Battery-Trlr pigtail wiring fix and Upgrade
The last two days here in Bellingham WA I decided to tackle a project that I had wanted to do since I bought this trailer. The Battery cables and the Trailer/Truck Pigtail wiring were a total mess. All the grounds were corroded and the wire ends too.
A small metal household type junction box was mounted up under the trailer in front to house the connections between the trailer wiring and the pigtail and Battery. It was all put together with plastic twist on "Wire Nuts" used in houses. This is not unusual for trailers but should NEVER be allowed to my mind.
So here are some photos of my fix and how I think the wiring should be done. This is an easy job, any one an do it, the hardest part being sitting under the trailer to do most of it.
The first thing I did was make numbered labels to mark the wires before I took them apart to ensure I didnt cross wire anything. Then I cut each wire back a bit and terminated each with a high quality Ring lug terminal and them applied Heat Shrink to keep the weather and water out and reduce corrosion.
The next step was to install the Blue Sea Systems Power Bus Bar (rated for 150 amps) and the Distribution Block. These are very high quality Marine grade components that will outlive the trailer.
The big box you see is an 8" by 8" waterproof plastic enclosure I bought from Home Depot and cost about $22. Just cut the holes you need as I did.
Next I mounted a Blue Sea Systems Maxi Fuse holder for the 50 Amp fuse that was in one of those automotive type inline enclosures. The old fuse was a corroded mess and probably would not have tripped when it should have. The new holder is much stronger and the connection area much more secure and better contact. This was a bit expensive at $24.99.
Here is what the original Fuse and holder looked like: you can clearly see the corrosion which had migrated into the fuse itself
I then installed a weatherproof electrical outlet box around the Fuse Holder. Note the New Battery Cables which were also new and I terminated them with copper ring lugs and applied heat shrink.
Once all wired up, cables re-routed and dressed it looked like this:
I think this is an important mod anyone can do and it will pay real dividends if you have to track down a wiring problem in the trailer pigtail wires.
I also re-did all the ground points to the frame. I drilled new holes in the frame, cut the wires back to clean non-coroded wires and put on new ring lugs, wire brushed the frame to bare metal under the contact points and applied a dialectric grease (also available at Home Depot) to inhibit corrosion. This will insure very good grounding which is always the first culprit when trying to diagnose an electrical or charging issue.
All told the parts cost me a little over $100 but I think is well worth it. I hope it helps those of you who may be having problems with this area of your electrical system or those that just want to upgrade it.
A small metal household type junction box was mounted up under the trailer in front to house the connections between the trailer wiring and the pigtail and Battery. It was all put together with plastic twist on "Wire Nuts" used in houses. This is not unusual for trailers but should NEVER be allowed to my mind.
So here are some photos of my fix and how I think the wiring should be done. This is an easy job, any one an do it, the hardest part being sitting under the trailer to do most of it.
The first thing I did was make numbered labels to mark the wires before I took them apart to ensure I didnt cross wire anything. Then I cut each wire back a bit and terminated each with a high quality Ring lug terminal and them applied Heat Shrink to keep the weather and water out and reduce corrosion.
The next step was to install the Blue Sea Systems Power Bus Bar (rated for 150 amps) and the Distribution Block. These are very high quality Marine grade components that will outlive the trailer.
The big box you see is an 8" by 8" waterproof plastic enclosure I bought from Home Depot and cost about $22. Just cut the holes you need as I did.
Next I mounted a Blue Sea Systems Maxi Fuse holder for the 50 Amp fuse that was in one of those automotive type inline enclosures. The old fuse was a corroded mess and probably would not have tripped when it should have. The new holder is much stronger and the connection area much more secure and better contact. This was a bit expensive at $24.99.
Here is what the original Fuse and holder looked like: you can clearly see the corrosion which had migrated into the fuse itself
I then installed a weatherproof electrical outlet box around the Fuse Holder. Note the New Battery Cables which were also new and I terminated them with copper ring lugs and applied heat shrink.
Once all wired up, cables re-routed and dressed it looked like this:
I think this is an important mod anyone can do and it will pay real dividends if you have to track down a wiring problem in the trailer pigtail wires.
I also re-did all the ground points to the frame. I drilled new holes in the frame, cut the wires back to clean non-coroded wires and put on new ring lugs, wire brushed the frame to bare metal under the contact points and applied a dialectric grease (also available at Home Depot) to inhibit corrosion. This will insure very good grounding which is always the first culprit when trying to diagnose an electrical or charging issue.
All told the parts cost me a little over $100 but I think is well worth it. I hope it helps those of you who may be having problems with this area of your electrical system or those that just want to upgrade it.
