U Haual trailer lighting Problem _ HELP

[stanglover]

We just had a new hitch and power installed on our mini van by U Haul and when I put the trailer on the ball and plugged in the power, nothing happens. When I shift the same trailer to my SUV it lights up.

Any ideas would be appreciated as it is 12:10 am and we are scheduled to depart at 8:30 tomorrow :mad:

[michaelshortt]

I had the same problem, checked everything to no avail. Decided to drive to U-Haul to get it fixed. When I got there all lights were working. They told me even though it had a ground wire the ball had to wear in a little for a good ground. Go figure, but all lights were fine for over a thousand miles. Try driving around the block a few times. Good luck and let me know if it was the problem.

[mechanic]

All trailer wiring set ups should have a dedicated ground.... if the ball and hitched need to wear in to each other, there is no dedicated ground and someone has jerked your chain hard. Without a dedicated ground, your trailer lights are at the mercy of the weather and what ever else mother nature throws at you.

FWIW... electrical circuits are amazing in their simplicity. We provide a path for electrons from the power source to the load.... and we provide a path for electrons to return to the power source from the load. The only requirement is that these paths need to be of good quality.

[jon_k]

All trailer wiring set ups should have a dedicated ground.... if the ball and hitched need to wear in to each other, there is no dedicated ground and someone has jerked your chain hard. Without a dedicated ground, your trailer lights are at the mercy of the weather and what ever else mother nature throws at you.

FWIW... electrical circuits are amazing in their simplicity. We provide a path for electrons from the power source to the load.... and we provide a path for electrons to return to the power source from the load. The only requirement is that these paths need to be of good quality.

Yea, that is rediculous that they don't use a real ground wire for the lights. WTF?

I'm sure the uhual trailor has a dedicated ground (and plus grounds to the chassis/ball) -- but they were cheap when they installed a plug on your van, perhaps you could modify the plug so it connects to the ground on the uhual.