Pictures Thread Wiring back up lights on trailer

[horsehauler]

I have a 2000 tundra SR5 4wd and tow a physically large 7,000 lb twin axel slant load horse trailer. I want to add two lights to the tail end of the trailer for backing up at night in unlighted drives and low visibility areas etc.

While poking around in my OEM wiring harness I found an abandoned/extra yellow wire with grey tracer that is on the trucks back up light circut for the tail lights.

It is hot when you put the trans in reverse but my concern is it is a very light guage wire and I want to mount a couple of clear fog or after market driving lights. thought it would be great to wire directly to the reverse switch and have them on automatically but am concerned about overloading the harness and having a melt down if I have them on too long.

Perhaps LED'd would be a better choice for low amp draw but I haven't found any that are bright enough. I would like to get flame throwers to really light up the area I am backing into.

recomendations would be appreciated.

[Geodude]

I wired the centre pin on the 7-pin Bargman connector to the backup lights on the Sequoia, and then ran about 32' of wire to a set of el cheapo mini fog lamps on the back of my travel trailer. IIRC I used about a 12 gauge wire if for now other reason than I had a bunch of it lying around. It has worked well over the past two years. I think I have pix of the lights on my site at www dot paushe dot com

I consider mine backup lights to warn people that a big box is coming their way, so they point straight back. A couple of friends mounted theirs farther forward and on the side of the trailer, just in back of the mud flaps and pointing out to the sides in order to get better light when backing up at night.

[07DCwhiteSR5]

Originally Posted by horsehauler

I have a 2000 tundra SR5 4wd and tow a physically large 7,000 lb twin axel slant load horse trailer. I want to add two lights to the tail end of the trailer for backing up at night in unlighted drives and low visibility areas etc.

While poking around in my OEM wiring harness I found an abandoned/extra yellow wire with grey tracer that is on the trucks back up light circut for the tail lights.

It is hot when you put the trans in reverse but my concern is it is a very light guage wire and I want to mount a couple of clear fog or after market driving lights. thought it would be great to wire directly to the reverse switch and have them on automatically but am concerned about overloading the harness and having a melt down if I have them on too long.

Perhaps LED'd would be a better choice for low amp draw but I haven't found any that are bright enough. I would like to get flame throwers to really light up the area I am backing into.

recomendations would be appreciated.

not sure what the abck of your trailer looks like but several boat trailer manuf'ers use LED light housings for backup lamps. ski boats mainly. but for what its worth, ive seen regular filement bulbs used as factory equipment on boat trailers for backup lamps also and they dont have any special wiring, they plug into the stock harness just the same so its apparently good enough for that as well as the poster above.

[jd50i]

If you feel the yellow/grey wire is too small for the lights, use it to control a relay and you can use a bigger voltage supply wire.

[funfinder4]

Not sure about the older Tundra's but my '06 has this circit built into the factory 7-way plug already. I believe it's fused seprate of the trucks back-up lights too.

[BAD BONEZ BJ]

Originally Posted by jd50i

If you feel the yellow/grey wire is too small for the lights, use it to control a relay and you can use a bigger voltage supply wire.

That'd be the way I'd do it. Then you can run whatever type of light you want.

BJ