Plug and Play Backup Lighting

[BlueyDuty]

I couldn’t see a thing backing up with the factory halogen reverse lamps and front window tint, so I badly needed some auxiliary reverse lights. My truck doesn’t have upfitter switches, so putting in an aftermarket switch wasn’t something I wanted to do. I also didn’t feel like running power from the battery, hooking up a relay and tapping into the factory wiring.

Since the 7 pin already has a reverse wire with 12+ volts, I modified an OEM 7-pin to 5-pin adapter to only provide power on the reverse light.

I used some $80 LED pods from Harbor Freight. They’re more than 2000 Lumens, and seem to be very well made. They were the aesthetic I wanted, as well.

I used worm drive pipe clamps covered in heavy duty shrink wrap to secure the lights to the hitch receiver tube

The lights only get power when the trans is shifted into reverse. All normal 7-pin functions are unaffected. Best of all, no permanent modifications were made to the truck, it’s a totally plug and play solution.

 

[andy18_00]

Awesome.

 

[toofy]

Nice photos. This has been described in the F150LEDs installation instructions for their kit:

 

[BlueyDuty]

Nice photos. This has been described in the F150LEDs installation instructions for their kit:

Same basic principle, difference being that I didn’t want to splice any of the factory wires. Mine can be removed within 5 minutes and no one would ever know it had been there. Also, no crappy quick splice connections. Every thing is spliced with waterproof butt connectors, then heat shrinked.

Two ways to skin the same cat, I just like my way better.

 

[toofy]

Thanks. I have no idea what you just said since I'm not very mechanical.

 

[blumhagen]

FOR ANYONE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING PREMADE: https://limitlessautoworksllc.com/products/rear-accessory-light-adapter-2017-2022-super-duty

Allows you to ad not only reverse lights, but auxiliary signal or brake lights, they also have another harness if you want on demand reverse lights.

 

[BlueyDuty]

FOR ANYONE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING PREMADE: https://limitlessautoworksllc.com/products/rear-accessory-light-adapter-2017-2022-super-duty

Allows you to ad not only reverse lights, but auxiliary signal or brake lights, they also have another harness if you want on demand reverse lights.

I looked at this one. Aside from saving $120, I was concerned about the fact that this harness only allows up to 3 amps. By my math, the lights I’m using draw about four and half but I could be totally wrong about that.

Also, I haven’t gotten any warning lights from this setup. That was actually the only thing I was concerned about, was the computer detecting the draw in power and giving me grief over it.

 

[blumhagen]

I looked at this one. Aside from saving $120, I was concerned about the fact that this harness only allows up to 3 amps. By my math, the lights I’m using draw about four and half but I could be totally wrong about that.

Also, I haven’t gotten any warning lights from this setup. That was actually the only thing I was concerned about, was the computer detecting the draw in power and giving me grief over it.

Yeah it is expensive.

Not sure how he determined 3 amps, your getting your power from the same wires just slightly differently.

 

[Mattlikesbikes]

I couldn’t see a thing backing up with the factory halogen reverse lamps and front window tint, so I badly needed some auxiliary reverse lights. My truck doesn’t have upfitter switches, so putting in an aftermarket switch wasn’t something I wanted to do. I also didn’t feel like running power from the battery, hooking up a relay and tapping into the factory wiring.

Since the 7 pin already has a reverse wire with 12+ volts, I modified an OEM 7-pin to 5-pin adapter to only provide power on the reverse light.
View attachment 109700

So this plugs in behind the bumper before the 7pin plugs into the flush mount 7pin point on the bumper?

 

[BlueyDuty]

So this plugs in behind the bumper before the 7pin plugs into the flush mount 7pin point on the bumper?

Yessir, that’s correct.

 

[Alpoba]

Allows you to ad not only reverse lights, but auxiliary signal or brake lights,

Not the brake lights.

 

[Kdub]

Yessir, that’s correct.

Very slick! Part #'s for the OEM 7-pin to 5-pin adapter?

 

[BlueyDuty]

Very slick! Part #'s for the OEM 7-pin to 5-pin adapter?

The one I used is made by Hopkins Towing Item 41153.

Amazon has an identical one made by Curt, Item #56584

 

[Churchkey]

I couldn’t see a thing backing up with the factory halogen reverse lamps and front window tint, so I badly needed some auxiliary reverse lights. My truck doesn’t have upfitter switches, so putting in an aftermarket switch wasn’t something I wanted to do. I also didn’t feel like running power from the battery, hooking up a relay and tapping into the factory wiring.

Since the 7 pin already has a reverse wire with 12+ volts, I modified an OEM 7-pin to 5-pin adapter to only provide power on the reverse light.
View attachment 109700

I used some $80 LED pods from Harbor Freight. They’re more than 2000 Lumens, and seem to be very well made. They were the aesthetic I wanted, as well.

I used worm drive pipe clamps covered in heavy duty shrink wrap to secure the lights to the hitch receiver tube
View attachment 109701

View attachment 109702

View attachment 109703

The lights only get power when the trans is shifted into reverse. All normal 7-pin functions are unaffected. Best of all, no permanent modifications were made to the truck, it’s a totally plug and play solution.

Nice set up. Are the two square body plugs in the picture connections for the LED lights?

 

[BlueyDuty]

Nice set up. Are the two square body plugs in the picture connections for the LED lights?

That’s right- they are the male end provided with the lights. I think they are just standard 2 prong deutsch connectors. The lights have a female end on them.

 

[Svenster]

Very nice install and something I want to accomplish as well. Thanks for posting the part numbers.

 

[Divinggumby]

Nice. That beats all the head aches with trying to run wires though the fire wall to a dash switch.

 

[eviltwinatx]

could you post how exactly you modified the wiring? I kinda want to rip off your idea!

 

[BlueyDuty]

could you post how exactly you modified the wiring? I kinda want to rip off your idea!

Yeah so the yellow, 2 blacks, brown, and green wires, I cut and spliced to go straight from one plug to another, from the truck harness side to the bumper connection. The lights I bought came with a deutsch plug pigtail with bare red and black wires to wire into a harness. The blue (reverse light power) and white (ground), I cut to equal lengths and tapped the reds from the light’s deutsch plug to the blue, and the black from the light’s deutsch plug to the white. On one side I gave about 20” extra length of 20 gauge wire to cross from driver to passenger side.

I knew I should have taken a few pictures of the process, this is the only one I did take when I was testing if the connections would work. After this picture was taken, I cut down the blue and whites and made proper connections.

 

[Gotbeer]

I'm in the process of making one of these now. I went with the Curt model #56584. There are no black wires but 2 white wires instead on the Curt. I'll try and take some photos. This is a great idea by the way!!