D.E.Bishop wrote:
David, Lets see if I've got this right, your RV has only red lights, the brake light/turn signal filament, and the taillight filament in the same bulb. Correct so far?
Your towed has a single filament brake light bulb. Correct here too?
And the amber light has a filament for the turn signal and one for the tail lights, correct?
Now, lets imagine what would happen if you connected the left brake/turn signal wire from the RV to the left brake light wire for the towed and you installed a blocking diode in the line between that connection and the towed wiring. Now the power from the RV cannot flow into the towed or to the right side brake light.
Now you have a power source for the left brake and turn signal coming to your towed. If you step on the RV brakes the brake light on the towed comes on, so far so good. Now you turn on the RV's left turn signal and the towed's brake light is now your towed's left turn light. Nothing in the MVC says that it has to be the yellow light on the towed.
Now do the same thing to the right side. Disconnect the cable from the RV to the towed and everything works normally in the towed. Simple right?
There is absolutely no reason to buy and install the single lamp to dual lamp converter.
Now all you have to do is connect the parking light wire from the cable to the parking light circuit of the towed with the appropriate blocking diode and you're legally wired to tow.
Mr Bishop,
Your explanation is pretty close to spot on with one exception. You state that his "Amber light has one filament for the turn signal AND ONE FOR THE TAIL LIGHT".
Well, I could be wrong here, (imagine that) but, I don't think there's any tail light filament in the Amber turn light. The reason I think that is, the Amber lights on about 99% of most vehicles out there, be them a motor home or, regular car, are not used as regular tail lights, only turn signals, correct?
You are most certainly correct in the fact that there is no law that says turn signals MUST BE AMBER. That's why there are some red and, some amber. It just means the coach builder or, vehicle builder chose to use what ever they wanted, as turn signal colors. In my dealings with the OP here, I simply explained that I wire up the tail light converters in the toads I've towed, to utilize the AMBER turn signals because I personally like the way the lights are presented to a person following my toads.
If I have a vehicle with amber turn signals, and I use it for a toad, I want them to work, like they should and, like they do when I'm driving it. It's not very hard at all to insert the specific tail light converter so that the tail lights on the toad, act the same exact way when towing it, as they do when driving it. It's preference thing for me.
Your suggestion for placement of the diodes is in accordance with the drawing I supplied the OP and is posted in this thread. Some will place a second set of diodes in the line from the coach, just before it's tied into the toads wiring. As you would know, that would prevent any action from the toads lighting system, to back flow into the coaches wiring and lighting system. I have never done this because it's never been a worry to me.
Scott
