Adding lights when towing trailer ?

[BigBadDodge]

My wife was following me at night while towing my trailer with the sled puller on it. She said that the trailer lights were pretty dim.



I plan on upgrading the tail lights to LED's, but also had this thought. Is it possible to tap into the trailer wiring and have a plug that plugs into the sled pulling truck on the trailer so that the tail lights on the sled pulling truck come on at night and when I hit the brakes.



Is this possible? will I overload any thing? Thoughts.





Signed

electrically impaired

 

[TGibbs]

The LEDs will help out big time because they are brighter and draw less power. If you have an extra prong in the plug then you can use that one or just tap into the headlight wire. That is usually a brown wire but that is not for sure. If you have to many lights drawing power, it will 9 times out of ten, pop a fuse. The more LED lights the better , you could also get the DOT reflective tape and put that on there

 

[McCRam]

I would think if you were to take the trailer harness and plug into the trucks trailer plug, that the lights would light up. I hooked my brake controler up wrong once. When I pushed the brake lever all the trucks lights would light up, marker lights and all, so it might work. You might check the ground on the trailer though. That might brighten them up.

 

[2-ND TIME]

Adding lights

Sounds like a bad ground for start. Most people don't take seriously the need for a goooooood ground. It is the other half of the cct. If you have the 7 pin to go through. wire through it if so, or change to one is a better option. Option 2 is to add another plugin, maybe a 4 pin. I will help if you wish just PM or ? can e-mail or fax any kind of sketch. Use relays, soder all conections, Vasiline all plugs and light connections this will keep out moisture and make for many,many years of trouble free operations. Get the 4 wire or 7 wire -70* trailer wire for any aditions this is 1000 % better then the flat wire that will crack in a year or two. When adding a wire use the flat 2 wire it then brings the ground back to the battery ( a spot next to it) this makes trouble shooting very easy because you now have the whole cct. there to test. Make sure that there is a ground wire coming back through the plug or put in a ground wire in and use a flat 2 wire to be able to disconect it. Oo.

 

[EricBu12]

I got LED Lights from here and I bought the tail lights from a Pilot truckstop



http://www.ledtrailerlights.com/stt/stt_M63420R.htm



Scroll half-way down and see the 42 LED light and right below it, the rubber ring. There are other places that sell brackets for these lights.



The pics below is of 60LED Lights I bought at Pilot Truckstop



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http://www.ledtrailerlights.com/cm/cm_M23015.htm



These are the marker lights (14 LED) that I replaced all my trailer lights with.



#ad

 

[BigBadDodge]

Wow, thanks for the great info guy's. certainly going with LED's



BBD

 

[JTryles]

I switched out my trailer lighting from standard to LED and have had the opportunity to be behind my own trailer... . WOW!!! Scary bright! If anyone hits me... it's because they are BLIND! Like others have said, you can add LOTS and LOTS of LED's for very little amperage "cost".



Also, the DOT spec'd tape is a very good idea too. I've got some of that running the sides of my trailer. Very, very reflective!

 

[TRCM]

You can use the towed trucks lights, but I would not hook up to the trailer connection onit. if you do, all lights will work, and I don't think you would want the turn signals and marker lights on the front of the towed truck to come on.



I did this once when I had to flat tow a truck. I just put in a pigtail for the brake & turn signlas lights on the rear of the truck only, and bought an extension wiring harness, and plugged them in. Worked great.