help me design my new electrical system

[laserjock]

Solid state relays for DC are really expensive. If I could get dc solid state relays, that's what I'd use. They are basically a zero failure component. If you buy good mechanical relays, they are good for a lot of cycles. Me, for something like brakes on the truck, I'd probably pass on a relay for the truck lights. If you are planning on towing something lit up like a Christmas tree, run those trailer lines parallel on a relay. Since you are doing the lift gate thing, are you running an electric pump for the hydros's? You might consider splitting your load centers and putting one in the rear. It would save you a bunch of wire if you are running a large feed wire back there for a winch or whatever back there.

Just a thought.

 

[Greg5OH]

your right, 50 bucks for a SS relay :0!

so direct power to the BOO switch for brake lights, and direct power to the turn signal flasher. \

for the liftgate-im running a 1/0 gauge to the back where the master relay and operation switch is located inside the gate. That fat power wire will feed a distribution block which will give power to the trailer lights and aux work lights. So like you said, have those relays located out back, and all I have to run from the cabin is signal wire from the switches and brake controller. I just want an arming switch in the cabin so i can deactivate the main external switch so noone can hurt themselves accidentaly in a parking lot if someone wants to fool around with it while im away from the truck.

 

[laserjock]

Since you are doing your own harness, put a pig tail at the back of the light harness to drive the trailer relays. No need to run back to the front and run signal wires again.

 

[Greg5OH]

trailer wire needs, ground, power, turn, and BOO?

welding, engine building, machining i can do..electrical stuff confuses me unless i draw out a really simp0le diagram for myself.

I will be berating the board with a bunch of questioins about really simp0le wiring stuff, please forgive me, i gotsto learn somehow.

so might light harness-it has power on, signal (one signal for brakeson, and seperate signal for each turn signal), i just runa jumper wire from those, to my trailer relays
?

 

[sjwelds]

trailer wire needs, ground, power, turn, and BOO?

You will also need a constant hot wire to charge the battery on your trailer breakaway system.

Couldn't agree with you more, I hate wiring of any sort and would (almost) rather pay someone to do it.

Edit: nevermind, I should learn to read posts twice or thrice before responding......

 

[laserjock]

Essentially. Don't think about it so much in terms of the functions. The trailer lights need to do what the truck lights do. Use you truck lights to drive the relays for the trailer. Minimal extra load.

 

[IDIoit]

i have done several home made wiring harnesses.
only on gas vehicles tho.
i always had a problem with directly wired headlights pulling too many amps.
i know relays should be installed. but i never was able to get them to work properly.
ive had good luck with wiring headlights through a starter silonoid.
food for thought.

 

[laserjock]

Starter solenoid is just a really big relay.

 

[OLDBULL8]

i have done several home made wiring harnesses.
only on gas vehicles tho.
i always had a problem with directly wired headlights pulling too many amps.
i know relays should be installed. but i never was able to get them to work properly.
ive had good luck with wiring headlights through a starter silonoid.
food for thought.

There is a big difference in solenoids, one is a constant duty and the other is intermmitent. Just be careful on what each is used for.

 

[IDIoit]

Starter solenoid is just a really big relay.

and alot easier to install.... moron proof... this is the type of stuff i need hahah

 

[Greg5OH]

haha

speaking of relays and being failure prone, i lied.
I have yet to see a quality (i used my dads parts bin for when i wired my mustang e fans and any other electrical project he did) he onyl had bosch relaysl They never failed.

used me a harbor freight relay wit hthe pig tail for a pair of aux lights...yep thing lasted maybe 3 weeks, relay died (confirmed by plugging in anopther relay).

 

[riotwarrior]

Just a tip....For those LARGE 1/0 and such wires you will be running, go to a Car Audio shop, get some BIG ass fuses and install them near your main battery so if ..IF failure happens you have it fused.

I use Car audio stuff alot, along with good welding cable etc for main power. It is good stuff..$pendy but well worth it.

Get friendly with a car audio guy, that can and maybe will assist with wiring for , as I used to help out for non audio stuff, and it was fun and different from what I was used to...but essentially the same...powers and grounds...

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Essentially. Don't think about it so much in terms of the functions. The trailer lights need to do what the truck lights do. Use you truck lights to drive the relays for the trailer. Minimal extra load.

This. If you were doing this on a pickup truck with the factory harness I'd suggest that you purchase one of those breakout harness kits made by Hopkins (and possibly many others), they plug in between your frame harness and the bed harness and essentially T-ee off it providing leads for at the very least left brake/turn, right brake/turn, running lights, and ground - this is your typical 4-way trailer connector setup, but it can be used rather well for powering trailer lights relays instead of said connector directly.

Since you're doing your own harness from end to the other, such factory-style Tee will not work for you, but you can apply the same idea to your own harness. There is, however, one catch - based on something you said earlier (can't find it right now) I'm left with the impression that you are planning on using separate brake and turn lamps on that flat bed, is that correct? If yes then it could present a problem - standard 7-way RV-style trailer connectors have only two contacts for brake/turn lamps, they are wired in for a trailer that uses the same lamp as both a brake and a turn signal (just like how our trucks are from the factory) - so you can't use you new separate rear truck lamps harness directly to control your trailer relays box. To do separate brake and turn signals with the factory bricknose switch it's easiest if you tap into its wires for the front turn signals as those are not connected to the BOO switch in any way (many dually owners use that setup to make their marker lights on the dually fenders double as turn signals without being affected by the brake lights), then for your brake lights you'll need a separate lead off the BOO switch and before the turn signal switch. Basically you end up using the bricknose turn signal switch's front signals leads to power all of the truck's turn signals, and you use its rear leads to power your relay box for the trailer's combined brake/turn lamps. Not sure how the '06 trucks are set up, but if they come from the factory with separate brake and turn rear lamps then you kinda have it easy as they do make adapter boxes to take these individual inputs and combined them for trailer use (U-haul has them), and so you can use one such gizmo to trigger your trailer relays box.

 

[Greg5OH]

thanks. Avctually id like to use the brake and turn lamp as one, just htought it would be easier to have em seperate, as you need the laights to be half bright for running, then full bright for braking and turn signal.

 

[sjwelds]

Most STT (stop,turn, tail) lights actually have two separate lighting filaments. 1 for running lights, and a separate circuit/filament in the bulb for stop/turn. Thus, you have 3 wires coming out of the light. 1 for ground one for stop/turn and one for running.