I'm back and it's a rainy day so why not watch Wayne and see what he's up. I just want to mention that another reason why I like your videos is the fact that you tell us where to buy the parts that you are using. Saves us a lot of time, thank you for that. Gil in Western Massachusetts
Thank you Wayne for sharing your very helpful video. I don’t have a jump box so I use a 12 volt battery charger to test my trailer lights when away from the vehicle. Best thing that ever happened to trailer lights was going to LED…
Now, you are a boat owner !! Most important is to use a pilot bonding brush or wire brush bit with di electric grease on any grounding connection's to the frame. 90% of lighting problems are bad grounds. Best to do it right while your bare bones. Great vid Wayne. A inexpensive motorcycle or recreational battery will make troubleshooting alot easier.
@@shannonboatright4894 Heat shrink solder is better than anything else currently available, for water, plenty of research, incl youtubes, to prove it. Not sure what u mean by "afford", solder & heat shrink is cheapest option. If u have to pay someone to do it for you, a plug & play light board is the best option, move it between whatever.
I have been running a test with a different method done on each side of my trailer, that has been in place for about 6 years or so. On one side, I soldered wires together for the lights and put silicone on the wire before wrapping with heat shrink. On the other side, a butt connector. Both have been equally reliable. I should mention, I use the trailer in FRESH water only. For salt, I would not tempt fate with a butt connector but would employ my heat shrink method instead.
Great video Wayne, this is one of my winter projects coming up. Thanks for your mistakes, I'm just going to get the hole kits, and do it all new on my trailer.
Nice video. I'd like to add that you should check the new connecter and wires before installing. I had one that was bad from the factory and lead to a couple extra hours of frustration. Also, there are heavy duty harneses available. These are more expensive but much more robust.
Helo Wayne, your like one of us, a local guy who is not a professional but gets the job done. I like that about your videos and it gives us a way to fix things or improve things. Keep up the good work and we like you in Western Massachusetts. Gil
OMG, Here in the UK our (old) wiring is 7 pin (7 wires) and the new system is a 13 pin plug. & pin plugs have: earth (ground) left tail, right tail, brake lights, left turn signal, right turn signal and a fog light.... You guys have it easy! OH, and LED all the way!
lol, I was thinking how weird & potentially dangerous. Did u notice no brake wire, only tail? Every time I watch usa vids re this sorta stuff it makes me shake my head, gotta be different than most the world. Mind u, for some reason Au house sockets are diff to UK. Au use 7pin, but I also use busbars. Can't imagine what 13 could be utilised for.
@Lana_Warwick alot of the extra wires are for electric brake set up and auxiliary powers and alot of cars have sensors everywhere now so some wires disable rear sensors
Wayne, I like your videos! I watched the "Winterizing" one last night, and realized it was 3 years old! If you do another like this on 4 stroke small outboards, I'd love to hear your comments on my "winterizing" my 2.5 hp (almost new) Suzuki on my sailboat in central Connecticut. I run on a fresh water river and use ethanol free gas (TruFuel - Home depot). I run about 30 hours per year total. I remove in mid-October and store in a heated garage for the winter. The first time home I "flush" by running in a large tank for 15 minutes. I change the oil annually. Over the winter, I run monthly in the tank, still with ethanol free gas. Next year it will be 3 years total, and almost 100 total hours. At that point, I'll take it to the Suzuki dealer for a full maintenance service. Do you feel this is workable for the future? I really love this little engine, and it complements my sailing on the CT river perfectly!
I’ve soldered and shrink tube previously. Now they have those butt splices with the shrink attached. They also have butt connectors with shrink tube that contains solder also? Think I’ll go with what you used, already have the tools👍
Wayne, I heard that you're supposed to unplug your trailer lights from your vehicle before you go into the water. I've never heard such a thing until now. I've been launching for years and never had issues. What is your thoughts about that?
NOTE - Whilst there's plenty that recommend them, there's also plenty of research (incl youtubes) that prove "any kind" of wire joiner, vs simple old school fluxed tinned solder & heat shrink, can experience current loss (dimmed lights), leak, corrode, short/blow fuses. Are brake lights not required on trailers in America? Or are they somehow the same circuit as tail lights? Plus using trailer frame as earth is odd. I use 7 core wire (tinned). Why 7? From 7 pin plug - 1 x earth to waterproof busbar down back, connected to all light neg wires. 1 x tail/plate/clearance (busbar), 2 x brake (redundancy), 2 x turn, 1 x reverse light (better vis at night). Dielectric grease/seal all bare terminals. Other Maintenance; Depending use, annual repack wheel bearings, otherwise u might end up as one on those guys on the side of the road missing a wheel, or worse. Should give her a diy coat of Cold Galvanising Zinc. Split retic, conduit, or similar, over top of timber slides so they don't weather/wear as quick (screw in sides, not top) also helps the boat slide on a little easier (cheaper than marine supply slides). Add garden reticulation spray for all the hard to get to areas underneath, rims & framing. Spray everything with white lithium grease, incl occasional re-grease/seat threads, so they don't freeze.
Great video! I will add is to always use marine grade wire on a boat trailer. Most of those kits don't come with it. It is will worth the extra cost as it will last years longer before it corrodes and has to be replaced. And use use heat shrink tubing with water proof sealant over the butt connectors to add additional water proofing. Also go with sealed LED lights, as a hot bulb in those cheaper units will explode if any water gets to it.
Referring to tinned. Whilst it's defiantly worth it if replacing, provided existing non-tinned insulation isn't damaged, all ends are flux soldered & heat shrink, not joiners, it will be just as good. Without that, popped vehicle fuses will be more the issue vs globes.
Great advice! As a boat & trailer owner since the late '70's, I've come to the conclusion that boats, boat trailers and God have one thing in common: all 3 do things because they can, and for no other reason! I've recently returned from a fishing trip that required me to tow my boat and trailer over 1200 miles...without going into a lot of detail, I'd love to see a video on the E-Z lube trailer bearing vs Bearing Buddies. My trailer came with E-Z lube axles; I had NO experience with these at all; to say that I made a calamity of errors is an understatement...if you have an email address, I'd love to detail what happened, how it was solved/corrected the final results...
KISS (keep it simple stupid) method, don't trust any of it, it's just people coming up with idea$ for lazy people, with no responsibility if it all goes wrong. Don't use sealed bearings, it's like using "supposed" maint free batteries (even tho they can be popped open). If you dip the bearings in, rinse them (& trailer) off asap when they come out, front & back. After every doz or so times, or once per year if used, re-pack them.
Got it, yellow left, green right. But the lights have red, black and white, for both lights. So. Red is flasher? Or black? White is ground, ok. But why have the trailer wires green, brown and yellow and the lights come red and black? aaagggghhhhh!
Well done these are all going to need maintenance and repair and it all needs to be kept up thanks for the video
Thanks for watching!
LOVE - The Music 👍🏻👍🏻
I'm back and it's a rainy day so why not watch Wayne and see what he's up. I just want to mention that another reason why I like your videos is the fact that you tell us where to buy the parts that you are using. Saves us a lot of time, thank you for that. Gil in Western Massachusetts
Thank you Wayne for sharing your very helpful video.
I don’t have a jump box so I use a 12 volt battery charger to test my trailer lights when away from the vehicle.
Best thing that ever happened to trailer lights was going to LED…
Yeah!
I had just put new led trailer lights on my boat trailer I had so much problems I rewired the the trailer. Good vid
Thanks!
Now, you are a boat owner !!
Most important is to use a pilot bonding brush or wire brush bit with di electric grease on any grounding connection's to the frame. 90% of lighting problems are bad grounds. Best to do it right while your bare bones. Great vid Wayne. A inexpensive motorcycle or recreational battery will make troubleshooting alot easier.
Best not to use frame as a ground, busbar all negs to tow vehicle.
Great point!
Great information.. I soldered and heat shanked my trailer wire it was the best way for me and easily done
I was considering that option too!
It is the best way, plenty of research shows issues with joiners.
@@Lana_Warwick it depends if you get the joint connected with solder in them and what you can afford too
@@shannonboatright4894 Heat shrink solder is better than anything else currently available, for water, plenty of research, incl youtubes, to prove it.
Not sure what u mean by "afford", solder & heat shrink is cheapest option.
If u have to pay someone to do it for you, a plug & play light board is the best option, move it between whatever.
I have been running a test with a different method done on each side of my trailer, that has been in place for about 6 years or so. On one side, I soldered wires together for the lights and put silicone on the wire before wrapping with heat shrink. On the other side, a butt connector. Both have been equally reliable. I should mention, I use the trailer in FRESH water only. For salt, I would not tempt fate with a butt connector but would employ my heat shrink method instead.
Great video Wayne, this is one of my winter projects coming up. Thanks for your mistakes, I'm just going to get the hole kits, and do it all new on my trailer.
Nice video. I'd like to add that you should check the new connecter and wires before installing. I had one that was bad from the factory and lead to a couple extra hours of frustration. Also, there are heavy duty harneses available. These are more expensive but much more robust.
Helo Wayne, your like one of us, a local guy who is not a professional but gets the job done. I like that about your videos and it gives us a way to fix things or improve things. Keep up the good work and we like you in Western Massachusetts. Gil
Nice job explaining everything. Thank you. You made it look so easy.
Wayne, you need CorrosionX Aerosol in your life. lol. Would make those old lights functional again.
Yep, worse case is busted lens. Cracked it's fixable. Cut wire ends, re solder/shrink, dielectric grease terminals.
These lights were long past saving even when I first got this trailer.
i need to order him corrsionx
OMG, Here in the UK our (old) wiring is 7 pin (7 wires) and the new system is a 13 pin plug. & pin plugs have: earth (ground) left tail, right tail, brake lights, left turn signal, right turn signal and a fog light.... You guys have it easy! OH, and LED all the way!
lol, I was thinking how weird & potentially dangerous. Did u notice no brake wire, only tail?
Every time I watch usa vids re this sorta stuff it makes me shake my head, gotta be different than most the world. Mind u, for some reason Au house sockets are diff to UK.
Au use 7pin, but I also use busbars. Can't imagine what 13 could be utilised for.
@Lana_Warwick alot of the extra wires are for electric brake set up and auxiliary powers and alot of cars have sensors everywhere now so some wires disable rear sensors
UK cares about visibility and safety waaay too much. Cars aren't that hard to see
A plug & play trailer light board is a simple solution for those not handy.
Wayne, I like your videos! I watched the "Winterizing" one last night, and realized it was 3 years old! If you do another like this on 4 stroke small outboards, I'd love to hear your comments on my "winterizing" my 2.5 hp (almost new) Suzuki on my sailboat in central Connecticut.
I run on a fresh water river and use ethanol free gas (TruFuel - Home depot). I run about 30 hours per year total. I remove in mid-October and store in a heated garage for the winter. The first time home I "flush" by running in a large tank for 15 minutes. I change the oil annually. Over the winter, I run monthly in the tank, still with ethanol free gas.
Next year it will be 3 years total, and almost 100 total hours. At that point, I'll take it to the Suzuki dealer for a full maintenance service.
Do you feel this is workable for the future? I really love this little engine, and it complements my sailing on the CT river perfectly!
A great video this is just wiring 101 for dummies
Often you can use old harness to pull new harness through.Sealed lights best.CHEERS from Here!!!
Yeah my old one was cut and pulled out a few years ago by...me!
I’ve soldered and shrink tube previously. Now they have those butt splices with the shrink attached. They also have butt connectors with shrink tube that contains solder also? Think I’ll go with what you used, already have the tools👍
In the pst I have often forgotten to pre-install my heat shrink tubing and had to do things twice!
Oh yes I think everyone has done that 😵💫👍
Do your own research, but I'll be sticking with flux solder & heat shrink.
I have to admit when you make a mistake the rest of us learn from that mistake and won't do what you did. LOL
I gave up and just got the magnetic kit from Harbor
Wayne, I heard that you're supposed to unplug your trailer lights from your vehicle before you go into the water. I've never heard such a thing until now. I've been launching for years and never had issues. What is your thoughts about that?
I think it applies to incandescent bulbs that might be hot getting dunked in cold water which causes them to pop.
Sealed lights are fine. Using the trailer frame as ground seems odd tho.
NOTE - Whilst there's plenty that recommend them, there's also plenty of research (incl youtubes) that prove "any kind" of wire joiner, vs simple old school fluxed tinned solder & heat shrink, can experience current loss (dimmed lights), leak, corrode, short/blow fuses.
Are brake lights not required on trailers in America? Or are they somehow the same circuit as tail lights? Plus using trailer frame as earth is odd.
I use 7 core wire (tinned). Why 7?
From 7 pin plug - 1 x earth to waterproof busbar down back, connected to all light neg wires. 1 x tail/plate/clearance (busbar), 2 x brake (redundancy), 2 x turn, 1 x reverse light (better vis at night). Dielectric grease/seal all bare terminals.
Other Maintenance;
Depending use, annual repack wheel bearings, otherwise u might end up as one on those guys on the side of the road missing a wheel, or worse.
Should give her a diy coat of Cold Galvanising Zinc.
Split retic, conduit, or similar, over top of timber slides so they don't weather/wear as quick (screw in sides, not top) also helps the boat slide on a little easier (cheaper than marine supply slides).
Add garden reticulation spray for all the hard to get to areas underneath, rims & framing.
Spray everything with white lithium grease, incl occasional re-grease/seat threads, so they don't freeze.
We have brake lights on these - somehow it is all accomplished with these 3 wires plus ground.
Great video! I will add is to always use marine grade wire on a boat trailer. Most of those kits don't come with it. It is will worth the extra cost as it will last years longer before it corrodes and has to be replaced. And use use heat shrink tubing with water proof sealant over the butt connectors to add additional water proofing. Also go with sealed LED lights, as a hot bulb in those cheaper units will explode if any water gets to it.
Great points!
Referring to tinned. Whilst it's defiantly worth it if replacing, provided existing non-tinned insulation isn't damaged, all ends are flux soldered & heat shrink, not joiners, it will be just as good. Without that, popped vehicle fuses will be more the issue vs globes.
Great advice! As a boat & trailer owner since the late '70's, I've come to the conclusion that boats, boat trailers and God have one thing in common: all 3 do things because they can, and for no other reason!
I've recently returned from a fishing trip that required me to tow my boat and trailer over 1200 miles...without going into a lot of detail, I'd love to see a video on the E-Z lube trailer bearing vs Bearing Buddies. My trailer came with E-Z lube axles; I had NO experience with these at all; to say that I made a calamity of errors is an understatement...if you have an email address, I'd love to detail what happened, how it was solved/corrected the final results...
KISS (keep it simple stupid) method, don't trust any of it, it's just people coming up with idea$ for lazy people, with no responsibility if it all goes wrong.
Don't use sealed bearings, it's like using "supposed" maint free batteries (even tho they can be popped open). If you dip the bearings in, rinse them (& trailer) off asap when they come out, front & back. After every doz or so times, or once per year if used, re-pack them.
Got it, yellow left, green right. But the lights have red, black and white, for both lights. So. Red is flasher? Or black? White is ground, ok. But why have the trailer wires green, brown and yellow and the lights come red and black? aaagggghhhhh!
Great video Wayne, will be tackling this project in the spring.