Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives backup lights

I have an '08 Dodge Ram. The backup lights are a joke. You can't see a thing back there. I've been trying to figure out a way to add auxiliary lights but there's no place to mount them where they wont get crunched or I don't have to drill holes in the body. LED's are the most compact, but it takes a lot of them to brighten it up enough to see well. There are all kinds of compact daytime running lights but they're made to be seen, not to see with. They're bright but they don't project at all.

Most of the non-LED lights pull 50W or more which overloads the backup light fuse. I have an unused switch on the dash that a previous owner installed for something he had on it so I'll probably run a heavy wire from that and just switch it on as needed. It'll also run to my horse trailer where I'm going to add some lights on the sides for backing up in the dark.

Have any of you run into this problem of mounting tiny but bright lights?

I should add that when I have my stock rack on it, the tailgate is gone. Also, the rack precludes any use of the stake holes in the top of the bed.

You aren't looking at the right LED's then, because the good ones are much much more bright than a standard halogen. It will probably set you back, but this is what you should be looking at if size and output is a concern:
http://www.4wheelparts.com/Lighting...s=448&t_pt=4242&Bulb+Type_PQ=LED

I have seen more than a few sets mounted to the reciever hitch itself. Would that work?

my dad had a GMC and the reverse lights would only work when the clutch was completely engaged, and i somehow (why not to drink beer when rebuilding a trans) managed to put the reverse light switch on the OD fork of my old Ford.

I've considered a hitch mounted light. It's a pain, though, because I'd have to keep swapping it with the ball mount. I use the hitch quite a bit. I've seen some that slip over the receiver and have lights on both sides but they block access to the safety chain loops.

This is a work truck, not a take-a-date-to-a-movie truck. The bumper takes some hits...which is why I need the extra light.

My stepson's '05 is absent at the moment, but I would think that it wouldn't be too hard to find someplace to mount these:

http://www.amazon.com/KC-HiLiTES-517-55-Watt-Halogen/dp/B0002GXOBY

I have a pair of these on my utility trailer. They're a little smaller but I still can't find a place where they'd be well protected.

http://www.amazon.com/Navigator-NV-...d=IP42WJNCM7IV&coliid=I2A4X1TUJUTBHR

My pickup is pretty high. I've considered letting them hang slightly below the bumper. I'd have to rig some kind of protection from rocks off the tires even with the mudflaps.

I haven't tried them, but I'd start with replacing your stock back up bulbs with LED's. I'd also recommend that whatever brand you get that they use CREE LED in their bulb over anything else.

Not IN the reciever. The one's I've seen have been on the "frame" of the reciever. They wouldn't be in the way of the "hitch" itself at all.

I wasn't aware that they were making LED replacements. They are and there are lots to choose from. That would definitely be the best choice. Thanks.

Crees, however, run almost $40 each. There are lots of others for far less that still put out a lot more light than the stock bulbs. It sure pays to read reviews, too. Some of them are junk.

Crees seem to be pretty well-made LEDs and will likely outlast the vehicle.

Maybe put an LED bar recessed in the tailgate?

Here's a link for replacement LEDs that aren't terribly expensive. There's one listed that uses 18 LEDs for $19.95 ea.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cat/...%20pickup--back+up+light/15-861--353784/

I have no idea how well they work but it's bound to be an improvement. The bulb I noted has 170 lumens which is equivalent to very bright headlamp.

The single 4" light bars work great for back up lights and are easy to mount almost any where. Rugged and waterproof.



They draw about 2 watts and are over 1000 lumens.

http://www.kmdgarage.com/quantum-led-lighting-1/

Actually you can get a pair of genuine Cree LED's for your truck for $40 from Retro Solutions. They've been in business for a long time and are sponsors on a lot of auto forums. You can even call them up and talk to a person that speaks English!

I did a little looking around and these LED bulbs should be a direct replacement for the 921 stock bulbs in your Ram.

Click Here

Check out the reviews on their web site.

Hmm. The online applications charts all show a 921 bulb for my backup lights. The owners manual calls for a 3057, which is totally different. I pulled one out and it's a 921. I've been looking at the wrong bulbs.

It definitely pays to read reviews. Some LED's are pretty poor and the reviews say they aren't as bright as the OEM bulbs, which is my problem in the 1st place.