Some additional information regarding my situation:
1st I am in SW PA and the temp right now is 22 degrees and dropping. I do not ever plan on towing this 5th wheel in snowy conditions. If I did I might reconsider the incandescent bulbs. I never thought about melting the snow and ice.
2nd the current incandescent fixtures need replaced. The 5th wheel was used when purchased and the previous owner never used bulb lubricant or cleaned the fixtures. As a result they are shot. The red lenses are also damaged and need replaced. I made temporary repairs to use the unit last season knowing a permanent repair would be required.
3rd I have put LEDS on boat and jet ski trailers in the past. As one of the other posters stated the incandescent fixtures always required some sort of work to make them operational. Once I put the LED lights on the most I have to do is clean the connector that plugs into my truck outlet.
I also prefer the brightness of the LED lights. My thoughts are if I have to replace the entire fixture why not go with LED's? If I can find a suitable replacement at a fair price I do not think that the cost difference will be that significant over the life of the trailer.
Again thanks for all the feedback and I will start searching the links that have been provided.
2006 2500HD Chevy 6.0 Gas Ext Cab Short Bed
2004 Flagstaff 28bhss 5th Wheel
Dear Wife, two daughters (21 & 16,) and four dogs
Fredzo wrote: Something that hasn't been mentioned is the improved reaction time by drivers following an LED equipped vehicle. Estimates equate the instantaneous light from LED brake lights to an additional ten feet of distance between vehicles.
That said, I'm sticking with my incandescent lamps for now. I have spares.
good luck to those who rely on LEDs preventing an absent minded driver following them from hitting them.
equally effective and more productive would be to drive more defensively, allowing a little more space in front of you, etc.
bumpy
Ok I'll jump in on this one too.
I had thought about going to LED's and may still but only on the clearance lights since they are mounted high on the rig and are kinda hard to get to without a ladder. But my concern is what if my LED tail lights develop a problem of whatever kind, where do I find a replacement when I'm in BFE? Most stores,7/11,WallyWorlds carry replacement bulbs of the incandescent type.
Thats my take on it.
Rory N6OIL
08' Chevy Silverado 2500 Duramax ClubCab, PullRite SuperGlide
97' 3500 CTD SOLD IT
08' Cougar 289BHS
I converted all my trailer lights to LED. Not only are they brighter but they won't burn out. As someone already mentioned, the brake lights also come on quicker when used for a taillight application.
The conversion was not expensive at all. Bargman makes a conversion kit for the clearance lights so that part was straightforward.
My taillights were from another manufacturer and they don't have a conversion kit. I looked around for a replacement fixture but I couldn't find a match (or even one that would cover all the screw holes). I ended up going with replacement bulbs from LEDtrailerlights.com. They had a part that worked very well in my fixtures with even good, bright and even illumination.
If your fixtures are shot, you can't go that route but you may be able to get OEM replacement lenses and then do a lamp conversion.
Another benefit of the LED lights (for me) was current draw. I often turn on my running lights when dry camping to light up the trailer and area around it (particularly in the desert). My LED lights draw about half an amp. That's a huge improvement over incandescent.
While there are those that may think that LEDs are a fad, or a "hoity toity modification", our entire fleet of fourty ambulances are now equipped with LED emergency lighting. We started switching over about 10 years ago. Why? Better visibility, improved reliability, and reduced electrical load. Same principles apply to my trailer which has 24 lights on it. LEDs work for me. If it doesn't work for Bumpy, then so be it.
Bumpyroad writes "My "issue" is that they are basically just a "fad", when I bought the magnetics for my toad I could spend $24 for bulbs and $56 for LEDs, so I got the bulbs.
I guess I am just not "with it".
and the narrow directional beam, not melting snow, etc. think they are just a gimmick, but that's JMHO."
#1 not a "fad", LEDs have been around since the 1970s, they are nothing new. It wasn't until the late '90s to 2005ish when break throughs started to improve the LEDs. LEDs won't replace some lighting but I can tell you this, LEDs for marker and tail lamps are here and replacing the humble old incadescent light.
#2 I have a problem with the overall cheap RV lighting fixtures inside and out, they are just plain junk. The standard RV tail light is impossible to see the brakelights in bright daylight. The #84 LED Bargman lights I had linked to are a really well designed replacement fixture. It has reflectors around the LEDs which enhance and redirect the light from the LEDs. The lense is 3 dimensional which emits good amount on the sides. The effect is that you can see the light as far as 120 degrees from center! My TT backend faces the west, with the sun beating the back, the brake lights are easily seen.
#3 I agree that many people are changing for that "bling" factor, the problem with that is many of the "bling" LED conversions just plain don't work well.
As far as icing, I don't feel that is a problem, I drive 100 mile round trip daily, over 20 of that is on a major 4 lane highway that happens to be a major trucking route. I have yet to see any trucks or buses with blocked or ice frozen lenses. We do get some nasty cold weather in PA for weeks at a time. Icing may be a issue if you were in say Alaska perhaps.
For me it wasn't the "bling" thing but to rid my trailer of those old fashion style bayonet bulb and sockets that always gave me trouble. Lets face it, by the 1980s even the auto manufacturers had completely dropped using bayonet style bulbs. For some reason (can you say cheap) the RV industry refuses to get with it and upgrade to newer bulb styles that the sockets are protected (and BRIGHTER bulbs to go with it). Try to find a xeon or halogen bulb in the bayonet base for stop/turn. The funny thing is there is people that are willing to defend the RV industry for using the old bayonet socket bulbs???
I wanted the brightest possible stop/turn lights I could get, the ones I bought are. If it is bright it WILL get your attention and that IS what it is all about!
If anyone thinks that LED lights are a "fad" or a "gimmick", then they simply aren't paying attention when they are out driving in the real world.
More and more vehicles are equipped from the factory with LED lamps and light assemblies designed from the beginning to be LED-driven. The trucking industry is moving almost wholesale to the use of LED due reliability and maintenance cost differences between LEDs and incan (when a $.69 bulb burns out, it can cost a trucker $$$ in ticketing and fines). Even traffic signal lights are moving to LEDs due to their reliability, brightness and far lower maintenance costs.
Safety studies on driver reaction time differences due simply to LED light turn-on time is well documented, although I don't have any handy (sorry, gotta go to the airport and pick up the family).
Virtually the entire vehicle transportation industry in this country is moving over to LEDs.
And for good reason: They're brighter and therefore more safer; turn on faster and therefore more safer; they don't break as often and therefore more safer. In short, they're safer.
I find the difference between LED and regular bulbs time to light amazing.
I've followed flatbed trucks where I can see both the trailer lights and truck lights. I sure notice the difference in time to light when one of them has LEDs and the other is incandescent.
If he has two bulbs not working, then his tail lights would have been out.
8/10 LEDs vs 0/2 bulbs .. Maybe that's why they use them?
I'm replacing my 1156 interior lights with LED as they burn out, which doesn't take long, I'm always replacing them. The kitchen fluorescent will stay of course.
I also replace the outside lights with LEDs as the fixtures fail from corrosion, or the lenses crack or get lost. One less thing to deal with come the yearly inspection. I can glue those LEDs down so they don't leak into the side panels.
I am the OP to this thread. I did replace my taillights with LED lights. The reason I did it was the original lights were never maintained by the original owner. They would sometimes work and sometimes not. When working they were very dim.
Since I was replacing not just a bulb but the whole assembly I elected to use the LEDS. I use them on a jet ski trailer and have never had any problems.
I did not do it for the "Bling" that others here claim or as part of a fad. I did it for reliability and safety. I purchased the lights on Ebay and installed them myself. The cost for the lights was around $50 this includes the pair of lights with a license plate light. I spent another $10 or so on Plexiglas to cover the old opening and wire crimps etc.
I am very pleased with the outcome. After winter storage they worked the very first time and are extremely bright.
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