Re: Trailer lights
I installed LED tail lights on my last trailer. I liked them but I lost a couple of dioides a year on each side. I would have needed to replace them in a couple more years.
The new trailer has the Westbar sealed tail lights. 3 years and still going strong.
What brand LED lights did you have? I've been running the el cheapo LED lights from Harbor Freight now for several years with no problems. They are well sealed, hold up well to rough roads, and are super bright.
I run about 5 miles down a long washboard gravel road where I launch my one boat almost weekly, that road used to take out the bulbs and housings in my regular lights almost weekly. I mounted my LED lights further forward, a bit more out of the way up by my fenders, which gives them a bit more protection since the ones I bought were low profile, rectangular shaped lights and the originals were bell-jar style Peterson lights which were mounted on flimsy 'L' brackets at the rear of each main frame rail.
I have had good luck with one type of sealed Wesbar light, the ones with the deep rectangle lens and rubber boot. I believe they came as original equipment on some Shoreline trailers years ago.
I've had nothing but problems with the Wesbar sealed lights with the 'bulb in the bubble' design. Those didn't seem to last more than a season.
I have thought about maybe trying a set of adapter LED bulbs just for appearance and to lessen the draw on the tow vehicle. I've never had a contact or corrosion problem with them at all. (I couldn't find a pic to post of these but they are the ones with the extra deep lenses and they're narrower than most rectangle lights. I've seen them as OEM on several trailers from the late 70's to the early 90's, but haven't seen them lately.
