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barrman :
Re: Trailer Plug
Post by barrman on Aug 25, 2006, 3:36pm
I took it apart since the above post. The "contact board" which the different levers move the contacts against was all burned up. Lots of visible arcing signs. This has to be why the fire department started hacking up my wiring all those years ago.
The unlock "arm" was still attached and had places to engage the main switch. The unlock lever and arm are connected by a bolt with a nut on it. That nut was about 1/2 turn from falling off. That is why the unlock didn't work. I also had a lot of little black plastic pieces floating around inside the switch. Basically, it was toasted.
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brute4c :
Re: Trailer Plug
Post by brute4c on Aug 25, 2006, 3:47pm
Wow...yours was nasty.....glad there was no fire!!
Interesting yours had a nut holing it on...one I had was a funny spring clip setup....clip broke...I dont remember what the plastic gut housing had....I have dissected 2...
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barrman :
Re: Trailer Plug
Post by barrman on Aug 28, 2006, 8:00am
Here is my "bench top" wiring set up. My students learned alot about converting a schematic to reality with this one. The 3 lever switch is still a mystery to some though.
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/5...hwiringcq6.jpg
These are Duece light buckets in the picture. I painted them over the weekend and they are now my working backup light system ready for installation if the local law enforcement people don't like the little bitty stock light lenses.
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binfordm715 :
Re: Trailer Plug
Post by binfordm715 on Aug 28, 2006, 8:56am
They can "not like them" all day long here, but they're stock for that model truck so......
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barrman :
Re: Trailer Plug
Post by barrman on Aug 28, 2006, 9:10am
I agree Tim. But, we have state inspections here. I have the hardest time getting the M715 inspected it is amazing. "These tires (NDT's) aren't street legal", "Steering too hard to turn", "You added power steering so I can't pass this truck", "That is not the stock engine so I can't pass you", "You can't have a convertable truck in Texas", "I can't pass this truck with the headlights so high and the lift kit you put on here", "You have to have amber front turn signals for me to pass this truck." These are all things I have been told in the past 5 years trying to get it inspected. Everytime I find an inspector who likes it and will pass it without question, he gets busted for not being tough enough by the state and I have to drive around and find somebody else friendly. Mind you, there are currently only two places in my town that do inspections. I have driven 40 miles before to get inspections. I am going to present it next June when it is due with the small lights and see what happens.
Another problem is our small town police force. I was pulled over last fall for having my license plate too high behind the bumper. The officer had trouble reading if a Z was a Z or a 2. He gave me a warning. I unbolted the plate and hung it way down from zipties. The next week, the other officer working days at the time pulled me over for having it too far down. He gave me a warning as well. I nicely told him to check with the other guy and figure out what they wanted. I left it hanging low and haven't had trouble since. I anticipate trouble from the small lights either with the inspection or on the road. If the state didn't have the "parades and other special events only" clause in the former military vehilce license catagory for usage, I would get that and not worry about plates, plate lights or inspections at all.
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binfordm715 :
Re: Trailer Plug
Post by binfordm715 on Aug 28, 2006, 9:52am
Crikey! And you Texans actually put up with that crap?! I thought y'all were a bunch of rebels down there!
Nice not having vehicle "inspections" here. But we'd better hush up about it or our governor might get a great idea for yet another fund-raiser here.
Good luck, Tim!
Oh, how often do you have to get it inspected?
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barrman :
Re: Trailer Plug
Post by barrman on Aug 28, 2006, 10:13am
The $12.50 I spend for inspection gets me a sticker on my windshield that is good for basically 13 months. I agree about getting rid of it. Oklahoma just got rid of theirs in the last year or so. The problem is all the Kalifornia transplants around here now. Them and all the other people who believe the purpose of the government is to make everybody safe and not let any harm come to anyone.
I have been trying to talk my school into letting me get my class licensed as an inspection station. Then I can inspect my own stuff. Everybody approves of the idea. Just haven't gotten approval for the $2,200 needed to make it happen. Sep 1 is a new fiscal year for us and it could happen this year.
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wrecker :
Re: Trailer Plug
Post by wrecker on Aug 28, 2006, 11:30am
Tim, I removed the shaded parts of my taillights on the bar section in order to get more visibility out of them. Now I have a straight bar of light and the oval. Looks like original with a little more light coming out of em. Since all three bulb sockets are for single pole bulbs, I wired them a couple ways to get the look I liked. Oval stop and turn w/bar as marker light, and vise versa.
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barrman :
Re: Trailer Plug
Post by barrman on Aug 28, 2006, 11:47am
My fronts are like that with everything clear. That is why I got hassled about the no amber turn signal a year or so ago.
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oilcan :
Re: Trailer Plug
Post by oilcan on Aug 28, 2006, 12:33pm
Tim, I'm running the same lights as the ones on your bench there, except I'm using front housings all the way around for a tad more ground clearance in the back. It's nice that the lenses interchange.
I hope you get your inspection sation, but keep working on getting rid of that whole bureaucratic mess.