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Automotive wire and loom that isn't absolute garbage?

1,398 Views | 15 Replies | Last: 13 days ago by CS78
BrazosDog02
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1:30p, 3/30/26
AG
I am a huge stickler for trailer lights that operate all the time 100% reliably. So when I rewire things, I solder joints. I use marine grade heat shrink with glue inside, and I wrapped them in loom to keep them protected.

Occasionally, my trailer lights stop working. 100% of the time it is due to faulty grounding on the trailer. Every single time I find this issue, the wire I have soldered on to ground has completely disintegrated. I mean, the jacket becomes hard and stiff, the copper or tinned wire inside corrode to the point that when you try to bend it, it snaps off in a clean break. It absolutely sucks.

The other issue is the plastic split loom that I use. After two years in the sun, this stuff absolutely disintegrates as well.

Where on this planet can I buy high-quality wire and high-quality loom that isn't junk? I'm looking for stuff that is UV stabilized. I have wiring in my truck that is literally 50 years old and it is still pliable and functional.

Where can I get that stuff? Amazon is not the answer unless I have a brand to focus on.

McMaster cart has lots of options but none say UV resistant. Is there a standard I can look for that will cover UV? What about flame ******ant?
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TRIDENT
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1:42p, 3/30/26
AG
I think I'm going to go wireless next time I need to re-do my trailer lights.

Agrieyes Wireless Magnetic LED Trailer Lights Kit
Best overall for boats strongest combination of durability, brightness, and signal reliability.
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Agrieyes Wireless Magnetic LED Trailer Lights Kit for Towing
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4.3 (1.9K)
Placement options available

Walmart
Current price: $109.99
$109.99
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TxSquarebody
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1:43p, 3/30/26
Look for asphalt coated wire loom. As for the wire, so much has soy based insulation these days. I have no idea where to find the good stuff. Also, have heard that crimp connectors and heat shrink are preferable to solder joints in high vibration uses. YMMV
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Hoyt Ag
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In reply to TRIDENT • 1:59p, 3/30/26
AG
I need to rewire one of my flatbeds, and I think I am going this route. I am tired of dealing with dead grounds.
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MouthBQ98
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2:23p, 3/30/26
AG
It depends on the trailer for me. Some I just set up to be able to do a quick 30min rewiring job every 3 years or so using the cheap stuff. Not worth the fight. Others. If I want it to last, I use good connectors and gel heat shrink and even tinned wire and I run a third common ground wire to every light and back to the harness.
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TRIDENT
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2:35p, 3/30/26
AG
Grem has posted this on 2coolfishing, and he is the best boat trailer guy I know of (in addition to being a killer fishing guide):

Get a 7-way distribution box mounted up near front of trailer. Near the bow stop works.
Get a 7-way sealed RV plug with long enough pig tail to reach vehicle to distribution box.
Pipe lights LEDs on top of your guide on posts (or Slick Sticks). These are key.
Use extension cord and run each light its own run. That way every light gets its own power wire and its own ground. All is double insulated due to the extension cord.
Run all the grounds together at the distribution box.

Use Anchor silicon filled shrink wrap connectors. The blue ones. Keep your connections high up in that pipe light and they never get wet.

No additional shrink wrap needed.

My boat had 700 hours when i sold it and the light setup i describe above had zero issues in 7 years of use. I do all my trailers this way. Best setup i have found.

I don't like the additional shrink wrap simply because i can't see the fail points if they ever did. When a connector fails when setup as above it is a very easy fix. With each light getting its own run and the distribution box setup you simply rewire or re-crimp one run. No need to redo entire trailer ever again.

I do a lot of them and none of them come back. Let me know of you need help getting this done.

Www.gowithgrem.com
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schmellba99
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2:52p, 3/30/26
AG
Direct bury wire is going to generally be the longest lasting. All wire corrodes though, eventually corrosion wins the batter no matter how hard you try - especially if you have connections that are exposed in any capacity.

Trailer environment is hard on wire, road grime, water, salt if you are in coastal or northern environments, etc. all get hammered into any trailer wire. Replacing wire if you use your trailers a lot is more or less a maintenance item.
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Gunny456
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In reply to BrazosDog02 • 3:36p, 3/30/26
AG
Brazos. We use ANCOR Marine Wire Products for our boat trailers manufacturing.
It is UL #1426 Boat Cable and is ABYC rated.
It is a Type 3/Class K stranding to prevent fatigue from vibration. We use 10 AWG size.
It is a boat wiring product but we use it on our trailers as well as it far exceeds any automotive wiring product.
It is extremely resistant to UV, high heat, saltwater and vibration. It has a pvc insulation specifically for marine use.
https://www.navico.com/ancor

We also use a lot of products from the Pacer Marine Wiring co.
https://www.pacergroup.net/
TAMU Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences

Boat racing is like a beautiful woman.......expensive, high maintenance, but well worth the fun!
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BrazosDog02
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In reply to TRIDENT • 3:46p, 3/30/26
AG
TRIDENT said:
Grem has posted this on 2coolfishing, and he is the best boat trailer guy I know of (in addition to being a killer fishing guide):

Get a 7-way distribution box mounted up near front of trailer. Near the bow stop works.
Get a 7-way sealed RV plug with long enough pig tail to reach vehicle to distribution box.
Pipe lights LEDs on top of your guide on posts (or Slick Sticks). These are key.
Use extension cord and run each light its own run. That way every light gets its own power wire and its own ground. All is double insulated due to the extension cord.
Run all the grounds together at the distribution box.

Use Anchor silicon filled shrink wrap connectors. The blue ones. Keep your connections high up in that pipe light and they never get wet.

No additional shrink wrap needed.

My boat had 700 hours when i sold it and the light setup i describe above had zero issues in 7 years of use. I do all my trailers this way. Best setup i have found.

I don't like the additional shrink wrap simply because i can't see the fail points if they ever did. When a connector fails when setup as above it is a very easy fix. With each light getting its own run and the distribution box setup you simply rewire or re-crimp one run. No need to redo entire trailer ever again.

I do a lot of them and none of them come back. Let me know of you need help getting this done.

Www.gowithgrem.com


I like SGREM design. I'll do that. Now, here is a question, my cattle trailer that needs work has brake lights, a rear high mount clearance light, left and right rear clearance lights and then more clearance lights in the front on the sides.

Running a thick extension cord to each of those would require 7-9 runs. That is kinda thick, no? How do you accommodate that?
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BrazosDog02
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In reply to Gunny456 • 3:49p, 3/30/26
AG
Where can I get Ancor wiring? I'm a "use 8" posts and 12gauge fencing for my chickens" kind of dude, and this stuff seems what I'm looking for. Not to sound arrogant, but I don't care about the cost of it. I'd rather pay three times for something and do it once than 1/4 as much and do it four times.
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Gunny456
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In reply to BrazosDog02 • 6:03p, 3/30/26
AG
We use these folks:

https://www.hodgesmarine.com/catalogsearch/result/index

In search type in ANCOR wiring.

https://www.fisheriessupply.com/ancor
TAMU Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences

Boat racing is like a beautiful woman.......expensive, high maintenance, but well worth the fun!
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Deerdude
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3:53p, 3/31/26
I started using extension cords that safetyman tagged as bad. They very durable. One down each side of frame is all you need.
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Drundel
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In reply to BrazosDog02 • 4:49p, 3/31/26
AG
Sounds a lot like mine, other than I wired the ground to my truck connection.

But I too used Ancor wire and just bought induvial wires from Amazon and made a home run from the tongue to each light. So I made my own wiring harness.

Ancor 180203 Marine Grade Electrical Primary Tinned Copper Boat Wiring (18-Gauge, Brown, 35-Feet)

I think I bought 5 colors.

As far as connectors, these are good crimp and seal. Just make sure you use the right crimper.

https://a.co/d/01JgKxF1

------
http://www.drundel.com/

Class of 2000
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SanAntoneAg
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5:26p, 3/31/26
AG
Copper ground wire, solder and the trailer. Three dissimilar metals, sounds like a recipe for quick corrosion.
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CS78
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5:47p, 4/2/26
I use tinned duplex marine wire with dedicated grounds ran full length. Weatherproof butt connectors. On my duck boat trailers that are going to catch hell, use grey flexible conduit and large stainless hose clamps to hold to the trailer. Never had any of it fail.
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CS78
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In reply to Deerdude • 6:00p, 4/2/26
I've done this with good results. Garden hose works well for cheap conduit too.
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