Hi I'm looking at wiring up a new light bar and I'm not wanting it run directly off the battery. I want it to run only when the truck is on. This way the battery will be less likely to run down if the switch is accidentally hit during the day and nobody notices. I was wondering if there is a best place to splice in to steal power for the bar.

I've currrently got a 22inch right now running straight off the battery and I'd like to change it. Also I'm looking at getting a 52 - 54inch bar for my 2012 screw.

Thanks

 

 

Thanks techrep. Any suggestions which aux systems can handle the power requirements for a big light bar?

 

 

Most of the systems won't support the power draw of a light bar.

Use a relay. It will power direct from the battery but the 'trigger' (ie. your button) you can tap from any 'key only' power source. That way the light bar itself is drawing right from the battery with no impact to your systems but your button will only activate they light bar if your key is on. Then there is no way for your light bar to be 'left on' and draw your battery down.

This is the way most light bar manufactures recommend wiring your light bar.

 

Ok thanks I'll look into it

 

Looking back at my post I could expand a bit.

If you purchase a wiring harness, they will all come set up with the 'trigger' from the battery (so that you can run the light bar at all times which is what you stated you don't want).

The switch they will provide will typically have 3 wires, power in (red), power out (blue or green or white), ground (black). Red wire will be coming from the battery to the switch, power will flow back down blue to the relay.

Cut the red wire somewhere along it and tap a new wire from your 'key on' power so that the 'key on' feeds the switch then blue back to relay. done.


When I did it on my 2013 I actually tapped the high beam for my feed so that it only worked when I hit my high beams. So I left my switch 'always on' then when I used my high beam like normal my light bar came on, if I 'hit the switch' then my light bar would stay off and my high beams worked like normal.

 

Let me get this straight. Power was coming from the battery via the relay but now comes from the truck o my when it's on. Power goes to the switch from a keyed source and then goes out to the relay normally via the supplied wires. It's only the one power wire I have to chop and splice in.

 

Let me get this straight. Power was originally coming from the battery via the relay but now comes from the truck only when it's on. Power goes to the switch from a keyed source and then goes out to the relay normally via the supplied wires. It's only the one power wire I have to chop and splice in.
The end of the wire that was powering the switch just gets capped off and I abandon it.

 

Essentially it is this wire you want to cut, this is getting power from the battery to your switch. You want to splice from a keyed source to the switch side of that red power wire so the switch now gets power from the keyed source not the battery.
The white wire is the 'trigger' back to the relay to turn on the lights.