4-way flat Y-separator trailer wire OK?

[seedtime]

I’m going to be using a tow dolly to transport a vehicle from NY to MI. I won’t know how well the dolly’s lights will be seen around the car until I pick it up. So I wanted to have a secondary set of lights just in case. Plus the car will be towed backwards, thus using it’s own lights is not an option. Due to distance, I doubt the battery will last very long either.

Will this harness even work, or will I be creating some disastrous electrical issue?


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[xjfish]

Will it work? Hook it up and test it!? Those scotch locks will not stand the test of time for sure, corrosion will kill that harness eventually. It will probably work just fine for one time tow. Good Luck with your transport.

 

[Norcal]

Those Scotch taps are not the most reliable connection I would use solder and heat shrink instead.

 

[The Cobbler]

should be fine if you have good connections at the joints

 

[Bogie1632]

It'll work as long as you don't overload the circuits, but you'd need a fair amount of lights to do that and I would thing you aren't running that many. I would also advise sealing up those saddle connections so moisture doesn't become an issue. RTV would be good for that.

Good luck.

V/R
Bogie

V/R
Bogie

 

[seedtime]

Will it work? Hook it up and test it!? Those scotch locks will not stand the test of time for sure, corrosion will kill that harness eventually. It will probably work just fine for one time tow. Good Luck with your transport.

I plan to test it tomorrow. I would consider it a success if it lasted for this trip only, but I can see how it would come in handy in the future.


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[seedtime]

Thanks for all the well wishes on my trip. I will certainly seal up the connections with RTV or something similar. Like these extra trailer plugs, I probably have a 1/2 doz partially used tubes of sealant laying around.


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[Innovate1]

Should work ok although it could overload the tow vehicle light tap. Some just tap into the existing circuit of the vehicle without additional tie in to the battery. I think I would just put the alternate light set in a more visible location and use just those if the trailer lights are not in a good position. If the circuits are overloaded they may fail partway through the trip which would be a real pain.

 

[seedtime]

I think I would just put the alternate light set in a more visible location and use just those if the trailer lights are not in a good position. If the circuits are overloaded they may fail partway through the trip which would be a real pain.

This is the potential failure I was worried about. If I short out the tow vehicle that could be more dangerous than the original inferior lighting. In the future I will do some testing on the harness in town. I have a tendency to NOT keep things simple.



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[Leaflessshadetree]

Thanks for all the well wishes on my trip. I will certainly seal up the connections with RTV or something similar. Like these extra trailer plugs, I probably have a 1/2 doz partially used tubes of sealant laying around.


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Trying to seal up scotchlocks is futile. It will just make a mess and make it more difficult when you have to "fix" the problem.

 

[Jeepster04]

Why have two sets of lights? If they cant see the tow dolly, just use whatever other lights you think they can see... I assume you have a set of magnetic lights that youre going to stick on the car?

Those scotch locks wont be an issue for what youre using them for. Long term they dont work great. You could unclip them and pack them full of silicone/dielectric grease if youre worried.

 

[510ebl]

I have successfully used the commercially available version of that harness for exactly the same purpose. For my “extra” lights I used an LED set from Harbor Freight so the additional current was not a concern.

Don’t trust the magnetic mounts though... tether the lights to the towed vehicle.

 

[BD1]

Are you going to mount car lights on a bar ?
I have a magnetic set and don't rely on the magnets. I also replaced wires for a wider span. Mine are pretty old so hopefully newer ones are better.
Safe travels.


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[seedtime]

I haven’t yet determined the exact placement of the lights. I was thinking the hood near the windshield. I’m also considering on the dash, but that might cause the whole interior of the car to glow intensely red.


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[readhead]

I think you are worrying about a problem you don’t have. The lights on the dolly will be visible because the dolly has to be wider than the vehicle being towed. Dollies are legal in every state.

 

[rsanter]

I would be sure to use LED bulbs as they draw less energy

 

[wes73]

I ran a similar set up on a homemade canoe trailer. Trailer lights were not easily seen with canoes loaded. We had a homemade clip on light bar we would connect to the canoes them selves that were running light, brakes and turn. Worked fine. That was with incandescent bulbs too!

 

[joe_padavano]

If you are towing a front-engine car backwards on a tow dolly, you're probably going to have a stability problem.

 

[txvwnut]

If you are going to be using tow lights mounted to the vehicle I wouldn't even concern myself with the lights on the dolly. And if its like any of the dolly's I've seen the lights on it probably won't work unless they are LED. I borrowed a dolly from a friend of mine once and re-wired it and got all the lights working. By the time I had gotten to where I was going with it empty the vibrations had beat the filaments out of the bulbs. When I returned it I told him I what I had done since he was kind enough to let me borrow it and he laughed and asked are they still working. I replied they were when I left the shop.