ARK Submersible Trailer Lights

[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 ? Sorry couldnt resist
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 ?

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

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. 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. 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

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 I'll drown them in epoxy and see how they go

[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.co...e/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.co...e/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...