Trailer Wiring Placement Questions?

[Alfred]

Hi Gang,

The nice folks at Northern Tool were kind enough to assemble my trailer, prior to selling to me. But they ran the wires over/on-top of the crossbar in a couple of places. I was thinking I probably don't want to squash the wires with my floor. What should I do? I thought I could cut a groove in the wood and place them in the groove, or I could take the lights off and reroute the wire underneath the chassis? If I do the latter, do I need to buy some sort of conduit for the wiring? Is it reasonable to think I can save these lights/wiring as-is and use them?

See pictures below!

Thanks, AL in Asheville

This is one close-up...below is another...

[starleen2]

The trailer I used from TSC was the same way, however I decided that the wires were Ok the way they were and built over them. It worked fine for about three trips and then the squeeze crushed the insulation and grounded the wires to the frame in multiple places. You can imagine my surprise (and frustration) trying to locate the problem and of course this was right before a Trip! I ended up having to run new wire for the entire trailer. I ran the wire with some plastic wire clamps screwed to the frame. What ever you decide, make sure you can get to your wiring incase you have problems in the future






Here is a picture of what I had by using the stock trailer lights



And Now!! What a difference. The recessed lights were about $7.95 each

[toypusher]

Al,

You should easily be able to disassemble the light fixtures and disconnect the wires. Then just reroute them with clips and reattach them to your lights. You really should not need to run conduit unless that is really what you want.

[eamarquardt]

A friend of mine showed me a setup that I thought was pretty clever. He installed a recepticle on the trailer similar to the one on the vehicle. He then puts the the plug on one end of the connecting cable in the tv and a plug on the other end of the cable into the recepticle on the trailer. This way you can remove the cable and keep everything out of the weather when not in use. It also makes easy to do a nice permanent job of wiring the trailer and when the wiring between the tv and trailer gets damaged (which happens to me more often than I'd like) you just repair the connecting cable and the wires on the trailer stay intact.

I ran all the wires on my utility trailer in liquid tight conduit (the good metal stuff not the plastic stuff). Given the rough service this trailer sees the wiring is really protected. The wiring should last forever as it is fully enclosed except where you transition to the lights and brakes. But there are splices inside pull boxes so I can change the external wiring in a few minutes and the trailer wiring inside the conduit is still like new. This is proably overkill for a teardrop (probably for a utility trailer too, but I've never had to touch it in 5 years).

I would remove all the wiring, install a recepticle as noted above and use poly tubing, that plastic split wire loom stuff they sell, drip watering tubing, or something similar to serve as an extra layer of protection to the wiring. You could use the push in tee's to make junctions as a nice touch. The less the wire itself is exposed to the elements the better. Another trick I use is to wrap areas covered by electrical tape in "saran wrap" before applying the electrical tape. This way when I want to take it apart, as I always end up doing at one point or another, the wires themselves are not covered with a sticky gooooo that makes life more difficult than it needs to be. The tape is also easier to cut off without damaging the wires. If the tape is tight, it seems to keep the weather out inspite of the tape not being directly in contact with the wire.

Maybe not perfect "but I find it works well enough to get me from one planet to another" (Klaatu, 1951). I've given my birth year away, oops.

Hope you find these thoughts usefull.

Cheers,

Gus

[madjack]

Al, that setup is begging for a short and future problems...re-route the wiring and for the price of a single piece of conduit (or PVC pipe) you can totally protect them.....
madjack

[Alfred]

Al, that setup is begging for a short and future problems...re-route the wiring and for the price of a single piece of conduit (or PVC pipe) you can totally protect them.....
madjack

Thanks for the feedback, gang. (Those were my basic thoughts, too, MJ).

So, next question:

Should I go ahead and rewire this now BEFORE I build the cabin on top of it, or should I wait and do it last?

AL in Asheville

[toypusher]

Al,

I would rewire now. However, you may want to consider how you are going to wire your TD and/or are you putting your taillights on the back of the TD or leaving them on the trailer in the original location! Just something to think about.

[eamarquardt]

Al, that setup is begging for a short and future problems...re-route the wiring and for the price of a single piece of conduit (or PVC pipe) you can totally protect them.....
madjack 8)

I don't see how my ideas are "begging for a short and future problems". In conduit, taped up, out of the weather. I learned a lot from how telephone central offices (very robust and reliable) are wired when I spent 20 years engineering them.

I also don't see how (save adding one recepticle and another plug) my suggestion of using some sort of tubing to enclose the wires is so very different from your suggestion of using pvc conduit.

But of course you are free to do it your way and I am free to do it my way.

Cheers,

Gus

[Alfred]

Al, that setup is begging for a short and future problems...re-route the wiring and for the price of a single piece of conduit (or PVC pipe) you can totally protect them.....
madjack

I don't see how my ideas are "begging for a short and future problems". In conduit, taped up, out of the weather. I learned a lot from how telephone central offices (very robust and reliable) are wired when I spent 20 years engineering them.

I also don't see how (save adding one recepticle and another plug) my suggestion of using some sort of tubing to enclose the wires is so very different from your suggestion of using pvc conduit.

But of course you are free to do it your way and I am free to do it my way.

Cheers,

Gus

Hi Gus,

I didn't take it that MJ was talking about your ideas. I interpreted it that he was talking about leaving the trailer as it is wired now would be an invitation to trouble. I am thinking either using split conduit like you suggested or using PVC, something to get the wires out of the elements and definitely get them from being squashed against the frame. All good ideas. I appreciate your input.

AL in Asheville

[Alfred]

Al,

I would rewire now. However, you may want to consider how you are going to wire your TD and/or are you putting your taillights on the back of the TD or leaving them on the trailer in the original location! Just something to think about.

Hi! I'm thinking I will probably leave the lights where they are for now, if I can get away with it. Keeping it simple and all that...AL

[eamarquardt]

You're probably right he was referring to your current setup. In that case we're in complete agreement. Many ways to skin a cat. If anything, I'm usually guilty of "gross overkill".

But as they say "you didn't have the time or money to do it right in the first place, but always the time to go back and fix it."

I'm probably a little sensitive this week. Have been battling with AT&T over their contractors administration of the disability plan. They seem to be making the rules up as they go along. But it's ok, according to the management company, they're not singling me out for shabby treatment, they treat everyone equally shabby, ha. I have recorded a number of our conversations (as I have every right to as they record them all, ha). I plan on sending a copy of the recording to the executive vice president on Monday along with the mgt. co's minutes of the conversation and point out that what's in the minutes is not exactly what what said on the call. Maybe they'll listen this time.

Thanks for the correction.

Cheers,

Gus

[davefullmer]

As someone who has had and still has several utility trailers, I can tell you that unless you protect the wires you WILL have problems in the future. Connections will corrode and wires will get damaged.

Granted, when you use trailers to haul tractors and equipment and logs and firewood, and you travel off the roads, they are exposed to more potential damage than maybe the TD's are, but I can't see anything done to extend the life of the wiring as "overkill".

Gus, I like your idea of using saran wrap before you tape the joints. Never thought of it.

One of the things I do though to eliminate the problem of getting the tape off when you need to is to wrap the joint and just before I tear the tape into when done, I always give the tape a twist. This saves the need to cut the tape when you need to undo the joint. I always do this on any joint I make on machine wiring at work.

Cheers and HAPPY Holidays. Remember the reason for the season.

Dave

[eamarquardt]

Hi,

Great minds think alike. I now fold the tape back upon itself to form a small tab you can grap when you want to take the tape off.

"Overkill" may not be the best if weight is a concern, but ease of maintenance and safety are more important to me.

Cheers,

Gus

[madjack]

Gus, I didn't even read your post...I was replying strictly to the pictures Al had posted of the wiring going over the frame rail.........
madjack

[eamarquardt]

Dear MJ,

No problem, had a tough week battling AT&T and was a little sensitive, ha.

I think we agreed that conduit of some sort is a good thing.

Cheers,

Gus