Adding backup lights, Wiring help needed.

[Lee185]

I've been wanting to add backup lights to my TT for several years now.

I've read every single thread here & on other sites, my plan is to mount 4 LED flood lights, 2 on the rear bumper of the TT facing outward & 2 more in front of the TT tires facing outward.

I have verified my 7 pin is hot in reverse & the yellow "7 pin wire" is run back to the junction box where the trailer lights are conected to the umbilical cord.

I want them to come on when in reverse & be switch activated so that they stay on while unhitching/leveling.

I know I need to wire in a relay & I've done a bit of research on it & have a pretty good idea on how to do that, but my main question is which leg of the relay does the switch get wired into The 30 or 86?

The one thing I haven't found online is a "accurate" diagram of how to wire in reverse lights, using the 7 pin for power aswell as using the TT batteries for power along with using a switch "REV, off, on"

One other thing I came across recently was adding a "diode" inline on both the 7 pin wire & on the hot wire from the battery to prevent backfeeding?

Thanks, Lee

P.S. I use magnets & towels to cover the tail lights on my truck.

[gatorcq]

DaGirls Lights

[Lee185]

Here's the rear lights.





Here's the curb side light, mounted on the TT steps.



Here's the street side light mounted farther forward (in front of the slide out) it lights up the tires & down the side of the TT a lot better than the curb side light.



I'll post more pics when I get the other 2 mounted up front, with any luck I'll get a good picture of them on, illuminating the area around the TT.

Lee

[Lee185]

Well I got all the lights mounted & wired in the way I wanted them. :B

I mounted a 3 position toggle switch (SPDT) up in the front of the trailer. With the switch all the way down the lights turn on when I put the truck in reverse.

With the switch in the middle position (off) they don't turn on at all.

With the switch all the way up, the lights stay on until the batteries die or I remember to turn them off :S

I mounted 2 lights in the rear of the TT behind the rear bumper, pointing down & out on a 45° angle, the other 2 lights I mounted forward of the wheels facing down & out at a 45° angle.

The curb side light I had to mount to the frame of the TT steps, because the box frame of the steps blocked out any light behind it.

The street side light I was able to mount it farther forward to illuminate more area.

I've ordered more of the same LED lights, so I can mount another 2 up at the front of the trailer (facing down & out at a 45° angle). It will eliminate any blind spots & provide lighting for my front stabilizer jacks.

I'll get some pics this evening & post them up.

rhagfo wrote:

This post has got me thinking about the lights in front of the tires point back. :h
That would light up the wheels, which is how I track how I am doing on getting into the space. Without those you may place a wheel off the edge of the road.

That's exactly what I was planning for, lighting up around the tires to have good vision of the wheel track. 😉

Lee

[Lee185]

Thanks for the link WNJJ, & Thanks to everyonelse who's contributed something useful.

Lee

[gatorcq]

Adding Lights will NOT void safety inspection. State regulates vehicle inspection and NOT DOT.

Please read the code prior to publishing. Then after you read it, Publish the Code along with the requirement number.

Someone ones stated what could NOT be used for Propane stating DOT. I published the requirement code showing what pipes were acceptable along with the paragraph section.

Now the brightness - can mean a big difference.

[wnjj]

Here's on old thread on the same topic (but with a truck camper).

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/25261168

[GordonThree]

Driving down the road without four safety chains from truck to trailer is illegal in Michigan (and most other states that follow the uniform federal DOT laws), but I've NEVER seen a travel trailer or fifth wheel hooked up with four chains. Two chains to the receiver and two chains to the outer most point on the bumper.

Don't worry about the law, go with what works for you and is within your experience level.

[rhagfo]

wnjj wrote:
Seems like easiest and safest (legally) thing to do is wire the lights to a switch only. Why involve a relay and the truck reverse light circuit? If you only need them at the endpoints of your trip it's easy enough to just turn them on then.

Having the backup lights wired to a simple switch, could likely also be a violation of the law. There would be the off chance of driving down the road with them on.

I would suggest simple relay wired to the center pin of the 7 blade, and head lamps for you and DW for placing the boards. This post has got me thinking about the lights in front of the tires point back. :h
That would light up the wheels, which is how I track how I am doing on getting into the space. Without those you may place a wheel off the edge of the road.

[Lee185]

No offence guys, but I want the lights wired into the 7 pin aswell as being powerd by the TT batteries.

As far as the DOT is concerned, I'm not to worried about them, they've got their hands full making life miserable for the truck drivers.

At this point we're just weekend campers, a few times during the summer, if we were full timing it I could see the need to keep it legal.

If anyone else has any helpful information on wiring in the switch or the relay I'm all ears.

Thanks, Lee

[GordonThree]

My 5 cents, don't bother with the reverse light connection on the truck. Go to ebay and get a remote control 12v switch (has a relay already), and tap in to the charge line on your trailer. The charge line is always live, even when the bargman is disconnected.

You can put the remote on your keychain and it's super handy. pulling in at night, push the little button, lights come on and stay on till you push the button again.

[wnjj]

Seems like easiest and safest (legally) thing to do is wire the lights to a switch only. Why involve a relay and the truck reverse light circuit? If you only need them at the endpoints of your trip it's easy enough to just turn them on then.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Jeez what is it with Virginia and George Orwell grade vehicle inspections? They need to send those boys down here and see what REAL anarchy is. Like the one and only time I drove on Vancouver Island. State troopers pulled a gut over for doing 95 in a 90 zone. Another blue car clocked me for a kilometer with my speeometer glued to 90. Micro management. When common sense meets failed lawyer regulatory and revenue generation. Grumble. Grumble.

[Lee185]

The reasoning behind having it setup both ways is, when I'm backing into a campsite, I usually have the little woman guide me in, then I'll get out & see how many boards I'll need under which wheels to get the TT level, I'll layout how many boards & where, then I'll pull forward & my wife sets the boards in place, then I backup the TT onto the boards.

Every time I take the truck out of reverse my lights would go off, leaving my wife & I in the dark to do a simple job, but now she's holding the flashlight (& shining it everywhere I don't need it) & I'm working in the dark.

Now if it was wired up the way I want it, as soon as she gets out to guide me in, she can just flip the switch & we have lights on as long as we need them.

Now 9 times out of 10 we get home & it's dark & I have to back my 27' TT 300 + feet down my very dark narrow & switchback driveway, the wife usually doesn't need to help me til I get it near the house where I have to thread the needle between the giant oak tree & my 18' pontoon boat that resides next to my TT.

Lee

[Jframpey]

Why have a relay at all, when you disconnect the truck plug in a spare plug with a jumper from the hot to the yellow lead. Unplug and stow when you have finished setup.