@KnettersPracticalOutdoors Hi you explained well how the wiring works I have a question I wanna add trailer lights to a Hitch Cargo Carrier My question is can I contact the ground wires from the lights to the ground wire from the wiring harness to the vehicle?
This is how all youtube videos should be. You can actually here him, understand exactly what he is saying and he is completely clear and concise. Made my understanding of how trailer wiring actually works. Excellent Job dude!!!
I wish I saw this earlier. I have wasted an entire day trying to make new trailer lights work. Been to Harbor Freight and Cabela's buying and returning "faulty" lights, ripped out and replaced all of the wiring, bought a tester to verify the wiring on the truck was good, and on and on......the problem was I painted the trailer and as a result, reduced its electrical conductiveness. I did as you said and moved the ground wire to the same piece of metal that the lights were on and boom, everything works. Thank you thank you thank you! I appreciate your thorough style. Keep putting the slop low, where us hogs can get to it!
Retired electrician here. Many good points and ideas by Mr. Knetter. Nothing wrong with overkill-less time troubleshooting means more time you got a hook in the water!
That is an awesome complement from an electrician that goes by Pipebender. Sounds like you may have bent some conduit in your day. I've bent a little conduit myself. Thanks again.
I don't worry about electrical stuff anymore. Just dragging crawler harnesses on Saginaw Bay all do in the summer. Little Bay De Noc sure looks like beautiful walleye fishery.
Never would've dreamed my little utility trailer would require 'front section' and 'rear section' grounding to get everything working properly....but you were right - it did! Thank you for the tip...I never would have come up with that on my own.
Perfect example and explanation step by step. Thank you for making this video! My blue heeler got ahold of the wires underneath my trailer and decided it was a game to rip everything out… now I’m confident enough to tackle this job myself!
That was a nice video, great explanation and informative for those with no clue how to fix their trailer lights and great for doing a small utility trailer but in my opinion, not preferable for boat trailers. I have 30+ years as a marine electronics technician and there are just a couple of things I would suggest with regards to boat trailers. First, always use marine grade wire for a boat trailer. Marine grade wire is tinned to prevent corrosion and comes with a thicker layer of insulation to resist chafing. Never use those cheap trailer wiring kits on a boat trailer as the wire is common automotive grade wire and is not designed to be submerged in water. The only reason the manufacturers use it is it’s cheap and will get the trailer through it warranty period. Second, the chassis common ground is a single point failure and a PITA to troubleshoot, also an automotive mainstay and not conducive to being underwater. When I rewire my boat trailers, I run independent conductors for each light, terminated in a waterproof junction box on the tongue of the trailer. That way if there ever is a problem you can check continuity to each light independently. If a wire needs replacement simply cut it, attach a new wire to the old and pull it through to it’s termination point. The first trailer I did this way was over 25 years ago and has never had a failure except for burned out bulbs.
I learned by far more about properly wiring my camper properly and troubleshooting the existing wiring than I have from all other videos combined! Thanks for this great video!
I CANNOT thank you enough for this series of videos! Thanks to your simple, thorough instructional videos I was able to successfully rewire my entire trailer with new fixtures! The first time I tried to rewire my trailer, I forgot about how important clean, tight grounding points are. Oh, and I broke my then-new replacement fixtures because I over-tightened the mount lugs. I rewatched your series at least 15 times and made triple-sure to ground EVERY fixture to the trailer frame and run a long ground wire from the truck to the trailer frame. Presto! My trailer has a new lease on life! Thank you once again, good sir!
This was exactly the video I needed. Was having a difficult time figuring out the side marker wiring. You showed just what I was looking for. Thank you
Man, thankyou soo much for explaining that. I felt like I had no clue. My new wiring was done but didn't work. The ground at the front was not connected. So the circuit was open..!! Thank you . One more question is if i connect the main ground at front and dont connect the marker light ground wire. Would circuit still not work?
Depends, some light fixtures are grounded by bolting them to the trailer frame and some have a wire that needs to be grounded to frame or connected directly to the white wire. If you have a ground wire on the fixture best to connected it to frame or white wire.
I have NEVER had a trailer that provided a good chassis ground. During trouble-shooting of trailer light issues I have found that the problem is usually caused by a bad ground. It is so easy to run a wire from the white wire on the harness to each light. This will give each light fixture a good ground and give you MUCH more reliable trailer lights.
I was born in Rhinelander but moved soon after. Both my parents are from Rhinelander too. One set of grandparents had a house on the river near the paper mill. We would visit a lot and did a lot of fishing on the wis. river as a kid.
Absolutely perfect explanation. This is one of the VERY FEW times I've been able to watch a video once and know what to do. Got an old work trailer from a buddy with all the wiring toast and had no idea where to begin until I came across your video. Thank you, sir. Subscribed.
Thank you so much for taking the time, and use of your talent, and putting it in a video. Your suggestions and directions worked so well. I was so pleased that the signal turns, brake lights and flashers worked!!! Good job!!! Your time and sffort was not wasted
Great video my ground wire broke so everything went out and your video was instrumental in showing me the difference between the continuity and connectivity of a trailer so I hooked the ground wire back up and everything works. Thanks very instructive and well-made video.
You're a natural instructor and I appreciate you taking the time to make such a simple to understand how-to video. I've got troubles with attention and learning, but despite this, you've laid out everything perfectly and in a way I could comprehend. Many, many thanks!
Thank you your video was sooo easy to follow,to me I’m sure it’s others but sir you speaks clearly,like you really want it to sink in and it did everything you did is perfect thank you.
I greatly appreciate this video & your time making it and how well & clear it is done. I'm stupid about electrical and timid about fooling with it but with boat trailers it's and ongoing maintenance you can't ignore. The video helped me understand continuity, especially the explanation about the white wire & completing the circuit. We are on Lake Palestine & we fish saltwater in Hackberry, LA which is so hard on everything. Thank you again. If you are ever in East Tx, holler and I'll put you up in one of my cabins.
I actually just bought a trailer with a row boat this year. First one ever so clueless with this stuff. It needs wiring and lights all replaced and this video is exactly what I needed easy to understand and see what needs to be done.
Thank you for this wonderful video! I thought I knew enough about wiring. Oh how arrogant I was! Lol. Very nice, thorough, informative, to-the-point instructions. Great pacing! Never dragged. A+
Excellent video! Thanks for clearly explaining which colour wire controls which feature. This will really be helpful when I tackle my trailer lights this week!
Excellent video. I looked though a lot, and this one really shows the steps, and provides an excellent diagram. Super grateful. And I wired my trailer perfectly after this! Thank you!
Excellent video. Could not figure out what was wrong with my new trailer light set and the explanation of how they work on this video gave me the clues I needed. Lights work now. Thank you thank you thank you!
Awesome,..👍🙏🤗👏👏thank you so much,..you see i am replacing the light on an old harbor freight utility trailer,...and othe videos didn't talked or show the small details they think we all know,...and those details are the most important part,...from the drilling of additional holes to how to crimp a ring cknecter....EXCELLENT VIDEO!!!
Super helpful, great detail. Others I started to watch (but didn't finish) kinda jumped over the "boring" parts, which wasn't really helpful. This video didn't skip anything. 👍👍 I've got a sailboat trailer I've got to do, and didn't know the first thing about it before this video. Now, at least I know the _first_ thing!
Thanks so much for this very informative video..I rewired all my boat trailer wires with new ones.The jumper wire you suggested for the ground worked great..The new lights wouldn't work until I jumped wire the tongue to the frame...
Good series. I've begun using semi trailer lights that fit inside a rubber grommet that mounts to a cutout or metal enclosure. got tired of breaking these style taillights. my preference is also to run the wire for the running light all the way to the back and then back up to the side marker. less chance of losing the rear lights due to fewer connections. I even ran conduit front to back on mine so I have less chance of wires getting frayed/damaged. wanted that to be the last time I had to mess with this stuff.
I learned a lot from that. I need to put new wires on double axle pressure washer trailer. The trailer should have brakes. I could wire it just to have the light setup but if I'm going to do it I'd rather do it right and have the brake setup as well. I'm look at your other videos and see if you have one that includes trailer brakes. Thank you!
I think you're doing it the right way, 100%. The old wiring on my used trailer was daisy chaining the brake lights and marker lights using the brown wire first, then continuing the flow of electricity through the GROUND wire to the other light!!! In my opinion, it's CRUCIAL to make sure that every light (or electric component) has it's OWN ground, somewhere to the frame of the trailer. A ground is a GROUND. It's not a method to power the next light!!! USE SOME SORT OF A 3 WAY CONNECTOR TO USE A SINGLE WIRE TO POWER MULTIPLE COMPONENTS!!!!!! Awesome video! Just wanted to clarify what you did and how important it is to do it like this!!!!
Thank you very much for this video with a super clear explanation! I’m driving from Florida to Wisconsin with my trailer lights going on / off and getting faded depending on the surface of the road I’m driving on. I could not understand why the problem even after moving the ground wire to another close section on my trailer. Well my trailer came 3 and a half years ago in many pieces, like a puzzle and I think that the problem!! I guess I’ll have to run the left and right ground to the from of the trailer, close to the side markers. I hope I’m right??
So im trying to redo my wiring for my pop up camper. Can i run a ground wire from all lights to the trailer and then run my appropriate wires to the lights?
You can, and it's not a bad idea at all. Just be sure to also ground to the trailer frame also. That way any short circuits will cause the fuses to blow as them should.
My harness has a yellow green brown and red wire it says the red is for rear marking red lights if trailer over 80" inches wide plus the white ground wire. I ran all the wires except white to rear of trailer used white for ground on the front of the tongue. For my marking lights I ran a separate wire from each marking light and spliced into the brown at the back yellow to left green to right. Nothing works shouldn't that setup work wired that way. I'm going to check my grounds today. Also it an old tilt trailer I did grind the paint away at all connections. Is this wrong or should it work wired this way
Did you use the red for anything or just the brown for the running lights? I think you are saying you don't need the red because your trailer isn't that wide. It sounds like it's all good as far as yellow green brown and white, but yes check that the entire trailer is grounded good. Might not have a good ground at back of trailer.
Nice detailed video. Question for you: I need to run new wiring with the new fixtures to my trailer. The instructions are like yours. The problem I have is feeding the new wires to my fixtures on the Carry On trailer. The trailer has metal conduits to protect and hide the wiring. The problem is that it appears the conduit(s) for the wiring is blocked. Is it normal to have blockages i.e. did the manufacturer plugged it up on purpose? I can't even pull on the wire from one end of the conduit to see if the wire is accessible other wise I would cut and tile the wire and pull it through. Your thoughts?
I've seen them get packed with dirt and sand and make it impossible to pull the wires out. It's also possible the manufacturer did secure them in the pipes to prevent rubbing or wear over time. Hey if you can't get them out, you can't get them out. New conduits or alternate path might be the options.
Dude thank you so much I'm an electrician but I do not mess with DC voltage a lot so this was really kicking my butt why my buddy's trailer lights would not work. It ends up that the lights are not mounted to the frame and there's no white wire coming from them so I need to add a jumper from the light post to the frame which is grounde Thanks so much for breaking it down easily and the handwritten schematic was awesome!
We are Having trouble even drilling into the metal of the trailer … so many broken bits, center punches (even ones made for steel) and headaches. Any advice? Should we skip the drilling, tapping the hole etc and try those screws instead?!
Wow, I wonder if you have a stainless steel trailer. I haven't come across one, but who knows. If it's mild steel or galvanized you should be able to drill into it. Get a new, sharp bit and find a part of the trailer that has thinner metal. There should be some place to get a good ground by where the lights attach to the trailer. If the trailer really is impossible to drill, maybe try a "clamp on" grounding lug. Like an electrician might use.
Well, I did show at the 25 min mark doing that way to another trailer, so it definitely is an option. I have had wires inside the square tubing rub and short out. Often it's an intermittent problem and it can be hard to find because you can't physically see the rubbed wire. I have also seen wires run down a small round tube on utility trailers. I had one where the small tube rusted on the inside and shorted the wires. It was so bad I couldn't even pull the wires out of the tube. So "sometimes" I just like to run the wires on the outside of the trailer and just make sure they are secured. Either way is fine though.
Your video helped me identify that my ground was not getting a good connection. I extended my white ground wire to the back of my trailer and then bolted it down. Now when I hit my brakes work instead of completely going out.
question I put a new wire and tail light set up on my lil trailer cant get to work the tail lights ...blinkers and turn work ....but not the tail light what should I do and thanks
So I just replaced the light kits trailer, I got power but running lights not turn on? signal left & right turns on but very dim. Emergency light turn on very bright.
Great video! I'm rewiring my trailer and my side marker lights have rivets holding them on and I'm replacing all of them. Do you think aluminum rivets would work? Or should they be stainless?
Stainless is usually better. I'm thinking you are in Florida, a Northern Michigan man like myself doesn't know all the pitfalls of the salt water you may deal with!
@@KnettersPracticalOutdoors I couldn't find stainless locally and ended up with the aluminum. It worked out great. I also think that's what was on it from the manufacturer. BTW, Thanks for your video! I rewired my entire trailer. Grinding off corrosion from the metal and moving my ground wire really made a difference. No more flashing lights from a ground wire that was on the swing tongue. 👍👍
No, the studs that bolt the fixture to the trailer are the ground. Make sure the nuts or washers get through paint and are electrically connected to the trailer frame as you are tightening the fixtures on.
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@KnettersPracticalOutdoors Hi you explained well how the wiring works I have a question
I wanna add trailer lights to a Hitch Cargo Carrier My question is can I contact the ground wires from the lights to the ground wire from the wiring harness to the vehicle?
Why is it that someone like you can explain this and it's, "Oh, ok. I see", when the majority of videos are confusing? Subscribed.
Thanks for the sub and thanks for the comment. Great to have you along.
Because he's a good teacher.
It’s all a out the wiring diagram he sketched up for us haha
Excellent instructions!
This is the best trailer wiring video I have found yet hands down
Thanks for that!
@@KnettersPracticalOutdoors agree
This is how all youtube videos should be. You can actually here him, understand exactly what he is saying and he is completely clear and concise. Made my understanding of how trailer wiring actually works. Excellent Job dude!!!
Thanks a lot for that comment!
I totally agree 👍!!
WHAT? I'm still a little deaf from the last wiring video where it suddenly blasted into hiphop music while he crimped some connections...
I wish I saw this earlier. I have wasted an entire day trying to make new trailer lights work. Been to Harbor Freight and Cabela's buying and returning "faulty" lights, ripped out and replaced all of the wiring, bought a tester to verify the wiring on the truck was good, and on and on......the problem was I painted the trailer and as a result, reduced its electrical conductiveness. I did as you said and moved the ground wire to the same piece of metal that the lights were on and boom, everything works. Thank you thank you thank you! I appreciate your thorough style. Keep putting the slop low, where us hogs can get to it!
Really appreciate that comment my friend!
Retired electrician here. Many good points and ideas by Mr. Knetter. Nothing wrong with overkill-less time troubleshooting means more time you got a hook in the water!
That is an awesome complement from an electrician that goes by Pipebender. Sounds like you may have bent some conduit in your day. I've bent a little conduit myself. Thanks again.
I don't worry about electrical stuff anymore. Just dragging crawler harnesses on Saginaw Bay all do in the summer. Little Bay De Noc sure looks like beautiful walleye fishery.
Never would've dreamed my little utility trailer would require 'front section' and 'rear section' grounding to get everything working properly....but you were right - it did! Thank you for the tip...I never would have come up with that on my own.
Glad to help and thanks for that comment.
It was exactly my problem too. Thanks for the tip!
Perfect example and explanation step by step. Thank you for making this video! My blue heeler got ahold of the wires underneath my trailer and decided it was a game to rip everything out… now I’m confident enough to tackle this job myself!
Glad to hear that! We have 2 Aussies, 2 teddy bear dogs and 1 Great Pyrenees.
That was a nice video, great explanation and informative for those with no clue how to fix their trailer lights and great for doing a small utility trailer but in my opinion, not preferable for boat trailers. I have 30+ years as a marine electronics technician and there are just a couple of things I would suggest with regards to boat trailers. First, always use marine grade wire for a boat trailer. Marine grade wire is tinned to prevent corrosion and comes with a thicker layer of insulation to resist chafing. Never use those cheap trailer wiring kits on a boat trailer as the wire is common automotive grade wire and is not designed to be submerged in water. The only reason the manufacturers use it is it’s cheap and will get the trailer through it warranty period. Second, the chassis common ground is a single point failure and a PITA to troubleshoot, also an automotive mainstay and not conducive to being underwater. When I rewire my boat trailers, I run independent conductors for each light, terminated in a waterproof junction box on the tongue of the trailer. That way if there ever is a problem you can check continuity to each light independently. If a wire needs replacement simply cut it, attach a new wire to the old and pull it through to it’s termination point. The first trailer I did this way was over 25 years ago and has never had a failure except for burned out bulbs.
Good stuff, thanks!
I learned by far more about properly wiring my camper properly and troubleshooting the existing wiring than I have from all other videos combined! Thanks for this great video!
Thanks so much for that comment! I'm glad it helped.
I CANNOT thank you enough for this series of videos! Thanks to your simple, thorough instructional videos I was able to successfully rewire my entire trailer with new fixtures!
The first time I tried to rewire my trailer, I forgot about how important clean, tight grounding points are. Oh, and I broke my then-new replacement fixtures because I over-tightened the mount lugs. I rewatched your series at least 15 times and made triple-sure to ground EVERY fixture to the trailer frame and run a long ground wire from the truck to the trailer frame.
Presto! My trailer has a new lease on life! Thank you once again, good sir!
Thanks for that comment! I so glad it helped.
This was exactly the video I needed. Was having a difficult time figuring out the side marker wiring. You showed just what I was looking for. Thank you
Great to hear!
Man, thankyou soo much for explaining that. I felt like I had no clue. My new wiring was done but didn't work. The ground at the front was not connected. So the circuit was open..!! Thank you . One more question is if i connect the main ground at front and dont connect the marker light ground wire. Would circuit still not work?
Depends, some light fixtures are grounded by bolting them to the trailer frame and some have a wire that needs to be grounded to frame or connected directly to the white wire. If you have a ground wire on the fixture best to connected it to frame or white wire.
I have NEVER had a trailer that provided a good chassis ground. During trouble-shooting of trailer light issues I have found that the problem is usually caused by a bad ground. It is so easy to run a wire from the white wire on the harness to each light. This will give each light fixture a good ground and give you MUCH more reliable trailer lights.
true
Great video Dave! Very helpful. And the Hodag in the background was a bonus! I grew up in Rhinelander! Now I’m a Georgia Hodag! Thanks again!
I was born in Rhinelander but moved soon after. Both my parents are from Rhinelander too. One set of grandparents had a house on the river near the paper mill. We would visit a lot and did a lot of fishing on the wis. river as a kid.
Your video helped me to fix my ground problem in my trailer. Couldn’t figure it out without it! Much appreciated!!
Glad it helped!
I like that your dog is watching to make sure your lights are working properly!
He's good!
Absolutely perfect explanation. This is one of the VERY FEW times I've been able to watch a video once and know what to do. Got an old work trailer from a buddy with all the wiring toast and had no idea where to begin until I came across your video. Thank you, sir. Subscribed.
Awesome! Welcome! Let me know how the trailer turns out.
Thank you so much for taking the time, and use of your talent, and putting it in a video. Your suggestions and directions worked so well. I was so pleased that the signal turns, brake lights and flashers worked!!!
Good job!!! Your time and sffort was not wasted
You are so welcome!
just purchased new trailer lights. video explained everything in detail and i was able to get them set up. thank you sir!
Cool, thanks!
You never know you would need a video like this until you need a video like this thank you so much. Those bolt connections are my problem.
Glad to help
Great video my ground wire broke so everything went out and your video was instrumental in showing me the difference between the continuity and connectivity of a trailer so I hooked the ground wire back up and everything works. Thanks very instructive and well-made video.
Thanks a lot for that comment. Glad the video helped.
Great video. I just bought a smoker mounted on a trailer and this video helped me out a lot.
Cool
Dave
Great help - I was ready to blow up! Didn’t know about the grounding requirements- did what you said and everything worked
Thanks
Thanks for that feedback, glad it helped!
You're a natural instructor and I appreciate you taking the time to make such a simple to understand how-to video. I've got troubles with attention and learning, but despite this, you've laid out everything perfectly and in a way I could comprehend. Many, many thanks!
Wow! Thank you so much for that comment! I'm very humbled and I'm glad this helped.
Thank you your video was sooo easy to follow,to me I’m sure it’s others but sir you speaks clearly,like you really want it to sink in and it did everything you did is perfect thank you.
I try to keep it simple so everyone can follow along. Thanks.
Excellent video playlist on trailer lights Sir! Thank you very much from Georgia.
You are so welcome.
Great instruction. I am replacing my trailer lights and wires on an old trailer. Your video is awesome and easy to understand.
thank you
I greatly appreciate this video & your time making it and how well & clear it is done. I'm stupid about electrical and timid about fooling with it but with boat trailers it's and ongoing maintenance you can't ignore. The video helped me understand continuity, especially the explanation about the white wire & completing the circuit. We are on Lake Palestine & we fish saltwater in Hackberry, LA which is so hard on everything. Thank you again. If you are ever in East Tx, holler and I'll put you up in one of my cabins.
Awesome, will keep in mind!
This was was best explained wiring instructions of all. Some how the other videos left a few details confusing, not this one
thanks for that comment
I actually just bought a trailer with a row boat this year. First one ever so clueless with this stuff. It needs wiring and lights all replaced and this video is exactly what I needed easy to understand and see what needs to be done.
Glad to help, KPO.
Bro, your a grear teacher. Make it seem easy. Thanks for your help. Keep the vids coming!
Thanks, will do!
Great job on the video! You explained everything so it was easy to understand. Thank you
You're very welcome!
Thank you for this wonderful video! I thought I knew enough about wiring. Oh how arrogant I was! Lol. Very nice, thorough, informative, to-the-point instructions. Great pacing! Never dragged. A+
WOW! Thank you so much for that comment! I'm happy this video helped you out!
Excellent video! Thanks for clearly explaining which colour wire controls which feature. This will really be helpful when I tackle my trailer lights this week!
Glad it was helpful! Let me know if you run into problems.
Great how-to video! Best on the net.
Wow! Thank you my friend, KPO.
Nice job explaining this man. Wiring my trailer this weekend.
let me know how it goes.
Excellent video. I looked though a lot, and this one really shows the steps, and provides an excellent diagram. Super grateful. And I wired my trailer perfectly after this! Thank you!
You are welcome! Thank you for the comment!
Loved you on the Red Green show
Thanks!
I am getting ready to do my first trailer rewire your video has made me more confident that i can do it and properly thank you!!!
You are welcome!
Great video I was in the dark when it came to wiring trailer mostly how a ground works thank you.
You are very welcome, KPO.
This video really deserves more likes! Very helpful information. Thanks for posting.
Much appreciated!
Excellent video. Could not figure out what was wrong with my new trailer light set and the explanation of how they work on this video gave me the clues I needed. Lights work now. Thank you thank you thank you!
Awesome Robert! Thanks for the comment, KPO.
I like the way the dog looks at at the trailer like he knows what your talking about!
Dogs are great!
Had a grounding problem with my Harbor Freight foldup trailer. Your vid fixed it thanks
Glad it helped
Saved me some money thanks to your video! Many thanks my friend!
Glad I could help!
Thanks to you I was able to troubleshoot my trailer lights.
welcome
Awesome,..👍🙏🤗👏👏thank you so much,..you see i am replacing the light on an old harbor freight utility trailer,...and othe videos didn't talked or show the small details they think we all know,...and those details are the most important part,...from the drilling of additional holes to how to crimp a ring cknecter....EXCELLENT VIDEO!!!
Silvia, thank you so much for that comment! So happy this video helped you out.
5r6y66t4 u😅fdrxy😅8
Same! Harbor Freight trailer!
OUTSTANDING, and very informative video! Easy to follow.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent video, thank you! Saved me some very real headaches.
Good to know!
Thanks for posting this video. Your explanation and how to do help me solve my issue with my trailer lights.
You are welcome!
Once again your videos are a life saver!! Thanks KPO.
Glad to help!
No one can show it better Thank You
thank you
❤❤❤❤ THANK YOU… MY GROUND WASN’T TOUCHING THE TRAILER
Your welcome!
Just awesome information 👌 very good explanation of how everything works thank you God bless you
Thank you so much.
Great Content and Instruction; Very Thorough‼️😎👍🏾
Thank you!
Superb work on these videos Dave ! Excellent !
Many thanks!
was struggle bussing without lights bolted into trailer. thank you🤭 so simple.
Good to hear.
Super helpful, great detail. Others I started to watch (but didn't finish) kinda jumped over the "boring" parts, which wasn't really helpful. This video didn't skip anything. 👍👍 I've got a sailboat trailer I've got to do, and didn't know the first thing about it before this video. Now, at least I know the _first_ thing!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks so much for this very informative video..I rewired all my boat trailer wires with new ones.The jumper wire you suggested for the ground worked great..The new lights wouldn't work until I jumped wire the tongue to the frame...
Glad it helped
Good series. I've begun using semi trailer lights that fit inside a rubber grommet that mounts to a cutout or metal enclosure. got tired of breaking these style taillights. my preference is also to run the wire for the running light all the way to the back and then back up to the side marker. less chance of losing the rear lights due to fewer connections. I even ran conduit front to back on mine so I have less chance of wires getting frayed/damaged. wanted that to be the last time I had to mess with this stuff.
thanks for adding in
l❤
I love the Hodag in the background!
I was born in Rhinelander, are you familiar with the area?
@@KnettersPracticalOutdoors I have family that live there. Beautiful place.
I did a nursing contract at the hospital in Rhinelander 25 years ago. I lived in a vacation house on Hancock Lake. Great people, Beautiful area!
Excellent video. You're very clear on what going on and you cleared up my suspicions of what was going on with my troubleshooting. Thank You!
Well done...Easy to follow...! Great job...
Glad it was helpful!
I learned a lot from that. I need to put new wires on double axle pressure washer trailer. The trailer should have brakes. I could wire it just to have the light setup but if I'm going to do it I'd rather do it right and have the brake setup as well. I'm look at your other videos and see if you have one that includes trailer brakes. Thank you!
Sorry, I haven't done any vids with brakes.
I think you're doing it the right way, 100%. The old wiring on my used trailer was daisy chaining the brake lights and marker lights using the brown wire first, then continuing the flow of electricity through the GROUND wire to the other light!!!
In my opinion, it's CRUCIAL to make sure that every light (or electric component) has it's OWN ground, somewhere to the frame of the trailer.
A ground is a GROUND. It's not a method to power the next light!!!
USE SOME SORT OF A 3 WAY CONNECTOR TO USE A SINGLE WIRE TO POWER MULTIPLE COMPONENTS!!!!!!
Awesome video! Just wanted to clarify what you did and how important it is to do it like this!!!!
Thanks a lot for that comment.
Thank you very much for this video with a super clear explanation! I’m driving from Florida to Wisconsin with my trailer lights going on / off and getting faded depending on the surface of the road I’m driving on. I could not understand why the problem even after moving the ground wire to another close section on my trailer. Well my trailer came 3 and a half years ago in many pieces, like a puzzle and I think that the problem!!
I guess I’ll have to run the left and right ground to the from of the trailer, close to the side markers.
I hope I’m right??
I think you got the right plan.
This is so far the best explanation
Thank you for that comment.
So helpful! Thanks for putting this together!
You're so welcome!
Nice job Dave. Trailer lights are my number two all time PITA necessary jobs, right behind fiberglass insulation.
Well I hope this helps, KPO.
Wow thank you for making this video….its much appreciated brother !
Glad it was helpful!
Very informant video . Thanks for posting . Got two to rewire and your video will be a big help today .
Sounds like you got some work ahead of you. Let me know how it turn out.
@@KnettersPracticalOutdoors Thanks, I will. Had to order new wire . The old one has a bear wire in the frame somewhere so .
So im trying to redo my wiring for my pop up camper. Can i run a ground wire from all lights to the trailer and then run my appropriate wires to the lights?
Yes, that can be a big help.
working on Manac"s Great Danes Utility's and those. Got to say , listen to this man 👍👍
Thanks my friend!
Excellent video. Thank you !
You are welcome!
Wow what a great instructional video! Thank you for making this!
You're very welcome!
Well done & well explained. Love the Hodag!
Thanks! 👍I was born in Rhinelander.
@@KnettersPracticalOutdoors we live in central NY and my daughter had her college internship in Rhinelander.
Great video, very well explained. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for the video. Why can't you just run white wiring to all the fixtures if the side markers have wires coming off them?
You can, and it's not a bad idea at all. Just be sure to also ground to the trailer frame also. That way any short circuits will cause the fuses to blow as them should.
Excellent video! Thank you!
You are welcome!
This vide series was super educational and helpful. Great job. Thanks1!
Glad to help.
My harness has a yellow green brown and red wire it says the red is for rear marking red lights if trailer over 80" inches wide plus the white ground wire.
I ran all the wires except white to rear of trailer used white for ground on the front of the tongue. For my marking lights I ran a separate wire from each marking light and spliced into the brown at the back yellow to left green to right.
Nothing works shouldn't that setup work wired that way.
I'm going to check my grounds today. Also it an old tilt trailer I did grind the paint away at all connections.
Is this wrong or should it work wired this way
Did you use the red for anything or just the brown for the running lights? I think you are saying you don't need the red because your trailer isn't that wide. It sounds like it's all good as far as yellow green brown and white, but yes check that the entire trailer is grounded good. Might not have a good ground at back of trailer.
Nice detailed video. Question for you: I need to run new wiring with the new fixtures to my trailer. The instructions are like yours. The problem I have is feeding the new wires to my fixtures on the Carry On trailer. The trailer has metal conduits to protect and hide the wiring. The problem is that it appears the conduit(s) for the wiring is blocked. Is it normal to have blockages i.e. did the manufacturer plugged it up on purpose? I can't even pull on the wire from one end of the conduit to see if the wire is accessible other wise I would cut and tile the wire and pull it through. Your thoughts?
I've seen them get packed with dirt and sand and make it impossible to pull the wires out. It's also possible the manufacturer did secure them in the pipes to prevent rubbing or wear over time. Hey if you can't get them out, you can't get them out. New conduits or alternate path might be the options.
Dude thank you so much I'm an electrician but I do not mess with DC voltage a lot so this was really kicking my butt why my buddy's trailer lights would not work. It ends up that the lights are not mounted to the frame and there's no white wire coming from them so I need to add a jumper from the light post to the frame which is grounde Thanks so much for breaking it down easily and the handwritten schematic was awesome!
You are welcome and thanks for the comment!
We are Having trouble even drilling into the metal of the trailer … so many broken bits, center punches (even ones made for steel) and headaches. Any advice? Should we skip the drilling, tapping the hole etc and try those screws instead?!
Wow, I wonder if you have a stainless steel trailer. I haven't come across one, but who knows. If it's mild steel or galvanized you should be able to drill into it. Get a new, sharp bit and find a part of the trailer that has thinner metal. There should be some place to get a good ground by where the lights attach to the trailer. If the trailer really is impossible to drill, maybe try a "clamp on" grounding lug. Like an electrician might use.
Marvellous sir. Thank you so much. Excellent series. #11 brought it all together.👍🏻🍀
Excellent
Great video, just what I needed. Thank you
You are welcome!
Wondering why the wires were not run inside the square tubing of the trailer tongue? Very helpful video! Thanks!
Well, I did show at the 25 min mark doing that way to another trailer, so it definitely is an option. I have had wires inside the square tubing rub and short out. Often it's an intermittent problem and it can be hard to find because you can't physically see the rubbed wire. I have also seen wires run down a small round tube on utility trailers. I had one where the small tube rusted on the inside and shorted the wires. It was so bad I couldn't even pull the wires out of the tube. So "sometimes" I just like to run the wires on the outside of the trailer and just make sure they are secured. Either way is fine though.
Excellent video!
thanks
Thank you. This helped immensely!
Cool, cool!
My trailer wire kit had a yellow/RED wire combo and a green/ brown combo wire. Plus the white ground wire. What’s the red wire for?
Not sure
@@KnettersPracticalOutdoors
Figured it out. It’s for auxiliary power. I got the wrong wire kit.🤨
Your video helped me identify that my ground was not getting a good connection. I extended my white ground wire to the back of my trailer and then bolted it down. Now when I hit my brakes work instead of completely going out.
Awesome!
question I put a new wire and tail light set up on my lil trailer cant get to work the tail lights ...blinkers and turn work ....but not the tail light what should I do and thanks
Check the vehicle first. Your trailer might be fine. See this video ruclips.net/video/MqrpMcjGiTM/видео.html
Absolutely, this is a great video. Thank you so much!
You are so welcome!
Thank you so much for this....Hugely helpful!
You're very welcome!
Thank you! great video to the point and no BS 👊🏼
Thanks for watching and the comment!
So I just replaced the light kits trailer, I got power but running lights not turn on? signal left & right turns on but very dim.
Emergency light turn on very bright.
The dim part makes me think you aren't grounded properly at one or more fixtures.
Great video! I'm rewiring my trailer and my side marker lights have rivets holding them on and I'm replacing all of them. Do you think aluminum rivets would work? Or should they be stainless?
Stainless is usually better. I'm thinking you are in Florida, a Northern Michigan man like myself doesn't know all the pitfalls of the salt water you may deal with!
@@KnettersPracticalOutdoors I couldn't find stainless locally and ended up with the aluminum. It worked out great. I also think that's what was on it from the manufacturer. BTW, Thanks for your video! I rewired my entire trailer. Grinding off corrosion from the metal and moving my ground wire really made a difference. No more flashing lights from a ground wire that was on the swing tongue. 👍👍
Such a helpful video, thank you!
Awesome! Thanks!
If the lights if the lights don’t have a ground wire on them, do I am I supposed to make a ground wire for
No, the studs that bolt the fixture to the trailer are the ground. Make sure the nuts or washers get through paint and are electrically connected to the trailer frame as you are tightening the fixtures on.