Replacing My Fifth Wheel Trailer Tail Lights
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- Опубліковано 11 вер 2024
- Why I didn't upgrade to an LED fixture, seems to be a big question in the comments.
Sourcing the LED fixture is the tricky part, any of the ones I could find were much narrower in height and overall smaller. I'd end up patching the exposed screw holes and maybe the wire hole. Also, the sidewall color has faded so it would expose the whiter underneath section where the old light was. The license plate light was another consideration. I knew these would work right, they have been fine for 8 years now and look good appearance wise.
Funny enough my new Ram truck tail lights are incandescent so they aren't totally dead yet. :) I can always add LED bulbs to the fixtures. One plus is if the bulb burns out it's cheap and easy to change versus an LED fixture Cheers, Ray
In this video, I replace my 2011 Keystone Cougar trailers rear signal lights. Over the years the plastic mounting brackets have become brittle and failed in several key locations. The clips that hold the lenses on and the license plate mounts have snapped off.
I replace tail light mounting brackets and lenses with identical looking replacement parts from a company called Bargman. The task involves unscrewing and removing the old brackets, then cleaning off the old silicone sealant.
Once the sealant was scraped away using a hive tool, I used Goo Gone caulking remover to get rid of the leftover bits and pieces of silicone. Finally, I prepped the surfaces by thoroughly cleaning them with 99% isopropyl alcohol.
To connect the wiring, I use solder and heat shrink tubing versus crimp connectors. Just a personal preference. Then the new lenses were mounted using new butyl tape and sealant.
Parts and Tools List:
Drivers Side Tail Light 3092001 - amzn.to/2HPt4rl
Passengers Side Tail Light 3492003 - amzn.to/2EHQ8WX
Geocel Proflex RV sealant - amzn.to/2EK5sCk
Butyl Tape - amzn.to/2MqQw2c
Goo Gone Calking Remover - amzn.to/312Rjtq
99.9% Isopropyl Alcohol - amzn.to/2MmjEI0
Hive Tool - amzn.to/2QFAS1x
Soldering Gun - amzn.to/2WjmB0A
Shrink Tubing - amzn.to/2WeS1oK
Solder - amzn.to/2HNS7e9
Butane Torch - amzn.to/2QBb8Dq
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*Why I didn't upgrade to an LED fixture, seems to be a big question in the comments.*
Sourcing the LED fixture is the tricky part, any of the ones I could find were much narrower in height and overall smaller. I'd end up patching the exposed screw holes and maybe the wire hole. Also, the sidewall color has faded so it would expose the whiter underneath section where the old light was. The license plate light was another consideration. I knew these would work right, they have been fine for 8 years now and look good appearance wise.
Funny enough my new Ram truck tail lights are incandescent so they aren't totally dead yet. :) I can always add LED bulbs to the fixtures. One plus is if the bulb burns out it's cheap and easy to change versus an LED fixture Cheers, Ray
It is strangely therapeutic watching someone else fixing things. Nice job!
Over the years you have accomplished so many repairs. And likely saved a small fortune. Sustaining this lifestyle requires a do it yourself personality it seems to me. It is great to have a You Tube tutor like yourself!
Looking good Ray, I would see if ya can catch a stud and put one screw in the bottom of that licence plate, then it won't be flapping in the wind...
If you are very careful , a single edged razor blade will take that silicone off. The careful part is to angle the blade so as not to allow the cutting edge to contact the fiberglass surface. Nice neat job as per usual & I like the solder joints with shrink wrap... foolproof.
Always a pleasure to tune in to Love Your RV. Happy camping
Couple years back while at a campground for two weeks and bored out of my mine I finally replace ALL my lights to LED's. Went to a truck stop and got all the lights I needed and man what a difference at night it makes !!
Awesome work. But I also have to agree with the other comments, I believe that you missed a good opportunity to upgrade to a LED setup. Awesome content, keep them videos rolling in.
Sourcing the LED fixture is the tricky part, any of the ones I could find were much narrower in height and overall smaller. I'd end up patching the exposed screw holes and maybe the wire hole. Also, the sidewall color has faded so it would expose the whiter underneath section where the old light was. The license plate light was another consideration. I knew these would work right, they have been fine for 8 years now and look good appearance wise. Funny enough my new Ram truck tail lights are incandescent so they aren't totally dead yet. :) I can always add LED bulbs to the fixtures. One plus is if the bulb burns out it's cheap and easy to change versus an LED fixture Cheers, Ray
@@LoveYourRV understood. Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't consider the discoloration. And besides the tail lights work with the truck hooked up and are not needed when boondocking.
@@LoveYourRV Not to mention that the plastic would wear out like your old ones long before the led's died so it is kind of pointless. Thanks for another fun video, enjoy them all but miss the beagle :(
Whistling clean install. I'm surprised you didn't go for the LED upgrade. I had a blow out over the winter on my bike trailer and it tore up one of my recessed tail lights so this is on my to-do list also.
I didn't see an LED assembly that was the right size, most are thinner vertically now. I can always change the lamp to LED
You should swap for LED bulbs and then seal and never have to worry about them again.
Led or no led, good clean job. Thanks for sharing.
Good job ray The LED would be nice but these ones worked for 10 years just fine. Good choice 🇨🇦🇨🇦🛠🛠🛠
Excellent job, you take impeccable care of your rig
Good job on the caulking. But LED would have been nice.
Sorta surprised that the original light covers/tabs weren't very UV resistant. Your replacement job is better-than-original (especially the caulking).
My dad use the same method for wires for this type of project. I hear a lot against it with people who are electrician. It’s good to see somebody else do it in a different method. And not at fast forward speed.👍
Ray, nicely done. I would highly recommend also checking or replacing the clearance/running lights. Ours leaked on our Forrest River travel trailer and we ended up with dry rot on the rear inside wall. The water came in through those light assemblies.
Rick Stills
Rathdrum, ID
Good tip, I've heard that I get on the ladder quite often and check the seals closely. Cheers, Ray
Great Video! I went to put my new tab on my plate and the one side of the license bracket broke. Glad you did a hands on video. Now I know what to expect when I replace mine next week. Like mine it is a 2004 Class C and never had to change the bulbs.
Thank you, glad it will be of help. Cheers! Ray
Wow! That's brittle and old plastic. Good job.
Never mind....Just found an area where you list all the parts and Amazon links to the lights
Ha ha ha, 20 comments on using a led fixture. I wondered the same but figured you had thought this through and had a good reason. Yep.
I miss your doggie by the way.
Great Video Ray. I'll be doing the same to my older 5th wheel. It's a 2002 Aljo Scout. Thanks for your tips. Bill
Thanks Ray. Great step by step. Michael
Have you ever tried the connectors with the solder in them? Looks like a butt connector but no crimping. Slide the wires from both ends through the solder ring and heat. Wire gets soldered and the tube is heat shrink and clear so you can see that it’s done right.
Yes, I've heard about them, I just like to do it the old fashion way using my own solder. has never failed me. :)
I've seen a product called DAP Silicone-Be-Gone in hardware store plumbing departments specifically made for removing silicone caulk. You scrape off the bulk of the silicone, apply the product to the remaining film and let it sit for a while (I don't recall how long) and it will penetrate the remaining silicone making it easy to remove completely.
Thanks, will have to give it a try. The Goo Gone Caulk Remover just works OK, not great. Cheers, Ray
I had the same issue with the plastic becoming yellow and brittle over time. Before I installed the new ones, I painted them with white Krylon paint and the plastic still looks like new after 4 years.
Sounds great, no signs of paint peeling off?
Nice job on the install and caulking. I've found this stuff called Caulk-EZ works pretty well at helping amatures like me get a good looking caulk job.
Just ran across this video. Great video!. One thing I missed is where you purchased the replacement Bargman tail lights. I have looked all over and cannot find the Bargman lights. Camping world, and 3 othe parts places in the area where I live. They all carry some off brand lights that are not exactly the same size as my Bargman lights. Not sure if you still monitor this after 2 years. Thanks
Nice work Ray!!
Thanks!
Great job, as always! But I’m surprised that you didn’t go with LED since you were going to all that trouble anyway!
Sourcing the LED fixture is the tricky part, any of the ones I could find were much narrower in height and overall smaller. I'd end up patching the exposed screw holes and maybe the wire hole. Also, the sidewall color has faded so it would expose the whiter underneath section where the old light was. The license plate light was another consideration. I knew these would work right, they have been fine for 8 years now and look good appearance wise.
Funny enough my new Ram truck tail lights are incandescent so they aren't totally dead yet. :) I can always add LED bulbs to the fixtures. One plus is if the bulb burns out it's cheap and easy to change versus an LED fixture. A friend of mine has some LED orange clearance lamps on his big truck and says many of the little LED elements have burnt out. Cheers, Ray
Good job Ray!!!
Thanks!
That Geocel Proflex can be applied over itself unlike Silicone Sealants!
Ray, why not LED replacement units? Additionally, spray painting the units with hi-gloss white paint will protect against the UV issue.
Sourcing the LED fixture is the tricky part, any of the ones I could find were much narrower in height and overall smaller. I'd end up patching the exposed screw holes and maybe the wire hole. Also, the sidewall color has faded so it would expose the whiter underneath section where the old light was. The license plate light was another consideration. I knew these would work right, they have been fine for 8 years now and look good appearance wise. Funny enough my new Ram truck tail lights are incandescent so they aren't totally dead yet. :) Cheers, Ray
Love Your RV Ann looked very comfortable lounging in the sun. Hope you get your turn to just kick back and relax too.
Oh, ya spent the late afternoon enjoying the sunshine and a cool beverage. :)
Now your legal and Anne won’t have to bail you out of jail for having the license plate mounted wrong. Cheers Ray
Good job Ray! And with your handy dandy hive tool you can keep some bees in your spare time! Bee keepers best friend! Have you considered changing the trailer over to LED inside and out?
Thanks, I changed to LED bulbs about 5 years ago - www.loveyourrv.com/install-review-starlights-led-lamps-rv/ The marker lights are all LED and much brighter than OEM incandescent but I ended up staying with incandescent in the brake and signal lights. The Starlight LED brake/signal bulbs weren't bright enough. Funny enough my new Ram truck tail lights are incandescent so they aren't totally dead yet. :)
thanks
Good Morning. Why did you not use LED lights on the trailer. Jack
I'm surprised he didn't use LEDs. Now he has a job when he replaces the bulb in three months.
8 years and I've never changed the bulbs, all you have to do is pop off the lens. I can always use an LED bulb in them.
I didn't see an LED assembly that was the right size, most are thinner vertically now. I can always change the lamp to LED
@@LoveYourRV You caulked the lens or did you?
@@vicO1323 No, now that I have the new brackets I don't need to calk the lens to hold them on, they have little push clips to remove the lens. I only did that with the old ones because the plastic clips broke.
Very surprised you didn’t choose a more modern LED fixture
Sourcing the LED fixture is the tricky part, any of the ones I could find were much narrower in height and overall smaller. I'd end up patching the exposed screw holes and maybe the wire hole. Also, the sidewall color has faded so it would expose the whiter underneath section where the old light was. The license plate light was another consideration. I knew these would work right, they have been fine for 8 years now and look good appearance wise. Funny enough my new Ram truck tail lights are incandescent so they aren't totally dead yet. :) Cheers, Ray
Same thing happened to my old Cougar fifth wheel a couple of years ago, but lost my plate.
Is it possible just to replace the factory lightbulb with an LED bulb only problem I’m seeing is the blinker light may be an issue with the LED. Great video.
Yes, I tried a few but couldn't find one that was bright enough. They were worse than the OEM incandescent bulb. So I ended up modding an LED fixture to fit my lens. See this video ua-cam.com/video/JsnSs57RMyE/v-deo.html
Thanks for the video
I see Anne in the background sitting on a chair in the last two videos. I wonder what she is thinking😊
Nice job. Are LED versions available?
She is probably thinking he may not be handsome or rich but at least he is handy. haha
There are some LED taillights but I could find ones that were the same size so decided to stay with the same size and look. Guess I could always install LED bulbs into them. Cheers, Ray
@@LoveYourRVKeep your stick on the ice!
All that work .next time upgrade to LED lights
Sourcing the LED fixture is the tricky part, any of the ones I could find were much narrower in height and overall smaller. I'd end up patching the exposed screw holes and maybe the wire hole. Also, the sidewall color has faded so it would expose the whiter underneath section where the old light was. The license plate light was another consideration. I knew these would work right, they have been fine for 8 years now and look good appearance wise. Funny enough my new Ram truck tail lights are incandescent so they aren't totally dead yet. :) Cheers, Ray
Are the new lights LED Ray? Great video as always!
No, they are the same as the OEM incandescent, I could put in LED bulbs if I wanted.
Nice work, Proflex is a great product to work with
I’m curious if you thought of putting on LED tail lights and if so why you didn’t.
Sourcing the LED fixture is the tricky part, any of the ones I could find were much narrower in height and overall smaller. I'd end up patching the exposed screw holes and maybe the wire hole. Also, the sidewall color has faded so it would expose the whiter underneath section where the old light was. The license plate light was another consideration. I knew these would work right, they have been fine for 8 years now and look good appearance wise. Funny enough my new Ram truck tail lights are incandescent so they aren't totally dead yet. :) Cheers, Ray
Love Your RV , thanks, I knew you would have put some thought into it. That is interesting on your Ram lights. My truck and fifth wheel running lights all have incandescent which serves things well. Though to beat the costs of them unless needed for boondocking.
Very nice!
Try using some mineral spirits and a towel to remove old silicone next time. You'll be surprised!
Thanks for the tip!
Ray, my 209 came with the same lights you have. You would have thought LEDs would be the standard by now. I have LED bulbs in in the fixtures, but think the LED fixtures are much better. I’ve been thinking about replacing the existing with LED fixtures. Was there a reason you stayed with stock?
I didn't see an LED assembly that was the right size and fit, most are much thinner vertically now. So went with what I knew would work and look right.
Love Your RV, agree, finding a fixture that is the same as stock but LED can be a chore. I’ve looked at what Keystone is putting out for LED fixtures and figure they will not mount to the existing screw holes. I shall keep looking... Thanks for your vlogs Ray, very helpful and informative. Hope to see you on the road.
I have a Cougar 5th wheel also but 2007. I have to replace my tail lights also. Thanks for the demo. Question why not LED?
Sourcing the LED fixture is the tricky part, any of the ones I could find were much narrower in height and overall smaller. I’d end up patching the exposed screw holes and maybe the wire hole. Also, the sidewall color has faded so it would expose the whiter underneath section where the old light was.
The license plate light was another consideration. I knew these would work right, they have been fine for 8 years, and look good appearance wise. Funny enough my new Ram truck tail lights are incandescent so they aren’t totally dead technology yet. I can always add LED bulbs to the fixtures. One plus is if the bulb burns out its cheap and easy to change versus an LED fixture Cheers, Ray
Did they not make an LED replacement?
Not that I saw or could source easily here in Canada. I can always change the lamp to LED
Hey Ray. Have you ever replaced the plastic trim that goes in the aluminum trim where the corner of the trailer walls come together?
You asking about his trailer or how to do it on yours?
No, I haven't had to so far. I'm thinking it may be time soon to replace and inspect underneath. On my long to do list. :) Here is a link to a recent discussion about it in my forum - forum.loveyourrv.com/discussion/184/insert-trim/p1
@@LoveYourRV thanks for the information. I remember watching that video once I watched it again. That's exactly what I needed to watch. I recently replaced some of the plastic inside the aluminum trim and wasn't satisfied with the replacement plastic. Now I need to get some of that turnabond tape and fix all of my concerns and a piece of mind. Thanks again and your videos are exceptional.
@@aguyandhiscomputer thanks for catching that for me. 👍
You're welcome, Roy. :)
How long do you think your 2011 Keystone Cougar will last ?
I expect 15-20 years out of it. I see early 2000's Cougars still around. Guess the main thing is avoiding a major water leak and hope the frame doesn't crack. Most everything else isn't too hard to fix.
I can't imagine not going with LED either, no matter what.
Ray, did you move your water filters to the side? Or are those new filters?
Yes removed the filter assembly and store it under the slideout. I don't need the filters here on Vancouver Island, our water is excellent, drink right out of the tap and its super soft, so don't waste the filter life. ;)
How did you remove the lenses??? Only thing to see here.
Just a pair of plastic clips to depress. See this previous video on light replacement www.loveyourrv.com/replacing-my-fifth-wheel-trailer-tail-lights/ Cheers, Ray
Hi Ray, too bad you did not reach out to your subscribers on this one as I have the exact same tail lights as you and upgraded to LED ones, what a difference. The site I got mine from was www.ledtrailerlights.com and they were a perfect replacement to the ones we have. They are so much brighter in the daytime and I don't have to worry about bulbs going out anymore.
I don't see the ones that are an exact match there, I can only find a couple thinner boat trailer ones. Can you give me the link?
Those are the ones I used and they worked out very well. I had my RV dealer install them because they were only going to charge me an hour labour. Even though they were not exactly the same size they look like they were original to my tt. I will try and take a picture and send it to you so you are able to see how they turned out.
Thanks, yeah I looked at ones like those but wasn't sure about the screw holes and whether they would hide the ones from the larger OEM fixures. Also, my trailer is now 8 years old and seen a ton of sun. The UV has yellowed it somewhat, the white of the fiberglass has faded, if I install smaller fixtures I'm going to have a color mix match with the now exposed brighter white under the old fixtures that haven't ever seen the sun. I think the best route for me if I want a brighter tail light is to install LED bulbs. I have swapped out all my marker lights to brighter LEDs and added a reflective tape strip to the back bumper like semis have to increase visibility at night. www.loveyourrv.com/stick-on-reflective-tape-tip/
Cheers, Ray
You could provide RV repairs for supplemental income! Take Care
The plate ain't supposed to be mounted on the right side anyway
Lots of them are mounted right side by the manufacturer, I see at least a half dozen trailers just in the park I'm in with right side plates, a couple with center plates. I think in most cases it's because the roof ladder would obscure a left side plate.
Why not replace them with newer LED ones?
Sourcing the LED fixture is the tricky part, any of the ones I could find were much narrower in height and overall smaller. I'd end up patching the exposed screw holes and maybe the wire hole. Also, the sidewall color has faded so it would expose the whiter underneath section where the old light was. The license plate light was another consideration. I knew these would work right, they have been fine for 8 years now and look good appearance wise. Funny enough my new Ram truck tail lights are incandescent so they aren't totally dead yet. :) Cheers, Ray
I would have installed LED light.. Those old style lights get to hot
Sourcing the LED fixture is the tricky part, any of the ones I could find were much narrower in height and overall smaller. I'd end up patching the exposed screw holes and maybe the wire hole. Also, the sidewall color has faded so it would expose the whiter underneath section where the old light was. The license plate light was another consideration. I knew these would work right, they have been fine for 8 years now and look good appearance wise. Funny enough my new Ram truck tail lights are incandescent so they aren't totally dead yet. :) Cheers, Ray
Are those the bests replacement s
My trailer has led lights on it
Way better
I didn't see an LED assembly that was the right size, most are thinner vertically now. I can always change the lamp to LED
Not to pick but, normally the licences plate goes on the left side. Canada has same requirement. www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/393.11#
Interesting. I see lots of brand new fifth wheels and travel trailers with right mounted plates, some even center. Ours came new like that so I just mounted where the manufacturer did. I imagine because on the left side the attached roof access ladder rung would impede vision to read the plate. Cheers, Ray
Hello can you please assist with the hiring on mine?
What's the problem?
@@LoveYourRV i have different color coded wires. On the new headlight i have 1 green, 1 black, 1 red and 2 whites. The 2 whites are screwed into the back of the lightbulb assembly. Its a tail light that doubles as a reverse. On the wires from the trailer, i have 2 green 2 white and 1 brown.
White wires on RVs are usually the negative ground wires attached to the metal frame. Marker lights are generally brown so that leaves green for turn signal and reverse. You could use a multimeter or 12V tester light to those.
@@LoveYourRV i dont have a multi meter and theres no battery on trailer since its on storage
It would be best to confirm the wiring before hooking things up. Don't need a trailer battery just plug your truck tow cable in. Cheap 12V test lights can be found at any automotive store. amzn.to/3AvJalf Lots of videos on UA-cam on how to use them ua-cam.com/video/bmCGgDtCAYA/v-deo.html