night time running lights

[ReagentGrade]

Originally Posted by War Eagle

Not sure I'll ever need the flasher, but that would be fun to try, too!

Dale,
It's in my "safety" box with my high vis vest, and related stuff.
I had a blow out on my Bigfoot and spent some time at the side of I-10. I was lucky in that it was day time and there was a turnout at exactly the right place. But, if it had been dark, with no turnout, and I had to leave the trailer to get a part, I'd really want that flasher. It was cheap and takes up no space.
Rich

[cpaharley2008]

I installed an extra Hopkins 7 pin receptacle in my front storage box and fused these two connections with a 10 amp fuse. When stopping at night or in case of an emergency, I can activate all the lights by merely plugging in the trailer's power cord into the spare connector.

[gbaglo]

$180 and I'm back in business.
They replaced pretty much everything, which makes sense to me. Better than chasing electrical problems at $90/shop hour. Labour was $54 and the rest parts, including a new converter and 7-pin connector.
We'll see if I'm a happy camper when I hook up next time.

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

$180 and I'm back in business. ...

Well worth it for the peace of mind. While replacing everything, did they happen to mention coming across anything that they thought could have contributed to your problem? Just curious...

[gbaglo]

I'm curious too. There wasn't a lot of communication. I don't even know what some of these parts are.
I explained the problem over the phone. When I got there, they asked for the keys and showed me the waiting room. Did ask me if I wanted the backup lights wired again and I said no.
Told me what it cost and I paid. Looked at the bill when I got home to see what was done. ( I wanted to get over the Ironworker's Memorial Bridge before the afternoon jam ).
This shop is the shop used by the Toyota dealership.
I'm satisfied that they didn't spend three hours looking for a faulty connection at $90/hr or part that costs $8.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by War Eagle

If you find the problem is with the tow vehicle wiring, I'd suggest you take it to a professional - some place where they specialize in trailer wiring.

Maybe after checking to see if your tow vehicle has a fuse in the engine compartment that is for the trailer lights. I did a lot of trouble shooting before it dawned on me that I should check the tow vehicles's list of fuses.

Ron

[gbaglo]

In my case, I knew it wasn't a fuse or ground because all the other lights worked, the vehicle turn signal worked, and sometimes, everything worked.

[richardr]

Originally Posted by bolerfan

while on this post re: visibility....ever check how visible your rear taillights are when you have bikes mounted? We learnt that by putting a bike cover over the bikes our rear taillights were no longer visible on our 17B. A trip to ETI put 2 new brake, turn, running lights over the rear window which our 2013 model did not have. . Very nice installation and certainly makes me feel a lot better.

I apologize that this is off topic.
Where did you get your bike cover? I've been looking for one for my hitch mounted 2 bicycle rack and either they get terrible reviews or they cost close to $200.

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by richardr

I apologize that this is off topic. Where did you get your bike cover? I've been looking for one for my hitch mounted 2 bicycle rack and either they get terrible reviews or they cost close to $200.

We don't have one, so I can't vouch for them, but someone else on this forum previously recommended this product:
Dual Bike Rack Cover Fit Up 1-2 Bicycles W/large Translucent Ends
They will need to know what brand and model of bike rack you have. Best of luck....

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by ReagentGrade

Dale,
It's in my "safety" box with my high vis vest, and related stuff.
I had a blow out on my Bigfoot and spent some time at the side of I-10. I was lucky in that it was day time and there was a turnout at exactly the right place. But, if it had been dark, with no turnout, and I had to leave the trailer to get a part, I'd really want that flasher. It was cheap and takes up no space.
Rich

Thanks for the idea. Picked up a cheap flasher at the local auto parts store. Crazy simple! Hope we never need it, but there's a certain comfort in having it...

[ReagentGrade]

Originally Posted by War Eagle

Thanks for the idea. Picked up a cheap flasher at the local auto parts store. Crazy simple! Hope we never need it, but there's a certain comfort in having it...

You're welcome Dale, but I can't take credit for the idea. I got it elsewhere, probably on the FBRV forum. So I'm paying it forward.
I'll second the 'hope it's never needed' emotion.
Rich

[skiman]

Originally Posted by War Eagle

We don't have one, so I can't vouch for them, but someone else on this forum previously recommended this product:
Dual Bike Rack Cover Fit Up 1-2 Bicycles W/large Translucent Ends
They will need to know what brand and model of bike rack you have. Best of luck....

I have that cover from Amazon..works nicely with 1UP and two bikes.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[richardr]

Originally Posted by skiman

I have that cover from Amazon..works nicely with 1UP and two bikes.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks for the link. Those bike covers have been out of stock for a couple of months. However I just checked the link and there were 2 available. I just ordered one. I also have a 1up rack and carry 2 bicycles.

[hughharden]

Dragging this back to the original topic. Got my tester in the mail from amazon today, it confirms no power to the pin on the truck that powers the tail lights when the headlights are on.

Checked all fuses and all are OK so unfortunately I think I'm headed for the hitch shop to see if they can solve it. Must be a wiring issue which is not my forte.

[gbaglo]

Best dollar I've spent recently is getting tow wiring fixed by Burnaby Hitch. They replaced a bunch of stuff ( my electrical knowledge ) instead of searching for the problem. Given the shop labour rate of $90 an hour, paying for a few parts was cheap.

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by hughharden

... Checked all fuses and all are OK so unfortunately I think I'm headed for the hitch shop to see if they can solve it. Must be a wiring issue which is not my forte.

Hugh, As Glenn shared above, problems like yours are usually a quick and easy fix for the professionals who deal with such issues on a daily basis. Dale