Wire in Back up lights?

Been looking to add some LED back up lights like I used on my ATV.
Is there a wire in the Trailer tow package to get to or just plug in?
My old truck had a back up light power going to the trailer plug, I was able to add back up lights to my trailer and some around the hitch.

Or will I need to pull the rear light and find it there.

The LED lights I'm using don't take much to run them and I feel sure it will not be a problem.
Just wonder the best place to find the wire or hook it up. May add a few inside the bed, hooked to tail lights, they are just 3 leds and in the tape strip about 1/2" wide, 1/8" tall and 3-4" long.

Hard to tell from the pic, but this is what they look like on my ATV.
White on the bottom of the bucket rack and green on the bar.
I can run them a few hrs if needed and it does nothing to the atv battery.
I already tried one white in the bed hooked to an ATV battery and it is enough, but would use two, one each side.

 

You could use a wiring harness from a fog light kit to wire them and be able to turn them on and off that way. Just an idea.

 

Mmmm, meat!

I don't think the stock trailer plugs on Tacomas have a reverse light, the standard 7-pin does not include that. It does have a fog light wire and plate light, but nothing that would turn on for reverse.

I don't have my manual here at work, but the standard Haynes manual has diagrams and would tell you which color wire is for the reverse lights.

 

My old truck had them on the same plug, I just have not been around my big trailer to plug it up and see if it works....

 

Yeah, not sure why a trailer would need fog lights, so maybe they wired reverse into that pin. That would probably be a better use for it anyway.

 

I did just what you are talking about.
I have a 2008, with factory tow package with round 7-pin connector.
I found the correct wire (I think grey), and connected in an LED added backup light.
Works fine.
Good luck.

 

The other thinb that was cool on my Dodge it had a hot wire, it was big and had a breaker for it.
Was used to charge and get power to the Brake battery on the trailer or run spot lights on the trailer.
I also at that time riged a spot light to a trailer plug and could plug it up and use for loading, or anything. Also had a small inverter wired to it, just plug up and run it.
Need to see if we have a hot wire like it did.
That would be good for load lights on the ATV trailer.

 

Do you know if it has a hot that is on all the time?

 

As I recall, there is a hot lead intended for trailer battery charging. I recall there is one wire larger than the others - probably it.
Do a search for trailer harness wiring diagram to check.

 

OK, found this, it has the diagram I had on the old truck.
They are the same plugs as I towed the trailer with both and all have the same pins.

Now to see if the Battery (red) and center (purple) are hooked up.

Also I'm not talking about a big battery for a winch or high power, but I know people use it that way. You just want to unplug it as if the battery gets lower it can try to draw from the truck and blow the fuse.

What I'm talking about is the 12v, ATV looking battery(little smaller) that is used for the brake away box. That was how I had the big trailer, could run small lights off it and they worked with out the truck hooked up, but hooked up they could run and charge from the truck battery.....

http://www.hopkinstowingsolutions.com/doc/trailer_wiring_codes.pdf

 

If you have the 7pin rv plug at the back of your truck there is a reverse wire tab hooked up, and there is also a hot 12v tab thats hot when the key is on.

Hope this helps, grab a test light and you should have no problems.

 

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Cool, I was going to run the test light but we have been getting killed with rain... 3" yesterday some the days before and 3-5" today. I can not see the truck in the drive now it is raining so hard......

 

Have a look at the cover for your 7 pin socket strangely enough it says "back up lamp" it will be the center pin and should be connected to a yellow wire.

 

correct but I have had other trucks with the same plug, some they use all, others they do not.

Friend tried one of the plug in back up lights and it did not work on his with the tow package.
And the dealer said they did not wire for that.
Just never got around to checking with a volt meter, and it has been raining a bunch.

So it sounded like some makers use them and others not...

I will find out soon as I plan to play with it this weekend.

 

There is a wire in the stock towing harness that becomes hot for backup lights when tranny is put into reverse. That's how I wired my blitzpro 6lz LED lights in as back up lights

 

Well I can tell you for sure a 2011 does and I guessing all the factory setups do.

 

The center pin will get power only if you turn the headlights on. I had an issue with my boat trailer, with surge brakes. Normally in most vehicles when you engage reverse there is power through the reverse lights pin which engages the brake lockout solenoid. Not so on my Tacoma. It only works with the headlights on. Strange, but true.

 

Ok, as for the center pin, it is your reverse power, it will only be activated when transmission is placed into reverse gear, it is normally used for either back up lites on a trailer, or also to dis-engage surge brakes on trailers while backing up. All tacomas with factory tow package will have this on the center pin. Anyone who's plug isn't working this way needs to check the wiring. This is standard wiring on all trucks.

Google 7way rv plug and it will give you the pin designation for the plug, and tell you which function is on each pin.

 

Subd