Underbody lights

[rdickinson]

Someone recently asked about lights for this application.  Here are some of my trailer.

 

 

 

Still working with photo uploads.

Visibility of area is better when looking out from the cab.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DuffMan]

Leaving them on all night - I wonder if they would discourage critters (mice, etc) from snooping around and climbing into the underbelly?   

[Av8r3400]

It may help with the critters, but it will definitely honk off the neighbors. 

[alan0043]

Hi Roger,

I like the look of the light pattern around the trailer. Can the lights be used when you are hooked up to the truck ?

Al

[rdickinson]

They can be activated by putting truck into reverse, or the stock cargo deck switch lower left on dash, or a rocker switch inside a front storage compartment.  So 3 ways.  The front storage bay switch could go anywhere, that location  was  convenient electrically. 

Re running them all night, no problem, the Magnum 2812 keeps up with power loss.  I've done it in a truck stop in the middle of nowhersville on the trek home last month.

I'll see if I can take some better pics.

The front of the trailer is not well lit in the pic but when hooked up to the truck, it is. The light bounces off the underside of the reach 'cus the stock truck body back up  lights kick in as well There are 6 more under the truck and the 2 at the rear shine sideways as well as to the rear.  They are only 18 watts each.  16 lights in total for both truck and trailer. The ones under the truck are the most critical, lighting up the lowest part of the truck underside so when you jackknife up a hill then up and around a corner you don't hang up or catch the truck underbody on a rock.

You can't hang them down too far or they'll get scrapped off so that limits the out angle.  It's just on the border of shining out and lighting up the ground and the frame/body of the truck.

 2 people have commented on them, 1 said the circus has arrived, the other said it looks like Hollywood "showtime".  Frankly, I don't care what they say, the rig gets in damage free in the dead of night.

The plan is to light up the area adjacent to the rig, not the back 40.

I did this really late last night after Computer teacher left so I was fried.

He gave me more homework....We use the program posted by a member and he really likes it....waaaaay better than Photo shop.

So Alan, have you sorted out how to post pics yet??  If not, I'll  work some more on it then post step by  step directions.  It'll work for U  if you have the same programs as I do  I was told.

Lastly, it is a cakewalk backing up and around at night, I put out a bunch of the reflective road cats eye markers in a trail I want the trailer to follow and eventually line up with.  So there is now a line of reference to act as a visual cue.  They are layed out after doing a walkthrough figuring out where the trailer is to go factoring in power pedestals and any other obstructions.

Coming in at night, I want to nail it first time before 20 Know it alls want to 'help'.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Funny this thread is up right now, the last pieces of mine should be delivered today. I plan on putting IP68 LED strip lights under the belly as well as two backup lights mounted to the cross bar on the receiver hitch at the rear of the trailer. The will be operated by dash switches on the truck or rocker switches in the basement.

If I get results as nice as yours, life will be good as backing down my driveway at night is a pain in the dark. Never mind trying to get into somewhere else at night or in the late evening in the rain.

[rdickinson]

The cats eye road markers are a major help.  As you back up and around a corner at first you can't see where the back of the trailer is, other than it's 50 ft behind there in the dark.  I lay out the cats eyes in a curve then the last 4 or 5 in a straight line adjacent/parallel to where I want the trailer to end up..  Then try to follow, as best I can,  the cats eyes which are now lit up and clearly visible......Even in the rain.

No more jockeying the trailer fwd, back, move over, fwd, back again making it worse and the ruts a whole lot deeper.  Not that anyone else has done that.  I don't need to pack a small Bobcat with me now.

I always walk the route first, looking for obstruction....above as well.

As you get around the corner, you can see the line straightening up so are able to adjust and follow as you progress.

[Jack Mayer]

Roger, that is a very nice setup. I try to avoid doing things in the dark, but it is not always possible. And I REALLY like the setup for in a truckstop - which we sometimes choose to use. It is always "iffy" if a driver can see you, assuming you do not find a spot where they cannot get next to you.  That would be the major use for us. I'll be interested to see what Dave's version comes out as. I do have some underbody LEDs that I have not mounted yet, but I'm not sure they will be as functional as what you have shown.

[alan0043]

Hi Roger,

Thank you for thinking about me in posting pictures. Carl was a big help to me with a link for re-sizing the photos. I have the link saved.

Hi Dave,

"Never mind trying to get into somewhere else at night or in the late evening in the rain." I learned a valuable lesson at this years ECR.

Never, Ever !
Park in the Dark

A big Thank You again to you and Roger (Hewhoknowslittle) for the help at this years ECR. Getting the truck out of a bad spot.
Al

[HERO Maker]

Al, as was said at the ECR, most of this stuff has happened to most of us, or most of us learn from others to make sure it doesn't happen to us.

[rdickinson]

18 watt lites is all they are,...just a whole bunch of them.  More than adequate.

[I'mdonewiththis forum]

The trailer I was next to in Texas had those lights. The trailer was set there permanent and for the first month (they weren't there much) the lights were on 24/7. The only "good" thing was it gave me light to take my dog out in the dark. I didn't care for them.

[rdickinson]

I've only left them on overnite once at a truckstop in the middle of nowhere.  Hundreds of truck, deafeningly noisy.  Other than that it's backing in only or hooking up or unhooking in the dark.

Couldn't have got into Chad's estate without them....backing uphill and around a corner to boot.

[runaway parents]

Rodger seen your rig at the wcr last year I liked your light set up .Definitely have them on my wish list. Great idea.

[Hot Rod]

22 minutes ago, Mntom said:

The trailer I was next to in Texas had those lights. The trailer was set there permanent and for the first month (they weren't there much) the lights were on 24/7. The only "good" thing was it gave me light to take my dog out in the dark. I didn't care for them.

I think if I was there a month and those lights were on all the time and the owners were never around to be themselves annoyed by it, the wires would have mysteriously been separated from the lights during one of those night time dog walks..

[Hot Rod]

agree absolutely great for backing in and working around the rig.  just be a good neighbor and don't run them 24/7 in the campground.

[rdickinson]

Thanks for the lecture.

[I'mdonewiththis forum]

9 minutes ago, rdickinson said:

I've only left them on overnite once at a truckstop in the middle of nowhere.  Hundreds of truck, deafeningly noisy.  Other than that it's backing in only or hooking up or unhooking in the dark.

Couldn't have got into Chad's estate without them....backing uphill and around a corner to boot.

I actually had no problem with them. They were low enough that the light didn't shine into my trailer.

I agree too with trying to back in at night or even going forward in tight surroundings. You probably assisted another driver in the truckstop when they backed in beside you in the dark.

[rdickinson]

The round scare lites high up on the sides of the trailer are more of a source of annoyance, if left on, they shine right in the window.  Lots of power pedestals have bright LED lights

I use them to get in, get out and help with hooking and unhooking in the dark.  This is preferable to having everyone and their dog offering to help if the procedure drags out.  Pretty much guaranteed a goof is going to wind up on UTUBEs epic failures.  Not tonite.

The bad thing about leaving them on is they attract a huge amount of bugs.  It looks like a cloud of locusts.

That nite they were put on only so pics could be taken and eventually put on the Forum.

You can never have enough HP, lite, sewer pipe, water hose or 50 amp cord.

 

[alan0043]

Hi Roger,

Can I assume that your lights are LED ? I don't think that you can have enough lights if you need to back in during the night. Do you have a picture of the lights before they where mounted ? Or do you have a link to a web site for the lights ?

Thank you for your help,
Al

[rdickinson]

Yes, LED, 18 watts.  I brought this business of lights up over a couple of years ago thinking bigger is better but several chimed in saying, that was not the case. If the lights were at the top of the truck or trailer, a couple of bigger lites would light up a wider area, depending on whether they were spots or floods.  But I needed light along the side of both truck and trailer especially when backing uphill then jackknifing up and around a corner to get into or onto a level pad.  I needed something to keep the transition from going uphill to around the corner to straight well lit ALL the time.

I always walk the route with my flashlight first checking for obstructions, generally parking the rig a distance away.  These things are not to stealthy and I don't want to leave it idling late at night.

All 48 watt lites will do is heat up the ground.  They are not high or able to aimed high enough to lite up any more to the side of the truck or trailer.  They are tipped up to the max as they are, in fact I think there are shims under the base on a couple of them. You can only tip them up so much without conflicting/lighting with the lower truck body and underside of the trailer.  Then all you get is a reflection from the metal underside of the trailer as mine has a bellypan. With the truck, the edge of the truck underside acts like a shutter like on the HID lites so you lose there as well.  There is no percentage of lighting up directly behind the trailer 'cus I have no backup camera and can't see back there anyway.  They can be swivelled left and right but pretty much all of them are aimed up as high as they go.

I will take some pics of the underside of the truck and trailer installations and post them or e-mail them to you, whatever you want...

I'll also hunt down the lights on EBay and edit this post or make another.

The pics don't really do them justice.  I posted the last one last night 'cus it didn't have the one glaring fixture.  I'll try to get the truck lined up in here to show what it looks like lit up and also what the view is from the cab looking in the mirror.  Not sure yet how that will work.

They fasten to the frame transition from the radiused corner to the horizontal.

Good idea to get a couple of extras.

Some laugh at the lights but they don't laugh in the morning when my rig has no damaged tin, or  fenderwells and theirs does.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/8Pcs-4inch-18W-Flood-CREE-LED-Work-Lights-Bars-Offroad-4WD-Fog-ATV-Driving-Lamps-/172623030539?hash=item283122690b:g:9PcAAOSwTM5Y7uZh&vxp=mtr

Found them.

I want to know where the back corner of the trailer is and also light up the front and rear tire of the triple axle so I don't dump it into a ditch.

Again, these are adequate.

 

[Jack Mayer]

Something like this works well too, if you have the locations for mounting.

They are generally embedded in the body, low down. But there is not always space for them on all rigs.  This is just an example, there are lots of different ones out there. These happen to be from HERE.  You can search on RV Docking LIghts for more. Or Marine Docking LIghts.   Some underbody white LEDs like discussed here would be a good augmentation. But these docking lights - assuming you choose correctly - REALLY light up the ground along the rig.

[Grassy]

Roger,

Long time no talk.   Not sure if I missed this, but can the batteries in your trailer support them or as you mentioned, they come on when you put you rig into reverse... are they run off your truck ?

Different question, has anyone figured out how to install leds to the bottom of your running boards without using screws ?

Thanks, Ian.

[rdickinson]

Lites are 18 watts each times 8 = 144 watts and hr.  I had the trailer plugged in that one night and the Magnum 2812 kept up with the power drain.

Lites come on with the truck reverse switch.  If not in reverse, the dash cargo switch will lite them up and if not plugged in to shorepower or truck, then a rocker switch inside a compartment.

Re installation of LED's under, clean off area and wipe with alcohol.  Most of the lites, I've seem stick pretty well.  If there is an issue with lites not sticking a 1/2" wide tape from my graphics guy will help.  It's really sticky on the one side leaving the other side to allow the litestrip adhesive to bond better.  I can find out the name of it.   I have some here but there is nothing on it to identify anything about it.

Another product, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JHKTDMA/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_3?pf_rd_p=1944687762&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B007OXK1AK&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1J0WQ107SN3F1DJT9WTH

Posted by another member last year or so.

www.Boogeylights.com  He is out of Lake Worth Fla.  he can provide you with whatever you want and knows his stuff.  He will be at the Daytona Motorcycle event March or so next year for 2 weeks.  He can set you up.

Roger

 

[ALLOY]

 

Rock Lights..............

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/8pc-LED-Rock-Lights-Under-Body-LED-Lighting-RGB-RF-Remote-Control-/162456791742?hash=item25d32deabe:g:9RIAAOSw03lY4pIM&vxp=mtr

https://www.auxbeam.com/more-lights/rock-lights/70021943

http://www.rigidindustries.com/led-lighting/40020

Magnetic too