wiring

[MikeyBob365]

alright so one of my lights just fell off, so i'm replacing them and i had a few questions:

1) how do i ground the white wire? and a better question, why do you do this?

2)how do i put the wires into the light? just put the copper in and twist til i can't pull them out?

if you have any tips i should know about, feel free to share!

 

[Bugpac]

I ran all of my grounds right to the tow vehicle, and grounded them to the chassis, seems how it is going underwater... Im not a big fan of the plug in type taillights myself, I like leads that can be soldered and shrinked...

 

[danmyersmn]

alright so one of my lights just fell off, so i'm replacing them and i had a few questions:

1) how do i ground the white wire? and a better question, why do you do this?

2)how do i put the wires into the light? just put the copper in and twist til i can't pull them out?

if you have any tips i should know about, feel free to share!

ground the white wire by screwing a sheet metal screw into the trailer steel and screwing it to the trailer. If you have a tilt trailer do the same thing with a little tag wire that goes from one side of the hinge to the other.

 

[russ010]

like dan said, take a sheet metal screw and take your white wire to the trailer - if your trailer is painted, you may need to scrape away a little of the paint so that it hits metal.

You also need to ground the vehicle side... depending on the type of hitch you have, there are a few ways to do it. if you have a recessed or hidden hitch, do the same thing to the wire as you did on the trailer and screw into that. If you have just a ball on a bumper, screw into a piece of metal that is touching the bumper.

The ground is the only way you are going to get your lights to work - the acting ground for your vehicle/trailer ends up being the ball/hitch when your vehicle and trailer are connected.

As far as your wiring of lights, I'd assume you have 2 leads coming out. It's best if you can use a connector, but if you have to, you can get away with wire nuts and electrical tape.

 

[Floatsum]

Probably over kill,, but I do it anyways.
I've gotten so frustrated with grounds I run a additional ground wire with the hot wire install.
Really not a hard thing and I know my grounds are good. I'll solder, liquid tape, shrink tube, and liquid tape again all connections. All grounds go to the white wire on the flat plug.
I've just picked up a new (used) rig and the owner said that sometimes the lights give him problems. It's a tilt and sure enough, a grounding issue is what he experienced.

I've had so many issues with bolted joints not making a decent connection that this has become SOP.
Especially with galvanized and tilts. Then again, I play in saltwater a lot and it really complicates life at times.

 

[danmyersmn]

As far as your wiring of lights, I'd assume you have 2 leads coming out. It's best if you can use a connector, but if you have to, you can get away with wire nuts and electrical tape.

Forget the electrical tape. If your going to use wire-nuts then put the nut on the wires and then fill the nut with silicone. If you do want to use electrical tape then pick up a can of the 3m waterproof stuff. Its a small white and red can that has a brown liquid in it. Paint it over the top of the electrical tape to create a watertight seal. or...silicone it

 

[MikeyBob365]

alright this is the trailer i have, https://academy.com/index.php?page=content&target=products/outdoors/marine/trailering&start=40&selectedSKU=0101-01755-0001, not a tilt... right?

the original wiring was grounded right under where the ball goes(also where the wiring went through. so i think i could just connect once more to that spot with a soldering tool, would that work?

there is everything that came with my light set, would i use anything to connect it to the lights...?

 

[crazymanme2]

Hot glue gun works great for those water tight connections.

 

[MikeyBob365]

Hot glue gun works great for those water tight connections.

just make sure the lights are workin first? haha

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

I did the ground wire to all the lights. So far I've no issues with the lights

 

[danmyersmn]

I did the ground wire to all the lights. So far I've no issues with the lights

I had never considered running a ground wire all the way to the lights. I have always just screwed the light ground to the trailer. It does have some merit do directly run a wire. I think you will be trouble free for a long time.