Availability of 7-1/2 Inch Oval Trailer Taillights With Separate Brake Lamp and Turn Signal Circuits

Question:

hi, are there any oval trailer lights that have separate turn and brake circuits? my toyota tacoma has separate brake/stop, turn, reverse and running light circuits. the running and brake circuits share a 2 filament bulb. turn signals are completely separate circuits/bulbs. yes, I can get a trailer conversion device, however these are not reliable and go bad whenever the wind changes. I have converted my small box trailer to a 7-pin system, as I added a LED light strip... running, turns, brake and reverse. I cannot find ovals that are not combined turn/brakerunning? bulbs... i can ‘hotwire’ to get brake lights to work, but only by backfeeding into my vehicle running lights. i would prefer not cutting in second ovals on each side, but cannot find ovals without this shared circuitry. thanks for any advice or help!

asked by: Hans

Expert Reply:

We don't offer a 7-1/2 inch oval taillight that's compatible with a 'separate' taillight system. Everything we offer is designed for a typical combined system that carries the brake lamp and turn signal on the same circuit.

It could be possible to wire the # STL211XRFHB as a separate system, but the turn signal indicator would be white light which would get you in trouble with the DOT or law enforcement, so I wouldn't recommend doing that.

I wouldn't give up on the taillight converter. There are things you can do to help prevent short circuits in the wiring on the trailer that cause the taillight converters to get cooked.

• Use dielectric grease like # 11755 on the trailer connector to exclude moisture from the connection.

• Make sure your main trailer ground is bulletproof by removing the existing ground bolt/screw and sanding
a dime-sized area around the bolt hole down to bare metal. Reinstall the ground using a star washer
between the ground connection's ring terminal and the trailer frame. When you run the screw down, the
star washer will bite into the trailer frame for a very reliable connection. Protect the connection with a quick
shot of rust inhibiting spray paint. You can do the same for the ground connection at each lamp as well.

• Avoid using standard butt connectors unless you protect them with heat shrink tubing like part # DW05452
for 14-18 gauge wire or # DW05450 for 10-14 gauge wire.

• Be sure to protect wire running through holes in the trailer frame using grommets.

• Wire loom like # 39035 would do a great job of protecting the trailer wiring from kicked up rocks or other
road debris.

• A heavy duty converter like the # 119250KIT wiring kit offers lots of capacity, 4.5A per circuit for
brake/turn signal and 7.5A for taillights. The converter draws power directly from the vehicle battery,
instead of pulling it though the truck's taillight circuits which helps isolate the vehicle's wiring from any
shorts that might occur in the trailer wiring.