Lights in the wings?

[joek]

I was talking to my sheetmetal guy about making my new wings, and he asked me if there were lights in them. Ofcourse there isn't, but I sure like the idea. I was thinking it wouldn't hurt to add a strip of LED tail lights/running lights in the back of the wings. Seems like a good idea to make these trailers as visible as possible during nightime driving.

I might try to fish some wire up from the running lights, don't thin I could pull turn/brake wiring up at this point without removing siding again. Any thoughts?

Anybody know if there are any legal matters involved

[cristen]

I was just talking to my husband about this. I think its a great idea.

[uncleatom]

I like it.

[62astro]

I think if you use red lights, there shouldn't be any legal problems. Might want to check with your DMV.

[Atomic Addiction]

Apr 15, 2010 21:29:22 GMT -5 62astro said:

Might want to check with your DMV.

The thing is that you also have to go by the laws of other states that you tow the trailer in.

We don't need licence plates in WI under 3,000 pounds. Other states that we may tow through some day may require them. It is better to be safe than sorry.

A licence plate is different than lighting. The only cops that would probably know difference is state troopers. As long as they weren't obscene they probably wouldn't even care.


I was thinking about this project and thought it would work if you had some kind of diffuser.

Maybe get a pair of older (not vintage) Cadillac tail light lenses and cut out a piece to fill out the back of the wing. The Caddy lenses would be the flattest and longest that I can think of.

Maybe red tinted acrylic sheet? Plain LEDs stuck in the back of the wing wouldn't look or work the best in my opinion.

Just a few thoughts.
Brian

[staryn]

I am interested to hear what you ended up doing about the lights in the wings. It is my understanding that you cannot have any white light other than the reverse lights on the back of a vehicle and would presume it is the same for a trailer. We are presently doing a ground up rebuild and are putting lights in the wings. Since we do not have any wings yet we just are running wire from the converter which means I wasn't planning on having them on while driving but I think that would be great too and might also run a wire up from the tail lights. They would be two separate systems and therefore potentially two different colors if we wanted. The LEDs that I am planning on using are from a sign company. They run on 12VDC and are bright. Most anyone could probably go by a sign company and ask them if they will sell them 10 to 20 and you can wire them right into your driving light system. They are water resistant as well.

Happy Trails,
Staryn.

[LittleVintageTrailer]

I sure like the idea!

[diamondrelics]

My son just bought a set of amber led lights for his motorcycle that are 5/8 around and super bright. The lense is magnified .He's using them as blinkers. They make them in red also and would fit in a set of wings perfectly. I think he paid $30 for the set

[staryn]

Sloan LED is an example of what the sign shops carry. www.sloanled.com/Channelletter_SignCab.html

[safetybruce]

I think it would be way cool to have the camper sitting at it's campsite with not only the wings lighted, but some of those light strings that some custom car builders place to give subtle colored illumination off under the vehicle...if tastefully done, it would sure set your camper apart from those around it come sundown...the operative words being "subtle and tastefully"...as far as meeting state codes...if you plan on going out of state, frequently, I agree, maybe it would be too difficult to meet all requirements to have them illuminated while under tow after dark. Citations from other jurisdictions can throw cold water on an otherwise extremely enjoyable camping holiday.

[elliott]

We use the Sloan ChanneLED in some signs we make at work, they're great. They come in chains and you can cut them anywhere and just jump off with blade connectors. Another source is www.LEDwaves.com

Perhaps this deserves its own thread, but the shop manager where I work got so excited about my Shasta when I got it, he started talking about running a gas line back to the wings so they could belch fire at will. Something about roasting hot dogs at the campsite, too. One day I went into my office and there was a post-it note on the desk, no explanation, just the line work for the image below. I picture Steve laughing so hard he just had to draw it and share, then move on to his next hare-brained scheme.
I added color and made t-shirts. How could I not?

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[Gone Kayaking]

how fun....ready for burning man