red light in rear window of trailer

[mandolindave]

It lights up when the umbilical cord is plugged in.

I don't understand its purpose.

[xrvr]

Safety, if visible from outside rear, higher that taillights.?

[AstroBruce]

Pictures?

Bruce

[mandolindave]

The red light is inside the trailer

At the bottom of the back window frame

It stays on as long as the trailer is plugged into the tow vehicle


Is it ungood to leave your trailer "wired up" to your trailer?
Could it be an idiot light, to warn you to unplug?

It's a 1973 trailer. Could it predate fancy brake controllers, and be a confidence light to let you know your trailer is wired up, and be visible in the rear view mirror, while you are driving?

[mandolindave]

I mean like....I am hoping that it's not a brothel light.

[mandolindave]

Eww

[jaybauman]

Originally Posted by mandolindave

I mean like....I am hoping that it's not a brothel light.

For some reason, I'm thinking about The Police right now.


Rooooooxanne...you don't have to put on the red light...

[mandolindave]

got no answer

[pcskier]

Does it light up ONLY when plugged in to umbilical? A photo would be worth a thousand words here.

[A W Warn]

My guess an idiot light someone added, not original. Lots of tow vehicles back in those days did not have protection to prevent the tow vehicle battery from getting drained.

My first Airstream trailer was a 73. It did not "advertise " with a red light in the evening.

ps:
If it glows with the tow vehicle's switch turned off, you've got a problem that needs fixin'.

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by mandolindave

Could it be an idiot light, to warn you to unplug?

I was thinking a light to warn you if you lost your connection, but wouldn't it make more sense to put it in the front window where you'd see it?

[A W Warn]

Thinking about it further; the charge wire inside the umbilical is hot/positive all the time, fed from the house battery, regardless of being connected to the tow vehicle or not. So, how could an idiot light be wire to work only when the tow vehicle is connected.

Show us a photo!

add edit:
Another thought, it might be an idiot light to remind someone that the storage switch is in the on position. That could make the light work only when plugged in to the tow vehicle at the same time the storage switch was off.

ps:
Is the converter near the rear, in the storage area near the rear window? That location might be why the light was located in the rear window instead of the front.

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by mandolindave

I mean like....I am hoping that it's not a brothel light.

........sounds like it is...

[Lumatic]

Year and model?

[mandolindave]

It's an 1973 Argosy 20 footer. It only comes on when plugged in to the tow vehicle

[Lumatic]

I had a few 70s Airstreams but not an Argosy, although I doubt the light in the rear window is factory. My guess is it was put in as an aftermarket tail/brakelight.

It was not until later that the 7 way umbilical configuration on trailers was standardized. If the umbilical was not rewired and is in the original configuration you will get squirrely results when it is plugged into a modern tow vehicle.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

On a 40+ year old trailer, there's no way to know just *what* somebody may have done. You can easily pull the TV charge wire off the trailer battery and route it somewhere else. Just *why* somebody would do that .... maybe they did run a mobile brothel ....

Bob

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by mandolindave

I mean like....I am hoping that it's not a brothel light.

Originally Posted by AstroBruce

Pictures?

Originally Posted by Lumatic

Year and model?

About 25, 5' 5", red hair.....Oh, you mean the Airstream! Sorry!