Trailer Wiring and Tires

I have finally slapped enough Snoopy Band-Aids on the trailer wiring and tires that it is time to replace.

This time I am hoping to do it right or better than factory.

LIGHTS:

I have what I believe to be a mid to late 90’s shorelander trailer with two amber lights at the trailer tongue, an amber and red on each fender, 4-pin plug in and of course taillights.

My goal is to install all new wiring and LED lights all around.

What I have learned….

There is not a kit that I could find that includes it all in one pack. You need to piece it together with the correct sizes and budget.

Yes I could have went to multiple websites and saved a buck or two here and there but I opted for http://www.etrailer.com. There website is very easy to get around, they have the sizes of the lights listed and they have great videos/pictures. To help out the next guy with a shorelander I am posting my parts list below.

One thing that I did was us a jacketed 4 wire for my wire run. I did not cut into that jacket anywhere on any run. I am not grounding anything directly to the trailer. It will all be run up to the plug-in. I ran a separate jacketed 2-wire from each marker light and used waterproof connectors to join them at the taillights.(extension cord works well) I used a waterproof junction box with cord grips (menards) in the front were each 4-wire run came together. Shorelander provided a convenient spot to tuck it into at that junction. I also went to a 7 pin connector instead of the 4 pin.

Said and done I think I have a hair over $200 into it. With hopes it lasts!!!!

DW04923-1 Deka Jacketed 4-Wire – 14 Gauge – Per Foot
50 $52.00

HM48502 Hopkins 7-Way RV Style Trailer Connector with Nite-Glow – Trailer End
1 $9.29

STL57RB LED Trailer Tail Light – 7 Function – Submersible – 23 Diodes – Rectangle – Red Lens – Driver
1 $31.95

STL56RB LED Trailer Tail Light – 6 Function – Submersible – 18 Diodes – Rectangle – Red Lens – Passenger
1 $24.19

AL91AB Thinline LED Clearance and Side Marker Light – Submersible – 3 Diodes – Rectangle – Amber
5 $24.95

AL91RB Thinline LED Clearance and Side Marker Light – Submersible – 3 Diodes – Rectangle – Red
3 $15.57

A91CB Mounting Bracket for Optronics 90 Series or 91 Series Trailer Lights – Self-Grounding – Chrome
8 $12.08

MCL93RB Sealed, 3-Light Truck, Trailer Identification LED Light Bar, Black Base, 50″ Lead, 9 Diode -Red
1 $21.69

Tires:
The trailer was equipped with ST215/75/r14. You don’t have to spend much time on the interweb to find out that there all foreign and people hate them all…. I am trying and Omni that my local tire shop recommended. I will report back with how it goes. The are about $85 a tire.

What I did do is while I had the tires off is pack the bearings. Come on peeps just do it and save the hassle. Second thing was that I painted my rims. My son spent the time and took them down to metal, primed the rim and shot a cool dark grey on them. Looks sharp!

Let me know if you have any questions about what I did!

sand-burr,
I have a ’94 shorelander that 2 years ago I re-wired along with adding LED’s.
The best thing I’ve done for that trailer. I love those LED’s.
My wiring had a lot of gremlins and I got tired of trying to find them as it was at least once or twice a year that I was having issues.
You are right about etrailer.com. I had trouble finding the LEDs in town that I wanted ,so I ordered online.
Ron.

I did a late-80’s Shorelander several years ago. It’s nice to do it right so that it works, and if there is an issue, you know exactly how it is wired.

I went through several sets of LEDs from superbrightLEDs.com. Their warranty was good, but their lights were absolute garbage. Seriously, I went through at least 3 or 4 lights in less than two years because individual LEDs would go out. They always replaced the lights, but after a while, I just cut my losses and bought elsewhere.

I have had great service and many purchases from e trailer as I own 5 different trailers 3 that haul boats

Tires:
The trailer was equipped with ST215/75/r14. You don’t have to spend much time on the interweb to find out that there all foreign and people hate them all….

If you haven’t seen it yet, Goodyear is now offering a made in USA D-load range 14″ trailer tire, the Endurance.

http://www.goodyearrvtires.com/tire-selector.aspx

HRG

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Few things in life are as troublesome as trailer lights. I know it is not just me as I see it all the time on the road. One or both lights not working.

Ralph I did see your review of the LED lights. I hope mine last.

Hot Runr I have not seen those tires prior to you posting. I guess we will see.

Sand-burr, I admire your bulletproof approach with the 4 wire and running the ground back to the tow vehicle.

Personally, I just used side marker lights with built in grounds and then I ran a short pigtail and grounded each tail light with an individual frame ground on the trailer. After using a dremal tool to buff the metal clean, I drilled a hole for a self-tapping screw and then used a loop terminal connector and screwed it to the frame. This makes a super ground and the problem of having a single central ground go bad is eliminated.

Don Miller wrote:

Few things in life are as troublesome as trailer lights. I know it is not just me as I see it all the time on the road. One or both lights not working.

Yes, before LED trailer lights, the old incandescent lights were the bane of my earthly existence. LED changed everything. A good LED light install lasts for years.

Grouse