wiring bed lights
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Joined: Nov 2005
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From: Rapid City, SD
wiring bed lights
I just bought a set of LED bed lights and was just curious how most people here are wiring them. I'd like to wire them directly to my cargo lights, but that appears like it might be a little more work than just wiring them to a switch near the tailgate. My purpose for buying them was so I could see into the back of my truck when the tonneau cover is on. How are you guys wiring them?
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Joined: Jun 2002
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From: Under the flightpath of old ORD 22R
The cargo comes on and off with the interior lamps, which is right in the driver's side kick panel, with an easy route to under the truck in the river's side door sill.
This makes it running the wires along the frame and up into the back of the truck.
If you prefer to have them on with a switch, that is also easy if you have the 7 pin trailer tow adapter.
For the small draw of LED, you can use the trailer tow adapter parking lamp circuit. This is driven off the trailer tow adapter parking lamps relay via a 20A fuse ( shared with the trailer tow adapter reversing lamps ) and uses the truck's parking lamps to trigger the relay.
This isolates them if there is an issue, and is not putting the load on the truck's parking lamps.
Thing is the parking lamps need to be on to use them, which might not be what you want, there is no indication of when you want to be able to turn them on ( only with parking lamps on, only with the truck in the run position, at any time ).
This makes it running the wires along the frame and up into the back of the truck.
If you prefer to have them on with a switch, that is also easy if you have the 7 pin trailer tow adapter.
For the small draw of LED, you can use the trailer tow adapter parking lamp circuit. This is driven off the trailer tow adapter parking lamps relay via a 20A fuse ( shared with the trailer tow adapter reversing lamps ) and uses the truck's parking lamps to trigger the relay.
This isolates them if there is an issue, and is not putting the load on the truck's parking lamps.
Thing is the parking lamps need to be on to use them, which might not be what you want, there is no indication of when you want to be able to turn them on ( only with parking lamps on, only with the truck in the run position, at any time ).