i want to install a halogen back up light to the hitch area. is it necessary to install a separate relay and wire, or can it be attached to the existing backup wiring. i don't want to blow the module.
thanks for your help

 

On my Nissan and my dad's F-250 the reverse light wire in the 7 wire connector has worked fine for powering a pair of 55 watt lights. On a tundra that my buddy had he kept popping the 10 amp fuse for the reverse light circuit, so we changed his to 35 watt bulbs and it worked fine. I haven't done my Dodge yet, I'm waiting until I replace my factory hitch.

 

You won't be able to run halogen lights off the factory back up circuit.
You'll need a relay and a separate power source, I hooked mine up to a 3 way switch, on - off - auto (which comes on with the factory lights)

 

The factory dodge towing circuits will not support backup lights on a trailer? The load from a pair of fog lights back there is not much different. I'm not suggesting that one run an extra halogen light of the factory reverse light wiring, but off the 7 pin towing harness.

 

thanks for the advice
rich

 

i believe it will work off the 7-pin. but it is recommended to run them with a relay.

here's what i did:
https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...d.php?t=217334

 

My 50w halogens sucked the voltage down to 9V without a relay so I mounted a cube relay at the back end and triggered it with the BU lite wire and ran a heavy wire (fuzed) to the battery for the load. Craig

 

If you use a relay on them, it also gives you the benefit of being able to add a manual switch to turn the lights on without having the truck in reverse. This is a really nice feature, and comes in handy many times for me.

 

If you are looking for a hitch mount, here is a plug-n-play solution at Geno's Garage:

http://www.genosgarage.com/prodinfo....N-4199-DG-KIT2

With the plugin harness:

http://www.genosgarage.com/prodinfo.asp?number=WN-4149

 

I made two brackets of of 2 inch flat steal about a foot long each. I then bolted each one to the receiver and attached a 55w halogen driving light to each one. I tied them to the 7 pin reverse light circuit that, according to the service manual, is protected by a 30A fuse. Since 110 watts will draw less than 10 amps, I feel pretty safe. I have had them on over a year now, and they work flawlessly and cost less than $30 to install.

 

i believe that i could connect to the 7pin connector as some of you have done and that would be the least costly and easiest by far.
However, i do like the relay with a 3-way switch idea. i read the box and it says that the light is not street legal, so the switching would allow me the opportunity to isolate the lite when i'm not having to deal with hitching up the trailers in the dark.

thanks so much for the help and good installation ideas.
rich

 

I put my driving lights on my boat rack and did the 3 way switch (pics in my gallery) and it works well, I can idle the truck, put the lights on manually while I hook up the trailer in the dark and when backing up the trailer at night I can turn them off or I can't see behind the trailer with it all lit up.

I wish the light pattern was a little wider though, maybe those industrial "work lights" would have a better beam?

 

I'd do the switch if I needed to turn them off when backing, but I can't honestly think I could back the truck at night without them. With a manual transmission, you turn your engine off, and leave the key in the on position, and put the transmission in reverse, and the lights will be on.

The lights I have use the H3 bulbs. The are cheap and available everywhere. The lenses do not diffuse the beams, so I have them aimed so that they light where I look in the side mirrors.

 

Do it right and use a relay.

I installed a pair of Hella 550 clear fog lights using Defiant brackets for my backup lights. They're not tied into the backup lights at all. They operate simply with a switch in the cab.

 

That looks like a nice install, although I am confused about your statement of doing it right and using a relay. The reverse light circuit is dedicated to auxilliary reverse lights and protected by a 30 amp fuse. That seems "right" to me as far as electronics are concerned. So unless you need to switch them on and off while backing, the easiest, and cleanest way to install them is to draw directly from the 7-pin connector.

When you suggest a relay, you are adding a lot of wires to your factory set up, as well as a non-factory switch and 15 feet of wire. That extra switch now becomes a second place where you have hacked into your factory wiring harness unless you have drawn straight from the battery. Using a relay may tempt some to draw power from the auxilliary charge lead which probably isn't the most correct either.

I am not trying to start a war, just merely suggesting that their may indeed be two ways to do something "right".