Wiring Question
03-26-2012, 12:58 PM
#1
Wiring Question
While this is not necessarily a Raptor specifiic question i thought i would ask here since there is so much traffic concerning Rigid lighting.
I dont know much about wiring, never had to do it really except for the most basic things. I bought two Rigid duallys to use as back up lights for my Raptor. Im not hooking it up to my aux switches or battery, instead i am just going to tap into my trailer harness wires. All i need to do is tap the positive cable into the reverse wire and ground the negative correct? I dont need anything else? The lights come with a really nice wiring harness but again not using the aux or hooking to battery. thanks.
I dont know much about wiring, never had to do it really except for the most basic things. I bought two Rigid duallys to use as back up lights for my Raptor. Im not hooking it up to my aux switches or battery, instead i am just going to tap into my trailer harness wires. All i need to do is tap the positive cable into the reverse wire and ground the negative correct? I dont need anything else? The lights come with a really nice wiring harness but again not using the aux or hooking to battery. thanks.
03-29-2012, 03:21 PM
#2
Hey John.
The answer is yes... maybe.
The yes part is that from a wiring perspective it is just that easy; tap into the reverse circuit and ground to the frame.
But the maybe part is that you need to make sure that circuit is fused and sized for the demand of your lights. In other words, your lights have an amp rating (should be in the documentation somewhere). Multiply that rating by 2 (because you have two lights) and you'll get the amount of amps that the lights need. You need to make sure the amount of available amps at that reverse light is greater than what those lights need, plus whatever anything else already on that circuit needs.
I don't know what the rating of that circuit is, and I don't know how much of that is already used. If I'm you, I find out before doing anything. If I had to bet, you're going to want to use the harness that comes with the lights, and have the Raptor's reverse lights just turn on the relay that comes with the kit.
Good luck and let us know what you find out!
The answer is yes... maybe.
The yes part is that from a wiring perspective it is just that easy; tap into the reverse circuit and ground to the frame.
But the maybe part is that you need to make sure that circuit is fused and sized for the demand of your lights. In other words, your lights have an amp rating (should be in the documentation somewhere). Multiply that rating by 2 (because you have two lights) and you'll get the amount of amps that the lights need. You need to make sure the amount of available amps at that reverse light is greater than what those lights need, plus whatever anything else already on that circuit needs.
I don't know what the rating of that circuit is, and I don't know how much of that is already used. If I'm you, I find out before doing anything. If I had to bet, you're going to want to use the harness that comes with the lights, and have the Raptor's reverse lights just turn on the relay that comes with the kit.
Good luck and let us know what you find out!
03-30-2012, 12:32 PM
#5
Thanks for the replies. My father actually used to wire trucks and trailers for a living, unfortunately he never passed that knowledge on to me. He is in town right now so i think I will take yalls rec's and get him to help me out with it. It will be next week befroe I get to do the install but i will post pics when its finished.