Trailer lights that illuminate the tire?

[tcbass]

I've never had trailer lights that illuminated the tire so that you could keep an eye on it when driving. 

 

I had a tire blow on my old boat and it tore up the fender. If I had seen it right away I could have perhaps stopped sooner and saved the fender. 

 

I've pulled a few boats and trailers in my day and never seen trailer lights that point down to illuminate the tire so that you can monitor it's status. Maybe new boat trailers and trailers have this feature now or maybe it's illegal lighting. I don't know but it would be nice. 

 

Does anyone make trailer lights that illuminate the tire so that you can monitor them when you drive in case one goes flat or you have a blow out while driving at night?

[TheRodFather]

I can't answer your question specifically, but I would say that you could get some of the 12v led strips and run them in the fender lip.  Sort of like what the "kids are doing these days" with the neon lights under the car.

 

I got a bunch of them off of the Bay to use in my boat storage compartments and such.  No idea if it is legal though.

[WIGuide]

With as many posts as you have about watching the trailer tires while you're driving, it makes me question if you watch the road at all  You can use a clearance marker light wired in under the fender. If it's in front of the wheel which I would suspect is where you'd want it, the light has to be amber in color. Doing so would be legal. If you for some reason want the light behind the wheel, it would have to be red. 

[tcbass]

6 minutes ago, WIGuide said:

With as many posts as you have about watching the trailer tires while you're driving, it makes me question if you watch the road at all  You can use a clearance marker light wired in under the fender. If it's in front of the wheel which I would suspect is where you'd want it, the light has to be amber in color. Doing so would be legal. If you for some reason want the light behind the wheel, it would have to be red. 

 

 

Cool. Good to know. Thanks. 

 

 

So, no new trailers do this?

[J Francho]

1 hour ago, WIGuide said:

With as many posts as you have about watching the trailer tires while you're driving, it makes me question if you watch the road at all  You can use a clearance marker light wired in under the fender. If it's in front of the wheel which I would suspect is where you'd want it, the light has to be amber in color. Doing so would be legal. If you for some reason want the light behind the wheel, it would have to be red. 

 

This is really the only legal way to do this.  Any other LEDs or whatever are totally illegal.  Otherwise, if you can't feel a trailer tire go, you need to get to a doctor quick!

 

Also, you should get a Teckel frog.  You can repair a flat with them.  They are that good.

 

[tcbass]

 

On 8/16/2017 at 2:11 PM, J Francho said:

 

This is really the only legal way to do this.  Any other LEDs or whatever are totally illegal.  Otherwise, if you can't feel a trailer tire go, you need to get to a doctor quick!

 

Also, you should get a Teckel frog.  You can repair a flat with them.  They are that good.

 

 

 

 

Hahaha. 

 

 

I know Francho doesn't like the Teckel Sprinker Frog, don't know if it's because he's used one and was disappointed or never used one, but this one is for you buddy. From last night. lol. 

 

 

 

 

 

[S Hovanec]

Before I'd install lights under the fender that will get peppered with road debris, I'd install some tire pressure sensors on the trailer wheels.

[RPreeb]

2 hours ago, S Hovanec said:

Before I'd install lights under the fender that will get peppered with road debris, I'd install some tire pressure sensors on the trailer wheels.

 

This^^   Metal valve stems and TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitor System) sensors on each tire.  Receiver in the tow vehicle.  Lets you know that the pressure is dropping most of the time before a catastrophic blowout.  It can be set to alarm when the pressure drops to a certain point.

[Lures'n'Liberty]

As said above, amber and red in the proper places for legality, although if you wanted to get really crazy, be an outlaw, and run a second set of wiring to a switch on the dash, there are waterproof and shockproof inner fender well lights in the off road market that will take the abuse. A TPMS system that plugs into the cigarette lighter is probably going top be a much cheaper and reliable option, though. A big heavy stick is also good, cut a switch, billy club, mag lite, etc. Get out and whack the tires when you stop, that's something that we should all be doing. 

[Bulletman20XD]

To lend credence to this post, after retiring from the Army, I owned a trucking company for 3 years. Then was a commercial vehicle inspector (DOT Safety Investigator) for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for 7 years and have been working as a Transportation and Oilfield safety professional for the last 6 years.

 

Boat trailers used for personal use are not regulated by the DOT but rather by state laws. Having additional/auxiliary lights may or may not be illegal depending on the state. Very easy to check in most states because their transportation laws are on the internet.

 

Most states as well as commercial regulations lighting requirements are based on truck or trailer length and width. Rule of thumb is as already mentioned amber in front (based on length) amber mid way, red in the rear. Additional or auxiliary lights may or may not be allowed.

 

The only state I have heard that has a problem with the LED lights under a trailer has been Louisanna. But this is also the same state that says air bags on a privately owned vehicle must be accompanied by coil or leaf springs. LA was also citing truck drivers for not carrying a copy of their DOT physical long Form (None of their business) instead of their DOT physical card that was ONLY required by regulation at that time. I could go on and on about silly crap DOT officers make up.