How to deal with flickering trailer lights.

How to deal with flickering trailer lights. 

If you have driven a big truck for any length of time, you probably know how to fix flickering trailer lights.

1. Unplug the pigtail, use a small screwdriver/knife to spread the prongs apart in the trailer connector (which I have found rarely ever works),
2. Then jam something in the trailer connector with the pigtail.

If you have been driving for any length of time, you will also know that this doesn’t always work. The ways drivers “fix” the problem is to jam in: paper clips, rolled up paper, cardboard, toothpicks, plastic seals, zip ties…the list goes on and on. First, paper clips or anything metal is a bad idea because metal breaks off and can short out the trailer lights. Now we have a new problem. Second, all the other ways will work, but not on every trailer and not every time.

Here is a video that I did showing all the ways to fix the problem and why they are not always good remedies.

Where I work, many tractors were having the problem of needing a new pigtail every 3 months and I had one of these trucks. I was frustrated with all the ways that just didn’t work well. One day I would use paper, the next time it was a zip tie. I wanted one tool for every trailer type. So I made one.

The Prototype

I was sitting in a Macy’s shoe department while my wife was shopping. I wondered if a shoehorn would work to fix my flickering lights so I went up and asked the clerk if they had any shoehorns. She gave me a 3.5 in shoehorn for free. IT WAS PINK! I took it to work, tried to shove it in the with the pigtail, and….it didn’t work. It was way too big. Luckily, I get home every day now and I could go out into my garage and trim it down.

After some trial and error, I had the right fit. It worked. This came at the time that I needed a new pigtail because mine was having problems. But my lights didn’t flicker all night. So I tried the next night, no problem. This went on for months with a “bad” pigtail. Some other drivers saw what I had and they wanted one too. Macy’s was going out of business so I went to Dillards and got a dozen shoehorns. I trimmed them down to the right size and gave them out to other drivers. This thing was a big hit. All of a sudden, these drivers were not needing a new pigtail either. I was on to something.

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My wife made it very clear that she was not going to spend a lot of time in my garage trimming shoehorns so I needed a better way to make these.

3D Printing

Traditional manufacturing is very expensive to start and was something way out of the question. My “geeky” brother-in-law said, “why not have the 3D printed?” I said, “what is 3d printing?” In a nutshell, 3d printing is the process by which a printer lays down layer after layer of plastic until the designed shape is made. It is called Additive Manufacturing. This was perfect. I found a website called 3D Hubs that will hook you up with manufacturers to make your product. I made hundreds of Pigtail Wedges like this. I even pitched it to my company as a way to extend the life of the pigtails on their truck. They started buying them.

The process of 3d printing is very cost-effective for prototyping and small-batch production, but it was not going to be a viable process for the long term. So I started researching injection molding. Injection molding can be a very expensive undertaking. I was getting estimates of $15,000 just for the mold, $2 for each piece, and a 5000 piece minimum order. (China can do it a lot cheaper, but that is a whole different subject. And I wanted this to be Made in America)

The solution

Then I came across the subject of Benchtop Injection Molding. (Sometimes called Hobby Injection Molding) These are small machines that companies and hobbyists will use for prototyping and small-batch runs. Instead of a giant machine that will pump out hundreds of parts per hour, these machines are just a simple press to melt the plastic, clamp down a mold, and you have to manually pull a handle to squeeze the molten plastic into the mold. These types of machines can make a few dozen parts per hour.

You can make one of these machines from plans, or build it from a kit, or buy one off the shelf. I had orders to fill, so I bought one off the shelf from LNS Technologies out of California for $1800. They suggested a mold maker who made my simple one cavity mold for $900. 10 lbs of plastic bought off of Ebay for $45 and I was in the injection molding business.

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To date, I can make about 45 Pigtail Wedges per hour. That is injection molding a piece, cutting the lanyard, and crimping the lanyard together. I am really enjoying the process of building a business and I can expand my manufacturing to suite any growth needs. I like the idea of a small batch operation. Maybe a small shop with multiple manual Benchtop machines making Pigtail Wedges! Only time will tell.

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