Do all the trucks have trailer detection? I have a 2017 XLT , dosent have Bliss or the full trailer tow package. Just have the "trailer hitch" package. Question is will my truck get the warnings on the dash if I hook up a tailgate light bar to the trailer wiring? Id hate to hack up my tail light wiring to wire this in.

 

Yes, it will think there is a trailer hooked up. Like you, I gave up on installing one of those bars for the same reason. Don't want to tap the tail lights. Ended up putting a one inch wide reflective tape between the bumper and tailgate.

 

I have one of those Identification lights that they put on the duelys. For my purposes, its a marker light. I had to use a Chevy one because the Ford one was too big for the space. The F250s have a taller space there. Looks good and I did have to tap the tag light wire then just ran a seperate ground. Less intrusive then tapping all those wires for the full function light bars.

I may just leave it.

 

I used a Super Duty identification lamps bar, but instead of mounting it to the bed, I recessed it halfway behind the bumper step pad / licence plate area.

 

Well you really have no choice if you want to put in the tailgate led bar accept to connect it to the rear lights. I have a 2016 Screw with BLIS and the OEM running lights and back up lights on the truck SUCK. I purchased and installed the Rough Country LED light bar, its 60" wide, it has 4 LED rows, and it was a pain in the *** to install. I cut, soldered and heat shrunk all of the connections, between figuring out the wiring diagram, and double checking that each component (Running lights, Break, Turn signal and backup lights) for before soldering each connection it took more than two hours to install. With all that said I would do it again in a second, the backup lights are super bright, the running lights can be seen even in the bright sun light. It did take took attempts, as the first light bar the I got from Rough Country was F'd out of the box, did all kinds of strange things, but I called them up explained what was going on and they overnight a new one. I did test the new one plugging it into the trail lights and preformed all the functional tests using the trail connect as the bar comes wired that way. It is not usable on the F150 in that configuration as the truck things have a trailer attached.

 

I guess this was a benefit of not getting a tow package and LED lights. I was able to plug mine into the "flat 4" plug with no issues. I only had to tap into my backup light.

My setup is a Putco-like bar with Amber progressive turn signals and backup lights.

I put my own Class 3 hitch on, but my boat is less than 1000#, I figure.

2018 SCrew 4x4.

Aqualung