I had the same issue on my 5x8. If the critters didn’t destroy the wiring, the dogs trying to get the critters do. Or they corroded or got damaged or whatever else. I finally bought a set of portable magnetic lights. Even in plastic wire loom, the wires still would get damaged in various ways.
Last month I finally bought a set of cordless magnetic tow lights off eBay. I secure them with tape or ball bungees or whatever… just in case. So far, so good, but Don’t cheap out like I did. Mine sometimes have charge and connectivity issues. Maybe I just haven’t figured them out yet.

You can buy 4 and 7 wire trailer cord at NAPA.

@Newoldhouseguy , it's best not to PM @havohep268 , most likely the response will be an "email my friend" scam...

Yep. Typical spam attempt. Here's what his background turned up.

dave_r said:

@Newoldhouseguy , it's best not to PM @havohep268 , most likely the response will be an "email my friend" scam...

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Do not respond to that post If you have do not make any agreements It has been determined to be a scammer

Newoldhouseguy said:

Hi All,
I replaced the signal/stop lights and wires on my 10’ utility trailer last year. It only took that much time for the cheap wires to corrode. The wires coming out of the lights as well as the four point connection harness corroded. The strands are very thin

I’m trying to find quality lights/wiring. Any suggestions? I’ve searched but find it hard to determine a quality brand.

(extra bonus point if they are the round style!!!)

Thanks in advance!

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Thought he was pretty fast at putting the pm request out there with no other content. Didn't even look at the join date or number of post.
We should all be more careful. But good going mods.

Back to the o.p.'s request, when I re-wired my small trailer, I used this stuff:
It's really insulated and has held up well for 5+ years in wind/rain/snow/ice.

The only thing I didn't like about it was doing the clearance lights, as it's difficult to make a connection mid-way along the bundle, you either need to cut the wire completely and then butt-join all the wires, or carefully cut out the wire you need, and then butt join some short extensions to get to the light.

If I were doing it again, I would just get 4 plain 14gauge wires of different colors, a heavier gauge black wire (probably 12 gauge) [to run a separate ground instead of using the frame], and plastic split wire loom of the right size to hold the 5 wires, and then run the wires around the frame in a C. Most of the wires end at the taillights, with just the ground and clearance lights continuing on along the other frame rail. For the connections, I would use unshielded crimp butt joints, crimp them, then solder them, then heat shrink tubing over it to keep moisture out.

It was actually reported by a member … thank you to that member You know who you are👍

Ariens93GT20 said:

Thought he was pretty fast at putting the pm request out there with no other content. Didn't even look at the join date or number of post.
We should all be more careful. But good going mods.

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That looks doable. I would run it through conduit just to keep it out of the elements and make it rodent proof. It also allows the use of boxes to make those connections for marker lights if needed. It's just one of those decisions that require justification of the end user.

Lesson learned ........ absolutely avoid all the "clad" wire out there that corrodes in one season. Be sure it is solid copper.
Costs more but is well worth it.

seems he joined and got banned within a 12 hour period, thanks to our mods for being so fast,

trailer lite wise i to had issues with the cheaper kits,got a real good one from west marine yes it was pricey at about $110 for the under 80 wide kit ,Trailer Light Kit with Harness and Hardware for Trailers Under 80 but of a much better quality ,connection wise i tin the strands before crimping with water proof butt connectors and pack the plug with water proof grease, seems IMMO to help

dave_r said:

@Newoldhouseguy , it's best not to PM @havohep268 , most likely the response will be an "email my friend" scam...

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better yet use marine grade wire,it's tinned so it resists corrosion way better

SARG said:

Lesson learned ........ absolutely avoid all the "clad" wire out there that corrodes in one season. Be sure it is solid copper.
Costs more but is well worth it.

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Wow! Thank you all for the great responses. What a great community this is!

I’ll check out the options mentioned.

(Regarding the PM guy, I figured it must be a scam. I saw that he (she?) registered within an hour of my post….seemed a little fishy.)

Pay once cry once. Look for marine tinned wire. The copper is coated in tin inside the sheathing the entire length and will last much longer in the elements. If you have a 7 wire plug, then look for a cold weather pigtail to go to the vehicle. Much much much more pliable and won't stiffen or crack on you. Fianlly, do yourself a favor and home run all the grounds to the vehicle pigtail. Grounding lights to the frame is always my first issues on trailers I didn't wire myself.