Bantam Wire Harness Voltage? |
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bryuly
Member Joined: 28 July 2018 Location: Meridian Idaho Status: Offline Points: 10 |
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Posted: 30 July 2018 at 8:18pm |
Hello all,
I just joined this forum to help with questions about my Bantam trailer. Any help would be much appreciated. I just did some reading on the forums and noticed that some people were talking about a harness but I did not see my main question answered. Does anyone know if it is possible to wire the trailer up so that I can have both 6V and 12V connections. I would like to make it look like a stock trailer to connect to my CJ and then have the option to do some sort of adapter or something...? to then connect to my modern vehicle that is of course 12V. Is this possible or does anyone have a method to get it to work? I have one idea but was looking for a more "clean" route. My other idea is just to buy one of the magnetic sets of lights from harbour freight or similar and use that when towing behind the 12V vehicle. Thanks, Brad
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mickeykelley
Member Joined: 26 May 2016 Location: Republic of Texas Status: Offline Points: 440 |
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I'm no electrical expert but wire is wire. Generally speaking 6 volt wire is slightly heavier but I'm not sure if that really matters for just lights. Your big issue is if the trailer has 6 volt light bulbs, the 12 vol system will blow the bulbs. And my understanding is with 12 volt bulbs, the 6 volt will cause them to be very dim. At least this is my understanding.
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PackRat
Member Joined: 18 June 2018 Location: Novato, CA Status: Offline Points: 84 |
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Yup...that's the story on the wire gauge and bulbs. Since there seem to be several designs of jeep trailer fittings and most trailers have had their connectors "modernized" over they years, you will need to find an adaptor or make a short "pigtail" with the connections that match your existing jeep and trailer connections.
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GPW-17963 4/24/42
Ford F-250 Alaskan Camper Bantam T3-C #21170 |
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bryuly
Member Joined: 28 July 2018 Location: Meridian Idaho Status: Offline Points: 10 |
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So if I just swap out bulbs from 6v to 12v depending on my situation/vehicle I may be ok?
I guess that would probably make sense. If V= IR then maybe the resistance is mainly in the bulb and if the resistance in a 6v bulb is twice that in a 12v bult it would make sense that it would blow. Likewise if a 12v bulb is connected to a 6v system then it would be "half" as bright since the resistance is not high enough.
If that is wrong please let me know. Thanks! |
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mickeykelley
Member Joined: 26 May 2016 Location: Republic of Texas Status: Offline Points: 440 |
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I guess you could swap out bulbs, but that seems like a pain to me. Maybe put in 12 bulbs but make a special pigtail insert with an inline voltage reducer that you could stick in line when on the 6 volt system. I guess it really depends on which you use the most and the hassle you want to go thru.
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bryuly
Member Joined: 28 July 2018 Location: Meridian Idaho Status: Offline Points: 10 |
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yeah...switching it out might be a pain. I probably won't be using it too much but a voltage step down might be the way to go. I will look into that. Thanks for the idea.
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Unkamonkey
Member Joined: 23 Mar. 2016 Location: Greeley CO Status: Offline Points: 2093 |
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I suppose you are trying to keep your Jeep 6V and tow it with a 12 V vehicle. It can be done but it is more work than you want to think about to get the resistors and diodes to play well. All of my Jeeps were converted to 12 volt and If I run into a purist, I have shelves of MB parts I can place in his hands.
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uncamonkey
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Rus Curtis
Member Joined: 25 Mar. 2010 Location: Alabama Status: Offline Points: 1733 |
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Brad,
I'm wanting to do the same thing with my trailer. Since my jeep is already 12V, I don't have to consider what you're struggling with. I'm not an electrician but agree that installing a converter would be intensive (and could fail at some point - blowing out the 6V bulbs - at the worst time). The other option of swapping the bulbs could work but I bet that would get old after a few times. Another possibility would be to use magnetic tow lights as a temporary 12V lighting system when behind your modern vehicle. Temporary clips can secure the wiring. |
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Rus Curtis
Alabama 1954 CJ3B Bantam T3-C |
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bryuly
Member Joined: 28 July 2018 Location: Meridian Idaho Status: Offline Points: 10 |
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uncamonkey, at this point I am going to keep the Jeep as 6volt. Changing the voltage on the trailer seems much easier...
Rus, the link you provided is what I was thinking about doing. I just was looking for a cleaner setup. At this point it seems like going the route of the magnet lights will be the easiest...
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