Yes I did!! I run into this problem too...I have a back up camera but when it's dark I have to lightly tap the break to turn the brake lights on to see...I was thinking about something like this over the weekend to turn some lights on remotely when I need them to see and some security as well...
Finally a video of someone who has done this. Been wanting to do this for years and just wasn’t sure of the best way to do it. The lights down the side are good for going into campgrounds and being able to see your wheels and where they are. Iv seen nobody else do this. Thanks for the video
@@tannerjim how did you ground the lights. I’m kind of new to this. I understand the positive and negative of the lights but there is no ground wire, how exactly did you hook it up with the remote box? Did you hook the negative wire from the lights to negative on battery or to black wires on control box. Thanks for the info
I appreciate the video. After trying to turn my camper around in the pitch black Colorado mountains at 1am I decided I had to do something. I used two 4in LEDs from EPAuto on Amazon ($14 for a pair). To avoid warranty issues I used u-bolts for bumper mounts. No one wants to get out in the dark in the middle of nowhere, so your 12v fob operated remote idea was genius. My first thought was to jumoer over the the truck and use a toggle switch. I just finished my install today. I'll be testing it out later this week. Thank you.
Nice setup sir and a nicely edited video. I ran a control box to my light bar on the front of my truck that I wired to my high beams. Now I can leave it on to burn my bar with the high beams or turn it off and only the high beams will be on. The boxes are very handy. I did have the light bar running solely off it with tying into the high beams. There was some sort of like-coded remote somewhere because my light bar would come on in the middle of the night or day as if someone’s garage remote or something turned it on. Mine is a different brand and style though. Thanks for taking the time to make a fine video.
Nice video Jim. Exterior lighting has been on my mind for a while not only for backing up but for security as you mentioned. I want to be able to light up the night if there's a "creeper" out there. See what I did there with the creeper reference?
I did just this on my popup camper. I added two small fog lights (clear) on the rear bumper. When power is applied through the 7 pin plug (reverse terminal - center pin), a relay was activated that connected power to the backup lights from the 12+ pin (pin 4). The reason for the relay instead of just pulling power from the backup pin on the connector was due to my desire to also have a switch inside to control the same lights without back feeding back to the vehicle (if connected). The switch (SPST) connected 12+ from the camper batter directly to the lights themselves.
This was done on a 5th Wheel. I put the receiver behind the wall in the "pass through" storage area. This is the area that can be accessed from either side of the RV.
Wife and I did this exact same modification. Also installed 8 rock lights in the undercarriage at the same time, plus additional marker lights (that double as turn signals) since dragging the wire was a big PITA - only wanted to do that once!
Like they are still brand new! Your timing is amazing...I just helped a friend install this exact setup on his RV yesterday. We installed the rear and side lights. Here is my video on adding the additional 2 side lights. ruclips.net/video/lVYhRPEQiTY/видео.html
Thanks for the video I was trying figure out what i was going to do. I have same issue i get off at work and even if I go someplace local it is pitch black dark.
Great video could you Please tell how you ran the wire to the front of the rv , mine is a fifth wheel and where to hook iit in to my seven pin wire harness , so when I put my truck in reverse the lights will come on ?? Thanks
You will have to run a wire to the 7-pin to do that. as you can see in the video, I did not do that, as I wanted to have control with a remote. This allows me to use the light even when I am not connected to the truck. I ran the my wire into the front of the 5th wheel bay, from the passthrough storage. However, I think if I were to do it again, I would come up via the propane tank area and then into the front bay.
Thanks for the video been looking to do this as we have had some tight spots to back in at night and the flashlight isnt cutting it. 2 questions: If you dont mind me asking how much did the entire setup cost? Also I was wondering if there was a way to do this and where I could run plug off the aux switch in my super duty to the rear of the truck then, run something off where i connect it to the battery to plug it in?
Just under my picture, is the start of the wording to my post. Look for "SHOW MORE"....that will expand the view and all the links to products will be shown. Let me know if you have other questions. Items Need for this RV Upgrade: • 2 "Nilight" 6" Flood Light - amzn.to/2ACekq5 • 12 GA Gauge Wire - amzn.to/2zSm2PA • Wireless 12V Control Kit (15 Amps) - amzn.to/2hp0sHi • Inline Fuse Kit - amzn.to/2hpge52 • Pro-Lift Creeper Seat - amzn.to/2ywN2A4
You don't need the 12V remote kit. The 7 pin RV plug center pin is the REVERSE lights wire, it's "hot" when you put your truck in reverse. This wire should be yellow. Find this wire in the elec box in your RV's hitch. Run a wire from there to the rear. Put a fuse in series and connect it to the lights red wires. Run a ground wire from the frame of the RV to the black wires on the lights. Now when you put the truck in reverse the RV's reverse lights come on! Your wiring is less complicated, and you save money. Now if you want the lights for security then use your remote kit. For me, I just turn the camper's exterior lights on.
I guess that would work, but I love being able to turn the lights on from my truck...from inside my RV...from campfire when walking back. Having a hard wired switch just isn't what I wanted to achieve this this setup.
Interestingly, just for what it's worth, here in NZ it is illegal to have reverse lights that don't go 'only' through your gear stick being placed in reverse. I guess you can have them wired with a remote 'as well', so that you can turn the 'off' when you putt the stick in reverse (whatever use that would be) but you can't have them turn on and off purely on the remote, you have to have them run through your reverse selection on your cog sack, otherwise your vehicle isn't legal for NZ roads. Just saying. Nice video though, and I'm glad it all works for you.
to tell the truth he didn't know how to wire it up with the backup lights. Read down through all the comments another person mentioned the same thing and the response from the Tanners was how do you do it?
@@johndeerefarmer4483 Lets be clear. These are not "reverse lights"...these are "backup lights" I did not want them triggered by putting the truck in reverse. I want them to come on/off when I want them to. If I had wanted them to be simple reverse lights, I would have wired them that way (off 7 pin round)...but why do that and limit the usage? BTW..these are also now tied into the 2 side lights, again adding to the fact they are not "reverse lights"
I have done something similar on my cargo trailer but I used the tow vehicle backup light (pin 7) to trigger the coil of a relay, and powered the lights through the relay contacts from the constant power lug (pin 4) on the 7 way. That way I'm not putting any additional current strain on to the tow vehicle backup light wiring.
Awesome video, going to do this to my 5th wheel soon. We always pull in to sites at night and this will make night much easier. I just have a question. How 🤔 is the wireless box holding up on you? Has it gone bad or still good for you? Thanks for the video
Danny.....both remotes are working great. I had to replace both of the factory batteries about 1-2 weeks after the install, but since then they are both working with no issue. I keep one remote in truck for when we arrive and one in RV.
I'm really wondering where you mounted the remote control box I know this video is a couple years old. There's nothing in the directions for the box to tell me whether it's weatherproof. I bought the same box you bought. As well as the lights. If you happen to see this thank you in advance.
I'm thinking about mounting it somehow under the propane tank cover. Maybe making a bracket that can go on the threaded rod that holds the tanks in place. Still brain storming though I'm not sure I want electricity in between my propane.
Dumb question, where does the white or black wire from your lights hook to? Does it just go to ground? It’s clear that on the remote controller the white and red wires interrupt the power 12 V wire going to the lights, but I’m just not sure where the other wire from the lights goes to.
Billy...I put it in our storage pass through, which is behind the compartment where i store our batteries. I brought a 12v line to this area and put in a jumper, so I can add additional 12v devices to this feed to battery bank. Works great....can turn light on/off from cab of truck and inside RV. That is the nice thing about the remotes I linked, as it comes with 2 remotes. BTW...the battery that comes with the remote kit is garbage...toss both of them ASAP and replace. The remote kit is great , but they are saving $$ on the included batteries for sure. :(
@@ATC250RNUT If you look at the lights (amzn.to/2O1K2FN) you will see they have a bracket at the bottom. I slipped the u-bolt through that bracket and tighen it down. ROCK SOLID!
Keith...I purchased the wireless controller (which supports up to 15 amps) from Amazon - amzn.to/2hp0sHi All the products used to create this setup, are listed in the description above. You might have to click "show more" to see the entire description. Let me know if you have any other questions. Jim
All the links are in the video description. There are 3 lines of text....then you'll see " *SHOW MORE* "...click that and it will expand, showing you all the links to products used in this video.
@@tannerjimok, I guess we never need to open the wireless controller box? All those wires come sticking out and ready for splicing? Where is a good place or the best places to mount the wireless controller box? I wish you showed us where you mounted your wireless controller box. Is that buss bar with the red fused wire where you get your power then connect to the wireless controller box's red power in? I want my reverse lights to come on automatically whenever I'm in reverse, so I'm gonna get power from the yellow center pin wire then wire to the controller box's red power input. Do you think the reverse lights will still come on automatically or will I have to use the remote to turn them on whenever I back up ?
![Gunna - HIM ALL ALONG [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/w7Wf0h1Q8a4/mqdefault.jpg)
Still relevant information today. Great job!
Yes I did!! I run into this problem too...I have a back up camera but when it's dark I have to lightly tap the break to turn the brake lights on to see...I was thinking about something like this over the weekend to turn some lights on remotely when I need them to see and some security as well...
Thank You. I'm not that handy but this was very clear and it took me a couple hours and it was exactly wht I needed.
Finally a video of someone who has done this. Been wanting to do this for years and just wasn’t sure of the best way to do it. The lights down the side are good for going into campgrounds and being able to see your wheels and where they are. Iv seen nobody else do this. Thanks for the video
Did you see the 2nd one, where I did install the side lights?
@@tannerjim how did you ground the lights. I’m kind of new to this. I understand the positive and negative of the lights but there is no ground wire, how exactly did you hook it up with the remote box? Did you hook the negative wire from the lights to negative on battery or to black wires on control box. Thanks for the info
@@imfreeagle1420 Grounded only via the NEG wire to each light. Powering the system is shown at 3:47 mark in video
Wow! What a difference.
I appreciate the video. After trying to turn my camper around in the pitch black Colorado mountains at 1am I decided I had to do something. I used two 4in LEDs from EPAuto on Amazon ($14 for a pair). To avoid warranty issues I used u-bolts for bumper mounts. No one wants to get out in the dark in the middle of nowhere, so your 12v fob operated remote idea was genius. My first thought was to jumoer over the the truck and use a toggle switch.
I just finished my install today. I'll be testing it out later this week. Thank you.
Nice setup sir and a nicely edited video. I ran a control box to my light bar on the front of my truck that I wired to my high beams. Now I can leave it on to burn my bar with the high beams or turn it off and only the high beams will be on. The boxes are very handy. I did have the light bar running solely off it with tying into the high beams. There was some sort of like-coded remote somewhere because my light bar would come on in the middle of the night or day as if someone’s garage remote or something turned it on. Mine is a different brand and style though. Thanks for taking the time to make a fine video.
Finally a proper video and demonstration. Thanks great video
Nice video Jim. Exterior lighting has been on my mind for a while not only for backing up but for security as you mentioned. I want to be able to light up the night if there's a "creeper" out there. See what I did there with the creeper reference?
I did just this on my popup camper. I added two small fog lights (clear) on the rear bumper. When power is applied through the 7 pin plug (reverse terminal - center pin), a relay was activated that connected power to the backup lights from the 12+ pin (pin 4). The reason for the relay instead of just pulling power from the backup pin on the connector was due to my desire to also have a switch inside to control the same lights without back feeding back to the vehicle (if connected). The switch (SPST) connected 12+ from the camper batter directly to the lights themselves.
That is so cool. Thank you for the video
Excellent video. Where did you mount the wireless receiver?
This was done on a 5th Wheel. I put the receiver behind the wall in the "pass through" storage area. This is the area that can be accessed from either side of the RV.
And the Lord said, " Let there be LIGHT".
Wife and I did this exact same modification. Also installed 8 rock lights in the undercarriage at the same time, plus additional marker lights (that double as turn signals) since dragging the wire was a big PITA - only wanted to do that once!
I'm not familiar with the term "rock lights"? What are they?
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ABPGAUC
Video review is mine to see what they look like on a trailer vs a jeep
Very impressive!! Now I have a new project to plan. :)
LOL, that's how it always goes with these things, finish one, move on to another :) good video and nice rig
Can you provide a link to the marker lights used? It looks you would have purchased a 10-pack
Great video and well explained. I am thinking of putting this on a utility trailer; however, can I connect the controller to a jackery?
How are these leds holding up for you? Thanks for doing this video. Definitely one of the more detailed. Videos.
Like they are still brand new! Your timing is amazing...I just helped a friend install this exact setup on his RV yesterday. We installed the rear and side lights. Here is my video on adding the additional 2 side lights. ruclips.net/video/lVYhRPEQiTY/видео.html
Thanks for the video I was trying figure out what i was going to do. I have same issue i get off at work and even if I go someplace local it is pitch black dark.
Good video man! I’m really thinking of doing this to mine once I get one!
Great video could you Please tell how you ran the wire to the front of the rv , mine is a fifth wheel and where to hook iit in to my seven pin wire harness , so when I put my truck in reverse the lights will come on ?? Thanks
You will have to run a wire to the 7-pin to do that. as you can see in the video, I did not do that, as I wanted to have control with a remote. This allows me to use the light even when I am not connected to the truck. I ran the my wire into the front of the 5th wheel bay, from the passthrough storage. However, I think if I were to do it again, I would come up via the propane tank area and then into the front bay.
Thanks for the video been looking to do this as we have had some tight spots to back in at night and the flashlight isnt cutting it. 2 questions: If you dont mind me asking how much did the entire setup cost? Also I was wondering if there was a way to do this and where I could run plug off the aux switch in my super duty to the rear of the truck then, run something off where i connect it to the battery to plug it in?
I looked on site but don't see the light kit that has remotes. Do you remember what kit it is?
Just under my picture, is the start of the wording to my post. Look for "SHOW MORE"....that will expand the view and all the links to products will be shown. Let me know if you have other questions.
Items Need for this RV Upgrade:
• 2 "Nilight" 6" Flood Light - amzn.to/2ACekq5
• 12 GA Gauge Wire - amzn.to/2zSm2PA
• Wireless 12V Control Kit (15 Amps) - amzn.to/2hp0sHi
• Inline Fuse Kit - amzn.to/2hpge52
• Pro-Lift Creeper Seat - amzn.to/2ywN2A4
You don't need the 12V remote kit. The 7 pin RV plug center pin is the REVERSE lights wire, it's "hot" when you put your truck in reverse. This wire should be yellow. Find this wire in the elec box in your RV's hitch. Run a wire from there to the rear. Put a fuse in series and connect it to the lights red wires. Run a ground wire from the frame of the RV to the black wires on the lights. Now when you put the truck in reverse the RV's reverse lights come on! Your wiring is less complicated, and you save money. Now if you want the lights for security then use your remote kit. For me, I just turn the camper's exterior lights on.
I guess that would work, but I love being able to turn the lights on from my truck...from inside my RV...from campfire when walking back. Having a hard wired switch just isn't what I wanted to achieve this this setup.
Interestingly, just for what it's worth, here in NZ it is illegal to have reverse lights that don't go 'only' through your gear stick being placed in reverse. I guess you can have them wired with a remote 'as well', so that you can turn the 'off' when you putt the stick in reverse (whatever use that would be) but you can't have them turn on and off purely on the remote, you have to have them run through your reverse selection on your cog sack, otherwise your vehicle isn't legal for NZ roads. Just saying. Nice video though, and I'm glad it all works for you.
to tell the truth he didn't know how to wire it up with the backup lights. Read down through all the comments another person mentioned the same thing and the response from the Tanners was how do you do it?
@@johndeerefarmer4483 Lets be clear. These are not "reverse lights"...these are "backup lights" I did not want them triggered by putting the truck in reverse. I want them to come on/off when I want them to. If I had wanted them to be simple reverse lights, I would have wired them that way (off 7 pin round)...but why do that and limit the usage? BTW..these are also now tied into the 2 side lights, again adding to the fact they are not "reverse lights"
I have done something similar on my cargo trailer but I used the tow vehicle backup light (pin 7) to trigger the coil of a relay, and powered the lights through the relay contacts from the constant power lug (pin 4) on the 7 way. That way I'm not putting any additional current strain on to the tow vehicle backup light wiring.
Awesome video, going to do this to my 5th wheel soon. We always pull in to sites at night and this will make night much easier. I just have a question. How 🤔 is the wireless box holding up on you? Has it gone bad or still good for you? Thanks for the video
Danny.....both remotes are working great. I had to replace both of the factory batteries about 1-2 weeks after the install, but since then they are both working with no issue. I keep one remote in truck for when we arrive and one in RV.
@@tannerjim okay that's good to know. Thanks for getting back to me 👍 keep on making great videos 📹
If those are amazon lights the are very under rated. 18watt lights draw .46 amps, abt 7watts.
Great video
Thanks for the info !
I'm really wondering where you mounted the remote control box I know this video is a couple years old. There's nothing in the directions for the box to tell me whether it's weatherproof. I bought the same box you bought. As well as the lights. If you happen to see this thank you in advance.
I have mine the pass through storage in our 5th wheel. I don't think the controller box is weatherproof.
I'm thinking about mounting it somehow under the propane tank cover. Maybe making a bracket that can go on the threaded rod that holds the tanks in place. Still brain storming though I'm not sure I want electricity in between my propane.
@@robertblalock4074 Something like this, mounted to your frame should work. amzn.to/2XnqlNf
That's not a bad idea I'm going to have to look into that. Thank you.
Dumb question, where does the white or black wire from your lights hook to? Does it just go to ground? It’s clear that on the remote controller the white and red wires interrupt the power 12 V wire going to the lights, but I’m just not sure where the other wire from the lights goes to.
The lights have 2 wire that connect to the output of the controller....red from light to white from controller and black to black on each
@@tannerjim thank you, and I assume you are not using a relay, correct?
@@brandanlaura4110 Correct...just the controller (with 2x remotes) I show in the video.
Where did you mount the receiver at am installing this in my travel trailer is it water/weather proof?
Billy...I put it in our storage pass through, which is behind the compartment where i store our batteries. I brought a 12v line to this area and put in a jumper, so I can add additional 12v devices to this feed to battery bank. Works great....can turn light on/off from cab of truck and inside RV. That is the nice thing about the remotes I linked, as it comes with 2 remotes. BTW...the battery that comes with the remote kit is garbage...toss both of them ASAP and replace. The remote kit is great , but they are saving $$ on the included batteries for sure. :(
RV With The Tanners thank you for the replay. Do you know if it is weather proof.
@@billynorstrom1598 Sorry, I don't see any information on that. They advertise it for use on motorcycles....so maybe? Again...I don't really know.
Does the u-bolts secure your lights or are the drilled into the bumper?
U-bolts only. Have been about 10,000 miles on the RV with them in place. I did use some locktit to ensure the nuts stay in place.
Thank you for your videos. I really like this setup. Defiantly going to copy this. With that being said how are the lights secured to the u-bolts?
@@ATC250RNUT If you look at the lights (amzn.to/2O1K2FN) you will see they have a bracket at the bottom. I slipped the u-bolt through that bracket and tighen it down. ROCK SOLID!
OK yeah I see that. Awesome. Thanks for responding
What about the blue wire for the antenna? Did you also install an antenna or is the blue wire just hanging there separated from the others? thanks...
The blue wire is the anntena. No addional wiring needed. 👍
Where did you get the control box for remote.....
Keith...I purchased the wireless controller (which supports up to 15 amps) from Amazon - amzn.to/2hp0sHi
All the products used to create this setup, are listed in the description above. You might have to click "show more" to see the entire description. Let me know if you have any other questions. Jim
Thank You and yes that helps a Ton....
Keith Vanhout
tractor supply company has them. can't remember price
Where can I buy It?
How much?
All the links are in the video description. There are 3 lines of text....then you'll see " *SHOW MORE* "...click that and it will expand, showing you all the links to products used in this video.
Thanks
Do the lights come with the 15 amp fuse already installed?
No, they don't. If you click "show more" under the 3 sentence description, you will see all the links to the products I used. Hope this helps.
@@tannerjimok, I guess we never need to open the wireless controller box? All those wires come sticking out and ready for splicing? Where is a good place or the best places to mount the wireless controller box? I wish you showed us where you mounted your wireless controller box. Is that buss bar with the red fused wire where you get your power then connect to the wireless controller box's red power in? I want my reverse lights to come on automatically whenever I'm in reverse, so I'm gonna get power from the yellow center pin wire then wire to the controller box's red power input. Do you think the reverse lights will still come on automatically or will I have to use the remote to turn them on whenever I back up ?