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Train Horn

6K views 43 replies 17 participants last post by  skipnay 
#1 ·
Any hooked up a train horn on their 08 yet? Wife got them for me for X-mas but I cant find a good spot to put them. Just curious as to where others have installed.
 
#3 ·
most i ahve seen on other trucks is on the outside of the framerails toward the front... i am looking to get some on mine pretty soon as well, the gf doesnt want me to get them tho :hehe:
 
#4 ·
I've heard of putting them on the frame under the driver.
 
#7 ·
I mounted my horns onto the bottom of the bed facing the back, for no kind of crap can get into the horns, and the air tank I moutned in the bed for now.. when I get a tool box it will go inside the box....
 
#8 ·
if you go to my gallery hall I have two pics of my tank and my horns... when I got my line x sparayed I had them spray over the bolts that hold the train horns on... you can see three bolts in the middle of the bed when you are looking at the air tank
 
#9 ·
I am in the process of installing them on my 08. I am mounting the horns, tank and compressor on the passenger side frame rail. I am getting some brackets made as well as a mounting plate for the tank and compressor. I plan on doing some pictures after I get it all installed. Brackets wont be finished till later this week.
 
#10 ·
What kits did you guys buy?
 
#11 ·
I bought one of the ones from hornblasters.com. The complete system with the 3 gallon tank...
 
#12 ·
I'm like slow69stroke love the wife to death, Down fall is she doesn't want me to get cool stuff! pis*es me off badly. there for She is for sale. hint, hint, she could hold em in the back of your truck like a hood ornament?
 
#14 ·
I just finished mounting mine....I put my Nathan's under my toolbox in the back of my truck and then mounting 2 5 gallon air tanks and 2 compressors inside the toolbox. Lowes is closed right now or I'd be there buying the wire for the compressors....that's the last thing I need. Should be finished tomorrow
 
#15 ·
i think im about to buy a kit, used, from a guy my buddy knows, but i think im gonna put the tank and compressor in my tool box depending on the size, and not sure about the horns, my buddy has his behind his grill, but has anybody hooked the compresser to an upfitter switch? i think im gonna try that and hook the horns up to the steering wheel button and have a switch to switch i back and forth to stock
 
#16 ·
OOWeaver68,

I am using the upfitter switch in conjunction with a relay. This way I can flip back and forth between the stock horn and the train horn. Lets face it not everybody deserves to have the life scared out of them. :hehe:
 
#17 ·
did you use the stock relay that comes with the upfitter switch
 
#18 ·
did you use the stock relay that comes with the upfitter switch
No I spec'd a bosch type relay. While you may be able to rewire the stock internal relay I don't think that would be wise. I am at work right now but if you are really interested I will send you the diagram and parts I am ordering to make this a clean install.
 
#19 ·
Attached is a PDF with the parts I am buying to make this work. You don't have to buy the connectors but cutting up wires is not my choice. These two connectors will set you back another $30 buck or so from Ford. The relay is the one I will be using and I found it on e-Bay for about 8 bucks including shipping.
The schematic is for the relay only.

I will post a schematic later this evening or tomorrow. Keep in mind that this schematic I post is only for the horn system from hornblasters.com
 

Attachments

#20 ·
Okay... Attached is the schematic to use your upfitter switch to toggle between your stock horn and your new scare the p*ss out of everyone train horn.

It is based upon an air solenoid controlling the air to your new horn and the connectors and bosch relay in my previous post.

Now listen, I have not actually installed this as I am still waiting on parts but this should work. Any of you old sparkys out there that see a problem with my schematic let me know.
 

Attachments

#21 ·
so, for tab 30, u show as a +12v? instead of the input from the horn itself? or by "+ Positive" do u mean this is the horn input?

I found a similar diagram but it shows to be wired as follows

what you need is a SPDT 12V 30A relay. this relay has the following five tabs on teh bottom, with the appropriate functions:

30 : Input
85 :signal
86 :ground
87 : Normally closed load
87a : Normally Open load



in order to have an upfitter switch select your normal horns when off and your train horns when on, vut the line leading to the stock horn and wire as follows:

30 : truck side of stock horn wire
85 : upfitter switch
86 : ground
87 : relay or power for train horns
87a : horn side of stock horn wire
 
#22 ·
Tab 30 goes to the positive side of your stock horn harness which of course is 12v. The horn harness carries both the 12v and ground. It makes a difference as to which one you connect. The diagram and comments you make are reflective of what I posted.

Yes in order for your horns to work normally you will have to connect your horn wire to 87a. This way with the truck off, thus no power to the upfitters you would have normal use of your horn.
 
#23 ·
ok, so is the 'blue' wire I hear reference to the +12v for the horn? I thought the horn was grounded at the horn, and just a single wire ran to it, so i was prob mistaken, or possibly it changed in the '07 to '08 model trucks? :dunno:
thanks for the help, I had another thread asking this same question, I have everything all done, except the solenoid for the horns themselves. thanks again
 
#24 · (Edited)
On my '08 there are two wires for the horn harness. I tested each wire and in fact one is ground and the other 12v. I don't know which color is which right now. I would run out and look except it is pouring down rain. I know older model vehicles use a one wire system so I understand the confusion. On a one wire system just omit the wire in my diagram from the schematic all together that goes from the stock harness to the horn leaving the one wire coming from the relay. When I say omit I only mean for vehicles having a "one wire" horn cable. If your stock harness has two wires then you have to use both wires as shown in the diagram.
 
#26 ·
Doubledrop,

Are you using your upfitter to toggle between stock and train horn? If not then all you have to do is connect your stock horn wire to your air solenoid. I am guessing by your questions though you want to switch between the two but I thought I would throw that bit of advice in just in case...
 
#27 ·
thanks, i think it will work

but why are you getting a new relay, from the looks of this diagram of the upfitter switches, it looks like a relay like that is already there, but im not really sure:dunno:
 

Attachments

#28 ·
if you look at upfitter relay number 1 and 2, it has the same terminal numbers as the one you are getting, it looks like you will just have to run wire from terminal 30 on the stock relays, maybe im not looking at it right, i dunno
 
#29 ·
OOWeaver,

The upfitter switch is a low amperage switch that controls a high amperage relay with appropriate size wiring. The relays that are part of the upfitter switch has nothing to do with the fact you need a relay if you want to toggle between your stock horn and the train horn.

My assertion is based upon looking at the schematics of the upfitter switch and relay module for my '08.

Upfitters are designed to be a single pole single throw switch, not a single pole double throw switch. In other words the upfitters are a on/off type of switch not a toggle switch which would send power to one thing when flipped one way and power to another when flipped the other way.
 
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