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Sawmill Trailer Lights Stopped Working...a Day in Purgatory

Started by Ga Mtn Man, April 18, 2017, 08:25:23 PM

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Ga Mtn Man

I don't want to bore y'all with the play-by-play of my trailer lights trouble-shooting nightmare but here's the end of the day tally:

  • 2 blown fuses in the truck.

  • 1 broken ground connection to mill chassis
  • 1 broken wire in mill RV connector
  • 6 wires chewed in two by mice
  • 1 dead truck battery
All lights but the left blinker are now working.  They were all working when I checked them last Thursday.  Tomorrow will be a better day.
"If the women don't find you handsome they should at least find you handy." - Red Green


2012 LT40HDG29 with "Superized" hydraulics,  2 LogRite cant hooks, home-built log arch.

bags


SineWave

Welcome to my world. I use boats on trailers in saltwater. Lights last about a week.  :-[

The corrosiveness of saltwater is something that never ceases to amaze me. You ain't gonna stop it...best you can hope for is to slow it down.

WV Sawmiller

   I have not tried to replace lights where electric brakes are also a factor. On simple trailer lights I often find it is easier to just replace the entire light cables than find that one broken wire. I do tear up a lot of lights on my utility trailer hauling firewood and posts and lumber around the place. I keep a spare light ready to replace when the time comes.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Ga Mtn Man

There was a point yesterday that I was reading continuity to GND on the electric brake pin of the RV connector and none on the GND pin.  This was after finding and fixing the broken chassis GND connection  These are adjacent pins and would switch right-to-left if mirror imaged.  I'm thinking-  "This thing is wired backwards...how has it possibly been working?".  After a lot of head scratching I opened up the connector to see what the heck was going on.  I found the white GND wire broken at the clamp-type connector and two others on their way to being severed.  These screw-clamp type connectors clamp down on the bare wire but the clamping plates have sharp edges that seem designed to eventually cut through the wire.  When I get time I'm going to terminate all the wires in the connector with spade lugs.  BTW, I realized later that continuity to GND is normal on the blue e-brake wire. 
"If the women don't find you handsome they should at least find you handy." - Red Green


2012 LT40HDG29 with "Superized" hydraulics,  2 LogRite cant hooks, home-built log arch.

Wudman

I have an assortment of trailers around here and seem to run into that problem on a routine basis.  Get you a set of the magnetic trailer lights.  You can get where you need to go that day and worry about the lights tomorrow.

Wudman
"You may tear down statues and burn buildings but you can't kill the spirit of patriots and when they've had enough this madness will end."
Charlie Daniels
July 4, 2020 (2 days before his death)

barbender

Come get some road salt in those connectors and everything,  makes it even more fun!
Too many irons in the fire

Kbeitz

Quote from: SineWave on April 19, 2017, 08:04:52 AM
Welcome to my world. I use boats on trailers in saltwater. Lights last about a week.  :-[

The corrosiveness of saltwater is something that never ceases to amaze me. You ain't gonna stop it...best you can hope for is to slow it down.

Liquid electrical tape....
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

red

Honor the Fallen Thank the Living

sawguy21

I have spent more time than I care to remember chasing trailer light gremlins. ::) Snow and road salt caused a lot of headaches.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

sealark37

After years of trying to maintain trailer lights, I finally resorted to planning on being back at the barn by nightfall.  Regards, Clark

Beavertooth

I have a bad wire in my sawmill frame  going to my left back light on mine. I use a set of magnetic lights all the time and just don't even worry about trying to fix the one on mill. It ain't worth the time. Too many other things to do.   :) :) :)
2007 LT70 Remote Station 62hp cat.

DanMc

For the past few years, every time I used my trailer there would be a light out somewhere.  Finally I got tired of it when I noticed wires that were so stiff that they would crack and break apart if you bent them.  So I ripped out all the wiring and installed a new LED kit from Harbor Freight.  They look like very nice lights for not much $$, so its low risk if they don't work out.  Anyway, for the first time I have 100% working lights. 
LT35HDG25
JD 4600, JD2210, JD332 tractors.
28 acres of trees, Still have all 10 fingers.
Jesus is Lord.

esteadle

After I found my sawmill completely dead one spring, from a mouse chewing through the magneto wires on the flywheel, I started buying this stuff and tossing the little "packages" into open holes in the frame, and up around the engine during winter time.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/SHAKEAWAY-MOUSE-REPELLENT-12-4PK-1.5OZ/28471949

bigjohn1895

i rewire my log trailer once a year seems the salt will eat any wire connection 
one tip i will give you or any one that will read this get an extension cord with ground
and use that for your trailer wires will out last any other wires you will find as long as you
keep the connections dry  i live in northern michigan where ice and salt are a gerentie for 4 months
all my trailers that dont get drug through log trails have been wired for more then 4 years now
if i have a problem i just lay new wire easier then chasing gosts that you find in trailer wires 
norwood hd36  hydraulics to be built

thecfarm

I loaned out an old horse trailer once. He wanted to know what I wanted for using it. Get the lights working,I asked. It came back with an extension cord for the wire. He said that is the best thing to use.

Another product,peppermint and spearmint
Bonide mouse magic
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

ToddsPoint

One cold winter day a friend got in his car and headed to town.  He only got 1/4 mi. and the car died.  He opened the hood and there were two rabbits in there, one alive and one dead.  They had eaten through several wires.  The only wires they ate were green colored.  Gary
Logosol M7, Stihl 660 and 290, Kubota L3901.

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