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Rewire a box trailer

General Tech Talk

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Rewire a box trailer

Post by ssfabricator »

Gday
Just bought a box trailer the lights work but wiring is very messy several joins and 2-3 kms of electrical tape.
So ive bought new led lights new wiring and plug,
the last trailer i done i spliced at the first tail light using those clamps you sqaush with pliers.
Is soldering the best way to go ?
Is it best to run 2 main cablesfrom the plug or go from light to light
Cheers
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Re: Rewire a box trailer

Post by SCANAS »

If it's just an old trailer and appearance doens't bother you...Buy a light board mine has outlived numerous lights and wiring on my other trailers / families stuff and mates trailers by a million.

I wouldn't solder anything and most go to one light and duplicate from there to the other, but for reliablity one each way would be better provided you can keep the wiring nice and neat at the plug with double the wires coming out.
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Re: Rewire a box trailer

Post by RAY185 »

Running 2 seperate looms is an unnecessary expense. You're still going to have to solder wires together at the plug end. Run one loom to one side and solder on another loom from that side to the opposite side. Those piggy back clips are the devil.
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Re: Rewire a box trailer

Post by love ke70 »

those piggy back clips are hopeless and have a bad habit of vibrating loose and losing connection, either use those crimp terminals, or solder.

and as said, run to one side, and then across to the other. no need to run double the wiring.

cheers, andy
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Re: Rewire a box trailer

Post by RED60 »

KISS... it's a trailer, keep it simple stupid (no reference to anyone, known or unknown associated with this thread, being stupid)... solder is best I think for trailers, they get used and left, that's it... not much maintenance unless it's a flat tyre, so whatever you do should be maintenance free.... piggy backs are craap and crimps unless done very professionally with pro gear are not that far behind.... :cool: :cool:
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Re: Rewire a box trailer

Post by Mick. »

I wire up horse floats at work and everything is soldered, heat shrunk and then put in plastic conduit.

Don't use scotch locks as there rubbish and will fail sooner rather then later.

Cheers Mick.
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Re: Rewire a box trailer

Post by chimpboy »

How do the lights wire up? If it's a screwdown sort of fitting then you don't need any joiner, run the wires to the first light and then from there to the second light... use the connections at the first light as the joiner.

Basically however you have to do the connection at the first light, just put two wires at each point with the second wires going to the second light.

Then it is as reliable as the hardware you have bought can be.

Excuse my bad English.
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Re: Rewire a box trailer

Post by BundyRumandCoke »

Solder, heatshrink- with a dob of silicone in each end of the heatshrink before shrinking. Can get fiddly, but once done, nothing can go wrong. Even better if you then shield the wiring in conduit, so it cant get physically damaged.
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Re: Rewire a box trailer

Post by longlux »

I always solder the wires if I need to join them, If the connection is not at the light socket then I use heat shrink.

I also solder the ends of the wires that go into the trailer plug & the lights, it gives the screws something better to hold.

Use conduit where you can.
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