Clearance Lights

[Dutch6]

No. And the guy never measured my boat to even see if I would need to have clearance lights by law if there is an 80 inch rule.

Then basically all you lost was your time... Find someone else to inspect it.

 

[dems4me]

Then basically all you lost was your time... Find someone else to inspect it.

This much I've figured out I want to make sure that 1) I need clearance lights as I was failed for not having and 2) if there's specifications of where exactly they need to be on the trailor

 

[kwillia]

I want to make sure that 1) I need clearance lights as I was failed for not having and 2) if there's specifications of where exactly they need to be on the trailor

Then Aps is right... you need to look up the actual regulations and check your specs against the list of requirements.

 

[Dutch6]

This much I've figured out I want to make sure that 1) I need clearance lights as I was failed for not having and 2) if there's specifications of where exactly they need to be on the trailor

If this is the original trailor with this boat and it does not have clearance light odd are they are not needed. If you want to put them on, as I did, they are not hard to do. They should be placed somewhere to the center of the lenght of the trailor. Call MVA....

 

[dems4me]

If this is the original trailor with this boat and it does not have clearance light odd are they are not needed. If you want to put them on, as I did, they are not hard to do. They should be placed somewhere to the center of the lenght of the trailor. Call MVA....

Thanks, I know, I found it very odd too. Only thing I can figure is maybe in Virginia where the boat came from they didn't need clearance lights. :shrug: Something smelled fishy about it all but I didn't want to go and drive everything up somewhere again and have the same problem with another place in case I didn't have them on exactly where they should go or something. Maybe I should just load the thing up with lights all over it and look like a damn'd ufo going down the road.

 

[huntr1]

Dems,
There is an auto shop by McKay's in Charlotte Hall, they are next to Schoenbaur Furniture. You can see their wreck yard / U-Haul trucks from Rt. 5. They do trailer inspections, and were very nice and helpful when I got my utility trailer inspected 4 years ago. Go see them.

 

[dems4me]

Dems,
There is an auto shop by McKay's in Charlotte Hall, they are next to Schoenbaur Furniture. You can see their wreck yard / U-Haul trucks from Rt. 5. They do trailer inspections, and were very nice and helpful when I got my utility trailer inspected 4 years ago. Go see them.

thanks! Do youknow offhand if they are open on weekends?

 

[huntr1]

Saturdays atleast a 1/2 day I believe. Don't know their name, but if you check the phonebook for U-Haul in Charlotte Hall, you should be able to find it.

 

[CrashTest]

Wow – that’s a lot of mumbo-jumbo in the Md. laws. This is all I’ve ever seen on any boat trailer in Md. or anywhere else and I’ve seen 1000’s

Three little lights down low on the back (red).
Tail lights consisting of brake lights and turn signals behind each wheel (red).
Lights on the side about a third of the way down (orange).

Getting them all to work and light up however, is no easy task sometimes.

 

[huntr1]

Saturdays atleast a 1/2 day I believe. Don't know their name, but if you check the phonebook for U-Haul in Charlotte Hall, you should be able to find it.

Found it.

First Choice Auto Repair
30497 Potomac Way
Charlotte Hall, MD 20622
(301) 884-5627

 

[dems4me]

Wow – that’s a lot of mumbo-jumbo in the Md. laws. This is all I’ve ever seen on any boat trailer in Md. or anywhere else and I’ve seen 1000’s

Three little lights down low on the back (red).
Tail lights consisting of brake lights and turn signals behind each wheel (red).
Lights on the side about a third of the way down (orange).

Getting them all to work and light up however, is no easy task sometimes.

Thats the ones that are missing, the orange ones on the trailor right below the bow. Thanks!

 

[dems4me]

Found it.

First Choice Auto Repair
30497 Potomac Way
Charlotte Hall, MD 20622
(301) 884-5627

You're awesome!!! Thanks!

 

[tikipirate]

A boat with an 8' (96") beam is considered by most states to be the maximum trailerable width without applying for a special permit. (In some states, said permits are one-time only deals and you have to apply for each transit.) Most trailer boats from 21' and up have an 8' beam.

Sooo... If you have a boat with an 8' beam, it is obvious that you need clearance lights on the trailer. It makes good common sense, too, so folks merging behind you realize that you are towing.

As an aside, can we talk trailer brakes? Surge brakes are so unsafe. The mechanism usually corrodes, so they either don't work, or the brakes get stuck on. Splurge and buy an electric brake system tapped into your car's brake system. The trailer brake will modulate with brake pedal pressure. If the trailer ever gets unruly, you can reach down to a control box and manually apply trailer braking to straighten the rig out.

 

[tikipirate]

Getting them all to work and light up however, is no easy task sometimes.

Trailer manufacturers often use lame-azz connections such as wire nuts or barrel connectors. I would open up each connection on the trailer, slide a length of heat-wrap tube down one leg of the wire, splice the wires with a soldered lineman splice, pull up the heat-wrap and shrink it on.

Also, remove your bearing caps and install 'Bearing Buddies'. The best 5 minutes you will ever spend with a hammer and a block of wood.

http://www.bearingbuddy.com/