bodam

What wires do you tap into for backup lights?

I'm going to install the small rock lights in the back, and wanted to tap into the existing reverse lights. I was wondering which wires can be used in the trailer wiring, if possible, or if I have to run jumpers all the way to the actual reverse lights themselves.

Azuri

Pretty sure you can't tap into the trailer hitch wiring there is no reverse in there. When I hard wired my LED taillight bar I had to tap into the taillight reverse light. I did get the 12V+ from the trailer hitch though.

bodam

I wouldn't need the 12v if I tapped into the reverse lights wiring would I?

Wouldn't that supply the power when I shifted into reverse? I only want them powered when the truck is in reverse.

As you can see, I'm a wiring noob, lol.

Azuri

nvm

seaeagle2

Trucks usually have a 7 pin wiring harness, guess what the 7th wire is, reverse. It depends how many amps they draw if you can power them with the reverse light circuit. Depending on if you are using the 7 wire harness, you could use the reverse circuit to trip a relay, and the 12v battery power wire to power the lights. I think the older trucks had a 7 wire harness stuffed up somewhere at the back. On my 2010, it had a factory 4 wire and I followed it back to the spare tire, and there was a 7 wire plug with the other side only having 4 wires, I got a factory 7 wire harness to run the extra wires out to the bumper.

Azuri

Thanks for the clarification yeah I knew it was 7 pin.

Joeniel

As said before, the middle pin in the 7 pin trailer wire plug is the reverse lights. You can take the plug off from the back, wrap a wire around the pin, and plug it back in if you dont want to splice into anything factory. If you just want to wire the lights so they come on when you put the truck in reverse, you are done.. just run the other wire to ground somewhere. Also, if the lights are LED, you should be all set with that as the primary power source, as that harness is designed to run more reverse lights on a trailer. If they are halogens, which draw a bit more power, you might think about using a 4 pin relay and running a power lead back from the battery. A 5 pin relay can be used if you want the option of using them with a switch as well as when the truck is put in reverse.

Steve Osborne

i did mine right off the 7 pin plug connector...the center pin for my 2013 is a grey wire. reverse...

bodam

I just tapped directly into the existing reverse lights. Grounded them and called it a day. I will post some pics tomorrow.

Steve Osborne

keep an eye on your wiring....adding to existing wire/load...you may blow fuses or overload the wire...this is why i used the trailer plug..already fused and no other load on the wiring.