led tailgate bar
#1
07-29-2011, 10:56 AM
led tailgate bar
http://www.stylintrucks.com/parts/fi...0076_1713.aspx
I want to get this lightbar for my truck (Fire & Ice LED light strip). Did a little research on here and it seems as if this is the best one out there. So to power it you just plug it into the hitch and then for the reverse light tap into the passenger side directional power wire? I know there is a DIY posted for mounting it with brackets instead of the 3M tape but my problem is that i dont have a hitch..so how would i wire it?
I want to get this lightbar for my truck (Fire & Ice LED light strip). Did a little research on here and it seems as if this is the best one out there. So to power it you just plug it into the hitch and then for the reverse light tap into the passenger side directional power wire? I know there is a DIY posted for mounting it with brackets instead of the 3M tape but my problem is that i dont have a hitch..so how would i wire it?
#2
07-29-2011, 12:09 PM
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I have a couple opinions/tips for you, so please take them with a grain of salt 
I wouldnt do a flexable strip, unless youre willing to mount it to the bottom edge of the tailgate where it will be seen on the surface of the paint. Even then, it will be angled down. The flexable strip will be nearly impossible to see once mounted because it will be so far back, and in order to get the light on the surface, it will have to be up high on that flat piece of body work under the bed. Also, the flexable strip will be hard to get perfectly straight depending on how picky you are.
For wiring, mine had a 4-pin trailer hook up. If you dont have one, or you dont want to use it because you tow, I suggest a curt add on:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Trail...Q5fAccessories
The curt add on allows you to do a direct plug and play so you arent taping in to your factory wires. You can add this even if you already have a harnesss as it plugs in behind your tail lights. It allows for clean install
. If you want a bar with reverse lights, you just would need to tap in to one of the wires running to the reverse bulbs.
My last recommendation, if you want to be different, is the RECON Extreme tailgate bar. It has the amber scrolling turn signals, and its a physical bar. To mount, I removed the tailgate, used a couple of thick metal rulers and I lined up the bottom of the bar with the top of the bumper. I was drilling right on the edge of the sheet metal to mount the bar. Now I have it sticky taped to my roll pan, but before this method worked perfect.
Heres a video:
Heres a picture of the bar mounted:
IMG_20110121_202131.jpg
You can see how low the bar was, and you still had to be 10-15 back to see the bar. Otherwise you would just see the glow. I like the reverse function though just because it lights up the driveway 20x better than the stock tail lights. Amber turn signals get drivers attention, and the LED bars are super bright so I definetly like having one since I lost all protection when I removed my bumper. If you do want the Extreme light bar, you will need to run a hot wire to the back of the truck, unless you already have a 7 pin trailer harness.
I wouldnt do a flexable strip, unless youre willing to mount it to the bottom edge of the tailgate where it will be seen on the surface of the paint. Even then, it will be angled down. The flexable strip will be nearly impossible to see once mounted because it will be so far back, and in order to get the light on the surface, it will have to be up high on that flat piece of body work under the bed. Also, the flexable strip will be hard to get perfectly straight depending on how picky you are.
For wiring, mine had a 4-pin trailer hook up. If you dont have one, or you dont want to use it because you tow, I suggest a curt add on:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Trail...Q5fAccessories
The curt add on allows you to do a direct plug and play so you arent taping in to your factory wires. You can add this even if you already have a harnesss as it plugs in behind your tail lights. It allows for clean install
. If you want a bar with reverse lights, you just would need to tap in to one of the wires running to the reverse bulbs.My last recommendation, if you want to be different, is the RECON Extreme tailgate bar. It has the amber scrolling turn signals, and its a physical bar. To mount, I removed the tailgate, used a couple of thick metal rulers and I lined up the bottom of the bar with the top of the bumper. I was drilling right on the edge of the sheet metal to mount the bar. Now I have it sticky taped to my roll pan, but before this method worked perfect.
Heres a video:
Heres a picture of the bar mounted:
IMG_20110121_202131.jpg
You can see how low the bar was, and you still had to be 10-15 back to see the bar. Otherwise you would just see the glow. I like the reverse function though just because it lights up the driveway 20x better than the stock tail lights. Amber turn signals get drivers attention, and the LED bars are super bright so I definetly like having one since I lost all protection when I removed my bumper. If you do want the Extreme light bar, you will need to run a hot wire to the back of the truck, unless you already have a 7 pin trailer harness.
Last edited by rengnath; 07-29-2011 at 12:21 PM.
#3
07-29-2011, 12:48 PM
#4
07-29-2011, 01:32 PM
All Star
#5
07-29-2011, 03:16 PM
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The harness goes between the plug on the top of each tail light. You plug the existing tail light plug in to the harness, and the harness in to the bulb on the tail light. The harness "T"s between the two tail lights and then the harness is in between.
Heres the link directly from Recon:
http://www.gorecon.com/products.php?...ate-Light-Bars
It was on back order when I ordered it and took 3 months to get it, but totally worth it. Recon is kind of a shady company, not going to lie. It was a hell of a fight when one of my Big Rig Running lights wasnt working properly, but when I threatened to cancel my backordered tailgate bar, they sent me a new one. The other bad thing about them is the warranty is only 90 days. Older style Extreme bars had some problems, but I havent had any issues with mine and Ive had it for 8 months now. You can find discount codes using google. I got 25% off by entering a code I found on a diesel truck forum.
Heres the link directly from Recon:
http://www.gorecon.com/products.php?...ate-Light-Bars
It was on back order when I ordered it and took 3 months to get it, but totally worth it. Recon is kind of a shady company, not going to lie. It was a hell of a fight when one of my Big Rig Running lights wasnt working properly, but when I threatened to cancel my backordered tailgate bar, they sent me a new one. The other bad thing about them is the warranty is only 90 days. Older style Extreme bars had some problems, but I havent had any issues with mine and Ive had it for 8 months now. You can find discount codes using google. I got 25% off by entering a code I found on a diesel truck forum.