When is too many lights to many.

[Scrounger]

My lights on the trailer were getting a bit 'broken' so I decided to upgrade all to LED's. Question is I want to add a few extra running lights. Is added two or four more running lights going to put a strain on the battery or alternator?

 

[copperdog]

As long as you use LED's, add as many as you want.
An LED only uses about 1/10th of a normal light.

 

[ray66v]

Yep, Copperdog is right. You can add as many as you can afford.
Remember, unlike light bulbs, led's do have a polarity. If one does not light, check that first.

 

[Rara Avis]

If you are commercial...just remember every light you add is just another potential fine if it is NOT working...

 

[Scrounger]

Yep, Copperdog is right. You can add as many as you can afford.
Remember, unlike light bulbs, led's do have a polarity. If one does not light, check that first.

Checking ground is a bear on them. I have one issue on the ground already so I just pop riveted the ground to the trailer.

 

[Eagleview]

Ive just put LED's on the tail of my hybrid F250 . Because the donor car i used for the conversion had Can Bus wiring , the cruise control would not work , the stop and reverse lamps stayed illuminated and the blinkers where blinking too fast . All is well now though as i fitted resistors too the wiring to put a load on the computor . For anyone having this trouble with late model vehicles with LED's fitted . The computor sends a low voltage signal down the line to check for blown bulbs (a systems check). This voltage is enough to illuminate the LED's and cause all the problems above .

 

[Scrounger]

Ive just put LED's on the tail of my hybrid F250 . Because the donor car i used for the conversion had Can Bus wiring , the cruise control would not work , the stop and reverse lamps stayed illuminated and the blinkers where blinking too fast . All is well now though as i fitted resistors too the wiring to put a load on the computor . For anyone having this trouble with late model vehicles with LED's fitted . The computor sends a low voltage signal down the line to check for blown bulbs (a systems check). This voltage is enough to illuminate the LED's and cause all the problems above .

I would hope that would not be an issue on a trailer however. I replaced all the lights on the trailer but I dont see how the truck, a Yukon XL, would be able to know if a bulb is blown.

 

[Eagleview]

No , it only checks the vehicle . Can Bus wiring is the latest idea to cut down on the amount of wires in a vehicle . One wire may work the right hand blinker , the brake lights , the fuel tank sender etc . The computor sends a signal down the line and waits for a response . If a tail light bulb is out for example , the computor senses the lack of resistance from the blown filament and if so equiped will illuminate a bulb out warning light on the dash . It's this low voltage that is sent down the wire that causes problems with LED's . Because they draw little current the computor does not know they are there and acts as if a bulb is out . It will stop the cruise control working as the brake light switch is used for the cruise and if regular tail lights are swapped for LED's the computor looses the signal . Inline resistors trick the computor into thinking regular bulbs are installed .

 

[ray66v]

Checking ground is a bear on them. I have one issue on the ground already so I just pop riveted the ground to the trailer.

I never like to use a body ground with trailer lights. It will fail at some point. Wire all your grounds and power connections, and solder them. Then use either shrink tube or liquid tape. No more screwing around trying to get them to work in the dark, or the cold.

 

[Ductape]

I replaced most of the lights on my dump with L.E.D.s (except for the fender light which is half amber, half red). I buy my lights at a "chrome shop" (big truck accessories) that stands behind what they sell. I had one circuit die on a tail light. Brought it back to them, they replaced it free of charge, no questions asked. The light had to be more than five years old. Its worth spending slightly more for a good brand name light........ they have a million mile warranty.

 

[Scrounger]

I never like to use a body ground with trailer lights. It will fail at some point. Wire all your grounds and power connections, and solder them. Then use either shrink tube or liquid tape. No more screwing around trying to get them to work in the dark, or the cold.

I would have liked to do that but no ground to each light. The old lights grounded via the mount, the new LED lights have a ground wire and I was not able to connect all the wires in one big line. If one goes out, that is the first place to check by each light. Real simple check at least.

 

[RobJ]

It will stop the cruise control working as the brake light switch is used for the cruise and if regular tail lights are swapped for LED's the computor looses the signal .QUOTE]

Not on all F250's or at least mine which is a 1999 model. I have an intermitting problem with the switch on the brake pedal. At times it will not turn on the brake lights even if I depress the pedal all the way down hard. But it will kick out the cruise. To fit the probem I jockey the position of the switch and it'll work. It's on my list to try a new brake switch. There is a bunch of wires going to that switch, I don't know which is which but I do know the cruise will shut off without the brake lights working.

 

[LoneCowboy]

If you are commercial...just remember every light you add is just another potential fine if it is NOT working...

+100000000000
Stupid as heck but true.
If you have way extra than required, but one is broken
ding, violation.

even though you have more than minimum.
arrrgggggghhhhhhhhhhh

 

[Rara Avis]

+100000000000
Stupid as heck but true.
If you have way extra than required, but one is broken
ding, violation.

even though you have more than minimum.
arrrgggggghhhhhhhhhhh

This is ONE LAW...that I have never understood...

 

[QRTRHRS]

If you are commercial...just remember every light you add is just another potential fine if it is NOT working...

DOT was on a crusade about having extra lights on the rear of the trailer for awhile. I don't know if that is still going on or not.

I know it was controversial as some trailers are manufactured with extra lights on already.

 

[Eagleview]

It will stop the cruise control working as the brake light switch is used for the cruise and if regular tail lights are swapped for LED's the computor looses the signal .QUOTE]

Not on all F250's or at least mine which is a 1999 model.

Mine is not an F250 , it only has an F250 cab . Thats why i call it a Hybrid . It has a Nissan Patrol chassis , diffs and gearbox , a Turbo charged Twin cam fuel injected 6 cylinder engine out of a Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo . I took the firewall , dash , steering column , pedals , air con and complete wiring loom out of the donor car and grafted it all into the F250 cab . Thats why it has Can Bus wiring and yours does not . I did'nt mean to Jack this thread , but only to warn of the problems with LED's and some late model vehicles .