I am contemplating placing rear back-up lights in the factory bumper. Has anyone done this and if so, how did you decide on placement, how did you do the cut out, and what did you wire them into? Any pics would be great. Thanks in advance.
This is exactly what I'm looking for. I just need to find out what lights are used, how they cut into the bumper and what its wired into. Thanks for sharing BTW.
I did this exact same thing on the f150 FX4 that I just traded in on my super duty. Placement is solely up to you, Just remember, measure twice, cut once. Last thing you want to do is get them uneven. I used a metabo cutoff saw for the main cuts, then finished off the corners with a jigsaw. On the wiring. I just pulled one of my taillights off and had a look at the wiring. Find the hot wire to your reverse light bulb and tap into that wire on both sides. You could always put them on a toggle, but I wanted instant on when the truck was placed in reverse. Especially since my tails were smoked. Hope this helps and makes since.
The best price I could find on a set of Rigid Dually lights is $129. The hard part for me will be cutting the holes. I plan to see if the local real center has a plasma cutter that I could rent (they are pretty expensive from what I've seen, especially just to cut out the holes for these lights)
First off I wouldn't buy rigid LED's. Yes they are good but they are higher than giraffe pu$$y. I paid like $60 for the pair that I had and they looked identical to the ones in the pic. They were bright and lasted over 2 yes til I traded the truck.
Second, yes its a little unnerving to cut holes in a perfectly good bumper. That's why I said make darn sure you have them layed out perfect. Also I wouldn't use a plasma for this! Plasma cutters blow fire and slagsimilar to a torch. There's a tire and wiring behind there that you don't want messed up. A regular cutoff wheel on a grinder or dremel works just fine. You just have to pay attention that your throwing your sparks in a safe direction. Or you could always drape a drop cloth over the back of your trk for more protection.
Dang, I completely forgot about the Dremel. I have been shopping around and even found a set that also looks identical to the Rigid set on Amazon for $20. I just want to made sure I do it right the first time and that the product I go with will last.....that's why I stated Rigid early on. Thanks for the reply as I had not even thought about the dremel.
Here are mine, I couldn't afford a name like rigid, and didn't know if I liked the idea to start with any way....so I shopped around and just found the best deal I could get, think I paid 75-80 for them. As for the cutting I too the bumper off, measured twice and cut once.....I used a dremel....took quite some time but didn't have to worry about messing up......
As for the wiring I hooked mine up to a separate switch....I wanted to be able to use them when hooking up trailers or just messing around in the woods....didn't want to have to have it in reverse...also something I don't want the, on when backing up so I liked the switch idea....
Yeah I def wouldn't go that cheap, but there are some good options out there for a lot cheaper than rigids. I've got an off brand 24" light bar on the roof of my sxs that's been there for 3 years and has been beat to hell and back. Still works like a charm and bright as hell.
I want to do this for my truck, mainly for hooking up a trailer at night.. The funny thing is, is I thought to myself how rarely that would happen when I bought the truck.. Turns out I do it a lot ahaha..
Also, I would hook them to separate switch.. These would be prime for people tailgating you.. Which again happens a lot in cali.. Flick that switch on and they will back the F off..
So if you don't want Rigid maybe try LifeTime LED, they make a flush mounted bumper set also.
Cory from CNC fabrications (Corey@CNCFAB) is a vendor on here and he carries LifeTime LED's.
you can always mount then to your tow bar, i had some mounted there when i bought my truck and just the other day upgraded to some CREE LED cubes i got off amazon...i've had a 20" LED bar and 2 4" cubes on my front bar for 3+ years with no problems what so ever...ill snap a pic in the morning but its one of those things you dont have to worry about cutting into your bumper...simple wiring to your hot wire on reverse lights or you can run power from your battery all the way back and do a relay with a switch. personally i wouldn't want to ever cut into my truck unless i had spare parts to replace them if they get messed up...just my 2 cents
side note to anyone who added lights on the back bumper, has anyone had a problem with your backup sensors after installing lights?
why cut a hole in a perfectly good bumper when there is a perfect place to mount them on your hitch where they are somewhat hidden and unobtrusive? very easy to do, just bolt them into the preexisting hole and wire them to an up fitter switch. I used these off amazon and they have been working great for over a year now.
Very classy. I absolutely love the fact that you actually have to search for them, while avoiding the bumper manipulation. I am amazed at the amount of light they provide. Thanks for sharing, I'm a convert from the bumper installation ideology.
This is a too each there own kind of deal. Personally I like clean lines and don't like things hanging down and like the flush mount in the bumper look better. Just a cleaner look in my opinion. Then again at the end of the day, the result is the same.
They don't hang down any lower than the factory hitch. I was squatting down when I took those day time pictures. You really can barely notice them. You could even wire a relay into the factory back up lights so they come on automatically but I like to be able to turn them on without being in reverse.
This is my setup. A couple 2" cubes and the lightbar above the license plate are tied into the reverse lights. The 8" bars are on an upfitter for hitching up the sled and SxS trailer at night.
Do you have any close up pics of how you mounted the lights to your hitch assembly? I want to do the same set-up on my truck.
Thanks
Matt
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