Does anyone know if there is a constant hot wire around the rear bumper area of the truck??

I need to hook up lights for new camper shell and don't want to have to have the key on to turn lights on or off.

 

I do not believe there is one but for that kind of application I would run one straight from the battery with an in-line fuse that way you know your protected.

 

When I put under the bed rail led's in, I couldn't find a always on power in the bumper area. Ended up bringing a power wire from the cab back to the rear of the bed.

Good luck.

 

I guess I am just too lazy to run a wire all the way back there! I simply tapped into the parking lights to power my LED bed lights. When I hit the unlock button on the key fob, the parking lights are illuminated for something like 30 seconds. If I need the lights and the truck is running, the parking lights will be on because I opened the door to get out.

It is not a 100% solution for everybody, but I have never failed to conveniently have light in the bed when I need it. At the same time, I do not have a long length of hot wire running under the truck just waiting to cause a problem.

 

Deere,
Your right, the "tap into the parking light" solution you mentioned did not meet my requirements nor will it apply to the OP....not even close! However, I am extremely happy it works for you.

As for the problematic hot wire you mentioned.....again, I am not sure how that particular comment addresses the OP's original question, so it will be filed accordingly.

Also, I am now very concerned about the factory installed key on hot wires that run the entire length of the truck! Geez.

 

Thanks guys for the feedback.....I was thinking if I wanted constant hot wire I would have to go to the battery...not what I wanted but it would solve my problem.

When I had the ARE shell installed, I tapped into the cargo lamp on the back of the truck. Hence, when the doors opened the lights would come on just like the interior lights. Plus, I could manually turn the lights on/off from inside the truck.....This was perfect and I did the same thing on the 2000 F250 and it worked flawlessly. for years.

Here is the problem I ran into....so after about two weeks my interior lights and lights inside the shell would not come on when the doors opened...nor could I manually turn them on from the switch on the dash??

According to the dealer 2011 F250 has a module that monitors amp draw, so it basically turned off the power to the interior lights and cargo lights. They unhooked the camper lights and reset the module back to factory specs and everything went back to working normal again.....strange deal for sure.

Deere: Tapping into parking lights is an option for sure....