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ACZL's avatar
ACZL
Explorer
Apr 16, 2020

Rewiring a landscape trailer

Need to rewire my good ol landscape trailer. It's a 4 pin plug. Floor length is 12' and tongue is probly 4' (I'm guess as it's at my buddy's house some 30 miles away). Anyways, do you splice into the correct wire(s) for the front marker lites? Yes it would be great just to from truck to tailights, but need to wire in front corner lites too. Have never done this before, so any/all advice will be greatly appreciated.
  • First off the Harbor Freight wire is GARBAGE. The wire literally corrodes completely away inside the insulation after a couple of years. Nothing left but blue dust when you strip back the insulation.

    I will only use tinned marine grade wire which I've been getting from genuinedealz.net. You can get 250' or more in several colors.

    For butt connectors I only use the kind that heat shrink and seal.
  • Hazard Fraught has a LED trailer lite kit that has front marker lights with it. Should have plenty of included wire for a 12' trailer.
  • Don't use the Scotch Locks. They are good at cutting the wire and you end up having to do it all over again. Solder and shrink wrap. You could also use a waterproof junction box. This would be a bit more that you need but gives you an idea of what I'm referring too.

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-Trailer-Wiring-cord-Junction-Box-7-pole-Weatherproof-COLOR-CODED-w-hardware/301597415764?hash=item46389b5954:g:BdQAAOSwX6VTyoVE:sc:USPSFirstClass!49445!US!-1
  • Different folks and different mfgs will do it differently, but cut/splice as you see fit.
    Whatever minimizes the runs and splices for your particular trailer.
  • Cut ALL of my landscape and equipment trailers as I go back. Use appropriate crimp connectors. I usually used electrical tape to make readonably waterproof.
    Worked on my rigs for 40 yrs while in biz.
    Did the same on two flatbeds.

    Marty
  • I wire mine from the tongue straight to the taillights and then take a white wire and brown wire back to the markers. White is ground and brown is marker/tail lights. I do not ever use wire nuts or crimp on connections. I solder all connections and shrink wrap (remember to put the shrink tubes on before soldering) l very rarely have any problems with my wiring unless the squirrels decide to eat the wires. Why the heck to squirrels eat wires????
    As Cavie said-the color code is Yellow--left turn signal/Green--right turn signal/Brown--markers, tail lights/white--ground.
  • cavie, Thanks for your reply. But do you actually cut the brown wires on both sides, use waterproof butt connectors for front lights and then just wire in rear lights using waterproof connectors again? Do they make some kind of waterproof "in line" connectors (used to call them Scotch Locks----blue in color)? If so, that would be awesome and quick way to go/wire the fronts up.
  • Not much to it. 4 wires. Tail lights and marker lights are all the same. Left and right brake lights and ground.

    Standard Color Code for Wiring Simple 4 Wire Trailer Lighting. The 4-way connector is just as you have stated. Remember that Yellow has a L in it so that is the left side brake/turn signal and green has a R in it so that is the right side brake/turn signal. Brown is the tail/marker lights. White is ground.

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