I’m a little late to the party, but had to repeat what many other posters have said in the comments...this is probably the best video on wiring a trailer I’ve watched! I’m building a small camper from an old, rusty trailer. I know verrrrrrrry little about any of it, so have been doing research for the past year and a half. I’m good on the sanding, grinding, painting, etc., but your videos were so much help to me in the axle/wiring categories, so I had to say thank you for taking the time to make and share these videos. You’re a really good teacher, and I was finally able to understand how and why to do these things. Keep it up 👍
Thanks so much for your time to explain step by step to connecting all the trailer wiring , this’s one of the videos much better and detailed. Now my trailer is very lightning. god bless you and I will keep watching you in another video , again I’m really apréciate .
This is the BEST "You Can Do It" video I have had the pleasure to watch!! The download was highly beneficial!!! If this old gal can wire a trailer after watching your video, you know it is good!!
This has got to be the best explained trailer light setup video on the internet. Thank you it was very helpful! Makes total sense to just run the wires down one side and terminate as needed, instead of splitting them and running brown and yellow down the driver side additionally. I'm dealing with a patch job and this will help me clean in up in an instant! Thanks for taking the time to explain
Thank you very much, this has been extremely helpful. I always wondered how I was suppose to have a brown wire to each light when there is only one brown wire. But after seeing how you did this the mystery is solved. Thanks again
Thank you kindly for the entire video. It was very well done & I particularly appreciated how clearly you articulated the function of the frame of the trailer itself as the ground conductor. It was helpful to see your attention to insuring a solid connection between the 'ground-strip'/mounting bolt within the taillight assembly & the bare metal inside the holes on the recently repainted brackets. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge & technique.👍
Mr. Dowling, Thank you for taking the time to write such a great compliment! I appreciate your kind words. This was a fun project and always nice to know that my trailer is now ready to roll for the next many years! If you are performing a similar update, I wish you the best! Thanks again.
This is one of the best instructional video's I've seen. You described it with simplicity and exactly how it should go. You make a very good instructor
I just rebuilt my 8ft utility trailer, except for the new wiring to the taillights. The video was perfect and answered all my questions. Best of the best. Thank you.
Great video. Wired my trailer all up like you did. Connected wiring to my truck to see if everything worked. Had running lights, turn signals worked perfect, but when I pressed the brake the tail lights on the trailer would go off. This stumped me for quite awhile. Came back to your video and realized that I didn't have the trailer hooked to the hitch on the truck. Hooked it on an BAM....worked like a charm. Must have to ground to the truck by way of hitch. Anyways thank-you for the very informative video. Keep up the great work.
+SuperCyril2 That is so freakin' awesome!!! Congrats for sticking with it and figuring it out. Gives you that accomplished feeling when its all said and done! Thanks for watching!
Mine goes out when I am hooked to the hitch when I let off the brake the running lights come back on. I have several trailers , all of them have problems. I just tell the cops it was working fine when I left.😂
Best video I've seen on this, my dad has been working and hasn't had time to do the lights. This video right here answered my questions and absolutely made it seem like a peice of cake so I can help him out without worry of messing it up. No need for soldiering and other stuff I've seen suggested by videos, since they are cheap lights in case they break. Excellent video!
+Cory McGUCKIN It is a boat trailer. I bought it for $750.00 boat motor and trailer. Rats chewed up the wires. First time I ever had to wire a trailer. I also wired my Kia using your wiring diagram and straight forward easy to follow instructions. I am set my friend. It all works and we are headed to the lake. Thanks again.
+Cory McGUCKIN My trailer was custom designed by my father 30 years ago. I believe he had it welded by a man that worked for him. I don't have the exact cost, and would imagine it would be extremely irrelevant. It is made primarily of 2" Square tubing, 1" Angle, a couple of small flat stock pieces and some form of a "C Channel for the fenders. The rough dimensions of the platform I believe are 4'x6'. Part 1 and Part 4 of this series pretty well shows the layout. The part I like the best are the Rail Pockets. Part 4 shows how I used them to make custom removable Rails. The Rail Pockets are also the 2" tubing mounted vertically with a cap (with a hole) welded on the bottom.
+UCanDoIt2 My boat and trailer was manufacture in 1959. The guy I bought it from took real good care of it. Boat is like new, trailer in fairly good condition. No boats like this anymore. It is thick aluminum and is built like a tank. Made by Texas Maid. Trailer is very well made as well and you can break it in the middle to launch the boat off a rocky shore were no boat ramp is in sight. 15 horse Evenrude, well maintained as well. Nice to get my wires replaced and the boat back in the water.
Great video well explained, now heading outside to rewire my lights the right way, hopefully you got a video on adding marker lights and couple strobe lights on back corners of trailer , thanks for sharing your knowledge GREAT JOB.
Thank you for the video. I watched all of it and because of a tip with the grounding of each light, I replaced the lights, made sure ground was metal to metal and it solved my problem. Good job!
silverd123 It makes me very happy that you were able to figure out your issues. Thanks for letting me know. It made me smile. Good luck with your project!
Thanks for the info! All I really needed to know was what color wore goes to what side, but I got so much more inspiration. Been dragging around my ratty old trailer with a ratty old truck for a few years without lighting (Rural Wisconsin nobody much cares} I finally bought a new vehicle with a tow light harness built in and I thought I'd rewire the trailer. Now I'm inspired to blast repaint and rebuild it to make it look nice next to my new truck. Nice job on your trailer too!
I appreciate the feedback and tickled about the inspiration. You will be much happier when it all works.... being pulled around by the shiny new vehicle!!! Mike.
holy shit.....FINALLY .....someone who can put all this mumbo jumbo clearly....wtf happened to old school lights you just matched the colors if the wires....and boom....we're thru....thank you dude for video.....defiantly explained the neg. ground wiring portion
I'm re-wiring and restoring an early 1950s Hanson Love Bug trailer and just wanted to say thank you for putting this video together!!! I'm by no means an electrician and this video was really helpful for me. Thanks!!
Thanks for your video and explaining the wiring inside the housing. I just mounted and ran wire for my light for the first time. I used a kit from Walmart that doesn't have a universal plug. The plug 4 flat with 5 wires and the connector is square. My problem was I mounted a metal bracket to hold the lights on the wood frame so I wasn't getting a ground. Thanks for explaining the wiring inside the light housing. I think what I will do is installed a ground wire from the frame to the brackets on each light to fix the ground issues. And also change the connector on the end to a standard one.👍👍👍👍👍 New Sub also.
Good video, I am almost done restoring an old but still in good shape trailer. I'm glad I watched this video being a 30 year electrician I would have drove myself nuts with the wiring. Not using the green as a ground would have had me trouble shooting for days.
OK.... That is extremely funny! As I was reading, I was wondering where you were going after you mentioned your electrician credentials!!!!! I thought I was in trouble! Now that I think about it... WHITE as the ground is not common for the auto industry. Wonder why they threw that at us!!!! Still chuckling! Thanks!
I have a 5x8 utility trailer. I used the RV 7 to wire the little trailer for one reason, the battery 12 volt connection. I installed a weatherproof 12 volt outlet on the trailer to run a little air compressor for the utv I haul on it and I also have a junction to that has switches and led flood light for loading and unloading at night. You should try it out since most vehicles come from factory with the rv 7 plug now. Be a good instructional. Idea for everyone. Another great video bud. Keep it up.
Thanks for sharing this. Very well done, you should be proud of your work. You saved a lot of us a lot of hassle, both when wiring, and during the years of use to come!
Great video!!! I already understood the basics. I just needed the Wiring Diagram and you provided an easy to understand and easy to print version. Thank you so much for your extra effort to produce a great video.
Thanks for the feedback. Most people have issues with Grounding. If you understand how the grounding works, you will avoid many "Odd" issues. Good luck with your project!
Really great instructions, very detail very precise. My only question is why did it pop up when I was looking for instructions to wire the plug into the wiring for my 1987 Ranger not the trailer?
I believe I mention side lights and how to connect them if you have them. My trailer does not have them. They would be connected to the Brown wire for +12V and grounded to the trailer metal. Cheers. Mike.
@@UCanDoIt2Mike yep you did explain very well on how to install side lights. The harbor freight folding trailer loses ground cause its bolted together and I endend up having to add a jumper ground white wire from the frame on the other side of the rail so it wont lose continuitycof the ground. Otherwise it makes the lights flicker..lol..
good clear camera focus, appropriate fast forwarding after an excellent explanation, liked the music. I don't yet know what else you have on your channel but I'm subscribing. Thanks for sharing your knowledge in such a user friendly way.
Trailers with Brakes require a different (I believe 5 Pin) connectors. That is not covered in this video, but I assume there are other videos that focus on that configuration. Cheers!
good video, the only thing I don't agree with is putting the ground under the trailer, because if you ever have issues, one of the first things you need to check is the ground. like I said, good video , and clean trailer.
Excellent video, very helpful for when I will be re wiring my trailer, not having a floor on your trailer makes it easy to run wires, not looking forward to having to go under my trailer to run all the wires and connect ground.
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.
Never, is an extremely strong statement. Most trailers are setup this way by design. The lights that are currently available are setup for chassis ground. It is a very standard practice and electrically accepted practice. You are more than welcome to wire yours another way. I know that some don’t even use the white wire from the vehicle harness. They rely on the vehicle chassis ground to be passed through the ball: hitch connection. Best of luck with yours.
Thanks. I needed to rewire my boat trailer and couldn't figure out how a 4 wire kit would work. I knew the brown wire was used for both sides and I was thinking of putting a 3 way connector in and running separate leads down both sides, which I still think would work. I've got running lights on both sides and 3 smaller lights at the back between the brake lights so lots of splicing. Your video answered some questions about how the system works. Thanks again.
Excellent video, thank you for the clear explanations - I learned several things, which will help me as I have several trailers to be re-wired. I've often seen where the wire is ran through wire loom in between light fixtures, is this to prevent road damage to the wiring? I often drive on gravel roads, so I'm wondering if I should do exactly as you have done, but just add the wire loom for protection?
When possible I recommend avoiding the 'frame ground' method and just running the ground to all the lights. It can be a little more work sometimes, but corroded ground attachments are the most common lighting problem I see on trailers. This may not be the case in areas without road salt, but the only trailer I've had that didn't eventually have trouble with a bare metal ground corroding was aluminum. If ever working on a larger trailer with more market lights, brakes, etc., definitely get one of the inexpensive, simple junction boxes. Makes everything very simple and organized.
That sounds like great advice from someone with real life experience. To confirm what you mean: you're essentially using the vehicle as the ground vs trailer, correct? As in, the white wire from the truck runs all the way to the lights essentially. Reason I ask, is I've seen some people using a waterproof junction box, but still have a single ground coming out of the box and to the trailer frame - I guess it's only one ground to check/maintain, but still seems easier to follow your advice and just have the ground on the vehicle itself.
Thank you Sir! Not sure about the nail as about 6 months after this video, I did replace the tires as they were 15 years old and I did not trust them with the heavier loads. Cheers!
Thanks for the good video, very helpful. Just another thought--- To assure a good ground for the actual light housings...you may want to make the ground through the lock washer and bare metal on the mounting "flange" part of the trailer, then seal it off with RTV silicone or similar to prevent moisture from deteriorating the mechanical connection to ground. this eliminates the need for any "extra" copper wire around the mounting stud. It's a superior connection to ground that way.
I'm having problems grounding the taillight prongs, due to over-sized holes. I had the testing go good then when I finalized the wiring, they wouldn't work. So I will have to try the wrapping wire around the bolt technique to see if they will ground. Thanks for the tip.
Sounds like you have it under control! It is cool that while you are having a problem, it sounds like you are right on top of the solution! Have fun with it!!!!
+Caza Y Pesca I think I understand what you are talking about. Let's see if I can explain what you need to do. At the 18:12 point in my video, I show the inside of the light. You will need to open yours and determine 3 things... 1) since there is only two wires, I assume that your Ground will be done using the mounting bolts just like mine. ( you need to see if this is the case). 2) Determine which one of the wires goes to your Bright element. In my case, since my light fixture also has a side light bulb. I knew that the wire that touched both the side bulb and the rear bulb, was my Turn Signal / Brake (bright element). This was the Brown wire of my fixture. This Brown wire will need to connect to the harness Green wire for the Passenger side. This Brown wire will need to connect to the harness Yellow wire for the Driver side. 3) The fixture wire that goes to the dim element, in my case the one that only went to the rear bulb, (green) will need to connect to the Brown wire of the harness. You can temporarily make these connections and test prior to making them more permanent. Good luck!
Pinned by bearcreekhaven2 This posting is best seen. Completed my wiring project; couldn't have done it so easily if not for these excellent step-by-step video/audio directions from an expert. Kudos.
It is really simple and you broke that down real nice. Kinda like the wizard of OZ behind the curtain, no big deal really. I prefer to solder and heat shrink all the joints as they last way longer. But the frustrating part now is the ultra thin wire that these harnesses are made from, it was no like this 30 years ago before everything got so "cheapened". I might go back to the old trick of using a 16 gauge extension cord and just wrap some colored electrical tape on the critical areas to show the proper color.
Thank you for your feedback. I agree, that solder and heat shrink is a great option and if that fits your need, go for it. I happen to loan the trailer to a co-worker and he broke a light and was able to simply replace it. So in my case it served it's purpose. To be honest, my lights are not well protected and I seem to go through them. Need to solve that first. Mike
My true reward is getting uplifting comments like yours. Thank you for taking the time to leave your well received message. Hope the information helps you on your project!
can I ask why you folded over the brown wire in the right corner before continuing on to the left side, and by the way just a fantastic video I will never be worried about wiring a trailer again ,many thanks.
So the lights on both sides of the trailer need to connect to the Brown wire (running light +). So in the first corner (right), instead of cutting the wire and then rejoining then with a wire nut, I decided to bare back double the amount of plastic shielding and fold it in half. Up until 24:45 in the video I prepared the 2 wire connections (brown and green) that are required for that side. Just after that, I connected the two wires from the light to those wires. Let me know if you still have questions. Hope this helps!!!!
very very helpful video, thank you! I am putting together a Harbor Freight boat trailer, and this helped me to understand the wiring. I decided to run the ground wire all the way to the trailer lights (as I am concerned about a good contact with the painted frame of the trailer, or durability of a frame-alone ground even if I scraped off the paint at the ground) and wondered how the tail-lights were grounded, since there are only 2 wires coming from the back of the lights; so it was really helpful that you also explained how the lights are grounded within the lamp. also helped me to see how you made the splices and connections, since this is my first time doing this. how do you feel about solder vs. the clamp type connectors? Also wonder if some types of clamp connectors can also be shrunk fitted after clamping?
A little trick I learned is when you use wire nuts on any electrical object outside, it's good to squirt just a dab of 100% silicone into the opening of the wire nut as so to waterproof it to the elements & twist the wires tightly together before twisting the wire into it.
Excellent idea on the Silicone, that would definitely help reduce corrosion on the copper wires. My dad always twisted the wires together as well, but every electrician that I have watched never do it. They let the twisting of the wire nut manipulate the wires accordingly. I can see it both ways! Thanks for watching!!!!
This video was well put together, I think I feel confident to give it a try. I only have one concern. What about the 4 ways? Hazards if you will. How do they come into play?
+StephenSpeed69 Not sure about your term "4 ways", but as far as Hazards are concerned... The car handles the pulsed (blinking) positive signal which would be sent down both the Yellow and Green wire simultaneously. This would turn on and off the Bright element in the bulb. No additional wiring is required other than what is outlined here. Good luck with our project! Thanks for watching and the comment.
I believe that using 'twist cap' style connectors (how you connected the lights) is not recommended for outdoor applications. The wire is not sealed off from the environment and will heavily oxidize. I also know this because I recently had to completely rewire a trailer that we originally wired up with T-connectors and twist-cap connectors - the exposed wire meant that the ENTIRE length of wire oxidized and turned black - I was blown away seeing black wire when tapping into wire which was uninterrupted for 4-5m on either side of my cut! For an easy disconnect connections I think using a 'weatherpak' sealed connector is best. They also make a few other types of waterproof connectors like bullet connectors.
Thank you!!! I believe I purchased the Trailer Lights from Walmart. The 4 wire connectors (male and female) form Oreilly's auto, and the Shrink wrap on amazon. The Crimpers, I have had for many years. I have since had a larger electrical project (Engine Harness 4-wire setup) and purchased a new Irwin Wire Strippers (amzn.to/2pTdy35). They are awesome. Always remember my dad having a pair. Good luck with your project.
I just bought an 80s pop-up camper with an 8 prong box connector. There is no yellow wire. Which color would you guess for the running lights? And is that the same cable that would power the brake lights? All lights are currently working except the Tail/marker lights, and one of the prongs on the connector is broken.
To start with, I am not familiar with the 8 prong connector. But if I had just bought the same camper and had issues, I would remove the lens from the rear lights and see if I could see which color wires are attached to each. There could be a ground wire or like mine, the fixture could be the ground. The wire color that is in both left and right sides should be your Running Light wire ( the dim Portion of the bulb). You could verify grounds and wiring with a multimeter using the continuity function. Hope this gives you some options.
Thank you for the feedback! Look at the grounding solution backwards. If you provide a good Ground connection at each of the lights to the Frame, the frame becomes a part of your Ground circuit and that circuit needs to be connected to the White Ground wire from the vehicle harness. That is why we attach the White wire from the vehicle harness to the Frame. The Frame of the Trailer becomes a Common Ground. I don't want to confuse you, but there is also grounding solutions through the Ball Hitch, but please do not rely on that. Cheers Mike.
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I’m a little late to the party, but had to repeat what many other posters have said in the comments...this is probably the best video on wiring a trailer I’ve watched! I’m building a small camper from an old, rusty trailer. I know verrrrrrrry little about any of it, so have been doing research for the past year and a half. I’m good on the sanding, grinding, painting, etc., but your videos were so much help to me in the axle/wiring categories, so I had to say thank you for taking the time to make and share these videos. You’re a really good teacher, and I was finally able to understand how and why to do these things. Keep it up 👍
Better late than never! Thank you for taking to time to leave this comment. Very glad you found the video useful! Have fun with your project!!!!!
I 2nd what she said - perfect comment...Thanks to you both!
piscean3679 u
Good job how is that trailer working out??
This was the first time ANYBODY actually showed a wiring diagram that works and makes since! Thank You
***** Thank you very much for the feedback. So glad that it proved useful for you! Good luck with your project.
8 years later and you're still helping people out. Great video, probably the best there is for 4-wire basics. Thank you for doing this!
Great to hear that you found some good information in it. Cheers to you Sir! Mike
Thanks so much for your time to explain step by step to connecting all the trailer wiring , this’s one of the videos much better and detailed. Now my trailer is very lightning. god bless you and I will keep watching you in another video , again I’m really apréciate .
Very glad that you found it useful and that you have solved your problems. Cheers! Mike
Of all the trailer wiring videos, your description was by far the most direct, and clear
I appreciate the feedback. Hope it helped you get back on the road! Cheers... Mike
This is the BEST "You Can Do It" video I have had the pleasure to watch!! The download was highly beneficial!!! If this old gal can wire a trailer after watching your video, you know it is good!!
Star Child lander Very glad that you found it useful!!!!!
This has got to be the best explained trailer light setup video on the internet. Thank you it was very helpful! Makes total sense to just run the wires down one side and terminate as needed, instead of splitting them and running brown and yellow down the driver side additionally. I'm dealing with a patch job and this will help me clean in up in an instant! Thanks for taking the time to explain
Thank you for the great compliment and glad that you found it useful. Cheers to you and have fun with your project! Mike
Thank you very much, this has been extremely helpful. I always wondered how I was suppose to have a brown wire to each light when there is only one brown wire. But after seeing how you did this the mystery is solved. Thanks again
Glad you found it useful!!! Cheers. Mike
Just a word to let you know, that your hard work that you put into this video is still helping people today. Thank You.
I appreciate the great feedback. Glad you found it useful! Mike
Well done! I’ve been towing one type of trailer or another for the past 30 years, and you’re the only one who’s made sense of it all. Many thanks!
Thank you for the great feedback. Glad the information was helpful. Cheers.... Mike
Thank you kindly for the entire video. It was very well done & I particularly appreciated how clearly you articulated the function of the frame of the trailer itself as the ground conductor. It was helpful to see your attention to insuring a solid connection between the 'ground-strip'/mounting bolt within the taillight assembly & the bare metal inside the holes on the recently repainted brackets.
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge & technique.👍
Mr. Dowling, Thank you for taking the time to write such a great compliment! I appreciate your kind words. This was a fun project and always nice to know that my trailer is now ready to roll for the next many years! If you are performing a similar update, I wish you the best! Thanks again.
This is one of the best instructional video's I've seen. You described it with simplicity and exactly how it should go. You make a very good instructor
+Mike & June Thank you for the feedback. It is very encouraging.
I just rebuilt my 8ft utility trailer, except for the new wiring to the taillights. The video was perfect and answered all my questions. Best of the best. Thank you.
Thank you Sir! Glad that you found it useful and that you are back on the road with your trailer. Cheers!!!!
how do I test my trailor plug
The perfect tutorial. Just re wired a snowmobile trailer, and this video answered every single question I had. Thank you!!!
Awesome! Glad to know your trailer is back up and running. Cheers!
Really liked your methodical approach to this project. Kudos, sir!
Thank you Sir! I appreciate the feedback and hope it helps you. Mike.
Great video. Wired my trailer all up like you did. Connected wiring to my truck to see if everything worked. Had running lights, turn signals worked perfect, but when I pressed the brake the tail lights on the trailer would go off. This stumped me for quite awhile. Came back to your video and realized that I didn't have the trailer hooked to the hitch on the truck. Hooked it on an BAM....worked like a charm. Must have to ground to the truck by way of hitch. Anyways thank-you for the very informative video. Keep up the great work.
+SuperCyril2 That is so freakin' awesome!!! Congrats for sticking with it and figuring it out. Gives you that accomplished feeling when its all said and done! Thanks for watching!
Mine goes out when I am hooked to the hitch when I let off the brake the running lights come back on. I have several trailers , all of them have problems. I just tell the cops it was working fine when I left.😂
This was a great step by step approach to rewiring a 4x8 trailer. I really appreciate the explanations as well.
Glad you found it useful Carl. Thanks for the feedback!!
Seriously best wiring video. Thanks for the step by step. I’m electrical ignorant and you made me look smart.
Sometimes when you breakdown wiring into smaller parts... it removes all the hurdles. Glad you were successful! Cheers
Best video I've seen on this, my dad has been working and hasn't had time to do the lights. This video right here answered my questions and absolutely made it seem like a peice of cake so I can help him out without worry of messing it up. No need for soldiering and other stuff I've seen suggested by videos, since they are cheap lights in case they break. Excellent video!
Perfect, Just what I needed, Thanks No telling how many hours you just saved me.
Glad it helped. Motor-on! Mike
Got to say this was the best how to video for rewiring trailer lights.
I greatly appreciate the feedback!!!! Hope your stringer is full after your next fishing outing!!!! Cheers!
great ,it is nice to have it simplified
Glad you found value in the video. And I agree, when you simplify it, there is not much to it. Hope it helps you with your project! Mike
Got my trailer wired, 1 hour. Couldn't have done it without you my friend.
+Marvin Cline ... That is way too cool! Really neat when your done and it just works.
+Cory McGUCKIN It is a boat trailer. I bought it for $750.00 boat motor and trailer. Rats chewed up the wires. First time I ever had to wire a trailer. I also wired my Kia using your wiring diagram and straight forward easy to follow instructions. I am set my friend. It all works and we are headed to the lake. Thanks again.
+Cory McGUCKIN My trailer was custom designed by my father 30 years ago. I believe he had it welded by a man that worked for him. I don't have the exact cost, and would imagine it would be extremely irrelevant. It is made primarily of 2" Square tubing, 1" Angle, a couple of small flat stock pieces and some form of a "C Channel for the fenders. The rough dimensions of the platform I believe are 4'x6'. Part 1 and Part 4 of this series pretty well shows the layout. The part I like the best are the Rail Pockets. Part 4 shows how I used them to make custom removable Rails. The Rail Pockets are also the 2" tubing mounted vertically with a cap (with a hole) welded on the bottom.
+UCanDoIt2 My boat and trailer was manufacture in 1959. The guy I bought it from took real good care of it. Boat is like new, trailer in fairly good condition. No boats like this anymore. It is thick aluminum and is built like a tank. Made by Texas Maid. Trailer is very well made as well and you can break it in the middle to launch the boat off a rocky shore were no boat ramp is in sight. 15 horse Evenrude, well maintained as well. Nice to get my wires replaced and the boat back in the water.
Great video well explained, now heading outside to rewire my lights the right way, hopefully you got a video on adding marker lights and couple strobe lights on back corners of trailer , thanks for sharing your knowledge GREAT JOB.
Thank you Sir! Best of luck with your project!
a great help, since i bought an old trailer that i need to drive 900 miles... best video on u tube.! many thanks. off to buy some small wire nuts..
Sweet! Not a difficult job if you have the right information. Cheers and have fun!
This is by far the best and most solid job I have seen.
Thank you Daniel! Cheers.
Thank you for the video. I watched all of it and because of a tip with the grounding of each light, I replaced the lights, made sure ground was metal to metal and it solved my problem. Good job!
silverd123 It makes me very happy that you were able to figure out your issues. Thanks for letting me know. It made me smile. Good luck with your project!
Thanks for the info! All I really needed to know was what color wore goes to what side, but I got so much more inspiration. Been dragging around my ratty old trailer with a ratty old truck for a few years without lighting (Rural Wisconsin nobody much cares} I finally bought a new vehicle with a tow light harness built in and I thought I'd rewire the trailer. Now I'm inspired to blast repaint and rebuild it to make it look nice next to my new truck. Nice job on your trailer too!
I appreciate the feedback and tickled about the inspiration. You will be much happier when it all works.... being pulled around by the shiny new vehicle!!! Mike.
holy shit.....FINALLY .....someone who can put all this mumbo jumbo clearly....wtf happened to old school lights you just matched the colors if the wires....and boom....we're thru....thank you dude for video.....defiantly explained the neg. ground wiring portion
I'm re-wiring and restoring an early 1950s Hanson Love Bug trailer and just wanted to say thank you for putting this video together!!! I'm by no means an electrician and this video was really helpful for me. Thanks!!
Awesome!!!! Thanks for the feedback and glad it helped. Cheers!
Thanks for your video and explaining the wiring inside the housing.
I just mounted and ran wire for my light for the first time. I used a kit from Walmart that doesn't have a universal plug. The plug 4 flat with 5 wires and the connector is square.
My problem was I mounted a metal bracket to hold the lights on the wood frame so I wasn't getting a ground. Thanks for explaining the wiring inside the light housing.
I think what I will do is installed a ground wire from the frame to the brackets on each light to fix the ground issues. And also change the connector on the end to a standard one.👍👍👍👍👍 New Sub also.
His Image That sounds like a great solution on your need for grounding those lights. Cheers Mike.
Grounding to trailer now makes sense when thinking in terms of a "circuit". Thanks for explanation and excellent video
Good video, I am almost done restoring an old but still in good shape trailer. I'm glad I watched this video being a 30 year electrician I would have drove myself nuts with the wiring. Not using the green as a ground would have had me trouble shooting for days.
OK.... That is extremely funny! As I was reading, I was wondering where you were going after you mentioned your electrician credentials!!!!! I thought I was in trouble! Now that I think about it... WHITE as the ground is not common for the auto industry. Wonder why they threw that at us!!!! Still chuckling! Thanks!
I have a 5x8 utility trailer. I used the RV 7 to wire the little trailer for one reason, the battery 12 volt connection. I installed a weatherproof 12 volt outlet on the trailer to run a little air compressor for the utv I haul on it and I also have a junction to that has switches and led flood light for loading and unloading at night. You should try it out since most vehicles come from factory with the rv 7 plug now. Be a good instructional. Idea for everyone. Another great video bud. Keep it up.
That is an excellent idea. Thank for sharing and watching!!!!!
Thanks for sharing this. Very well done, you should be proud of your work. You saved a lot of us a lot of hassle, both when wiring, and during the years of use to come!
Thank you for this comment! I am glad that you fund it useful. Cheers! Mike
Great video!!! I already understood the basics. I just needed the Wiring Diagram and you provided an easy to understand and easy to print version. Thank you so much for your extra effort to produce a great video.
I appreciate the feedback. Hope you're back trailering soon! Cheers!!
Excellent explanation of proper utility trailer wiring and installation, with diagrams and real-time install. Thank you.
Glad you found it useful James. Thanks for the feedback.
Thanks Man....fixed my trailer in about 15 minutes thanks to you. You are awesome.
Glad it helped! Always good to hear it helped someone out!!!!
I'll be wiring my trailer next week. Really needed this. Very clear instructions. Thank You very much!
Thanks for the feedback. Most people have issues with Grounding. If you understand how the grounding works, you will avoid many "Odd" issues. Good luck with your project!
Really great instructions, very detail very precise. My only question is why did it pop up when I was looking for instructions to wire the plug into the wiring for my 1987 Ranger not the trailer?
thanks for letting me know that the lights have to touch the metal of the trailer to work. Didn't know what I did wrong, but works great now. thanks
Awesome! Yep... In this case the metal of your trailer is a part of the Grounding system. Sounds like you have yours working! Cheers!!!!
I I missed what your side lights would of looked like . but very informative video and you show a good diagram! Thanks!
I believe I mention side lights and how to connect them if you have them. My trailer does not have them. They would be connected to the Brown wire for +12V and grounded to the trailer metal. Cheers. Mike.
@@UCanDoIt2Mike yep you did explain very well on how to install side lights. The harbor freight folding trailer loses ground cause its bolted together and I endend up having to add a jumper ground white wire from the frame on the other side of the rail so it wont lose continuitycof the ground. Otherwise it makes the lights flicker..lol..
good clear camera focus, appropriate fast forwarding after an excellent explanation, liked the music. I don't yet know what else you have on your channel but I'm subscribing. Thanks for sharing your knowledge in such a user friendly way.
Awesome! I appreciated this feedback. This was a great little project and the trailer still serves me well. Cheers Mike!
Great video. Got my trailer wired today with your help. Thanks
Brad M that is great news!!!! Cheers
Thank you very much. Your video helped me understand the wiring concept. 👍
Probably the best video on wiring a trailer. Great job, thanks.
Thank you sir! Good luck with your project!
@@UCanDoIt2Mike what about trailers with breaks
Trailers with Brakes require a different (I believe 5 Pin) connectors. That is not covered in this video, but I assume there are other videos that focus on that configuration. Cheers!
good video, the only thing I don't agree with is putting the ground under the trailer, because if you ever have issues, one of the first things you need to check is the ground. like I said, good video , and clean trailer.
Thanks for the video, halfway through rewriting my trailer I was scratching my head, questions answered and explained well here thank you 👍🏻
Glad you're back on the road!!! Cheers... Mike!
Great detailed video! Installed this on my jeep with trailer. Thanks for the video.
Glad you found it useful and that you are up and running!
Very well explained and shown. I know it will help me tomorrow redoing my lights. Thank you.
Excellent video, very helpful for when I will be re wiring my trailer, not having a floor on your trailer makes it easy to run wires, not looking forward to having to go under my trailer to run all the wires and connect ground.
Yea, crawling under yours will add some complexity. Best of luck! Cheers!
I followed all introductions it worked very well except the running lights or headlights. I need head light. Thanks
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.
Never, is an extremely strong statement. Most trailers are setup this way by design. The lights that are currently available are setup for chassis ground. It is a very standard practice and electrically accepted practice. You are more than welcome to wire yours another way. I know that some don’t even use the white wire from the vehicle harness. They rely on the vehicle chassis ground to be passed through the ball: hitch connection. Best of luck with yours.
Thanks. I needed to rewire my boat trailer and couldn't figure out how a 4 wire kit would work. I knew the brown wire was used for both sides and I was thinking of putting a 3 way connector in and running separate leads down both sides, which I still think would work. I've got running lights on both sides and 3 smaller lights at the back between the brake lights so lots of splicing. Your video answered some questions about how the system works. Thanks again.
That is great news that you have figured it out!!!! Thanks for the feedback and enjoy the boat!
Thank you for this DIY video. Three people tried to help but couldn't. I'll send them here. Had been trying to figure it out for 3 months now.
Terry Stevens Glad it helped and good luck with your project!
Great job on step by step utility trailer wiring! Thank U so much!!!!
Glad it appears to have been useful to you. Best of luck with your project!!!
Excellent video, thank you for the clear explanations - I learned several things, which will help me as I have several trailers to be re-wired. I've often seen where the wire is ran through wire loom in between light fixtures, is this to prevent road damage to the wiring? I often drive on gravel roads, so I'm wondering if I should do exactly as you have done, but just add the wire loom for protection?
Running the wire through Loom or even conduit pipe is always a good idea for heavily used trailers and in your case dirt or gravel roads.... Cheers!!!
When possible I recommend avoiding the 'frame ground' method and just running the ground to all the lights. It can be a little more work sometimes, but corroded ground attachments are the most common lighting problem I see on trailers. This may not be the case in areas without road salt, but the only trailer I've had that didn't eventually have trouble with a bare metal ground corroding was aluminum. If ever working on a larger trailer with more market lights, brakes, etc., definitely get one of the inexpensive, simple junction boxes. Makes everything very simple and organized.
That sounds like great advice from someone with real life experience. To confirm what you mean: you're essentially using the vehicle as the ground vs trailer, correct? As in, the white wire from the truck runs all the way to the lights essentially. Reason I ask, is I've seen some people using a waterproof junction box, but still have a single ground coming out of the box and to the trailer frame - I guess it's only one ground to check/maintain, but still seems easier to follow your advice and just have the ground on the vehicle itself.
Thank you, sir.The best instructional video so far on the tube. I'll try it today.
Awesome! Glad you found it useful... Cheers!
Thank you very much for taking the time to make this video. It helped greatly!
Glad you found it useful!!!! Cheers!
Best video ever, Thank you for your time to post ! By the way it looked like the R tire had a nail in it !
Thank you Sir! Not sure about the nail as about 6 months after this video, I did replace the tires as they were 15 years old and I did not trust them with the heavier loads. Cheers!
Thanks for the good video, very helpful. Just another thought--- To assure a good ground for the actual light housings...you may want to make the ground through the lock washer and bare metal on the mounting "flange" part of the trailer, then seal it off with RTV silicone or similar to prevent moisture from deteriorating the mechanical connection to ground. this eliminates the need for any "extra" copper wire around the mounting stud. It's a superior connection to ground that way.
Very good suggestion! Cheers... Mike!
Very detailed info. Need more youtube like this. Thanks its a no-brainer.
Thank you sir! Good luck with your project!
So far you are the only person has something to tell, good job you are helpfull.
Thank you and glad that it sounds you found the information that you needed.
from where you got the wire, I have 3 trailers 24,16,10
@@thetruth8958 I bought my wire either form Wal-Mart or an Auto Parts store.
I'm having problems grounding the taillight prongs, due to over-sized holes. I had the testing go good then when I finalized the wiring, they wouldn't work.
So I will have to try the wrapping wire around the bolt technique to see if they will ground. Thanks for the tip.
Sounds like you have it under control! It is cool that while you are having a problem, it sounds like you are right on top of the solution! Have fun with it!!!!
Yeah, I'll try it tomorrow, and hope it works. It definitely has been a learning curve. Cheers!
I have the same exact 4 conduct wires you used on this video but my 2 stop & signal lights have red & black wires can you help me with that?
+Caza Y Pesca I think I understand what you are talking about. Let's see if I can explain what you need to do. At the 18:12 point in my video, I show the inside of the light. You will need to open yours and determine 3 things... 1) since there is only two wires, I assume that your Ground will be done using the mounting bolts just like mine. ( you need to see if this is the case). 2) Determine which one of the wires goes to your Bright element. In my case, since my light fixture also has a side light bulb. I knew that the wire that touched both the side bulb and the rear bulb, was my Turn Signal / Brake (bright element). This was the Brown wire of my fixture. This Brown wire will need to connect to the harness Green wire for the Passenger side. This Brown wire will need to connect to the harness Yellow wire for the Driver side. 3) The fixture wire that goes to the dim element, in my case the one that only went to the rear bulb, (green) will need to connect to the Brown wire of the harness. You can temporarily make these connections and test prior to making them more permanent. Good luck!
I have everything ready to connect ...I will try tomorrow ....thanks for you explanation !!
Clean and clear instructions. My kind of video.
Very Good Video! Thank you, You were certainly cut out for teaching people. Explained and demonstrated very thoroughly!
+Bill Wesolowski Thank Bill, You just made my day!
I followed the instructions and got it right the first time. Thanks
That sounds fantastic Thomas! Thanks for watching and glad that it helped and it sounds like your back in the road! Thanks for the feedback!
Thanks so much you save my trip, your explanation was so simple to understand. Thanks againg
Very happy that it was such a help! Glad to hear that you are back on the road. Cheers!
Thank you Sir.
Real man of genius!!
Sounds like it helped you out. Cheers to you! Mike
Well done, informative & exactly what I needed to see. Thanks
Awesome.... Glad you found it useful. Hope it finds you well and gets you back on the road. Cheers!
Pinned by bearcreekhaven2
This posting is best seen. Completed my wiring project; couldn't have done it so easily if not for these excellent step-by-step video/audio directions from an expert. Kudos.
Thank you for the kind words Bill! Glad you found it useful and that you are now up and running!!!!! Cheers!
It is really simple and you broke that down real nice. Kinda like the wizard of OZ behind the curtain, no big deal really. I prefer to solder and heat shrink all the joints as they last way longer. But the frustrating part now is the ultra thin wire that these harnesses are made from, it was no like this 30 years ago before everything got so "cheapened". I might go back to the old trick of using a 16 gauge extension cord and just wrap some colored electrical tape on the critical areas to show the proper color.
Thank you for your feedback. I agree, that solder and heat shrink is a great option and if that fits your need, go for it. I happen to loan the trailer to a co-worker and he broke a light and was able to simply replace it. So in my case it served it's purpose. To be honest, my lights are not well protected and I seem to go through them. Need to solve that first. Mike
Great example of rewiring a trailer
Glad that it sound like it was useful. Cheers!
Great wiring video what can I give you one word of advice next time you wire a trailer get a junction box it's what I do with every trailer I wire
Thank you for taking the time to make an awesome video. Great help
My true reward is getting uplifting comments like yours. Thank you for taking the time to leave your well received message. Hope the information helps you on your project!
Excelente video well explained very clear and help me find my problem in connections in my towing trailer, thanks for sharing and regards.
Glad you enjoyed and found it useful. Cheers! Mike
can I ask why you folded over the brown wire in the right corner before continuing on to the left side, and by the way just a fantastic video I will never be worried about wiring a trailer again ,many thanks.
So the lights on both sides of the trailer need to connect to the Brown wire (running light +). So in the first corner (right), instead of cutting the wire and then rejoining then with a wire nut, I decided to bare back double the amount of plastic shielding and fold it in half. Up until 24:45 in the video I prepared the 2 wire connections (brown and green) that are required for that side. Just after that, I connected the two wires from the light to those wires. Let me know if you still have questions. Hope this helps!!!!
very very helpful video, thank you! I am putting together a Harbor Freight boat trailer, and this helped me to understand the wiring. I decided to run the ground wire all the way to the trailer lights (as I am concerned about a good contact with the painted frame of the trailer, or durability of a frame-alone ground even if I scraped off the paint at the ground) and wondered how the tail-lights were grounded, since there are only 2 wires coming from the back of the lights; so it was really helpful that you also explained how the lights are grounded within the lamp. also helped me to see how you made the splices and connections, since this is my first time doing this. how do you feel about solder vs. the clamp type connectors? Also wonder if some types of clamp connectors can also be shrunk fitted after clamping?
Very thorough! very informative! Exactly what I needed to know!Thank you!
Excellent!!!! Glad it helped. Mine is still performing as installed. Cheers!
really great instructional video. good job. appreciate the effort.
Thank you Sir! Cheers... Mike
A little trick I learned is when you use wire nuts on any electrical object outside, it's good to squirt just a dab of 100% silicone into the opening of the wire nut as so to waterproof it to the elements & twist the wires tightly together before twisting the wire into it.
Excellent idea on the Silicone, that would definitely help reduce corrosion on the copper wires. My dad always twisted the wires together as well, but every electrician that I have watched never do it. They let the twisting of the wire nut manipulate the wires accordingly. I can see it both ways! Thanks for watching!!!!
Good video, easy to follow.
Thank you! Best of luck with your project!
Exactly the information I needed. Thank you for the great video.
You are more than welcome! Cool stuff once you get it figured out! Have fun with yours!
Thanks so much! Been looking for instructions all day.
Awesome! Good luck with your project!
Explained perfectly. I thought I was losing my mind but you logic saved me.
Very glad it helped. Thanks for taking the time to leave the message. Hearing this made my day!
Sheesh!! Strait to the point👍🏻 great video
Hope it helped you get back on the road.
Great video, Great teacher! Thanks for taking the time.
I appreciate the kind words. Cheers! Mike
This video was well put together, I think I feel confident to give it a try. I only have one concern. What about the 4 ways? Hazards if you will. How do they come into play?
+StephenSpeed69 Not sure about your term "4 ways", but as far as Hazards are concerned... The car handles the pulsed (blinking) positive signal which would be sent down both the Yellow and Green wire simultaneously. This would turn on and off the Bright element in the bulb. No additional wiring is required other than what is outlined here. Good luck with our project! Thanks for watching and the comment.
I like the idea of grounding at the rear instead of the front. Less movement to snap that ground wire. (Which is pretty much always my issue)
I believe that using 'twist cap' style connectors (how you connected the lights) is not recommended for outdoor applications. The wire is not sealed off from the environment and will heavily oxidize. I also know this because I recently had to completely rewire a trailer that we originally wired up with T-connectors and twist-cap connectors - the exposed wire meant that the ENTIRE length of wire oxidized and turned black - I was blown away seeing black wire when tapping into wire which was uninterrupted for 4-5m on either side of my cut! For an easy disconnect connections I think using a 'weatherpak' sealed connector is best. They also make a few other types of waterproof connectors like bullet connectors.
great video. where did you get your supplies and crimp pliers.
Thank you!!! I believe I purchased the Trailer Lights from Walmart. The 4 wire connectors (male and female) form Oreilly's auto, and the Shrink wrap on amazon. The Crimpers, I have had for many years. I have since had a larger electrical project (Engine Harness 4-wire setup) and purchased a new Irwin Wire Strippers (amzn.to/2pTdy35). They are awesome. Always remember my dad having a pair. Good luck with your project.
Fantastic video. One minor suggestion: I would have liked to see the completed wiring tape job in the corners where you hooked onto the tail lights.
Dang you did a good job with this video. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it and hope it helped you with your project! Mike
Learned a lot thanks now I can get on the road safely with my goats.
Awesome!!! Be safe and enjoy!
Clean work
I just bought an 80s pop-up camper with an 8 prong box connector. There is no yellow wire. Which color would you guess for the running lights? And is that the same cable that would power the brake lights? All lights are currently working except the Tail/marker lights, and one of the prongs on the connector is broken.
To start with, I am not familiar with the 8 prong connector. But if I had just bought the same camper and had issues, I would remove the lens from the rear lights and see if I could see which color wires are attached to each. There could be a ground wire or like mine, the fixture could be the ground. The wire color that is in both left and right sides should be your Running Light wire ( the dim Portion of the bulb). You could verify grounds and wiring with a multimeter using the continuity function. Hope this gives you some options.
Excellent video, very informative and pleasant to watch.
I appreciate this feedback. Glad you enjoyed it! Cheers to you sir!!!!
Excellent step by step explanation but I do not understand why it is necessary to ground the white wire from connector if all lights are grounded ?
Thank you for the feedback! Look at the grounding solution backwards. If you provide a good Ground connection at each of the lights to the Frame, the frame becomes a part of your Ground circuit and that circuit needs to be connected to the White Ground wire from the vehicle harness. That is why we attach the White wire from the vehicle harness to the Frame. The Frame of the Trailer becomes a Common Ground. I don't want to confuse you, but there is also grounding solutions through the Ball Hitch, but please do not rely on that. Cheers Mike.