ARK Submersible Trailer Lights

[ahamay]

ok, so I bought a set of these because usual story, i'm sick of replacing led ones.

Problem is, how the heck do you get the wires through the little rubber grommet in the back. I know this is for waterproofing but man it's a PITA. What the secret ?

[ric]

ok, so I bought a set of these because usual story, i'm sick of replacing led ones.

Problem is, how the heck do you get the wires through the little rubber grommet in the back. I know this is for waterproofing but man it's a PITA. What the secret ?

poke a hole with a pin and feed the wire through. try not to tear the rubber otherwise it will leak.

[tossie]

They leak anyway!! Just gone from them to a sealed LED's.

[ahamay]

They leak anyway!! Just gone from them to a sealed LED's.


And that helps me how? Your going to be pissed when your LEDs pack it in and you have paid 3 times the price and they don't last any longer. Been there done that multiple times....not again.

[TheRealAndy]

I use the narva led lamps, not had a problem yet, and I have had them on for at least 2 years now.

[deckie]

Relax fella's..solution at hand.

Its controversial but bear with me.

Step 1.
After taking off tie downs kick lever holding light.
Step 2.
Take off light.
Step 3.
Place in boot.
Step 4.
There is no step 4.

15 seconds and you;ll never say "for fs.. those $#%@$#$ lights have $##$@ gone again. Bastards cost me hundred and fifty $$@#$# dollars"

How about disposable tiedowns ??

[culbara]

Mate yo uan get led lights now that are gauranteed for life they cost about 85dollars and i have found them to be great you have to buy numberplate light too as they dont come with one but i have found them to be great
Hope this helps

[bluefin59]

My NARVA leds have been on 3 yrs and drowned almost every week and never had a problem ,they come with 7 mt leads so no joins, must be something wrong with your install to continually have problems . Matt

[deckie]

Mate yo uan get led lights now that are gauranteed for life they cost about 85dollars and i have found them to be great you have to buy numberplate light too as they dont come with one but i have found them to be great
Hope this helps

Sounds marvellous...with about 200 different manufacturers all hoping to flog the same thing i dont doubt u can get a lifetime warranty with some.
There are two problems tho isnt there ?
1. Have u ever tried to actually claim on this "lifetime warranty" ? Even if you were successful how long will this take to get a replacement ?
2. Have you ever tried to go trailerboating with lights that dont work ?....not really that easy which means we all just go $#$#@$@ it and buy another set so that we can go for a fish...rather than waiting the god knows how long to get restitution for a contrived marketing trick warranty they dont actually expect anyone to claim on.

Anyway...you got a brand name to put to these amazing lights for 85bux ?..and how long have they worked for so far that makes you so happy ?


My NARVA leds have been on 3 yrs and drowned almost every week and never had a problem ,they come with 7 mt leads so no joins, must be something wrong with your install to continually have problems . Matt
I'm guessing minimum $150 plus for Narva's ????...and you;re stoked coz u have gotten 3 yrs ? Hell...you're easy pleased. Thats $50-60 per annuum on lights you are spending at the moment. You think thats worth being happy about ?
Excuse my cynicism but there's just as many who have spent that money and NOT got 3 yrs...many never even got 18months ;D. I;d suggest that for that kinda money and effective cost per annum you might want to remain undecided till you got 6-8yrs ?


OK this might be a bit of a pet hate of mine..."supposedly submersibles"..and everyone has their own theories on them...but i;m still mystified at what point people became so bloody lazy they cant even take their lights off anymore. They complain when they bugger up but still seem very happy to throw money at trailer lights regularly. Very easy to just never have a problem and cost 1/3rd the price.

You need to let the hubs cool anyway so where's the problem taking these things off ? Are we THAT lazy we down tools after taking the tiedowns off and refuse the extra 15 seconds ?

Is there some sort of rule that you need to dunk these things ?..mass produced electrical stuff in saltwater sound a it dumb and inevitable ?

I'm guessing some boaties have never even seen a rig with removable lights nor even considered it. But once you've dusted your share of them you;ll hate em as much as me :D. Especially when u get pulled over and it costs another $150 :D

Whinge over
Thanx ;D

[TheRealAndy]

I got one of those removable things on the trailer sailer deckie, what a pain in the arse. Youi can have em, I'll stick with my submersible leds! Undo rear strap of boat, reverse into water. --- And getting it out, drive up ramp, put on strap, drive home.

[Fed]

I sealed up some non-waterproof lights and dunked them until I sold the boat 10+ years later,... they were still working fine.

[deckie]

I got one of those removable things on the trailer sailer deckie, what a pain in the arse. Youi can have em, I'll stick with my submersible leds! Undo rear strap of boat, reverse into water. --- And getting it out, drive up ramp, put on strap, drive home.
Yeah but everything about a trailer sailer takes twice as long at the ramp doesnt it ? ;D Sorry couldnt resist :D
How are/were they set up ?...u couldnt just kick a gal screw lever, take off and shove in the boot ? Are the tiedowns connecting to the trailer easy to undo ?..you've got to do a trip to the boot anyway for those so whynot take the lights with you ? ;D

Maybe i just realllllllyyyy hate these things and noone else has a problem with them.
After you've tried extra sealing, waterproof wiring connectors then sealing up, continuous wire all the way etc... then they STILL bugger up i just got the absolute shits with them. Sick of thinking about them...sick of looking for better ones and forking out every yr or three. Getting booked was the last straw.

They must be selling thousands of these things...and i hate the way even if one part of the light goes then the whole lot is now buggered.

Why is it everyone in here seems happy with them but when i go to my trailer guy there's always someone getting them fixed and its the number one job he does ? last time i was there he had a brand new rig and replacing them.

What is a reasonable return then ?...is replacing every 3-4 yrs acceptable ?

I realllly hate these things ;D

[Defore]

I agree with deckie on the removable lights, I've had the others and now prefer to remove and store when not in use.
Also becomes a minor deterrent for someone stealing the trailer, cops don't like trailers traveling down the road without lights.
The lights fitted to the trailer are more convenient, but I like to know my lights will work when needed and has now just become part of the set up stage.

Ian

[tossie]

And that helps me how? Your going to be pissed when your LEDs pack it in and you have paid 3 times the price and they don't last any longer. Been there done that multiple times....not again.



Mate, this helps to let you know what you bought is also crap. 3 times price, don't think so about $7 dollars different. Have mates with same LED's 2years going strong.;D

[fat-buoy]

I had so much trouble with those ARC submersible lights... these days I simply use the light board that I unplug and put in the back of the car... I prefer the look of the LED and keep telling myself that one day I will put some on the trailer but in the end the light board works perfectly..

[FishHunter]

my trailer came with removable lights which I removed and fitted submersible leds for 1 reason only, its one less thing I can forget.

[thylacene]

Fitted a set of Trojan LED 18 months ago after the sparky who fitted new lights to the trailer before we bought it used plain copper and a pocket knife to pare away the insulation. Salt water got into it and ate the guts out of the wire. With the Sparky allowing only just enough wire to reach the lights I was faced with having joins that were submersed regularly and decided that I would spend the $150 at Repco with a trailer hitch lock thrown in.

The Trojan lights came with 7 metres of cable on each light, with the rear of the lights filled with resin they appear to be fully waterproof, but were given a liberal dose of marine silicone for good measure. I ran each cable up either side of the trailer and the only joins were at the plug at the front. I used Hella LED width lights and tinned wire with the joins on top of the mudguard soldered heat shrinked and then silicon and another layer of heat shrink applied over the wet silicone and shrunk, these also terminated at the plug. I also put a loop of 600mm in the cable before cutting it to length and stored this inside the drawbar with a zippy tie to hold it. This means that if the plug is damaged or the wire breaks where it pivots as the trailer turns, there is sufficient to be able to replace a plug. It cost nothing but might prevent work in the future.

This setup has been used regularly, up until we sold it last month, and has had absolutely no problems. The lights have a built in number plate light that has its own wire so you can choose to use it or not. The size is good and there is reasonable side on visibility. I had a good look at the options available, and the Trojan lights were priced reasonably, resin filled, offered no plugs or joins that would allow ingress, had a non-brittle plastic base.

It is my observation that;

Attention to detail when fitting prevents issues in the future.
Plain copper, dc current and salt water is one of the fastest acts of corrosion I have seen.
Avoiding joins where there is the possibility of ingress of water.
Every time I have had issues with trailer lights it has been a direct result of dodgy workmanship.

Cheers

Thy

[Mad-One]

Put a pole on each side of your trailer with lights at the top problem solved don't need submersibles and don't need to remove light board plus they act as a guide driving boat on.

MAD

[bigbrian47]

mad-one
sounds good what about the number plate?? could you post a pic
cheers brian

[TheRealAndy]

Yeah but everything about a trailer sailer takes twice as long at the ramp doesnt it ? ;D Sorry couldnt resist :D
How are/were they set up ?...u couldnt just kick a gal screw lever, take off and shove in the boot ? Are the tiedowns connecting to the trailer easy to undo ?..you've got to do a trip to the boot anyway for those so whynot take the lights with you ? ;D

Maybe i just realllllllyyyy hate these things and noone else has a problem with them.
After you've tried extra sealing, waterproof wiring connectors then sealing up, continuous wire all the way etc... then they STILL bugger up i just got the absolute shits with them. Sick of thinking about them...sick of looking for better ones and forking out every yr or three. Getting booked was the last straw.

They must be selling thousands of these things...and i hate the way even if one part of the light goes then the whole lot is now buggered.

Why is it everyone in here seems happy with them but when i go to my trailer guy there's always someone getting them fixed and its the number one job he does ? last time i was there he had a brand new rig and replacing them.

What is a reasonable return then ?...is replacing every 3-4 yrs acceptable ?

I realllly hate these things ;D

I will keep th light board on the trailer sailer, as its probably only ever going to get used once a year when I drag it up to tin can bay. The rest of the time its a yard trolley! No lights and brakes get removed until needed.

[Paul007]

I have 2 boat trailers and a box trailer. I was always finding a bulb out on a trailer when I went to use it, or submersible lights that had not leaked as such but that salt vapor had crept into. I bought one light board and mounted two screws to it. They are held in place with nuts. The two screws line up with holes in all three of my number plates. I have the two that are not relevant facing to the light board and the one that is relevant to the trailer being used facing outward and on top. Two wing nuts then go on to hold it in place.

Works like a charm.
On top of that, if my trailer was to be stolen not only would they not have lights but also no number plate!
I always carry the latest rego papers that came with my label in the glove box so I can easily supply the VIN of the trailer if needed.

[deckie]

Its a very good point and smart. Sounds like basic common sense too.

Life would be that bit harder for the thieves we'd all like to shoot if they needed to bring along their own trailer lights and number plates so they werent pulled over on their way to christ knows where. Any need to make it easy for them ?

But we're a lazy bunch these days...cant even take the lights off to launch it.

Still find it a bit wierd people are so happy they've got 2 or 3 yrs out of their submersibles. Thats like saying i paid $400 for an agm battery and happy i've got 2-3 yrs from them when you;d probably get the same from one costing $200.

If i paid $150 for a new winch should i be stoked if its still good after 2-3 yrs ? If i replace an axle and springs for $400 should i be happy its still good in just 2-3yrs time ?

They're just lights... not a fashion statement. If you pay $150 for these small mass produced items then i'd suggest its probably not worth being so happy or crow about how good they are until you've got 5-10 yrs service. Unless of course you think $50+per annum on just the trailer lights is somehow a good deal.

[TheRealAndy]

Its a very good point and smart. Sounds like basic common sense too.

Life would be that bit harder for the thieves we'd all like to shoot if they needed to bring along their own trailer lights and number plates so they werent pulled over on their way to christ knows where. Any need to make it easy for them ?

But we're a lazy bunch these days...cant even take the lights off to launch it.

Still find it a bit wierd people are so happy they've got 2 or 3 yrs out of their submersibles. Thats like saying i paid $400 for an agm battery and happy i've got 2-3 yrs from them when you;d probably get the same from one costing $200.

If i paid $150 for a new winch should i be stoked if its still good after 2-3 yrs ? If i replace an axle and springs for $400 should i be happy its still good in just 2-3yrs time ?

They're just lights... not a fashion statement. If you pay $150 for these small mass produced items then i'd suggest its probably not worth being so happy or crow about how good they are until you've got 5-10 yrs service. Unless of course you think $50+per annum on just the trailer lights is somehow a good deal.


You serioulsy think that a lack of plates/lights will stop a theif?

And BTW deckie, I am really friggin lazy, I hate even pluggin lights in:P. 99% of my problems are caused by the dumb ass plastic socket on the car that fills up with sand everytime I go to the beach. I change plugs more than I change lights and light boards.

I lied too. One of my LED lamps is younger than the other. It failed big time not long after I bought it. But that was due to an exploding tyre on the highway near bowen that also managed to bend my mudguard. The narva led lamp still worked for a few months before I replaced it, and was still working the day I replaced it. I just drowned it in lanotec each time it went for a swim!

[deckie]

You serioulsy think that a lack of plates/lights will stop a theif?

And BTW deckie, I am really friggin lazy, I hate even pluggin lights in:P. 99% of my problems are caused by the dumb ass plastic socket on the car that fills up with sand everytime I go to the beach. I change plugs more than I change lights and light boards.

I lied too. One of my LED lamps is younger than the other. It failed big time not long after I bought it. But that was due to an exploding tyre on the highway near bowen that also managed to bend my mudguard. The narva led lamp still worked for a few months before I replaced it, and was still working the day I replaced it. I just drowned it in lanotec each time it went for a swim!
lol i dunno probably not...but sounds like it cant make it easy on them out on the road to thiefville. They probably already carry spares anyway ::)

Hey..i;m lazy too. Eons ago i even tried submersible bulb halogens before LED's were even thought about. The only ones that ever lasted well were el cheapo's and just replaced a bulb and the odd cracked lens every now and then. Had them about 15 yrs. Now u can buy bulb ones for next to nothing and the bulbs cost nothing as well...everyone wants LED's despite being virtually no obvious advantage at all for a trailer. Look pretty smooth tho ;D

ok u've sold me...if they can handle a whack from shredded tyre rubber they'll do me. Now i've had another hate session on these things i;ll probably just go out and buy another set soon anyway ;D I'll drown them in epoxy and see how they go ;D

[Paul007]

You serioulsy think that a lack of plates/lights will stop a theif?



No I have no expectation at all of the lack of lights or number plate stopping a thief, but I do believe that it would increase the chances of a passing police car stopping them and asking some questions.
For me, the main reason for going to the trailer board was to make one set of lights serve three trailers and keep the lights out of the water completely.
It has done that very well.
I don't have any problems with removing the plug .... in fact, I often leave it connected and just toss the board and the rest of the cable into the car.

[finga]

I don't know why or how but I must be just plain lucky after reading this thread.
The lights on the big boat trailer have been on there for 7/8 years.
The lights on the tinny trailer have been there for over 5 years.
They're all the same light (Elcheepo $6 each lights from Active Fabrications) as I brought a few sets when I wired the big boat trailer thinking I'll need to replace these fairly often....and I hate wasting an hour or so driving to a shop for a $6 item.
They're normal square trailer lights with bayonet bulbs.
I think I've only ever blown about 4 bulbs as well in that time.
Why do they last so long??
Probably because when I wire them I tin the ends of the wires and coat absolutely everything (including the wires to stop the ingress of moisture into the insulation) in Lanolin grease to the extent it drips out on hot days.

Why did I put the lights on the trailer and not use a light board??
I must be a lazy pr!ck apparently.
Nope. I hate things (ie light boards) flapping around whacking into everything knocking paint off anything in it's way and the extra hassle of storing it in the car when your actually on the water.
In my opinion lightboards are just something else you have to worry about....and need not have to.

As mentioned before in this thread. A bit of time and care spent in the installation usually means years more service life to your lights.
This is particularly evident after you've had to fix lots of lights and seen first hand how people wire up trailer lights....even new trailers straight from the factory.

[ozscott]

I will add my 2 cents since it's going on. 2 boats and fitted 60'dollar Submersalites and years of trouble free dunking with each. 1 blown bulb after many years. Seals. Can never go back to a light board. Cheap bright and effective. Cheers

[wrxhoon]

I have these on my Trophy trailer::
http://led-catalogue.ledautolamps.com/Olive/ODE/ledtech/,
model 207BRL the drivers side has number plate light .

They are made in Taiwan : http://www.ledautolamps.com
All their auto products have a 5 year warranty.

I have these in my trailer for almost 3 years now , trouble free.
I have their clearance lights as well at about $25 per pair , very cheap .


I have Hella in my ski boat trailer, had them for almost 8 years now , never any problem, I must say the trailer only goes in fresh water though .

The reason I didn't get Hella for my Trophy trailer , price , the LED brand are only about $80 per pair including number plate light, Hellas are double that.

I have a light board that I use on trailers that light don't work .

I couldn't be bothered with removable lights .

Pre LED , I used bell type lights, no problems either other than replacing globes .

Someone that suggested lights on poles on either side of the trailer , I'm afraid they don't comply with ADR on height from ground , unless you have a very low ski boat.

[ahamay]

ok, so I bought a set of these because usual story, i'm sick of replacing led ones.
Problem is, how the heck do you get the wires through the little rubber grommet in the back. I know this is for waterproofing but man it's a PITA. What the secret ?

Got them all installed and wet a few times over the weekend. For $50 bucks a pair they will do me. I sealed up the grommet with sealant. At least with these I can replace a bulb. If they last for 12 months I'll be happy with that.

Thanks for the input.

[Rhinoc]

I have these on my Trophy trailer::
http://led-catalogue.ledautolamps.com/Olive/ODE/ledtech/,
model 207BRL the drivers side has number plate light .

They are made in Taiwan : http://www.ledautolamps.com
All their auto products have a 5 year warranty.

I have these in my trailer for almost 3 years now , trouble free.
I have their clearance lights as well at about $25 per pair , very cheap .

I had the same ones on my last trailer (recently sold) and they were fantastic. Never gave me any trouble in the four years since I installed them.

Rhino...

[malby]

I recently bought a set of these Ark submersible trailer lights and had them fitted by a mate who is a sparky and they have leaked from day one. Will try the grommet with sealant as step one but was quite surprised as we followed all of the instructions and they leak like a sieve. How did yours go long term? Anyone else had issues with them? Best solutions found?

[ozscott]

I have Narva LEDs. They blew an LED in the first week. New ones then fitted under warranty. Within a month 2 blew...pain because to replace requires a fair bit of work. Unless another goes I will wait until just before the 5 year warranty is up and have them replaced. Not impressed. The Submersalight I had on before them were good as gold for many years...standard bulbs. Cheers

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[malby]

I also had submersalights on but they had finally given up the ghost. So put these on as I wanted to be able to change the globes as per the old ones. So far they are absolutely hopeless! Hopefully I can find the leaking point??!!

[tunaticer]

My ebay LED lights have been submerged almost every weekend for nearly 2yrs now.......still no problem.

[RayLamp]

http://www.ledautolamps.com/combination-lamps/173-boat-trailer-lamps.html

These have lasted for 8 years and still going strong.

[Giveitacrack]

Had Narva LEDs for 12 months.One light totally failed in this time.Called Narva and they replaced it no questions asked... very good service.Within months the stop light's failed on the same light.No more Narva's for me.

[DaveR]

http://www.ledautolamps.com/combination-lamps/173-boat-trailer-lamps.html

These have lasted for 8 years and still going strong.

I have their other style (vertical design) which were factory fitted on my trailer, 1.5 years old and I just replaced one of them today. Not pleased it failed, but rather lucky BCF stocks them and they have a very simple plug and play system, so the swap took all of 60 seconds.

[malby]

I have their other style (vertical design) which were factory fitted on my trailer, 1.5 years old and I just replaced one of them today. Not pleased it failed, but rather lucky BCF stocks them and they have a very simple plug and play system, so the swap took all of 60 seconds.
I note on their web site that these all come with a 5 year warranty. When you say they come with a plug and play system do you mean they require their own wires to be bought also as it seems you can buy them as a stand alone product or with the wires as a kit.

[DaveR]

I note on their web site that these all come with a 5 year warranty. When you say they come with a plug and play system do you mean they require their own wires to be bought also as it seems you can buy them as a stand alone product or with the wires as a kit.

5 year warranty to retail consumers, but mine came fitted to the trailer from factory (Telwater) so I have no receipt to give to the light manufacturer. Terrible time of the year to be chasing up a warranty claim and I need my rig available for NYE, so I had to rush out and buy a replacement pair myself. I might email Telwater the receipt.

Regarding the lights, the standalone pair don't have a wiring kit included, just a short cable with an in line plug, so once your trailer is wired up you can replace a faulty unit by simply unplugging it from the system, no need to rewire anything.

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