Connect trailer turn signals and brake lights

Connect trailer turn signals and brake lights

Connect trailer turn signals and brake lights : Multi-thousand tips to make your life easier.

Not everyone gets to tow trailers in their lifetime. In most cases, you need to be an experienced driver before you can tow a trailer on a trip. Laws and ordinances involving trailers generally require them to have their own working tail lamps and brake lights. This alerts drivers behind you and lets them know when you are stopping.

Before driving with a trailer, make sure the wiring is properly connected. This ensures the trailer’s brake lamps will work. Rewiring the lights is a DIY task you can easily perform with a bit of knowledge and the right tools.

• Inspect the rear of your truck or van. Look for the trailer connector, which should be a four- or five-pin connector. Sometimes, it’s even more.
• Buy a trailer connector that matches the one on your truck. On most trailers and trailer kits, it is available as a standard accessory.
• Run the connector’s wiring along one side of the trailer’s frame. Leave about four feet of slack toward the front of the trailer, since you will connect it to the truck.
• Connect the wire at the trailer’s rear to both tail lamps using a solderless connector. This wire is usually brown.
• If the trailer has side marker lights, use Scotchlok connectors to splice the wire and connect it to each.
• Locate the yellow wire and connect it to the left turn and stop signal lamp using a solderless butt connector.
• Secure the wire and connectors with electrical tape. Alternatively, you can use electrical tape paint.
• If your trailer has electric brakes, run a blue 14-gauge wire separately. Connect this to the trailer’s brake wires at the wheels.
• If your trailer has an onboard battery, you will need to run another 14-gauge wire to the positive terminal of the battery.
• Find an unpainted portion of the frame to ground the entire circuit. Use a solderless ring connector.
• Turn on your truck’s lights. Use a tester to determine which circuits have power. Connect the brown wire to the corresponding connection. Do this with the rest of the wiring. You will not need to do the same with the brake lamps, though, as they are wired with the turn signals.
• Secure your wiring with a nylon wire tie, and make sure it will not fall off. Leave at least two feet of slack so the wire does not get stretched when the truck turns.
• Plug the connector into your truck. Test the lights with your brakes, turn signals, and headlamps.

Towing is safest when vehicles behind you can see you. Your trailer’s lights should aid visibility and be in sync and properly connected. Remember to check and inspect your wiring before you head out on a trip.