Dump trailer wiring quirk

[jmc]

Don't read this unless you have a dump or tilt trailer. Its boring.

My dump trailer lights have been acting weird, like the clearance lights flashing with the turn signal. Turns out this is a classic symptom of a bad ground connection but the separate bed throws in a twist. Took it to an expert and he discovered that since the wiring is grounded on the trailer frame, and the tail lights are attached to the separate bed, then the current must pass thru the bed's pivot point. This trailer is only used a few times a year so the pivot was rusty or dirty. He put in a ground strap between the bed and frame to fix it. Sounds like the type of thing that may happen to others eventually unless the Manufacturer anticipated it.

John

 

[Junkman]

very common with dump trucks... You should use it more often and you wouldn't have problems... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[DavidJ]

I have a tilt boat trailer that did the same thing until I installed a ground strap. You'd think designers would anticipate this kind of thing in the beginning.

 

[jmc]

Junkman/DavidJ,

I should have started here instead of ending here!

John

 

[Junkman]

When I was in the truck equipment business, we would install a woven copper ground strap between the body and the dump body sub frame to eliminate the problem. Sometimes it worked and other times it didn't. It would also depend on the amount of road salt that would attack the connections. This is a common problem on all connections that are exposed to the environment. A clean machine is the answer.

 

[OkeeDon]

I installed a separate ground wire that is attached to a known, good ground and runs around the trailer to all of the connections, separately grounding them. Common way to handle ground in fiberglass; worked for the dump trailer, as well.

 

[LLove]

What is a problem can be used as an upgrade- safety reason. As you found out, the lamps "Blinked"
opposite of the tow vehicle, due to the bad ground.
I have used this="Floating Ground" to allow side markers to blink my lane change desire, then go back
to there normal state if the running lights are on. They also blink without the running lamps on.
GM vehicles use the same idea on the front and fender lights. The lamps must be insulated for this
to work, or the lamp must have 2 factory wires, 1 for the hot feed,the other for a ground on a single
filiment bulb.
Just food for thought, easy to do. Lloyd