normally do not see on boat trailers. Ground wire -- Be sure that your wiring is grounded to the frame or bumper on the towing vehicle and then ran into the ground lug on the receptacle. Now be sure that this ground wire is again bolted to the trailer so it is also well grounded. If you start to have light problems, check either of these ground connections for good contact FIRST. Universal plug in wiring code-- Check the wiring diagram of your receptacle unit. If the one you buy does not offer this advise, check with a different brand. It also is a good idea when you are finished, to mark on the diagram or make up a wiring plug diagram with the wire colors to which prong that you do use, & keep it with the vehicle or boat. Plug in Receptacles -- Most receptacles will be either a 4, 5 or 6 wire unit. The simplest ones are a flat plastic 4 wire male/female receptacle, with color coded wires in & out. The metal ones usually will be round & the female part that fits the vehicle will have a spring loaded door that covers the prongs when the 2 are disconnected. They have the 5 or 6 prongs & will normally have some internal marking for the prongs showing where which wire goes. I have settled on the 6 prong plug unit, as this gives me the option of using the same receptacle unit for many different trailer requirements with spare connector prongs if needed. Also it is readily available from many different manufacturers & is usually interchangeable between manufacturers. It is even available in Canada. Many trailers come with the flat plastic 4 wire unit. It is best in this case, to make up a short, 18" or so wire set that plugs into this plastic unit on the trailer & then on the other end use the 6 prong male plug to your vehicle. In this manner you can then get another plastic 4 wire unit & wire in a different male plug if there is a chance that your son or neighbor with a different plug may tow your boat. Wire this other unit to fit theirs ahead of time however. This is important if you may ever need someone else to tow your trailer. It is especially important if you have electric brakes. As if you have the brakes wired to the lug that would normally have been the lights or a directional, your brakes will come on at times you never intended. And this could lead to HOT brakes & or a fire. 4 to 3 wire converter for vehicles with separate directional lights -- For newer vehicles with separate & usually amber directional lights, it is a pain to wire in an extra set of trailer lights for the directionals. There is a "little black box" that you wire between your vehicle & the receptacle that converts 4 wires coming in to 3 wires going out. They are not overly expensive, $20 or so. It has been noted that these do not last indefinitely however, and may have to be replaced in 4-5 years. Bulbs -- The standard combo trailer light bulb has dual bayonet lugs on the base. These short lugs will be offset, one being slightly closer to the base than the other. This will ensure that the bulb is positioned so that the dual internal filament of the bulb will always have the stop light filament (which is brighter than the tail light side) taking power from the brake sender unit. The number of this bulb will usually be #1147 DIFFERENT TYPES -- Automotive -- These lights will usually have the housings made of plastic, with the rear lens cover screwed on. Many times they will be universal, meaning there is no dedicated RH or LH side. Most times you will find a LH (license) side with a clear lower lens cover to illuminate the license plate. You can also find the RH or LH with a small outside lens cover to act as a side signal light. They usually will have no provisions for keeping water out. There may not be any gaskets under the lenses & WILL NOT have any sealing grommet around the wires. Weatherproof -- These many times are not really much different than the automotive, except they may have a gasket under the lens cover. But usually do not have any type of a grommet or seal around the wires. They must mean weatherproof from water spray on a rainy day on the freeway.
Waterproof -- These can be had
in a few different styles. Some can be the same as the weatherproof, but with
a seal or grommet around the wires. Sealed -- These are the true water-proof lights. They are made as a sealed beam unit. They are the most expensive to start with, but will last many years. Things you can do -- In a pinch, or if you are trying to save some dollars, you can be selective when purchasing automotive type light units. Then either silicone seal the lens covers to the body. Or if you have ideas of ever replacing the bulbs, buy some soft neoprene or rubber type sheet gasket material, this stuff comes in different thickness, however about 3/32" would be about right. It is usually offered in 12" square sizes. Now make your own gaskets to go under the lens covers. Also you should apply some silicone caulking around the wiring exit hole. Some trailers will have side or clearance lights that are wired into the same brown wire as the tail lights. If you have a smaller boat, you can take a 2"x4" & clamp it onto the stern of the boat, with automotive lights attached to this, with wires running forward to the vehicle plug in. In this manner you can detach the light bar when you launch the boat. The lights never get wet. Last Updated 02-18-02 |
|
|
Copyright © 2005
|
