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Trailer Lights - AKA the most likely thing to break in the entire world.

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SabrToothSqrl

SabrToothSqrl

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So... years of boating have taught me one thing. trailer lights (especially nice ones) are magnets for damage.

Installed new lights on my trailer I plan to sell this spring w/a GTX.... used it to transport the GTX (different one) to the dump... backed into a 2' high pole.

THE LIGHTS WERE ONLY 1 TRIP OLD! DKFJSOFJW$t jjsdfsdf grrrfwafrafar fa mothe.r.a.r.awe.. etc... etc...

GRJLKJLW$%

etc etc.

LED lights on my main trailer... lasted... ONE season. the side marker lens is.. MIA.

HOW THE HELL do they only make lights that bolt to the trailer with 2 bolts the size of a gnat?!

I want lights the size OF the trailer, that bolt on with 3/4" hardware and are made of titanium!

anyone have any good light protecting ideas?

and don't say drive better! :ack:
 
I agree...I was going to make some metal guards an weld them on my trailer.

Now...on my double trailer...they should make them all like this:



When I hit something with these...they push in thanks to the rubber grommets.

So maybe find a small metal box you can cut the oval into then attach to the trailer. O'reilly has White LED lights this style too...big pimpin.
 
Most of my trailers have some sort of protection for the lights... but you are right. They get busted easy. (the regular square and rectangle style)

The best way to keep trailer lights safe is to use recessed lighting. On my old "Utility" trailer... it had the oval rubber mounted, recessed lights... and I never broke one. (like above)

The other way to keep them safe is to take the "Jinx" away. Buy an extra set and leave them in the garage. Then... the universe will know you are ready when they get smashed... and it won't happen. :thumbsup:
 
Dr Honda said:
The other way to keep them safe is to take the "Jinx" away. Buy an extra set and leave them in the garage. Then... the universe will know you are ready when they get smashed... and it won't happen. :thumbsup:
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LOL I am fully onto this murphy's law....Thats why I have a rope in my storage bins. If you have one you wont need one. On our big ride weekends I have a bin with all the extra parts I may need...pump with prop ready to install, 2 steering cables, carbone ring, VTS boot, a whole rear ebox, start stop, DESS post, starter...etc. Funny I never have an issue anymore.
 
lol, an extra set means never having to use them! lol.

Yea, i like the new trailer recessed lights. I've done so much to my current double I'd hate to replace it, but if the right aluminum double with torsion came along... I'd be SOLD on it.

My current has exposed lights, but all LED, and all LED marker lights, even extra ones wired to light only with turn / brake on the back.

as well as it's galvanized, but then spray painted the entire thing gloss rustoleum black. with actual 'rims' on the wheels... and new bunk wood and carpet... along with a box on the front... so yea, it's a good setup minus the stupid lights on the back...

I don't have a 'walk' down the middle of mine, as there is only about 2-3" of room between the skis...

I've seen the white LEDs, but I want black. my truck is black w/black LEDS (tail lights are 100% black until I hit the brakes)... and my trailer is black... would love some box black LEDs on it.
my other idea was putting the lights UNDER the back frame area, they would be about 3" in from the sides, but if your within 3" of my trailer your going to hit the ski anyway...
 
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Torsions are nice...although eventually the rubber inside the axle gets rotten and then they have to be replaced. They are so awesome on the road though.

I had a metal caravan that was starting to rust around the welds before this trailer...got it with two skis and it had about 50miles on it. Suffice to say I made money on the deal and got the trailer for less than free.

The one thing I hate about the trailer above is the axle mounts are welded to the trailer. I like moving the axle to get the tongue weight right. Mine is SOOOO tongue heavy.

Oh...and I've messed with the wiring about 10 times and still can get it working correctly. Pulled every light out and cannot find an issue. Gotta be a spot a mouse chewed on it. Come spring I'm going to Triton and ordering up a complete harness.
 
Minnetonka4me said:
Oh...and I've messed with the wiring about 10 times and still can get it working correctly. Pulled every light out and cannot find an issue. Gotta be a spot a mouse chewed on it. Come spring I'm going to Triton and ordering up a complete harness.
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The trailer my Big Polaris came on was an aluminum Triton, with the recessed lights... and they didn't work when I picked it up. (Actually had smoke when I plugged them in) AND... that was exactly what happened. A mouse chewed the wires in the frame, and they shorted out. I pulled a new harness before I sold it.

But my big Genesis turned into a great deal. After fixing what needed fixed, and selling the trailer... I had about $650 into it !!! (only 74hrs on the clock)
 
It's kinda funny you brought this up. I keep two of my ski's in my sister's garage over the winter. When I winterized my 96GTI I had noticed that the lights and wiring were old and funky. Harbor Freight had theirs on sale haft price, so I bought a set and installed them. I took the ski to my sisters house the next day. Guess what, positioning the ski, I have to put it on the front wall, crunch, destroyed the brand new light.

The best setup I've seen is on my boat trailer, it has on oval cutout in the frame, and a water proof truck light fitted into the oval.

Lou
 
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I buy my junk at garage sales....the worse they look the longer they last......LOL.. :)

Ok not really, but Murphy's law seems to crop up to everybody at least once or twice.
 
SabrToothSqrl said:
I find it great I'm not the only one with trailer light issues :)
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What... you think you were special????

OK... here's the best light story.

New lights on the boat trailer. (about a month old) I even spent the extra $$$ on the LED version. Well, I was setting up camp, and the wife says... isnt' that guy getting close to your trailer??? As soon as I look up, some guy was trying to back his trailer into a spot next to me, and he crushed the light on my trailer. So... I walk up, and say... "Were you not looking at all??" At first he acted like he didn't know he hit my trailer, and then he said... "They were probably old lights." At that point, I said they were new, and you own me $80 plus the labor to have new lights installed. We went back and forth for a while, and he didn't want to take care of it since his trailer didn't have any damage... so I simply said... "Fine. It will be easier to turn your plate number in, and report it as a hit and run."

He thought about it for a minute, and said... "Can I write you a check?"


In my +25 years of boating... this has truly been the only negative incident I've ever had. It never got to the point where we were going to fight... but I can't believe that the guy would actually try to say he didn't do it, when he knew he did, and I was only 30~40 yrd's away watching. And to be honest... if he said sorry... I would have probably let him off the hook. BUT... since he was being a $%^&... it cost him $145. (80 for the lights, and an hour labor from A&L Motorsports)

Most of the time when I have a busted light... I ether do it, putting the trailers in the garage... or I get home from the lake, and notice they are broken.
 
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We were at the mall last weekend... my wife's grey car now had a red line across the front bumper that wasn't there when we weren't in the mall... and of course no cameras in the lot...

Boat people are (generally) good people...
 
Doesnt matter if there were trailers in the lot...most security people wont let you see anything even if the was a camera.

My buddy was parked in a tight launch lot and when we got back from boating his bumper was all beat up and turn light smashed out.

He was all pissed till he hopped in the truck and saw a note. Someone saw the guy do it and left his license plate for my buddy. The cops called him and the guy said he didnt even own a boat so the cop told him he was coming over with some broken lens parts to verify. Guy bent, called my buddy, and exchanged info.
 
I replaced the lights on my trailer. One was broken, one was good. Saved the good one for about a year. I cleaned out the garage about six months ago, found the one stray light lying around. What the hell am I saving this one light for? Throw it away.

Didn't I break a tail light a month later.
 
tail light guards

I was trying to find black tail lights (when off) to match my black trailer / ski hulls.

and... got to thinking. the Jeep Wrangler tail lights are basically trailer lights... then I thought, they sell guards for those!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jeep-Wrangl...ep|Model:Wrangler&vxp=mtr&hash=item27bc996404

With some new holes this would bolt right to the trailer. The jeep tail lights are also more durable than trailer ones...

these should fit though? my friend has a set I can look at in person sometime.

anyway, these should prevent some tail light damage... and look sweet too...
 
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Minnetonka4me said:
I agree...I was going to make some metal guards an weld them on my trailer.

Now...on my double trailer...they should make them all like this:



When I hit something with these...they push in thanks to the rubber grommets.

So maybe find a small metal box you can cut the oval into then attach to the trailer. O'reilly has White LED lights this style too...big pimpin.
Click to expand...

dude how did you get those handlebars to look like that ?!?

wheres the throttle?? lol
 
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