Trailer light replacement kits - source for quality parts

[Desk Jockey]

I have a +10 year old utility trailer that needed enough new lights - cracked housings and old incandescent bulbs corroded into sockets - that I am rewiring it.

Ordered two different kits off Amazon for $40-50 and the are garbage quality. Way lower quality than the OEM stuff. Walmart carries the same crap. Is there a place to order light kits that don’t suck? I would pay a little more to not have to replace them any time soon.

 

[wyosteve]

Might try etrailer.

 

[TxLite]

Have you checked with the OEM to see if they will sell you what they use?

 

[A.hol1]

I just helped a buddy rewire his boat trailer. He got a kit from our local trailer dealership / repair shop. Much higher quality than the Walmart one he was going to originally use.


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[Wrench]

Napa belden has some decent stuff. The problem I'm having with the Chinese crap is the wire. The wire turns to powder. I've soldered, crimped, crimped with deox and dielectric, heat shrink crimped and lastly soldered some and twisted others then coated with rtv....nothing works to make Chinese wire last.

 

[Wrench]

I did re light my flatbed with optronics which is decent quality....but it wasn't cheap nor retrofit.

 

[Vrybusy]

+1 on ETrailer.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Have you checked with the OEM to see if they will sell you what they use?

Have not. Not a bad idea.

given some time pressure here, I may just have to go with what I have and then revise when I can find a better solution.

thanks for the suggestions.

 

[DenimChicken]

Another vote for etrailer. I’ve purchased a fair amount from them. I’ve also purchased OEM specific figment parts off of Amazon, but it was the OEM as the third party seller.

 

[kevlar88]

I played with cheap lights for way to long on a boat trailer. I had to replace the cheap lights once a year if not more often. Finally spent the money on some sealed marine LED lights and they lasted 8 years and were still working perfectly fine when I sold the boat. I would have saved myself a lot of time, money and frustration if I went with the buy once cry once mentality.

Edit to add link:

Trailer Light Kit with Harness and Hardware for Trailers Over 80

Check out our Trailer Light Kit with Harness and Hardware for Trailers Over 80

www.westmarine.com

 

[SloppyJ]

I put some LEDs on my boat trailer and they'd been great. I'd highly recommend that.

 

[Desk Jockey]

So posting for anyone that comes along later.

I had some time pressure so I went with the Amazon light kit. It is probably on par with Wally World and auto one offerings. if I were doing it again, I would definitely order a better set of lights from e trailer or west marine. Contacting the OEM would have been a good idea too. As @Wrench points out, the wires on the new lights are trash. we will see how long it lasts.

I also could have gotten away with new lights on the old wire harnes but I started chopping it up before I even thoughts about that option. Something to consider.

the biggest pain in the ass was drilling out new mounting holes for the new lights. Of course nothing lines up and the trailer is metal so that upped the pain in the ass factor dulling and breaking a couple of bits.