trailer lights.

bassaholic209 · Post by **bassaholic209** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 10:59 am

i had bought a new set from walmart with everything with it wires, plug etc... installed them but for some reason im having problems with the bulbs. the bulbs seem to break or the filament goes out inside. anybody have any ideas why this is happening. i have changed bulbs quit a few times. for instance i replaced one side of the trailer lights because i had backed into somthing cracking the light assembly. both lights work when i left. launched the boat both lights still worked came back picked up the boat out of water and both brake lights were out but the outside marker light that is attached to the brake light was working on both sides. any ideas this is getting annoying

Smile_n_Jax · Post by **Smile_n_Jax** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 2:33 pm

There are two things that can kill trailer lights; viabration and voltage drop. Keep in mind a boat trailer is sprung pretty stiffly so it bounces a lot more than a vehicle.

I don't know how the lights are mounted to the trailer, but it's something to consider. You may want to look into shock mounting them. Also check how the lamps fit in the sockets. They should be snug enough that they don't rattle around.

The other culprit may be harder to track down. First off I assume you've run a ground wire from your vehicle through the connector to the trailer. Don't rely on grounding through the hitch ball. The best hitch in the world will still allow a certain amoung of play which will create resistance on the ground circuit that will affect the amount of voltage getting through the lamps. Lamp filaments do not like varying voltage. If you have a voltmeter, check voltage at the tail light and brake light sockets. You should have very close to battery voltage. If not, go looking for bad connections or loose grounds. Also check the trailer wiring for any bare spots that could intermittantly ground to the trailer frame. Lastly, and this is a "Well, DUH!" I assume you unplug the connector before putting that puppy in the water.

Good luck in your quest. Too bad you live a little too far away or I'd come over and help you check it out.

Jax

bassaholic209 · Post by **bassaholic209** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 7:11 am

thanks for the info and no i dont unplug them when going in the water. i wondered the same thing if that was causing the problem im having but i see other boats doing it so i didnt think it was a problem. what do you think? the lights are brand new. the way i had them mouted was on the boat rollers and i think there was too much vibration so i mounted them on the frame below the rollers. oh ya i have the ground on the frame.

DAKINE198 · Post by **DAKINE198** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 1:55 pm

You mentioned that you have "changed bulbs quite a few times", are you sure the lights you bought at Walmart are for Boat trailers? The ones I have are sealed units if the bulbs go out then you replace the whole lamp assy. . I've seen some that have an o-ring seal around the housing and the lens snaps over it (but thats old school). Make sure that they are waterproof sealed units. Just a thought.

bassaholic209 · Post by **bassaholic209** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 2:25 pm

the lights said sub mersible so i assume they are for boats.

DAKINE198 · Post by **DAKINE198** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 3:53 pm

maybe there defective or moisture is getting inside?

bassaholic209 · Post by **bassaholic209** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 7:10 am

i went home yesterday and had some time to look at the lights. took the lens cover off and found both lights bulb on each side had broke so i assume i found the problem. next time i launch i will disconnect the lights from the truck and see if that helps. thanks again for all the responses on this matter. nathan

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 6:12 pm

Matbe try some LED's

Rob Cummings · Post by **Rob Cummings** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 9:36 am

You need to be sure that the ground wire for your trailer lights is grounded to your truck. As someone else already said, groundin to your trailer is no good as the ground has to go thru the hitch ball. As you bounce around it causes a bad ground connection and will snap the filament in the bulb quite often as you're experiencing now.