How to move the License Plate Mount to the Galley Door

tagurit

We like the look of the license plate mount on the 2018 Tag so much more than on our 2017 Tag, so I ordered a lighted rectangular mount for the hatch which is coming today. Before I start drilling holes that I might regret, was wondering how any other folks who might have done this mod tapped into the running lights to get power into the hatch.

LuckyJ

I moved it, but did not put any current to it. Just so many trailers on the road w/o liscence plate light. They glow in the dark. I will probably deal with it if I get a warning.

Are you sure that the 2018 have current to it?

Anyway, I was thinking of some kind of contact plate by the area between the wall and the hatch near the new plate location. Mine is to the left side.

tagurit

I think I've got it figured out. I unmounted the TV and unscrewed the panel the TV mount is on and then fished a pair of wires down to the compartment under the sink. There I can splice into the wires running to the rear driver's side marker light. I have some half inch flexible conduit that I will install where the wiring for the hatch dome light runs now and run the new wires in it along with the dome light wires. I dropped the dome light and it looks like there is some kind of metal channel inside the hatch panel that the wires run in, I ran my fish tape through the hole for the dome light wires and it went all the way to the end of the hatch, so I should be good to go. I plan to cut a hole inside the hatch across from where the plate mount will be to make the fishing and connections easier (and keep the hole for the plate light wires as small as possible - no leaks!). I was going to put some type of blank switch plate over the hole in the inside of the hatch but I think I am going to order a LED porch light to put there instead. I'll post some pics when I'm done.

BBsGarage

Take and post some pics while you do this. I'm sure it will help a bunch of people, me included.

LuckyJ

I hpoe you will put pics. I undertand the part from the trailer to the dome light, but can not figure out the part from the dome light to the lower part of the hatch panel. Unless you plan to install the plate bracket al the way up to the dome light level.

Can't wait to see it.

nbrandt

I was able to do this. I picked up a very small steel rod from Ace Hardware (about the size of #9 wire) four feet long. It was bendable and yet had strength. I opened the hatch door and drilled a hole just large enough for the steel rod in the center of the door right next to the rubber hatch door gasket. I was able to then insert the rod and it followed the curve of the hatch. It went past the dome light and all the way to the hold at the top of the hatch where the wiring for the dome light entered that hatch door. I taped on a sturdy fishing line and then used that to pull the license plate wire from the top to the bottom. I then carefully drilled a hole on the outside of the hatch at the place where I wanted the top of the license plate and was able to fish the license plate wire through that hole. Then I filled the one extra hole in the bottom of the hatch with sealant. I was also able to acquire at Ace Hardware a rubber tubular grommet.
I will try to get you a couple of pictures within the next day or so.

LuckyJ

Interesting. For you @nbrandt to do this, I assume that there is no insulation in the hatch panel. For any reason, I tought the the panel would be insulated like the same panel boards on the wall and roof. but I that I have come to think about it, no real need for insulation on a door that will be left open for extended period of time.

Thank you for the info.

WilliamA

Great stuff and good info. I am now inspired to move mine too!

WilliamA

nbrandt

I promised a few pictures (hopefully resized correctly).
1. A picture of the place / size of the hole drilled in the bottom of the hatch. This picture also shows the four nuts with washers used to attach the license plate frame to the hatch. I used cap nuts to prevent scalp damage.

2. Here is a picture of the side of the finished license plate holder. I used composite shims to compensate for the curve of the trailer hatch, making the license plate more perpendicular to the ground. It also shows the rubber grommet that I used between the hatch and the plate holder to provide for the lighted plate.
   

3. Here is the finished product view from the back. You also get a glimpse of the third brake light that I installed above the hatch.
   

Michigan_Mike

@nbrandt said:
I was able to do this. I picked up a very small steel rod from Ace Hardware (about the size of #9 wire) four feet long. It was bendable and yet had strength. I opened the hatch door and drilled a hole just large enough for the steel rod in the center of the door right next to the rubber hatch door gasket. I was able to then insert the rod and it followed the curve of the hatch. It went past the dome light and all the way to the hold at the top of the hatch where the wiring for the dome light entered that hatch door. I taped on a sturdy fishing line and then used that to pull the license plate wire from the top to the bottom. I then carefully drilled a hole on the outside of the hatch at the place where I wanted the top of the license plate and was able to fish the license plate wire through that hole. Then I filled the one extra hole in the bottom of the hatch with sealant. I was also able to acquire at Ace Hardware a rubber tubular grommet.
I will try to get you a couple of pictures within the next day or so.

I like your new set-up and have a few questions regarding this project.

1. Do you think that others could do this same project without drilling a hole at the bottom of the galley door and inserting aluminum tubing up to the top of the door? I guess I'm wondering if you couldn't accomplish a similar result by having an access hole near the top of the door and then slide some rigid line like weed whacker plastic line down through the channel and grabbing it near the bottom with a pair of needle nose pliars? I use the weed whacker line a lot for similar tasks and have had pretty good luck.

2. Did you use a shot of silicone on your screw holes and access tube area where the 12 volt feed comes out at the bottom? I know that water is a very invasive commodity and will find it's way into virtually any opening on a surface and would encourage folks to use clear (or similar) silicone on all screw holes or points of entry into these trailers to eliminate any warping of wood or potentially creating rust, etc.

At any rate, your work documentation and photos are greatly appreciated as this is great stuff and will help others down the road. I have added this discussion to my "fav" discussions (click on the star in the upper right-hand corner of your screen to save it!) as I know I will be sharing this with someone in the future!

When I had my Silvershadow built back in 2015 this was a modification I had the factory add in for me during the build. The license plate problem has existed for a long time and mounting the plate holder to the galley door eliminates the problem forever. I would encourage people to ensure that this channel exists on your trailer door too, prior to drilling any holes as otherwise you may create some issues for yourself. You can always call down to the nüCamp factory (ask for Austin Jones or the trailer repair area) and ask them for advice as these people do outstanding work and are always willing to help out when they can!

@LuckyJ said:
I moved it, but did not put any current to it. Just so many trailers on the road w/o liscence plate light. They glow in the dark. I will probably deal with it if I get a warning.

Are you sure that the 2018 have current to it?

I would probably consider your suggestion above too Luc because I normally only travel in daylight conditions and get off the road before it gets dark.

I cannot attest completely to this either (regarding the newer trailers being built) but DO believe that all of the newer trailers being built now have the license plate bracket mounted on the galley door? Can anyone with a new T@G verify this for us???

Verna

@Michigan_Mike, here is the link to a post on the T@B forum about the new standard features and optional features of the 2018 models:

http://tab-rv.vanillaforums.com/discussion/4912/2018-t-b-and-t-g-announced-changes#latest

(The license plate on the hatch is now standard.)

Michigan_Mike

@Verna said:
@Michigan_Mike, here is the link to a post on the T@B forum about the new standard features and optional features of the 2018 models:

http://tab-rv.vanillaforums.com/discussion/4912/2018-t-b-and-t-g-announced-changes#latest

(The license plate on the hatch is now standard.)

Thanks Verna!!!

So this answers my earlier question and nüCamp has indeed taken care of the license plate issue for anyone buying a new trailer which is GREAT news!

BBsGarage

I need to do this, but I have this crazy fear of drilling into the camper.

Verna

@BBsGarage, measure the maximum distance that you have to drill before hitting the other side of the hatch. Then put a piece of painter’s tape around the drill bit after measuring 2 or 3 times. Be sure to leave a little flap loose on the tape so you can see it.

Drill slowly and carefully and stop when you get to the tape. It doesn’t hurt to stop to check how deep you are. If there is an empty chamber, then if you don’t use a lot of pressure, you will not come out the other side.

I had a Little Guy 4-wide that I installed 110 V service in it. The first hole was 2 1/8” round hole with a hole saw. That was easy, even though it took me a while to get up the courage to do it. I used painter’s tape to block off the area where it and my coax connection would be and I just did it. The first hole is always the hardest. Be sure to always have plenty of sealant handy to keep the moisture out .

Michigan_Mike

Search and destroy!!!! Nah, just kidding!

Verna's advice is sound and your fear is noteworthy too as I remember accidentally drilling through the galley of my former 5-wide. Since that fateful day I am extremely cautious, I measure, re-measure, crawl beneath the trailer if need be, re-measure again, pray and then drill!

It's always best to ask others, call the factory or whatever to ensure that things go off as planned.

LuckyJ

@Michigan_Mike said:

@Verna said:
@Michigan_Mike, here is the link to a post on the T@B forum about the new standard features and optional features of the 2018 models:

http://tab-rv.vanillaforums.com/discussion/4912/2018-t-b-and-t-g-announced-changes#latest

(The license plate on the hatch is now standard.)

Thanks Verna!!!

So this answers my earlier question and nüCamp has indeed taken care of the license plate issue for anyone buying a new trailer which is GREAT news!

Mike, Verna, thank you, I new that the liscence plate had change location to the galley door, but from what I can see, they do not use the same plate support, and the ones I saw do not seems to have a light for the plate. But I only saw pics, never in real life.

If any one can confirm that I am wrong, that would be nice.

Thank you!

tagurit

There is an aluminum rib with a channel in it that runs all the way from the top of the hatch to the bottom. I dropped the dome light and pulled it's wiring and drilled a half inch hole in the outside of the hatch centered over the T@g emblem. I had a length of 12-2 electric brake cable left over after I added brakes to the Tag, it was relatively easy to push it through the top hole for the dome light wiring and thread it down the channel past the dome light and pull it out the new hole with some needle nose pliers. I stripped the outside rubber insulation off the dome light wiring and used a 30 inch zip tie to snake the dome light wires back. I drilled out the hole in the galley bulkhead to 5/8ths and used some plastic flexible conduit to cover the brake cable and dome light wiring. I sealed the new hole in the hatch for the plate light with silicone around the wire. My only problem was the light on the plate mount I ordered didn't illuminate the plate very well so I screwed the original plate light from the trailer to the mount, it looks fine and works great. Now if I can get these pictures to work.....

WilliamA

Here's how you fish a wire. Pull back the rubber grommet where the wire goes into the door for the dome light. Get a piece of cotton string. Mark and drill the exit hole on the back of the door. Stuff a short piece of the string into the hole where you pulled back the grommet. Blow air into the hole with the string with a blow gun attachment on your air compressor. As you blow air in, feed the string in slowly. The air will find the exit hole and the string will follow it and the free end will come out the hole with the air. Use the string to pull the wire through. I've used this method many times in tube frames on cars.

WilliamA