so here it goes i am borrowing a trailer from my friend, its used to haul scissor lifts. its well used and abused.

since hes letting me borrow it id like to fix the lights that don't work for him. one other problem is where the tail lights are mounted they get battered and bent a lot. the trailer is under 80" in width. after doing some searching i can't seem to find a requirement on tail light placement in regards to the rear of the trailer. is it just a general though of " rearward as possible"

my thought was to make some light buckets out of 1/4" steel and mount the 4" rubber mounted truck style lights in them instead of the oval ones now. in doing that the lights wont stick out as far. i would still keep a red maker light on the side of the frame rail in the rear if the tail/signal light gets moved up by the fender.

Cliff note: can i move the tail/signal lights up by the fenders and be ok?

source of some of my info Trailer Poster Table for Website

pic of trailer.

 

They'd look good just about the guys head on the fender decals! Where's the license plate & it's light?

 

no clue haha. but i do know they are needed.

 

Why not look at the requirements at the CA DMV site?

Those are the guys you have to make happy.

Pop

 

source: Towing Your Trailer SafelyTrailer Lights

Trailers in California are required to have reflectors, tail, brake, and license plate lights. Signal lights are also required if the tow vehicle's lights are hidden. Trailers over 80 inches wide must have clearance lights. Most manufacturers comply with these requirements; however, it is up to you to be sure that all lights operate correctly






not very clear on where the tail lights have to be... im at a point where im just going to move them to behind the fender and be done with it. keep the little red maker light on the side of the frame rail in the back and be done with it.



i try and do the right thing and research and i end up more confused and stressed. id take the stupid thing to the scales in castaic but i dont know if i even want to open the can of worms.

 

An alternate idea might be to take it to the CHP office in Woodland Hills. They do inspections all the time, and would certainly know the requirements.

They might offer some good suggestions, too.

Pop

 

i know exactly what the officer will say... "don't back the lights into stuff" haha

my trailer has lights mounted rearward similar to that trailer and i don't have a problem with hitting things with them but oh well that yellow thing is not mine and i cant control what happens to it.

 

I think 1/4" plate will be too thick for the mounting grommets. They are designed to go into approx. 1/8" material. Maybe 3/16" max. The fenders are too far forward for the lights. I THINK the max. allowable overhang beyond the lights is 3 feet.

 

put an expanded metal cage over the lights...

maybe a reinforced angle above them... or mount them vertically...

What is the size & GVWR of the trailer? It might not need tags.

 

in ca its big enough to need tags... i think its a 8k gvwr trailer was what i believe used for small rollers.

its not the actual lamp getting broken its the steel light box getting battered. for now im going to make the wiring work as of now its shorted out. and revisit the lights at a different time.

 

a little update, still no clarification on what i was asking. so i went ahead and started cutting and welding here is what i came up with.

i know how you guys love pictures.... so i took some just for y'all!

new front amber marker


which replaces this one


some light bucket/ fender mounds a made up. 3"x4" 3/16" wall welded to a 6"x6"x3/16" plate


light buckets getting there end caps welded on then ground down to look seamless


left rear box finished


old taillight location on the left rear, now the red marker light resides there.


torched off the left front fender mount


new left front mount welded into place


that's all i got finished today, was the left side. my goal was to get both sides done but i ran out of daylight. (working outside sucks) but i got the right side light bucket and front fender mount built. so all i have to do is torch the old ones off and weld the new on and rewire the lights and ill be done!

the reason for the 6"x6" plate is that the main chassis tube is 2"x6"x1/8" thick. and the fender angle iron brackets were welded to the 6" side. the weight of the fender and the trailer being sprung for a heavy weight causes the fenders to stress the main chassis tube and crack it on the tall side. the cracks have been welded over the years and they just come back. so i welded up the cracks again and laid a 6"x6"x 3/16" plate over that and welded it to the chassis. now the load of the fenders is dispersed over the tube more efficiently.

 

Nice job, Justin.... almost time for the paint brush! LOL

 

thanks, ya it needs a paint job but its gonna have to wait, i cant make the choice to paint it. what paint on the trailer is holding really well or flaking off in sheets. what needs to be done is take the whole thing apart and sandblast, soda blast, co2 blast, etc, etc.

 

are you going to have a rear facing light on the rear of the trailer?

If not, that might create a pretty dangerous situation on a dark night.

reflective tape at the very least.

 

there is a red light on the sides at the very rear of the trailer. also its under 80" and in CA under 80" dont need the 3 rear facing marker lights.

reflective tape it could use but it needs a paint job first as the paint is coming off in sheets, which makes a useless base for the reflective tape. paint is not of my concern as i do not own the trailer.

also i know in the picture it looks like a long over hang from the back of the fenders to the rear of the deck. with the ramp folded up its only 37" from the taillight face to the rear most of the deck. acording to the CA code book this code seems to fit...

V C Section 24604 Lamp or Flag on Projections


Lamp or Flag on Projections

24604. Whenever the load upon any vehicle extends, or whenever any integral part of any vehicle projects, to the rear four feet or more beyond the rear of the vehicle, as measured from the taillamps, there shall be displayed at the extreme end of the load or projecting part of the vehicle during darkness, in addition to the required taillamp, two red lights with a bulb rated not in excess of six candlepower plainly visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the sides and rear. At any other time there shall be displayed at the extreme end of the load or projecting part of the vehicle a solid red or fluorescent orange flag or cloth not less than 12 inches square.


Amended Sec. 18, Ch. 828, Stats. 1998. Effective January 1, 1999.
Amended Sec. 28, Ch. 1035, Stats. 2000. Effective January 1, 2001.

im well under 4 feet so i feel i should be in the clear.

its much better than the NON working lights it had! heck this thing will be lit up better than most junk the the highway anyways even if i am short a marker light or two.