legal trailer lighting

Kansas4010 · Mar 23, 2016

I recently went to an auction and bought a 10 year old gooseneck trailer. It belonged to an older gentleman who bought it used it once and ended up going into a nursing home. It was in a shed the entire time so it's in excellent condition. I had a heck of a time hooking it up at first because the hitch wouldn't sit down on the ball very far. Come to find out mud dobbers had built a nest in there. Finally got that cleaned out and hooked up to find out the wiring wasn't long enough to reach my plug in. I had some magnetic lights to get it home at least but got to talking with the auctioneer before I left. He told me the reason it's to short is because I was hooking it up to my bumper and that was illegal. He said he didn't know it either till a couple months ago he was pulled over and told gooseneck trailers are supposed to be hooked up to a socket in the bed of the truck or the headache rack of a flat bed. I've never heard of that but he said it's one of those laws that's never enforced. My other gooseneck trailer is only a couple years old and is plenty long enough. Just curious if anyone else has heard this.

Mike M · Mar 23, 2016

Why would one ever want to hook a gooseneck up to a bumper ? That defeats the whole reason to own one.

IaGary · Mar 23, 2016

I believe he is talking about where the lite cord is plugged in.

I have seen hundreds that are plugged at the bumper not in the box.

News to me about that law.

Gary

Steve in VA · Mar 23, 2016

Quick search of Va 46.2-1118 doesn't appear to PROHIBIT attaching a gooseneck trailer to a bumper mounted hitch, but, as noted; why do that? I've never seen such a set-up. Maybe in a pinch just to get it moved which sounds like your circumstance.

Steve in VA · Mar 23, 2016

Good point. After re-reading the post you could well be right. Trailer mounted to bed mount but lights to wire plug on bumper.

Kansas4010 · Mar 23, 2016

I guess I didn't explain very well the trailer itself is hooked the gooseneck ball in the bed of the truck but my wiring plug in is in the bumper.

Mike M · Mar 23, 2016

Well then that sounds correct ! As far as I know there is not a manufacture that factory wires trailer hook up in the front of the bed. They all go to the rear bumper area. You sure as heck don't want to mess with the factory wiring on these new trucks.
Just put a long enough cord on the trailer and tie it up.

ericlb · Mar 23, 2016

ive been plugging mine into my bumper light hookup for 30 plus years plus , and never had a cop say anything about it

Meangreen · Mar 23, 2016

(quoted from post at 13:10:29 03/23/16) Well then that sounds correct ! As far as I know there is not a manufacture that factory wires trailer hook up in the front of the bed. They all go to the rear bumper area. You sure as heck don't want to mess with the factory wiring on these new trucks.
Just put a long enough cord on the trailer and tie it up.

My 2004 F250 has a trailer plug in for the lights in the bed of my truck as well as the bumper. Both are factory. I have never used a gooseneck, but the previous own did with no issues.

MikeinKy · Mar 23, 2016

I, too, have had mine plugged into the bumper for 30 or 40 years with no bad results. I don't think I have ever had a truck with a plug in the bed.

ss55 · Mar 23, 2016

It might be worth looking up the law to see what the laws says. Would a wiring extension between the truck's bumper socket and the trailer's connector by the goose neck hitch ball be legal?

It does make sense to run the wires next to the goose neck column ( the pivot center of the hitch ) so that sharp turns don't pull out the wiring. It's possible that sometime in the past someone somewhere ripped out his wiring because it ran directly from the bumper plug to a nearby point on the trailer ( five feet behind the hitch pivot ) without running the wires forward to the pivot point of the hitch.

Sprint 6 · Mar 23, 2016

GM trucks '01 and up come with pigtail to wire your own into the bed if the truck has the heavy trailler option. It is by the fuel tank fill neck on the frame.

oldtanker · Mar 23, 2016

I don't think I've ever seen anyone hook up a goose neck light plug to the rear light plug in.

Rick

DoubleR · Mar 23, 2016

I guess I've been running illegally for allot of years and will probably keep doing so. I'm sure as heck not going to mess with my stock wire harness. I have seen plugs in the bed but never heard of it being a factory option. Although my truck being an 07 I may be out of the loop regarding what's available now.

Not to mention my cord on my fifth wheel drops down right at the bumper anyway. It would make sense to hook it at the bumper anyways.

coshoo · Mar 23, 2016

Best to take the hitch out of the receiver- my cord got pulled out of the plug on the first sharp turn because it got looped around the hitch.

jon f mn · Mar 23, 2016

I've never heard of that law either. There is a law that says the cord can't rub anything tho, I get checked for that all the time. So to be truely legal you would need to hang it from a spring so it can't rub when turning. But I've made dozens and seen many hundreds more with them plugged in at the rear and never heard of any problems with it.

jeffcat · Mar 23, 2016

It can also be if the cop has a bug up you know where.

David G · Mar 23, 2016

I do not know legal/illegal, but my Ford has 2 receptacles, one in the box to the left of the ball and one on the bumper

in-too-deep · Mar 23, 2016

I've been wanting to put a socket in the bed of my pickup for GN trailers. They make a dandy little kit that pigtails into factory wiring at the bumper. Can't tell you how many times I've re-wired the trailer cords between my neighbor and I. It would keep it out of the salt spray, too.

KCTractors · Mar 23, 2016

Just make-up a short extension cord. One male, one female and four feet of seven-wire cord. Easy

D beatty · Mar 23, 2016

The only thing that I have been to by State police is that the cord can't rub on or against anything.

1948CaseVAI · Mar 23, 2016

(quoted from post at 09:31:09 03/23/16) It can also be if the cop has a bug up you know where.

It wasn't a cop that told him that, only an auctioneer. I doubt an officer cares where you plug it in as long as it is not rubbing, cannot get yanked out in a turn, and works.

Kansas4010 · Mar 23, 2016

Well the auctioneer told me he was pulled over by a cop who red him the riot act but finally let him go. I was curious if anyone else has heard any of this. I found I can order an extension for less than what it would cost to buy the things to make one. The more I think about it though that is more connectors to corrode so I might just redo the trailer with a longer plug.

Jimmydog · Mar 23, 2016

(quoted from post at 06:12:30 03/23/16) I guess I've been running illegally for allot of years and will probably keep doing so. I'm sure as heck not going to mess with my stock wire harness. I have seen plugs in the bed but never heard of it being a factory option. Although my truck being an 07 I may be out of the loop regarding what's available now.

Not to mention my cord on my fifth wheel drops down right at the bumper anyway. It would make sense to hook it at the bumper anyways.

Double
Whoa, I'm way out of the loop then.....my truck (daily driver) is a 84' ford. JD

Offandgone · Mar 23, 2016

Some states will tell you that in the event it becomes disconnected the will the power must be disconnected before the safety chines are tight. This is to set the breakaway brakes on the trailer.
Frank

D beatty · Mar 23, 2016

If you use an extension you can use an electrical grease on prongs of cord and work it into plug then wrap it with electrical tape and then coat it with liquid rubber coating. Also seal around wire going into plugs with liquid rubber and you won't have trouble with the corroding.

legal trailer lighting

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