[ChuckTin]

Wife is in the process of buying a new horse trailer. These trailers have electric brakes and am on-board battery for 12v lights.
If I look in at the battery (haven't seen it yet) should I expect to see black cable to ground and red cable on the (+) positive terminal?
I'm asking that because I've noted that LED lights don't do red/black hookup.

 

[daveb1]

Be aware that your tow vehicle will need a brake controller and all the associated wiring.

Depending on your tow vehicle it may be incorporated in the wiring. It may also have a charging circuit for the trailer battery. Be sure the vehicle has the same style of trailer hook-up plug as the trailer does, before you go to pick it up.

 

[Bondo]

I'm asking that because I've noted that LED lights don't do red/black hookup.

Huh,..?? What,..??..??

Leds, like every other 12v circuit needs a positive, 'n a ground,......

Although Leds are very particular, that the positive, 'n negative don't get crossed,.....

Regardless of wire colors,....

 

[Oso954]

As far as I know, the battery is for the trailer breakaway kit. It applies the brakes if the trailer becomes uncoupled from the tow vehicle. Depending on the battery size/charge, it may only hold the trailer for 1/2 hr.

I wouldn't be hooking lights to that battery, it supposed to save your animals.

Most of the horse trailers I've worked with (and it has been a few years) only had working interior lights when plugged into the tow vehicle, if they had lights at all.

If I wanted lights when the trailer was not plugged into the tow vehicle, I'd install a 2nd battery as a "house" battery.

 

[rander101]

Below is a link to a website that may be some help to you.


https://horsetrailerworld.com/home/wiring.asp

 

[lenaitch]

Both of the horse trailers we owned had electric brakes but no battery back-up. The interior light(s) were simply run off the tail lights but could be connected to a live hot I suppose. Other than loading for a show at 'zero dark stupid' hour we hardly ever used the interior lights - it's not like the horses can read enroute.
Electric brakes - prepare to be annually frustrated. I found them to be persnickety. They maybe better now with modern controllers which are more adaptive.

 

[DexterII]

No experience with horse trailers, but with enclosed trailers with interior lights. And, as others have mentioned, those interior lights were powered by the vehicle battery, not by the trailer battery. The battery on the trailer is charged by the tow vehicle, but, also as mentioned, its' purpose is to operate the brakes in the event of separation from the tow vehicle, not to power auxiliary devices.

 

[roughneck]

What electrical connection does the trailer have, a 7 pin round connector?
Yes, basic 12V color schematic should be the case.

 

[ChuckTin]

Thanks guys but ... this trailer was fitted with a Marine/Deep Cycle battery so that the lights could be used while parked and the tow vehicle disconnected. It also had and electricly drive awning and we hoped the battery would do for that.
The battery was labeled 10/17 which meant it was initially charged with acid in October 2017. The trailer was used maybe 10/year.
The initial discussion included + well you will need to move the trailer at least once/month to keep the lawn from going bare where it parked and you might as well take it out on a at least 30 mile run to keep the battery up.
That went South firstest.
As to hook up, I've installed LEDs 4x (home and auto, 12v) now and have yet to see the leads clearly marked red/black. In some cases.a crap shoot and and then reverse because they are a diode. My guess is that international coding from China does not include red as + and black as ground.
This trailer is being replaced and the new one will not be wired as above.
Took a tour of the new trailer yesterday and the LED I looked at had a black lead wire.
The old unit has a multi-strand cable as a ground strap, about a #8 equivalent (?), and it's white. The positive terminal is connected with a _black_ hook-up lead, probably #16(?).
3 years from a deep cycle battery. Well the replacement was cheaper than a car battery at AutoZone. Still shaking my head in dis-belief.

 

[Nealtw]

I see people keeping batteries charged with solar panels.

 

[ChuckTin]

Can't get that past wifie, her horses, her trailer, no tech!

 

[Old Thomas]

Do you have a separate battery for the break away brake system?

 

[ChuckTin]

There's a battery in the breakaway circuit on both the older (to be sold) and the new horse trailers.
The major difference is that the older trailer had an electric awning (motor) so it came with a Marine/deep cycle battery. Also both are 13v negative ground.