Adding Interior Lights to Trailer and Keep Battery Charged

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Question:

Could you give a a step by step on the wire hookup? . I’m assuming that I will the wires about 12 inches back from the plug that goes to the back of my truck and hook up one wire to each prong on the junction box. So at this point I will have 2 wires on each prong one from the trailer to the junction box and one from the Jbox to the plug that goes to the truck. Ok so if that’s right so far now I would have to run some wire from the Knox to the new battery then to the switch then to the light then back to the battery. Could you just gone me the hook up instructions thanks

asked by: George

0

Expert Reply:

The best way to get interior lights in your trailer is to have a dedicated 12 volt battery, and battery box like # 329-HM318BKS mounted to the trailer. This gives you the power needed while you're not hooked to your truck.

For lights I recommend LEDs because they require much less power, and last longer than incandescent bulbs. Which lights I recommend depends on how many you want to add and the way you want to mount them. You'll need wire # 12-1-1 and ring terminals # 44-5310A for each light. For a switch you can use Pollak Heavy-Duty Toggle Switch # PK34571.

The new battery can be hooked into the 7 way on your trailer using a junction box # 38656, and then when you're hooked up it will provide a maintenance charge. This however will not completely charge a dead battery. If you plan on being unhooked for an extended period, or your trailer battery is depleted I recommend using a battery charger like CTEK MULTI US 7002 12-Volt Universal Battery Charger # CTEK56353.

I linked the parts mentioned above, a few videos as well as our selection of LED interior trailer lights for you to check out.

expert reply by: Robert C

0

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George D.

1/1/0001

Could you give a a step by step on the wire hookup? . I’m assuming that I will the wires about 12 inches back from the plug that goes to the back of my truck and hook up one wire to each prong on the junction box. So at this point I will have 2 wires on each prong one from the trailer to the junction box and one from the Jbox to the plug that goes to the truck. Ok so if that’s right so far now I would have to run some wire from the Knox to the new battery then to the switch then to the light then back to the battery. Could you just gone me the hook up instructions thanks

Reply

Robert C.

2/19/2020

I can definitely help you out with the wiring. There isn't a set of instructions since there are numerous ways to install the lights and battery and routing will be different on each trailer. You are correct, you mount your junction box towards the front of the trailer with 1 set of wires going to the plug (that hooks into your truck). The other set of wires (connected in the junction box) would go out to the corresponding lights, and brakes. Then you run a wire from the 12V pin in the junction box to the positive post on the new battery. The lights can be mounted and grounded to the trailer, and the power wire runs to the switch, and then from the switch to the 12V post in the junction box. I attached a photo of a trailer wiring diagram for you to reference.

Reply

Answer 1

The best way to power the interior lights in your trailer is with its own independent battery. You will not want to use the breakaway battery. The breakaway battery is only designed to operate the breakaway and will drain extremely quickly,…

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Answer 2

The Spectro Junction Box part #38656 can have a 12 volt accessory circuit added to it so that you could put a maintenance charge on your trailer battery but it does not have a specific pin to use for this circuit. You would just need to pick an…

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Answer 3

The only way you could power interior dome lights on a trailer without it being connected to a tow vehicle would be to power the lights with a battery like a breakaway battery. How you choose to wire up the batteries will in the end be up to you,…

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Answer 4

You are correct in your description of how to wire in a new auxiliary battery in your enclosed trailer. You will take the 7-Way's 12V power feed and route this to the positive terminal on the auxiliary battery, and you will ground the second…

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Answer 5

When it comes to an axle weight rating of 3,500 pounds, the gross weight of the vehicle cannot exceed that weight rating by any circumstances. The only way to increase the payload weight is by installing new axles. Although, you must also consider…

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Answer 6

On GM vehicles of that vintage, the 12-V pin should be hot regardless of whether the ignition is on or not. If it isn't showing voltage even with the ignition on, you're almost certainly on the right track thinking it's a blown or…

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Answer 7

If you installed a decently sized deep cycle battery on your trailer you wouldn't have a problem powering the LED lights of it for the length of time mentioned since LED lights draw a fraction of the amperage as incandescent. Group 24, 27, and 31…

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Answer 8

So the right way for you to do this will depend on how often you're going to use the lights and how many of them there are. If a trailer isn't equipped with a battery, the interior lighting is frequently tied into the running lamp circuit.…

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Answer 9

To get power to the pin in the 1:00 position of the #PK12703 7-way trailer connector, you'd run a length of 10 gauge wire #10-1-1 which is sold by the foot from the terminal for the 1:00 pin on the 7-way to the positive battery terminal, via a…

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Answer 10

Based on my research there should be a pink 30 amp fuse located at the F30 position inside the power distribution center under the hood of your 2016 Ram 2500. This fuse is connected to the 12V power circuit on the factory 7-Way so you will want to…

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Answer 11

For starters, I would first check to see that you are testing the correct pin. The correct pin that should house the 12-volt circuit on your 2017 Ram 1500's 7-way trailer receptacle is located in the 1 o'clock position (see photo). The…

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Answer 12

It sounds like you're looking for the fuse that controls the 12v power to your 7 way connector. The fuse for the 12v power on a 2007 Chevy Silverado (New Body Style) is located at the front of the power distribution box under the hood of the…

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Adding Interior Lights to Trailer and Keep Battery Charged

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