Wire harness with full length grounds

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Seapup
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Location: 2002 26x - Virgina Beach, Va

Wire harness with full length grounds

Post by Seapup »

I have a buddy with a Boston Whaler and nice box tube trailer with the lights up 4' on goal posts that stay out of the saltwater. It still just has a single ground that uses the trailer as a conductor though which is giving him headaches. The right and left sides run down each frame side separately from the tuck to the lights. Does anyone know of an aftermarket harness (about 25') that has individual grounds that run along with the power wires the entire harness (2 separate full length grounds, one for right and one left) He is trying to avoid any type of splice or connectors between the truck and lights. Thanks!!!
Waterrunner
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Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2014 1:24 pm
Sailboat: Venture 25
Location: North Bay Area, California

Re: Wire harness with full length grounds

Post by Waterrunner »

Use a extension cord black for stop/turn.... green for tail ....white for ground ... Works fine for me join them at the tongue.
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Tomfoolery
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Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
Location: Rochester, NY '99X BF50 'Tomfoolery'

Re: Wire harness with full length grounds

Post by Tomfoolery »

Use a 4-wire trailer flat bonded cable assembly (sold by the foot), running one down each side from the tongue, and snip the unused conductor (left and right turn/brake) as needed. You could use flat bonded 3-wire, and use whichever turn/stop isn't needed for that side (green or yellow) as the ground, but at $0.51 per foot it's only 6 cents less than the 4-wire at $0.57 per foot (at etrailer, at least). You can also get jacketed 4-wire cables of 16 gauge (same as the flat stuff), but the colors aren't standard for trailer light wiring, though since you're the one wiring it, who cares really.

Join them at the tongue in a waterproof box made for the job, mounted above the waterline when the trailer is as deep in the water as it will go. Run a single molded 4-wire cable with 4-flat plug to the tow vehicle from there.

And use grease filled or heat shrink connectors, including the butt splices at the lights. And use some grease on the terminal strip connections in the box. This setup has worked for me since I got the trailer, though I'm not in salt water.

Eliminating the trailer frame as the ground is definitely the way to go. :wink:
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