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mhankins 
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Joined: 19 Feb 2019
Location: Arkansas
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 Topic: Trailer wiring gurus
Posted: 05 Jan 2020 at 9:12am |
I have a 2018 dodge journey, and installed a hitch the other day. On the wiring it said if you have LED vehicle light,and standard lights on the trailer,you had to buy an adapter to protect the vehicle wiring. My question is,would putting diodes in line to the trailer do the same thing. ?
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Coke-in-MN
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Afton MN
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Posted: 05 Jan 2020 at 10:21am |
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rsistance - LED do not have same resistance level as tungsten bulbs so flasher might not work right .
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Faith isn't a jump in the dark. It is a walk in the light. Faith is not guessing; it is knowing something.
"Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."
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DanWi
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Posted: 05 Jan 2020 at 11:35am |
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Would the vehicle with LED's have lighter wiring then the trailer with standard bulbs? The trailer would require more amperage? That is the one thing when I have added LED's to a tractor the wires are like telephone wire.
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john(MI)
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Location: SE MI
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Posted: 05 Jan 2020 at 12:20pm |
 DanWi wrote:
Would the vehicle with LED's have lighter wiring then the trailer with standard bulbs? The trailer would require more amperage? That is the one thing when I have added LED's to a tractor the wires are like telephone wire. |
Now that's just silly! Telephones don't have wires they have batteries! 
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Dnoym N. S. Can.
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Joined: 03 Oct 2009
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Posted: 05 Jan 2020 at 1:07pm |
buy an adapter to protect the vehicle wiring.
wire in the vehicle is to small to carry the load
the adapter has to be hook up to your battery
you could fry your body computer or wire`s
with out the adapter
hth B:-) Dnoym
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TMiller/NC
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Posted: 05 Jan 2020 at 1:13pm |
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Change trailer lights to led
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jaybmiller
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Posted: 05 Jan 2020 at 2:07pm |
buy a FORD !!!!  Really the adapter is NOT needed, well shouldn't be, at least from BASIC AUTO electrical101. All (most ?) LED lights for cars have to be 'CAN' compatible, which means they have a huge 'dummy' load resistor in parallel with the low current LED, so that the 'computer' won't falsely say 'burned out light' . These days most( all ?) vehicles have a separate power feed( relays and fuses) to connect to trailer wiring. Not really neded( again, basic electrical...) but adds more stuff and keeps people in jobs.... Then , if you're truly paranoid just repalce the 'regular' 1157s with LED1157s...hmm they have CAN compatible loads so gues what.. SAME current draw as original 1157s..
scammers...
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3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112
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DMiller
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Posted: 05 Jan 2020 at 3:16pm |
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Unless truck has a Separate Trailer supply circuit can destroy the truck side electrical, seen it happen recently. As noted Ford installs a SEPARATE Trailer side supply harness or at least used to in prevention of this. Is actually CANBUS compatible, 18 ga wiring.
Edited by DMiller - 05 Jan 2020 at 3:17pm
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HD6GTOM
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Posted: 06 Jan 2020 at 1:25am |
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What ever you do--- do it right. I saw at least 2 of those towed into the dealership with fryd components. It aint a cheap fix
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jaybmiller
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Posted: 06 Jan 2020 at 8:18am |
I have serious concerns that ANY 'booboo' when wiring up a trailer can 'take out' a vehicles wiring. Yeesh...there's NO reason it ain't bulletproofed. Miswiring, shorting,backfeed, whatever, NOTHING should be able to harm the vehicle. CAN bus interface is supposed to be 'robust' and well, fuses are supposed to open when stressed.... In contrast, the remote energy control systems I designed 3 decades ago, worked 24/7 using solid wires over a 15 MILE distance. Even nearby lightning strikes didn't take out my panels so I KNOW ,first hand , that properly designed equipment CAN work reliably.
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3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112
Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor)
Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water
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mhankins
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Location: Arkansas
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Posted: 06 Jan 2020 at 8:50am |
Thanks for the replies. The vehicle has led lights,but the trailer does not.I have been thinking about changing the trailer to led lights and will go ahead and do that anyhow,and as per all the advise will buy the adapter. I would like to take it apart and see what's inside anyhow,but would probably ruin it  . That's why I was wondering about the diodes,if it just stops the back feed when the lights go off,seems it would do the same thing. I'm just the kind of guy who likes to know how things work!
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jaybmiller
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Posted: 06 Jan 2020 at 9:14am |
Basic Electronics101...
a diode only allows current to flow one way... an LED is a diode that only allows current to flow one way BUT you can see the electrons flowing.....
I have no idea what's inside the 'magic protector box' but if it's just a diode, well, I say again and LED IS a diode.....
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3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112
Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor)
Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water
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DMiller
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Posted: 06 Jan 2020 at 11:51am |
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Last one of these Protector boxes I saw was at the steel sales yard I Frequent, they sell them for mods to newer trucks to pull older trailers, is essentially a self contained relay package triggered off the truck circuits, minor load to truck harness, is directly connected to Hot source to feed the internal bus.
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