I have a 2001 Ford F250 with a Snugfit top that can be hard to see out of, particularly when backing up at night.

Since this truck is in excellent shape (originally from California) and has not been modified in any way, I did not want to add your typical commercial back up lights that you would buy at your local NAPA store. I thought they are way too big and unsightly. Nor did I like the PIAA back up lights that hang down below the bumper and are waiting to get broken off.

So, I did some hunting around and found some small, LED backup lights that are housed in an anodized machined aluminum housing. They are designed for spreader lights on a boats hardtop or tuna tower but after some quick measurements, I figured they would fit on my towbar, where I could glue them on with some semi-permamanent marine adhesive (3M 4200).

I then purchased a PIAA wiring harness with a 3 position toggle switch so that I would have a very clean installation and not modify my truck permanently. The toggle allows me to choose to have the lights come on automatically when truck is in reverse, manually when needed or have them turned off completely.

Here is a link to the lights. They come in two sizes and two finishes (clear anodized or black anodized).

Single LED Surface Mount Light in Billet Aluminum Frame - Flat Frame - MagnaLight

3 LED Spreader Lights in billet aluminum housing (flat) - MagnaLight

I went with a pair of single lights because I felt they were suitable for my needs, but for those of you that would want to light up the darkside of the moon, a pair of the 3 lights may be a better fit.

I will take some pictures tonight of the lights in action and also some pictures of where I mounted the toggle switch without having to drill any holes in the dashboard.

 

Cant wait to see them. I have been looking around myself. I have to back up in the dark when I get home from work every day. I want low profile lights, them look like they would fit my wants nicely

 

I'll be honest, I thought I was going to do some sort of slim lcd, but when it came down to it, I didn't want to spend that much money on them.

I ended up getting the cheapest pair of fog lights I could find (10 bucks at harbor freight). They were compact enough to use 3m double sided tape to stick them on top of the trailer hitch so they sit in the small space between the hitch and the bumper.
Changed the cheesy yellow/purple coated bulbs with some regular clear h3's and I'm good to go. They aren't in the way, you can really even see them unless you bend down, and the light more then I need to see when backing.

 

Looking forward to your pics!

I just recently added a set of small driving lights to my hitch for additional reverse lighting. I wish I would've added those years ago... so much better backing up at night now. I can actually see things in my camera at night now as well.

 

Here is a picture of a pair of the single led lights installed. Kinda hard to tell under the street light, but they do throw out a fair amount of light. I will get more pictures in the daylight tomorrow.

However, I would suggest spending the extra $$$ and going for a pair of the three led lights (second url listed in original thread), instead of the pair of singles I purchased. I think the extra led's will throw out more light closer to the truck where you need it most.


Need to figure out how to post pictures. Not as easy as on other boards...

 

Let's see if this works....