I put it into gear and it dies.

ok, so i did check the battery at the same time, at it was at 12.3v. so that just further proves that bad connections are the problem.
If with key in run it was 12.3 at the battery at the same time it was 10.8 at the ballast, yes that's alot.
1.5 Volt with just a couple amps trying to get through.