Does Trailer Lighting Ground Through the Hitch Ball

Question

Question:

Okay havent had my boat trailer out in 10 years. My question is does the trailer need to be grounded to my truck for lights to work? I hooked up 4 way trailer plug to my truck and I have no lights working on trailer so I put a test lights to my truck and all works fine on truck, but I didnt set trailer on the hitch ball, does it have to be hooked to ball to get its ground for the trailer lights to work?

asked by: Don

0

Expert Reply:

In some cases trailer lighting will ground through the hitch ball but that's typically only if the actual ground circuit is insufficient. This is not an ideal setup. It needs to ground through the wiring of the trailer harness.

You can test this by setting the coupler on the ball and if it works you know the ground of the trailer needs to be improved. Otherwise you'll get intermittent lighting functions when your trailer hits bumps.

I attached a couple help articles for you to check out as well.

expert reply by: Jameson C

0

John

2/27/2020

You guys r great! Your articles have helped me Trouble shoot my 1989 Coleman Columbia. Thanks keep it coming.

Chris R.

2/27/2020

I'm glad we could help! Please don't hesitate to shoot us a question if anything else comes up.

Mike F.

8/1/2020

Hey have a 2010 Keystone camper. When running lights are on rt turn signal wont work. When I pull the bulb out and use my tester it will work. Put bulb in no blinker. The tail light works.

Jon G.

8/11/2020

According to our trailer light wiring FAQ you have one of the following problems. 1. Insufficient ground or short to ground on trailer or vehicle side. OR 2. Harness is overloaded when tail lights are engaged because the trailer has too many running lights. Here is a link to the wiring help page so you can see the different steps you can take to fix your issue.

Helpful Links

faq-4-5-way-troubleshooting.aspx

Bev C.

9/8/2020

Had new adaptor put on truck but having no lights on camper. When I did have lights no turn signals or break lights. Camper is a 1977 Shasta. HELP

Jon G.

9/11/2020

Start off by testing to make sure the wiring connector on your truck is sending out the correct functions. You can use a circuit tester to test the connector or simply plug the trailer into a different vehicle that is known to work. Once you know if the problem is your tow vehicle or trailer you will need to check any fuses and wiring on your tow vehicle and then all of the wiring and grounds on your trailer. Here is an article on wiring troubleshooting for you to check out.

Helpful Links

faq-4-5-way-troubleshooting.aspx

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Does Trailer Lighting Ground Through the Hitch Ball

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