Trailer Light Wiring fails every time I go to use it-the thin old brittle wires makes my blood boil!

Hello
I all started when I purchased a nice LED trailer light kit for $29.95 Everything seemed ok and I installed it without a problem.
It just seemed to get old fast and the wires got brittle and broke easily like a 15 year old pool liner that can no longer hold water!
After fixing the broken wire before using it last time and then the wire broke again before I could even get back, it was the last straw! I did learn a lot from all the failures so maybe there is a better way?
First thing I realized is the thin probably 22 Guage wire that came with the light kit can be upgraded to a larger gauge?
After searching along time, I finally found really good Trailer Light Wire!! I was surprised that Harbor Freight now sells Kenway LED lights and the wire kit is 14 Guage for only $11.99! Most places have 18 Guage! This looks like I will not have to fix the wire every single time I take the trailer out!!! Yahoo.!!!
I tore out the old 22 Guage poor quality very problematic small rink-a-dink-a-do wire and put in the 14 Guage manly size manly mans wire today! It took all day luckily it was really nice out!
As a double check, I connected a test plug to the car wiring and it all checked out fine. Looks like 18 Guage good decent wire.
On the trailer, First I had to get the right 4 pin connector to match the car socket and connect it to the new 14 Guage wire kit. I found a small 4 pin extension at Auto Zone and cut the plug off that. Again it seems like this was 18 Guage good decent wire going into the 4 pin plug.
So I picked up a 10 pack of blue waterproof butt connectors at Harbor Freight and I was surprised how well the crimp holds and how easy it is to shrink with a heat gun.
Next is to secure the new white wire main ground.
I wire wheeled the frame on the side near the hitch and using the heavy 14 Guage white wire with a special waterproof round lug shrink wrap crimp connector, secured it to the frame with a stainless steel 1/2” head head bolt and nut with washers and lock washers. After crimping then I applied the heat. Then to seal out moisture, I sprayed the head of the stainless steel bolt with CRC 2-26 Multi-Purpose Precision electrical lubricant that will keep the connection good for a while.
Then I ran 2 wires down each side of the trailer and secured them with a stainless steel screws into plastic wire cable clamps from Home Depot.
The new 14 Guage wire kit comes with blue splice connectors to connect the side marker lights to the hot wire to the tail lights. The problem is that pressing it down on the 22 Guage maker light wire and 14 Guage kit wire does not work very well! I realized the kit wire is much longer than needed so I cut the same color 14 Guage wire, red on the driver’s side and brown on the passenger side and put those in the splice connector. Then used 2 more waterproof butt connectors to connect the side marker lights. The fist one I did did not work so I pulled out the mult-tester and could not read the 12 VDC. So I squeezed the splice a little harder and bingo, it worked!
Then I just connected up the tail lights using the waterproof butt shrink wrap connectors and applied the heat gun and sprayed all ground connections with the sealant!
All ground connections for the lights were wire wheeled to remove the paint and sprayed with the sealant. Stainless Steel self tappers were used except the main ground was stainless steel nut and bolt.
I also put bundles and loops of the new wire not only to give slack so vibrations do not break the connections but if a new light or harness connector is needed then it can be added without making the wire to short!
Do you think this will hold up and not fail every time it is used?

Pic 1 - The last straw, the ground connection broke before I could get back!
Pic 2 - new 14 Guage wire kit at Harbor Freight
Pic 3 - heat gun and waterproof blue butt connectors with new harness connector
Pic 4 - new 14 Guage and old 22 Guage wire
Pic 5 - new wire harness - ow which wire goes where??
Pic 6 - CRC wire sealant from Home Depot
Pic 7 & 8 Néw main ground connection
Pic 9 - old wires that made my blood boil!
Pic 10 - side marker light new wiring
Pic 11 - Tail light new wiring
Pic 12 - Wire clamps from Home Depot
Pic 13 - It works! All done!

 

Nice job. Trailer wiring is always a problem.

 

The only thing worse than lights and wiring on a trailer is lights and wiring on a boat trailer!

 

I bought an inexpensive light kit from the big online auction site , lights seemed to be OK but the wiring harness was junk ! Not many strands of wire inside it. The lifespan on it was probably around 6 months. Ended up buying another harness from my local auto parts store , not a hard job but just not a fun one.

 

I have been known to cheat and stick on a set of magnetic ones. Got them from Harbor Freight and have been pleasantly surprised with them. I do tape them on for security but makes buying trailers and pulling them home easier as well as always having them seems to relieve the trailer light problems!

 

I did something similar , I made a light bar with a set of lights I could use on anything I might need it for.
Have used them on a friends trailer that had no lights as well as on the splitter.
They hang on the wall in the garage until needed so being out in the elements and rodents eating the wires not an issue

 

Go wireless!

 

Wireless , never saw that before. Great idea

 

Got tired of dealing with the salt eating the boat lights/wires.

 

I get it , Trailer wiring always seems to be a problem. I feel your pain on a boat trailer , had boats in the past.
Plus the lights can be used anywhere,

 

I would get rid of the scotch lock, using them is asking for problems. Not water tight.

 

etrailer has a comprehensive page on trailer lighting requirements
https://www.etrailer.com/faq-trailer-lighting-info-and-regulations.aspx#trailerlightspcandp2

 

X1000! I never never never use those for anything intentionally...only for emergency/temporary use...they WILL fail on you in the future! Hate em!

 

campinspecter has a pair of magnetic lights on the woodsplitter. They work really well. He can move them out of the way when he is splitting and move them back when he is traveling.

 

I hate dealing with trailer wiring. I'll have to get a set of those wireless ones for JIC use.

 

Trailer wiring is very simple really. Not Buying cheap components and running the wires in some sort of conduit helps a lot! Oh and using the proper color wires from start to finish helps figuring out problems
quicker.

 

Thanks everyone for your comments. I really respect and appreciate them.
I have 2 regular scotch locks one for each side marker light that came with the new wire kit. Would these scotch lock moisture guard connectors be a good upgrade that will not fail?

 

The magnet lights work really well on the splitter!

They can be moved out of the way when I am splitting; just that some times I forget and leave them on the belt guard for the trip home but I have been lucky enough that I have never been pulled over!


This set of light is over 30 years old !

 

Wire nuts filled with silicone caulk

 

Self soldering sleeves