Trailer Lights, again....

Carl

Carl

Well-known member
Staff member
My two year old set of plain old el-cheapo incandescent submersible trailer lights corroded to the point of not working. There is no easy way to rinse them and the saltwater just eats those things up
I was in Academy yesterday contemplating just replacing them with the same ole cheapo's when I noticed LEDs for $29. Picked up the package: waterproof and a lifetime warranty. That's right, lifetime warranty.
Got home, spent 15 minutes remove the old one & installing the new LEDs, plugged up the connector and WOW, what a difference.
Way, way brighter than the old cheapo incandescent bulbs.
I packed away the instructions, warranty info and receipt in a ziplock and tucked it into the gun cabinet.
We'll see how long they last and if the company stands by their warranty when they do fail.
 
Thought about that but the design of my trailer makes it hard to mount guide-ons.
 
Carl said:
Thought about that but the design of my trailer makes it hard to mount guide-ons.
Click to expand...

Oh bull crap. Post a photo or two of your current set up and the area from the fender to the back of the trailer.
 
I had lights like the kind you would find on a tractor/trailer on my trailer. The only thing I did prior to installing them was pack the plug on the back of the light with electrical grease and use heat shrink butt connectors. Those lights lasted about 4 years
 
Got three trailers with lights raised. Haven't had a problem yet, if I do I'll go led's. Won't put another in the water again, even with a lifetime. What are you gonna do while you ship it back and wait for replacement?
 
When I lived on the coast and fished for salmon more than anything else, I built a light bar. I used 2x2 that spanned from gunnel to gunnel at the rear of the boat, added a couple of pieces to keep it from rolling and then mounted the lights and license plate on it. I used eyebolts and a pair of bungees to connect the bar to the trailer. At the ramp, it was easy to unhook the bar, coil the wiring harness and stick the whole thing in the truck. Since the lights and wire junctions never got wet, it worked flawlessly.
 
Every day I am thankful I don't have to deal with salt water, we just put salt on our roads all winter. Trailer light problems can really be a problem and I have found LEDs and a separate ground wire to each light make all the difference. That and raised mount will make life better
 
Carl, I mounted regular lights on a plastic angle bracket and attach them directly to the stern cleats with bungees
If moving the boat when empty just atach them to the trailer
 
LED Lights on posts, add a running light to the top (makes a huge difference when backing the trailer in the dark with or without the boat on the trailer) and good grounds. Heat shrink any connections with marine heat shrink (make sure it is heated enough to get the heat activated sealant to work properly) if you have plug connections plenty of dielectric grease. The added bonus of the post mounted lights is you will never smash them on any ice ever again!

I did my trailer this way several years ago and have not had a problem since, I used 1.5" PVC to house the lights, marine goop to hold them in the cut outs in the PVC and the running lights on top fit perfectly in the top of the PVC.
 
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