Trailer Lights Gurus--Got a Question.

[npalen]

Go back a reread some of the posts he was replying to, and what he replied with. Pretty sure this never said the actuator is on the truck:

Come on guys. Give it up.

 

[Doughknob]

There is only one wire besides the ground wire. So the signal for all the functions has to go thru that wire. Right?

Also on LED trailer lights I think it is the number of LED's that are lit to distinguish between the various functions. (dim and bright, blinking etc)

I understand the seperate filaments in incandescent lights but, again, how the signal for seperate filaments is sent thru the one wire. (different voltage?)

4 wires there should be!

 

[bcp]

The tail-stop-turn trailer lights I've seen with 2 wires were grounded with the mounting bolt. One wire was tail, the other was stop-turn.

Bruce

 

[Doughknob]

U keep saying, "1 wire." I dont get that. What 1 wire are u talking about. Mine has 4: 1 ground, 1 for running lights, 1 for left turn/ flas/ brake, and 1 for right turn/ flas/ brake.

 

[npalen]

4 wires there should be!

Yes, four wires at the connector. White is common or ground, brown is running (tail) lights, yellow is left side flashing and green is right flashing. My trailer harness has just the two wires going to each light.

 

[npalen]

The tail-stop-turn trailer lights I've seen with 2 wires were grounded with the mounting bolt. One wire was tail, the other was stop-turn.

Bruce

Hmmm. Maybe now we're getting somewhere!

 

[Doughknob]

Yes, four wires at the connector. White is common or ground, brown is running (tail) lights, yellow is left side flashing and green is right flashing. My trailer harness has just the two wires going to each light.

I see 3 on those units in the amazon picture. White is gnd, low brightness is the brown on your connector (running), high brightness is the green or yellow on your connector (turn/flash/brake)

 

[Midniteoyl]

Another concern is there are two other colored wires in addition to the white wire on each light. The diagram below shows the two colored wires attached to seperate leads. My trailer just has the white wire on each side plus a colored wire so I spliced the two colored wires of the light together with the colored trailer wire at each light location. Maybe this is incorrect but not sure how else one would do it.

Hook the Brown wire to the Black wire on the LEDs. This is your 'running lights'.

Hook the Yellow wire to the Left LED's Red wire. This is your Left Stop/Turn.

Hook the Green wire to the Right Led's Red wire, this is your Right Stop/Turn.

White wires from all lights then go to ground, either chassis (can be via mounting bolt. On your LEDs its a White wire.) or directly to the white wire on the plug (preferred).

 

[npalen]

U keep saying, "1 wire." I dont get that. What 1 wire are u talking about. Mine has 4: 1 ground, 1 for running lights, 1 for left turn/ flas/ brake, and 1 for right turn/ flas/ brake.

The confusion is the number of wires at two different places. You're talking about at the vehicle/trailer connector, right? Yes, four wires.
The one wire I mention is in addition to the white wire on the trailer harness at each light location.

 

[Doughknob]

The confusion is the number of wires at two different places. You're talking about at the vehicle/trailer connector, right? Yes, four wires.
The one wire I mention is in addition to the white wire on the trailer harness at each light location.

I see 3 at each light?

 

[IndyJay]

There is only one wire besides the ground wire. So the signal for all the functions has to go thru that wire. Right?

Also on LED trailer lights I think it is the number of LED's that are lit to distinguish between the various functions. (dim and bright, blinking etc)

I understand the seperate filaments in incandescent lights but, again, how the signal for seperate filaments is sent thru the one wire. (different voltage?)

If you only have two wires you only have 1 function. For running lights and brake/turn you would need three wires.
Same as in the diagram you attached.

Edit: As @herm0016 points out below, three conductors can be from two wires and ground.

 

[herm0016]

hook the ground wire to the chassis at each light, and the 2 wires, individually to the 2 other wires. we are not confused. electricity is not magic.

my trailer is set up exactly like this. grounds run to the mounting bolt of the light with a star washer.

 

[bcp]

Here is one of your pictures labeled. You must have one wire for tail and one wire for stop-turn. Ground may be a wire to the trailer connector (Best) or a wire to the mounting bolt if the bolt isn't grounded (Not as reliable).

Bruce

 

[npalen]

Here is one of your pictures labeled. You must have one wire for tail and one wire for stop-turn. Ground may be a wire to the trailer connector (Best) or a wire to the mounting bolt if the bolt isn't grounded (Not as reliable).

View attachment 708452


Bruce

Thanks. I will give that a try. I guess the confusing part is the white wire on the trailer harness at each light location. This, to me, is ground or neutral but your comment earlier leads me to believe that the wire wire is actually is a substitute for brown for the tail lights. (running light) Then the second wire (black in my case) of the trailer harness would go to the yellow wire on the left side and green on the right side.

 

[npalen]

hook the ground wire to the chassis at each light, and the 2 wires, individually to the 2 other wires. we are not confused. electricity is not magic.

my trailer is set up exactly like this. grounds run to the mounting bolt of the light with a star washer.

Thanks, will try that.

 

[npalen]

Thanks, will try that.

That fixed it! Everything works as it should. (even without the pickup lights turned on)

The old lights only having two wires, a white and a black, and the wiring harness having a white and a black also made perfect sense that one of them was a ground. Right? No, wrong. The light mounting studs were the ground to the trailer chassis, I guess.

Not sure why the new LED's have a grounding wire instead of thru the mounting bolts. Maybe just because they are LED technology. (I did connect the white wires to the trailer chassis)

I should have figured this out a lot sooner but just needed some help from you guys.

Thanks again!

 

[jaxs]

Costello: And you don't know the fellows' names.

Abbott: Well I should.

Costello: Well then who's on first?

Abbott: Yes.

Costello: I mean the fellow's name.

Abbott: Who.
Costello: The guy on first.
Abbott: Who.
Costello: The first baseman.
Abbott: Who.
Costello: The guy playing...
Abbott: Who is on first!
Costello: I'm asking you who's on first.
Abbott: That's the man's name.
Costello: That's who's name?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: Well go ahead and tell me.
Abbott: That's it.
Costello: That's who?
Abbott: Yes. PAUSE
Costello: Look, you gotta first baseman?
Abbott: Certainly.
Costello: Who's playing first?
Abbott: That's right.
Costello: When you pay off the first baseman every month, who gets the money?
Abbott: Every dollar of it.
Costello: All I'm trying to find out is the fellow's name on first base.
Abbott: Who.

 

[Ford850]

Costello: And you don't know the fellows' names.

Abbott: Well I should.

Costello: Well then who's on first?

Abbott: Yes.

Costello: I mean the fellow's name.

Abbott: Who.
Costello: The guy on first.
Abbott: Who.
Costello: The first baseman.
Abbott: Who.
Costello: The guy playing...
Abbott: Who is on first!
Costello: I'm asking you who's on first.
Abbott: That's the man's name.
Costello: That's who's name?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: Well go ahead and tell me.
Abbott: That's it.
Costello: That's who?
Abbott: Yes. PAUSE
Costello: Look, you gotta first baseman?
Abbott: Certainly.
Costello: Who's playing first?
Abbott: That's right.
Costello: When you pay off the first baseman every month, who gets the money?
Abbott: Every dollar of it.
Costello: All I'm trying to find out is the fellow's name on first base.
Abbott: Who.

Are you a controller, and actuator, or possibly an instigator?

 

[Doughknob]

Not sure why the new LED's have a grounding wire instead of thru the mounting bolts. Maybe just because they are LED technology. (I did connect the white wires to the trailer chassis)

If it were me, i'd have both (all) trailer white ground wires going into the trailer connector pin that connects to the truck white/gnd socket.

If you have the LED white wires grounded to the trailer, it sounds like you are using the actual hitch ball as the ground circuit to the truck. That will be very intermittent......

 

[npalen]

Actually the white ground wire runs from the pickup, where it is grounded to the frame, to the trailer via the 4pin connector. Then it connects to the trailer frame behind the trailer axle.
I thought, too, that it continued out to each light but therein lies my confusion and I still don't know who the hell is on first.