I’ve got to change the rear lights on an old ridged we run,
What does everyone replace with? Led or bulbs?
Any good places to buy from?
Personally-
Unless I was concerned about conserving battery power because the truck was parked up for extended periods with the lights on, then I would use filament bulbs. I buy them on ebay and they seem to last as long as I’d expect one to last. Whenever I change a bulb in the rear light cluster, I make a habit of replacing any of the others that are starting to look a bit tired.
I was thinking LEDs so I didn’t have the hassle of changing bulbs, but on the other hand if a led lights breaks somewhere I couldn’t change the bulb!
Swaying towards bulbs now i think.
I replaced back lights on an old (18 years old ) Leyland with led’s . they worked great but the tell tale on the dash flashed as if I had an indicator bulb out , because led,s draw so little current flasher unit doesn’t ‘detect’ it. the ones I got were cheeseburger type so I bought 4 more (added 2 more to each side) and it worked fine and looked pretty nice, after feeling very happy with myself I then wondered if I could have just replaced flasher unit , mmm
Problem with LEDs is that they draw such a small current that any corrosion in the wiring becomes in effect a resistor of equal value so they dont work.This usually happens on the return (earth) side and can be a ■■■■■ to find.With a filament bulb your drawing at least an amp or two which helps keep the wiring warm and dries out the wiring to get rid of moisture and cuts down on corrosion.Plus they are not polarity dependent.
Easier to change a bulb than find a “green” spot on a wiring loom in the bloody rain at the side of the road.
Not making any sense from the last post even after reading it through about five times. Early-onset Alzheimers at 33? Too many beers? I really would like to spend a day observing the master at work, drying the moisture out of the wiring etc 
Not my fault you still think “electricity” is a kinda magic,muppet
It sure is. Unfortunately the new Scania I’m driving, along with the new Krone trailer only has LED-lights! Except for the Xenon headlights and Hella spots. It has been raining quite heavily this week, so where should I begin to look for moisture and those green spots on the wiring? The truck is also ADR AT certified, so should I be wearing a protective suit when lighting a bonfire under the frame to combat the moisture?
Been fitting side marker led lamps to trailers for about 17 years, no more wiring problems with led compared to bulb units
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Bulbs keep wiring warm and dry it out?? Thats an interesting one. Wiring only gets warm if you’re pulling more current than it can handle. As for corrosion stopping LEDs working, I think you’ll find its the other way round - The current from a bulb on some (very) corroded wiring would pull the voltage down and stop the bulb working. You won’t get that with an LED. Commonly seen on Transits when they have a poor earth - stick the indicator on with side lights on and you’ll see the side light dim down as the indicator flashes.
LEDs do have their benefits, though power saving is not one of them - You have to add resistors in parallel on each circuit to pull the same amount of current as a bulb, other wise you will get bulb failure warning - Like in the post above, where extra lamps had to be added to make up the current the truck is expecting to see.
Electron flow is from negative to positive.All current in the circuit must flow out through the earth wire,thats why the"earth" on the susie plugs is always the thickest wire.Power goes down the earth wire and returns through the “feed”
As most heavy vehicles have side markers ,multiple tail bulbs and outline markers the total draw with bulbs is in the area of 6 or 7 amps which all has to pass down the earth.The lamps are wired in parallel(series one light out all out) but all the current has to pass through one earth and one feed.
Try passing 6 or 7 amps down a piece of 2 core for 10 minutes and see if it gets warm to touch 6 X 24 = 144 watts
LEDs draw maybe 2 amps for the same number of lights.2 amps will pass down a piece of 2 core all day and wont cause the resistance in the wire to cause any heating.
One of the main reasons that LEDs are used in vehicles is that a much thinner gauge of wiring can be used as you have a reduced current draw and is lighter but more important a lot cheaper.
Even though the wire is thinner such a large reduction in amperage is not enough to dry off plug in connectors when even a tiny amount of moisture gets in.Seen wiring where the copper has gone black or corroded away even though the insulation is still sound.The moisture creeps inside the insulation and attacks the conductor.Nearly always on the earth side because once the current has passed through the LED its back to ground potential.
Hmm, don’t think I’ll bother on this. I’m an auto sparky of 15 years, and designer & manufacturer of lighting systems for many of the large manufacturers of both truck chassis and trailer. What would I know eh?!?
To be a good ■■■■■■■■■■■, you need to have an element of truth in your fairytales. I would have to say that bking needs to work on the balance of bs/not bs in his stories. Good read though.
semtex65:
Hmm, don’t think I’ll bother on this. I’m an auto sparky of 15 years, and designer & manufacturer of lighting systems for many of the large manufacturers of both truck chassis and trailer. What would I know eh?!?
Im a truck mechanic of 45 years and I have actually repaired a truck.
Found desk jockeys always know best though.
milodon:
It sure is. Unfortunately the new Scania I’m driving, along with the new Krone trailer only has LED-lights! Except for the Xenon headlights and Hella spots. It has been raining quite heavily this week, so where should I begin to look for moisture and those green spots on the wiring? The truck is also ADR AT certified, so should I be wearing a protective suit when lighting a bonfire under the frame to combat the moisture?
Well whoopee doo, ADR certified (stands back in amazment)
You mean its got some crap solenoid that cuts the power to primary circuits when you turn off the ignition!!
Buses have had the same system for years so that if some idiot leaves the internal lights or coolant boost pump on it dont kill the battery.
But ADR has a nice little green idiot lamp to aid the afflicted to remember to press a switch.
Look in the battery box and you will see a little silver can with 4 terminals.Thats your ADR “technology” it saves the muppet getting out and turning an isolator switch.
Yes it’s clear we can add ADR-certification to the list of things Bking nows naff all about 
ADR AT requires no isolator switch, differing from other ADR certificates, those being OX,FL,EXII and EXIII
The current drawn by using incandescent lamps causes the connector plugs to warm up sufficiently to evaporate moisture in them?
HA HA HA!
You really are a prize pillock, aren’t you?
milodon:
Yes it’s clear we can add ADR-certification to the list of things Bking nows naff all aboutADR AT requires no isolator switch, differing from other ADR certificates, those being OX,FL,EXII and EXIII
Oh that ADR.
Pretty pair of orange plates on a curtain sider.
Does make you look professional though dont it.
keep digging Bking, you’ll find yourself in New Zealand eventually
The only possible ADR certificate for a curtainsider is EXII, as in explosives. EXIII requires a fully enclosed box and AT,FL and OX are all for tanks only
Bking:
semtex65:
Hmm, don’t think I’ll bother on this. I’m an auto sparky of 15 years, and designer & manufacturer of lighting systems for many of the large manufacturers of both truck chassis and trailer. What would I know eh?!?Im a truck mechanic of 45 years and I have actually repaired a truck.
Found desk jockeys always know best though.
