The Perfect Compact LED Lights For My Roof Rack
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 17 окт 2024
- In this episode we take a close up look of KC HiLites new Compact C2 LED Scene light with backup harness. I'll give you all the specs on these amazing lights and then we take them out on the trail and see how well they perform mounted onto of my Jeep Wrangler.
KC HiLites: bit.ly/KCHiLites
🌐 TRAILRECON.COM 🌐
trailrecon.com
Check out our website if you’re looking for off-road or overland gear and equipment for your next rig and your next off-the-grid adventure. We have everything you need, including recovery gear, tents, cooking and kitchen gear, sleeping bags, TrailRecon clothes and stickers, and a lot more.
If you’re interested in reading in-depth articles about the places we go, products we use, and our personal insights about overlanding, you’ll want to check out our blog.
trailrecon.com...
********************
📲 SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS 📲
Facebook: trailrecon
Instagram: trailrecon
Video Transcript:
So one of the things I have been wanting to do every since I installed my new roof rack, was add some small lights on top to help with lighting up right around the jeep when backing up at night on the trail and to act as a nice illumination light when we are out camping.
My friends over at KC just came out with this new 2” scene light and they sent me over a couple for the install…. Small and compact… These are perfect!
In the box you get 2 10 watt C2 LED lights.
These measure…… 2.85w x 1.91h x 2.17d
These have an aluminum hosing with a black powder coating
IP69K rated with a military grade breather membrane to prevent condensation and dust
Oversized heat sink on the back to keep them cool
Shatter proof lexan lens
There are 2 LEDs in side each light with a very purpose made lends to help with the light pattern
The LED color is a 6000k putting out 2,200 lumens
1.6 amps
They offer 120 degree illumination which is really going to be the perfect beam pattern for lighting things up right around the Jeep.
Now I know I will get a few questions about how I ran the wires, and for now, I just combined the four side lights together and then ran the side and rear lights through my rear window seal and then all the way forward through my firewall to my spod. Depending on your vehicle and where you are mounting your lights, it’s going to vary. I’ll be tightening things up later and drilling out the roof and adding a marine grade 12 volt connection after I make some final adjustments to the light mounts.
Using the drone really shows just how well these lights illuminate the ground right around the Jeep. I have the rear lights angled up just a little more than the side lights just to give me a little extra light straight back and I think it works just perfect.
Having that drone and using it for overhead shots was immensely helpful to me. Thanks and keep up the great video's.
I remember the old KC Daylighters from the '70s!!!!!
How anyone could dislike this video is beyond me! Sweet lights, exactly what I’m looking for the the roof of my 4Runner
KC is stepping up their game. I'm still happy with my Vision X lights but if I were in the market now I would definitely consider KC products.
First to make a comment AND a statement.
Lul:)
I love your LED light videos! Those KC lights are beautiful.
Right on, glad you enjoy them. Thank you!
Great vid & love the lights. One potential correction that I'm surprised nobody else has noticed-these are 20w each, not 10w(per KC's website). I suppose KC might have upgraded them since this vid came out, however the cat # is the same. I would think an upgrade would have a different cat #.
I just noticed that too
Those lights sure would come in handy while camping. Nice video.
I can't wait to test them out on our next overnight adventure. Thanks!
I have two of these with the deegan 38 brand on them, they should be the same lights as these. A little cheaper, only thing I can see differently is the zip ties, I had to use mine own. Thanks again for sharing and I hope you have a blessed week sir.
Dale
Great video, do they offer yellow or red to reduce the bugs? As for the wiring drill baby drill, but seal with good stuff.
Great vid even though the channel lock crimping did make me cringe a bit!!🤣
AGREED
How do these cope while camping? Isn't the light too white and bright? Is there an option to mount some dimmer?
Thank you Brad as always.
You are welcome! Happy New Year!
Very helpful video thank you. How do you compare the CK with the SSC2. I’m looking for the brightest compact light on that segment
Wow! That looks killer! Rig is looking good. Really love your wheels. Another great one keep em coming! ✌😊
Thank you and Happy New Year!
Wow, Navy Man? my Dad is retired Navy and I work with a bunch of Navy Nukes. Tell him THANK YOU from TFTDC.
whats the best way to run lights without killing the battery because i go hunting and i would like to use them at camp. I also want to get into offroading
This might be a little too old, too late, but I JUST found you, so its new to me :) Great build and great vids! Very detailed. I'm installing the SPOD, which is well worth it. My specific questions is, how did you 'reduce' all the wiring into the SPOD. If you ran 6 of these rock lights, you ended it up with at least 12 wires at the firewall. 6 RED+ and 6 BLACK -, right?? Can you expand a little on that. I only want to use 1 switch at the SPOD....
Can you do a complete light setup tour of all the lights on this rig?
That's a great suggestion. I've got a few more light things I want to do first though.
Another clean install brother. Looks great and makes me wish I had friends at KC. Happy New Year! Looking forward to your videos in 2018.
Thank you and Happy New Year! Lot's of exciting videos planned for 2018
That was cool 😎 how the jeep lights up
Hey Brad! Did you ever dial in the wiring and install a waterproof connector? I am installing a lighting setup very similar to yours and have everything but the wiring into the hardtop figured out. Thanks Brad!
Where did you get the brackets for your lights again? Thanks.
I would like to know too
Excellent Demo!
Thank you!
To pass wires through your top have you looked into Seaview Cable Glands or just a generic cable grommet. They are rated ip68.
Just an idea.
Hello would you go with these KC HiLites or the Baja Design Pro's you reviewed before .. i dont care about price i just want to compare product for Quality . They will be mounted on my Gobi Rack
Oh man! Just realize He was briefly one of junior sailor oversea!
With the rear lights, do you get any illumination through the rear window if you have it open? Just wondering if they could double as cooking lights with the rear swing and hatch opened
Ive been watching your videos for a couple days now and I’m starting to like your videos and channel so you got a new subscriber and love the Jeep I just bought me a 21.5 inch lightbar and can’t wait to get it mounted on my 1995 Ford F-150 xlt long bed single cab
Love the channel and vids, but I think everyone is still waiting on the video where do the marine grade drill through the toof.....
Did you ever re-route the wiring and drill into the roof? If so, what did you use?
This was the exact question and response that I was looking to see if there was an update on
Looks great!
I think I see Rock lights under the sides too? Kind of deceiving to have them on to show how bright the side lights are.
Just what i need...thanks!
I recently bought a 2014 jk 2 door. I'm wondering if they make racks for 2 doors. Love the channel very informative, you sir just gain a subscriber.
As soon as you posted these I ran over to KC's site to find the mounting brackets. Could you send me a link or ask KC if they will be selling these bracket individually? Thanks Congrats on the awesome growth of your channel. Happy for you
Are the real lights connected to your reverse / backing up light? if so, how did you connect it?
Did you drill into the rack to mount the lights? What did you bolt to?
From the looks of those bolts and brackets how are you going to get your tent up on top and extend it without either wrecking the tent or removing the lights?
They actually sit below the roof line, however, I've already modified the mounting of the lights. I decided to mount the lights directly to the roof rack platform eliminating the supplied black bracket and exposed bolt.... a much cleaner look.
Did you ever drill out the roof for the wiring connector?
I know you have been busy with everything else but has there been any changes to how you wired them?
Hey Brad, did you ever get around to cleaning up the wiring on these lights?
Very nice , what would they be like for tractor field work ?
4:16 - Time for some high quality wire crimp tools.
Just wanted to share how I ran my external lights from the Rhino roof rack. I used a hollow bolt normally used on motorcycle turn signals. Threaded the light wires through that bolt and screwed the bolt through the rear rhino bracket hole previously occupied by the long allen screw. This made for a much cleaner wire run and I can remove this bolt if I decided to delete the lights in the future and reinstall the original allen bolt. There are no additional mods to my to or to the rhino rack itself.
Thank you for sharing, that is a great idea! Do you have specs on the bolt you used?
Below is the link to the company and bolt itself for you to copy and paste into your browser. I found that the 35 mm bolt worked best:
chromeglow.com/products/turn-signals/clamps-and-hardware/metric-hollow-motorcycle-turn-signal-bolts/
Great idea. Were you able to get both wires through one bolt?
Another great video. What happened to the Cooper STT Pro's? What tires are you running now and why did you switch?
45K miles on the Coopers so was time to replace them. Will be doing a tire update video in a few weeks.
Hey Brad. Great video appreciate all the info. Which Spod do you use? There are a few different ones and why?
What is model # of the small LED lights for roof rack - thank you
Looking forward to how you drill out the hard top and run power. I've been debating various setups for a while now; adding a solar panel to our JK and want a pass-through power connection. Might do bulkhead power connectors + Dicor self-leveling lap sealant. I'm skeptical of wire through a grommet + silicone.
I'm still researching and debating my options. This is one of those things I want to get right the first time.
Brad, my last JKU I ran my roof lights wiring through my rear drivers taillights. I simply drilled a hole on top of the taillight.
I love KC lights and have some of their old school spot lights on my TJ. Love to add some LED's but they are pricey!
Buying a set of their LED lights means I'll be eating Romen Noodles for a month! lol
I would power those with three on-off switches, one for the rear and one for each side.
That way if you set up camp on one side, you can leave the opposite side off if not needed.
Of course that means more switches on the inside... lol
I lived off ramen noodles for a couple years when I was a young bachelor... it can be done! LO!
I would argu those KC lights outperformed the Baja designs lights in your rigid vs Baja designs video. Great video!
where did get those black mounts ?
Great video. I have the same lights on the same roof rack. How did you finally run the wires inside the jeep and how do you disconnect them if you remove your hardtop?
Went through the top with a magcode connector. I show that on a Video. Love those KCs and bought them after seeing this Video because I have a pioneer platform too
just subscribed based on this video, dig what your doing. I know you said it was a quick wiring job to show off the lights, and you did say your gonna go back and tighten everything up. ive seen many rigs burn down to the ground over shotty wiring, its like watching someone use wire nuts....bahaha. better crimpers and solder with marine grade (heat activated glue inside) shrink wrap on everything.
Welcome to the channel! You are correct, a good wiring job is important. I have since upgraded a few of my tools for the future.
KC EVERYTHING 🤙🏼 nice!!
that looks pretty sweet!
are you wiring all of the lights into 1 switch?
Great job Brad. Looks great! Any plans of getting a tire carrier in the near future?
Yes, a tire carrier is on my short list. Happy New Year!
Big fan of you're videos! Was wondering did you ever come up with an idea for a locking mechanism for the KC light bar?
There are a couple locking nuts sold on amazon for $25-50, but nothing that can't be removed with a good pair of vice grips. I slapped some rubber end caps over the nuts as a little bit of a deterrent and because I garage my Jeep every night, I elected to not spend the money. Thanks for following the channel!
Awesome setup!!! I’m doing the same thing to my TJ Jeep and was wondering...if it’s okay to run two sets of lights to one switch? I saw the part where you spliced them together
They are very low draw, so should be fine running multiple to one source.
TrailRecon got them lights hooked on and works great!!! Thanks
What kind of mounting brackets you used for the Rhino rack? I am talking about the black ones and the hardware.
@trailrecon
Here is the full review/install Rhino Rack video, hope this helps. ruclips.net/video/SGGxxPg3avM/видео.html
Awesome video as always! I'm curious how you get the wiring for the lights up to the roof rack, is drilling a hole in the hardtop required?
I'm still working on getting a final wiring solution, but I am planning on driving the top of the hard top and adding a marine grade 12v connector.
Did you ever get the roof drilled and add the connector? I’m interested as I plan I’m doing the same thing. Thanks!
Happy New Year . enjoy ur channel
Happy New Year to you as well!!
can i plug led lights straightaway to cigarettes plug? not in battery. thanks
Nice video, would like to see more on the XJ too!
How did you mount these on the Rear?
Looks awesome.
Thank you!
Awesome set up, looks great. What kind of drone do you use ?
Thanks! It's just a GoPro Karma.
What are the mounts for the area light?
Great video - very interested in how you plan to run your wiring - think you mentioned through a marine connector in the hardtop as a long term solution?
Amazing drone video
Those are nice great video!
Thanks!
For real!
Brad is Rad!
and of all things your neighbor has a FJ? Let the smack talk begin!
LOL! Maybe a little!
Love all the lighting ideas. I assume you will be making similar improvements to the Gladiator? I'd be great to see a video on that!
Do I need a dual battery setup to run these at camp?
Not really. They draw 1.6 amps for each pair. You'd have to leave the lights on for a long time to kill the battery.
Are you able to still mount these on the same side as an awning if one is fitted?
If/when I get and awning I'll have to find a way to mount them lower, so for now I'd say no.
Can you link where you are going to get your Marine Grade 12V connection
YES! I was also wondering what type of plug you are going to use
Love your vids... where do you learn how to work on your jeep? Formal training, or manuals and YT?
Are you going to get a dual battery setup now and how does it feel with all the lights and wentch
Dual batter setup on my to-do list... will be getting it before I do a frig install.
After converting literally all the lights on my JK to LEDs (headlights, driving, all large offroad lights, backup lights, etc), I nixed the plan to go to a dual battery setup. The one Optima yellow-top works great, even with the 10K winch running.
TrailRecon I wouldn't worry about a dual battery setup with usin LEDs. I'd upgrade to a larger amp alternator instead and pair it with an Optima Red or yellow top.
This channel is siiiick! But man everything is so expensive!
Thanks! Buying quality sometimes means paying a little more, but you don’t need to spend much to go out and have some awesome adventures!
TrailRecon agreed! Could you do a video on what is required to safely and properly run 37s without doing a large lift.
I’ll be talking about all the upgrades I’ll be doing now that I have 37’s in a few weeks... I hope you’ll find that useful.
Brad, I need to get some new headlight for my Jeep. Do you have an updated discount code for KC lights?
Sorry, no current discounts
@@TrailRecon Question, on the 2" C-Series C2 LED Backup Area Flood Light System if you aim your light up a little, how far out can do you see while driving at night?
Baja Design all day much brighter than KC lights
Thanks for share
Are you considering these for Amelia ?
Yes!
man im really digging these lights makes me wanna swap out my ebay bars
Don't you have a discount code thought i heard it in a different video
Yes, TrailRecon20 will get you 20% off.
That’s awesome Brotha!
Don’t have a Jeep yet but do have a work truck lol! Are you from the San Diego area? I’m a local contractor take care brotha
These would be a great light on a work truck! Yes, we are in SD.
Can we please see the rocket and grenade launcher in action please? I'm curious to see how those two features work. My thinking is they'll come in handy is case of space alien attack.
:)
:)
Nice videos my man. I've subscribed
LOL! I'll see what I can do! Welcome to the channel.
Great video...subbed! I'd never considered these for my jeep but now they are on the lost. ..thanks :)
Can you take the hardtop off??
Once I add some quick disconnects to the wire, then yep, can take it off no problem.
WTF are those things stuck on the left side of the side window@4:36????
Kc boat lights
Must be nice to be sponsored by KC. Just a regular guy here, ill stick with Auxbeam
You scared of the dark bro?? Lmao
Theft issue w single exposed bolt...and it doesnt come w anti theft bolts it seems
Excellent point and I'm going to tighten up the brackets, shorten and secure the bolts a little better.
red lock tight
"Zombie Lights" ... lol
OOOOOOO Ahhhhhhh
Can you let me know fhe roof rack model
Thanks!
Rhino Rack Backbone
oh man this video is 4years late!!!! 😓 but great to know!
it look like a UFO now
You can't miss it all lit up now for sure!
I understand wanting to see, but where are you going where you need that much light? Are you going to the dark side of the moon? Comes a point in time where you are just adding doodads..... but to each his own. I know most people are of the more the better, but I prefer less
Wut Rate did your son get ? Pick your rate choose your fate😂😂😂🇺🇸👊🏻
Corpsman like his old man! I think his fate is in good hands!
TrailRecon heck yea ! 🇺🇸👍🏻