LED Trailer Lights

[Jason Adam]

Anyone rig a trailer up with LED lights yet? I'm tired of burned out taillights every weekend. These LED lights look like the ticket. Supposed to be a true "100% submersible", no need to unplug,... Wondering brand and where anyone found a good price. Winter Boat Project #207:)

[Steve]

Got mine at bass pro shops. Ordered from their catalog. Replaced my old bulbs and haven't had a problem since.

[jpollman]

Jason,

I got mine at Bass Pro Shops too. They're GREAT ! They are completely submersible. The entire light assembly is encased in some type of resin. I don't see any way that water could get in there to corrode things. I put a set on a trailer I had. Used it once and sold it. I'm probably going to replace the existing lights that are on my other trailer this spring. They're a little more money but WELL worth it.

[Jason Adam]

Yeah, they look like the hot ticket. I've only taken my new boat out twice and already had three lights go. It's not the cost of the lights, it's the BS ya have to deal with every time you want to get on the road. I'll check out BPS at lunch today. Thanks

[gunrod]

I'm glad you guys posted on this. I just checked Pro Bass and the light kit is $45. I need to order one. I have one light that for some reason the bulb bounces out when I hit a bump. The light always work when I am leaving but never when I get home.

I need to order one of these kits.

[jpollman]

Do it Gunrod. You WON'T be sorry !
They're truly waterproof and VERY visible. Like I said above, I'm going to put a set on my 16' boat trailer in the spring before I take it out. WELL WORTH the few extra bucks in my opinion.

[gunrod]

How are they for wiring? I'm not too mechanically inclined. Spooling a reel and working a drag are almost too much for me.;)

[jpollman]

Gunrod,
They're EXACTlY the same as a standard tail light. Just two wires.
Unless you count the ground wire that I always use instead of just relying on the trailer frame for a ground. You just unbolt the old lights. Then bolt the LED light in place. Then clip the wire from the old light and attach it to the corresponding lead on the new light and you're all set.

Good luck. It's EASY, you'll have no problem.

[gunrod]

Thanks.....Order is going in this weekend.

[Getaway]

I'm glad you guys posted this. My boat trailer came equipt with these lights from the factory. Well, this year one of the brake lights burned out and I, for the life of me, could not figure out how to change it. The whole damn thing is sealed. It's a nice thing to not have to unplug your trailer lights but it sounds like it will cost you $45 every time you burn out a bulb.

I will say that I've only burned out the one break light since the trailer was new in '97. And I put LOTS of miles on this thing.

[jpollman]

Getaway,
I'm surprised that you actually burned one out. I was thinking that they are supposed to be rated for abut 25,000 hours or something like that. On doing a web search, I found a site that has LED trailer lights that are rated in the 100,000 and 200,000 hour lifespan range ! Anyway, here's a site where you can buy individual lights without having to buy a complete set. They've got other "goodies" there too. I think I'm going to spend the $$ and pick up one of their trailer light testers. It's much easier to plug in and find out if the trouble is in the tow vehicle or the trailer. If you can narrow it down to which side of the connection the trouble is on, it should help speed up the repair.

Anyway, here's the site.

http://www.foreandaftmarine.com/TrailerLights.htm
Check down near the bottom of the page. That is where the individual submersible LED lights are found.

Good luck

[Jason Adam]

I picked up a litttle(size of the connector on a 4-Flat Plug) tester at Boat US for $4 the other day. It just has four LEDs in it and it tests the tow vehicle, Like jpollman said, to narrow the problem down to one side of the hitch or the other.

[Getaway]

Hmmmm, I may have something a little different. My lights are standard car bulbs that are in a completely sealed bubble. These units are mounted under the red lenses on the trailer.

I guess they are different than the LED lights.

It's a pain to change them cause you have to cut the wires and replace the entire "bubble". I could not get the light bulb out without breaking the bubble.

[Jason Adam]

Yeah, I have those on 1 trailer. 5 years with one burnout is pretty good for those lights. They're all a pain to deal with....