Wire Gauge and Ground Locations for LED Running Lights on a Trailer

Question:

I have 6 LED running lights that I will be stringing together with the 2 brown wires in this harness 3 lights on each side. Which AWG wire should I use to string the lights together as well as for the grounding wire? Also, Is it appropriate to string all the ground wires in a series before running it to the frame/back to the white wire in the harness? or does each light need its own individual ground wire to the frame or harness? Thank you

asked by: Greg J

Expert Reply:

Since LED lights do not require a lot of amperage you can go with relatively small wire. Using 16 or 18 gauge wire will be fine. Harness # A20WB uses 20 gauge wire which is on the small side but certainly not a problem at all for LED lights even incandescent lights on a trailer. We have various types of 16 and 18 gauge wires, see links, depending on the configuration needed. Also many of the options are sold by the foot so you would change the quantity amount to reflect how many feet you will need.

As far as the grounds go I would ground each light independently to the trailer frame or other nearby steel surface. On boat trailers or aluminum frames it is better to splice the grounds together and ground them along with the main trailer connector ground.

I have also included a link to our wiring help article with a lot of useful information on trailer wiring.

expert reply by: Michael H