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Anyone have a tow hitch light?

Discussion in 'Lighting' started by beavis87, Dec 11, 2015.

  1. Dec 11, 2015 at 5:26 PM
    #1
    beavis87

    beavis87 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    One day I saw this truck (think it was a Chevy) with this towing hitch light. Thought oh that's neat, but its kind of pointless since the output seemed too low. Forgot about it but then I saw this same truck on the side of the road (its halogen taillights were brighter) and I wondered what if you could replace the bulb in it with a LED to make it brighter? So I searched for it and found the hitch light: Bully CR-007A Tail and Brake Light
    Found the brighest LED bulb I could find: JDM ASTAR Super Bright 5730 Chipsets 1157 LED Bulbs
    Then I realized I needed a 4 wire adapter for the trailer harness, so I bought this:
    Hopkins 47345 4 Wire Flat Adapter
    Then realized I should protect this in case of theft so I got this:
    Trimax T-3BLACK Premium 5/8" Key Receiver Lock

    Wasn't that expensive and I could use the 4 wire adapter and hitch lock for other things. I didn't like that the hitch was plastic. Other than that, great buy to add visibility to your truck, especially in that dense fog you people on the coasts get. I'm thinking whether I should put reflective tape on the inside, but I feel that might just melt. Maybe silver spray paint would be better.

    Halogen it came with
    LED!
    Gonna tape the wires
     
    DirtJumper14 likes this.
  2. Dec 11, 2015 at 7:25 PM
    #2
    Sicyota04

    Sicyota04 Slowly but surely.

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    I saw this the other day. A little pricey but you'll have plenty of light!

    image.jpg
     
  3. Dec 11, 2015 at 7:28 PM
    #3
    jmaack

    jmaack Well-Known Member

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    Ome, Sqeak free dakars, arms, skids, sliders.
    4th 5th brake light ffw.
     
  4. Dec 11, 2015 at 7:57 PM
    #4
    beavis87

    beavis87 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Yeah I saw that and my lil mod is more a poor mans fourth brake light. Only thing I didn't skimp on was the LED. Those hitch lights look like they should be attached to a switch or the reverse wires as either rock lights/party lights or if you need to reverse for a real long time. Mine was strictly from a visibility perspective. Also, I can't imagine those lights on while driving, it looks like it would blind people.
     
    Sicyota04[QUOTED] likes this.
  5. Dec 18, 2015 at 8:22 PM
    #5
    beavis87

    beavis87 [OP] Well-Known Member

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  6. Dec 18, 2015 at 9:58 PM
    #6
    Z50king

    Z50king DCLBOR4X4FTW

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    Stock and loving it
    Does it only run as a brake light? Does it run as a running light, as well?
     
  7. Dec 18, 2015 at 10:08 PM
    #7
    beavis87

    beavis87 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Its a running light, as well as a brake light. It comes out of the trailer harness so it has all the functions as if a trailer was attached to it except turn signals/hazards.
     
  8. Sep 7, 2019 at 9:40 PM
    #8
    skierd

    skierd Well-Known Member

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    Did a search and found this old thread. I’ve got the same light, but instead of an LED I swapped in a 2357 bulb in place of the stock 1157. It’s higher wattage and significantly brighter. Not sure how it compares to LEDs but I wanted this setup for winter driving so for me the heat from an incandescent is useful to keep the light clear of snow. My wife had followed me home and said the extra light makes me a lot more visible when snow is blowing around.

    I also just added a curt trailer T harness so I could wire the hitch light independent of the bumper plugs for a cleaner install.

    CURT 55384 Replacement Vehicle-Side Custom USCAR 4-Pin Trailer Wiring Harness https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009FJ38Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_TziDDb21BDMHM

    EE323AB5-1357-48E8-A322-4B149710F3D7.jpg 6DF7E597-6786-41A3-BF07-DBA205231539.jpg
     
  9. Sep 7, 2019 at 10:14 PM
    #9
    Tullie D

    Tullie D Well-Known Member

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    I've had one of those in the past, with an 1157 bulb in it. It was OK.

    This is what I'm using now... :)

    https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/auxiliary-tail-turn-stop-lights.604250/
     
    skierd[QUOTED] likes this.
  10. Sep 9, 2019 at 2:44 AM
    #10
    Tullie D

    Tullie D Well-Known Member

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