So i want to put some Aux back up/ work lights on the underside of my hitch, and then maybe rig up a set to go in a stake pocket to act like a spot light for going to races and derbys, but that part is a different thread. What i am curious about is relays. i get the basic concept of run power to the switch and also to the relay and then the switch tells the relay to send power to the lights... correct? (of course an inline fuse in there somewhere) but i want to know how do i hook up to the relay? all of the relays that i see look like they should be plugged into a fuse box. Does that mean i should somehow run my wires to a fusebox to the leads for a new relay and then plug the relay in?? this kinda has me confused as electrical is by no means my strong point. thanks for any help.


also, where should an inline fuse go in this set up? between the battery and the relay, the batery and the switch, the switch and the relay, or the relay and the lights?

If it matters, the truck info is 97 f150 4.6 4x4 off road xlt and i dont have any lights picked out yet... something for 20 bucks at autozone that i can buy with my points (gotta love free!!)

 

If you get a relay with a mounting tab, you can mount it upside down and then use individual slip on crimp connectors to connect to the individual connections on the relay. If you get one without a mounting tab, you can use a wire tie to fasten the relay upside down and then do the same.

But the normal way is to buy a socket with a pigtail of wires made on it. I have seen the relays with the sockets sold on ebay cheap. I am guessing the stores may also have relay sockets hanging on the rack, but I haven't ever looked for them so I am not sure.

Your fuse it there to protect the wiring. The battery is huge power wise, and can melt any wire you install on it and cause a fire very quickly. So the fuse should be hooked as close as possible to the battery. You can also use circuit breakers. Mounting the fuse or circuit breaker close to the battery, only leaves a short piece of wire that could potentially cause a problem if something bad happened.

 

If you get a relay with a mounting tab, you can mount it upside down and then use individual slip on crimp connectors to connect to the individual connections on the relay. If you get one without a mounting tab, you can use a wire tie to fasten the relay upside down and then do the same.

But the normal way is to buy a socket with a pigtail of wires made on it. I have seen the relays with the sockets sold on ebay cheap. I am guessing the stores may also have relay sockets hanging on the rack, but I haven't ever looked for them so I am not sure.

Your fuse it there to protect the wiring. The battery is huge power wise, and can melt any wire you install on it and cause a fire very quickly. So the fuse should be hooked as close as possible to the battery. You can also use circuit breakers. Mounting the fuse or circuit breaker close to the battery, only leaves a short piece of wire that could potentially cause a problem if something bad happened.

 

so you mean something like this when you say socket, correct? i dont know why but that never even occured to me, but now that i see one, it makes sense.



and i am assuming this is simmilar to the crimp connectors you refer to? i see how it could work if i needed to, but i think i like the socket idea better.


Ok, so now that i think i have that straightened out, on to the fuse, i understand what you are saying about where to place it, after all thats how i have my amp fused for my sub, but do i just need the one fuse going to the relay , or should i also have one goin from the battery to the switch just to be extra careful? or is the draw from the switch most likely negligible?


Oh and i just had anouther thought. in order to keep from wasting my battery by accident, would it be safe to pull the switch's juice from my stereo's 12v key power? or would that over load the circut? (that is also the circut that turns my amp on/off) if that is a bad idea, what else would be a good keyd circut to hook into?

Thanks again, i really apriciate it! and i really dont want to harm my baby(truck)!!!