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I have to back in to trailers in the dark all the time. I have to do so in some gnarly places with lots of crap in the way.
I have a hard time seeing what is next to the rear wheel area windows down looking out or in the mirrors. I need to
add some light to this area on both sides. I have looked around under the truck a bit and do not see a good place to
mount lights that wont get ripped off or be a pain in the butt to do. Has any one done a side light of some fashion I
could steal the idea from?
Current best 2 ideas I have:
I have a prototype light I 3D printed that will fit like a plug in the end of the receiver hitch main tube.
Find a way to fit a compact LED light into the fender vents to shine down side of truck
I did try several brands of brighter light to fit in the bottom of the door mirror and they all sucked with OEM the brightest
There is a company that makes a light kit that mounts into the receiver tube, making it yourself would be a whole lot cheaper. There are also various ways to mount lights under the bumper. I've seen lights mounted to the end caps of the fixed running boards (if you have those).
I’m in the process of mounting some Hella lights like what Adontain sent a link to. Actually saw those after I had the idea. The Hella Black Magic are $40 a pair. I had some fiberglass square tubes to fit into the hitch. Won’t have the side pointed lights, but the Hella lights will be plenty of light. On my now gone truck I mounted a pair of rock climbing lights on the side of the rear bumper for more side light, tied into the reverse lights. https://www.jegs.com/i/Hella/288/358176221/10002/-1
I have to back in to trailers in the dark all the time. I have to do so in some gnarly places with lots of crap in the way.
I have a hard time seeing what is next to the rear wheel area windows down looking out or in the mirrors. I need to
add some light to this area on both sides. I have looked around under the truck a bit and do not see a good place to
mount lights that wont get ripped off or be a pain in the butt to do. Has any one done a side light of some fashion I
could steal the idea from?
Current best 2 ideas I have:
I have a prototype light I 3D printed that will fit like a plug in the end of the receiver hitch main tube.
Find a way to fit a compact LED light into the fender vents to shine down side of truck
I did try several brands of brighter light to fit in the bottom of the door mirror and they all sucked with OEM the brightest
You talk about "side" lights, but I don't understand how a light mounted in the end of the receiver get you a side light?
I have two LED lights mounted to the bumper on mine, that I use when backing up to a trailer for hookup, they work well for that purpose.
They were super cheap on amazon, like $14 for the pair, drilled a hole in the bumper to mount them, wired to an upfitter switch.
It ain't pretty like the BMC linked above, but I have six (6) auxiliary reverse lights.
- 0° straight back backup lights (round, at top in photo, which swing inward for setting up trailer hitch),
- 45° backup lights (round, bottom center in photo) whose beams pre-illuminate where I might be turning in reverse toward
- 90° curb side lights (rectangular, bottom left in photo) whose beams help demarcate the end of the truck, and illuminate ditches, gullies, curbs, etc
Each set of lights were about $10 a pair. Been on there for more than 20 years in the configuration shown, and the extra light really helps when relying solely on the outside rear view mirrors.
It ain't pretty like the BMC linked above, but I have six (6) auxiliary reverse lights.
- 0° straight back backup lights (round, at top in photo, which swing inward for setting up trailer hitch),
- 45° backup lights (round, bottom center in photo) whose beams pre-illuminate where I might be turning in reverse toward
- 90° curb side lights (rectangular, bottom left in photo) whose beams help demarcate the end of the truck, and illuminate ditches, gullies, curbs, etc
Each set of lights were about $10 a pair. Been on there for more than 20 years in the configuration shown, and the extra light really helps when relying solely on the outside rear view mirrors.
Best part about those 'tractor" lights, is even the LED's replacements I just got, are glass sealed beam. I've literally had them underwater (not on, of course,
but I bet they would be fine), and they have held up over many years.
That said, I went with thinner LED's on the rear of F250, screwed into one of the existing bumper bolts, as I wanted it low profile, more integrated,
and no permanent changes to factory hardware. Not sure why you could not literally put a thinner light like this under fwd part of bed, facing straight sideways.
There would be infinite number of light / locations depending on your willingness to drill. Heck I've seen someone use magnetic GoPro mounts on the receiver with tiny rigid lights. Yes, the BMC is $$$$$$. They put lights facing rear and some on the end shining outward. Diode Dynamics makes one to go into receiver - get close, swap for hitch ball, complete reversing/connection. Just depends on your effort vs desired looks.
You talk about "side" lights, but I don't understand how a light mounted in the end of the receiver get you a side light?
I had the same question at first, but the BMC lights that Adontain linked looks like it has a small light at the end that might throw some light at the rear vehicle wheel.
Adontain are really really really proud of their lights. Must be 24 karat wires.
I would be if I made one. Same goes for why Rigid are so expensive too. If you can get a 10 pack from China for 1/100th price they're obviously just greedy. I don't set the price nor am I suggesting to buy the product. It's a premade option for a question with infinite answers.
It often ends up squeezing between large quarry trucks or excavators in mud and all manner of things. I can see to the rear but as the corner of the
obstacle passes my rear bumper to the rear tire its just too dark to see if I am getting too close. Then mix in sliding side to side on rocks or mud and
I would really like to see what is in that area. I have had the bucket of a front loader remove a bumper on a Chevy in this very situation. It is more like
backing around a corner than in a straight line many times so you need to see to the side as well as to the rear.
The BMC part that slides in the end of the receiver main tube is what I have made. Mine has a space for a $5 rock light from Amazon to slide in
from the rear. I added some strong magnets that grip the inside of the tube that will help hold it in with the tight fit. They 3D print theirs as well
so I must have been on the right track. A light in the center hub of the rear wheel would be perfect but that is just not a thing. I have AMP steps
on the truck so no real place to mount on them of value. This truck only "pinch hits" when I have no choice but to use it so I am not looking to
add a giant work light and want to keep it as hidden as I can.
I would be if I made one. Same goes for why Rigid are so expensive too. If you can get a 10 pack from China for 1/100th price they're obviously just greedy. I don't set the price nor am I suggesting to buy the product. It's a premade option for a question with infinite answers.
Sorry Adontin, meant BMC. Edited my previous post!
BMC are really really really proud of their lights. Must be 24 karat wires.
No kidding, holy crap!
I have a pair of cheap harbor freight floods on a two pole switch feeding a relay. If the switch is neutral, no power to the lights, if to the left, lights are on constantly, to the right they get triggered with the reverse lights. We rented a travel trailer last year and I needed to move the trailer from one spot to another after dark and I couldn't see the corners of the trailer it was so dark out, decided I needed these.
The lights swivel so I could have them 90* to the hitch if I wanted, I used an existing hole in the hitch to mount them. No crazy bright but for what I need just fine.
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