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Rewire a box trailer

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 12:29 pm
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

Re: Rewire a box trailer

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 12:41 pm
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.

Re: Rewire a box trailer

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 12:51 pm
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.

Re: Rewire a box trailer

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 2:02 pm
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

Re: Rewire a box trailer

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 7:45 pm
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:

Re: Rewire a box trailer

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 7:56 pm
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.

Re: Rewire a box trailer

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 8:19 pm
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.

Re: Rewire a box trailer

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 7:44 pm
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.

Re: Rewire a box trailer

Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2011 6:05 am
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.