Trailer electrical issue

[FF376]

So my son bought an older boat and trailer and has replaced the wiring. It has the flat 4 no brake set up (Jon boat) . new lights and completed wiring kit. The lights and wiring have the "white" ground wire to the trailer frame. Cleaned off paint and ring terminated each to the frame. Only side marker light work. Ran a jumper wire from one of the light grounds to the truck frame and all works fine. Truck connected to the trailer hitch like normal. So how does one properly ground a trailer???

 

[chopperman1]

Ground is carried via the white wire on the 4 pin. I've never liked the "using the frame for ground" on a boat trailer. It's exposed to very harsh conditions.

 

[04fxdwgi]

Check where the truck's trailer harness white connects to the truck's frame and the connector white pinon the truck itself. A meter should read 0 ohms between the frame and the white wire pin on the trailer connector. Zero ohms, or very close to it, between the truck frame and trailer frame.

 

[2003F350]

It's POSSIBLE that it's on the truck side of the connector but since you have the side lights I'd say that's not the case. It's more probable that the trailer is so poorly grounded after years of being exposed to water (you don't say HOW old this trailer is) that it doesn't conduct well. Double-check you truck's plug but I would suggest just running a dedicated ground wire from all your lights back to the plug on the trailer and bypassing the frame completely. Use shrink-wrap style connections (or cover them all in shrink wrap but I find that to be more time consuming) and you should have no issues with water intrusion.

You could also try redoing your grounds to the trailer frame, make sure you take off paint and get down to GOOD, shiny bare metal to make the connection, but given that it's a boat trailer I think doing a dedicated ground wire is going to be better long-term.

 

[FF376]

After taking g a look at it (first time in daylight) its a "tilt" style trailer. So the connection where it hinges is rusty. Cleaned and painted for good measure but did like y'all suggested and ran a dedicated ground from the lights to the connector. Problem solved. Thanks for the ideas.

 

[04fxdwgi]

After taking g a look at it (first time in daylight) its a "tilt" style trailer. So the connection where it hinges is rusty. Cleaned and painted for good measure but did like y'all suggested and ran a dedicated ground from the lights to the connector. Problem solved. Thanks for the ideas.

Suggest running a bonding wire between the the main frame and tongue frame (across the pivot) to eliminate that from happening again.