Light bar switching poll

When I bought my truck the light bar switch was wired directly to the battery. I disconnected that pretty quickly and I'm finally getting around to hooking it up properly. But what is the proper way and why? Light bar is mounted in the bumper if that makes a difference.

Edit, I should clarify - I'm wiring in a separate switch, just trying to decide where to get power from for the relay. Like for example how the fog lights have their own switch but will only turn on with the low beams also on.

 

Light bars are illegal on streets and only intended for off road use.

separate switch and use off road (or when nobody is around)

edit: varies by state. Some states will give you a ticket for even having a visible light bar even if it’s off from what I’ve heard from friends. Could effect Inspections as well.
I do not live in those states.

 

I had mine wired to a relay controlled by the high beam circuit.

 

First - and as has already been said - running LED light bars on public roads is illegal in some places. That said, most members of the law enforcement community will allow you to run one - if you're not a jerk about how and when you use it. (Using it all the time qualifies one for jerk status.) This says you want it to be switchable.

As for when to run it with the switch, you don't want to run it with your low beams and / or fog lights because most LED bars are designed for distance as opposed to up close / foreground lighting. You never want to have foreground light (fogs / low beams) at the same time you have distance lighting because your pupils will adjust to the foreground light and you'll lose distance vision - which kind of defeats the purpose of the LED bar. To clarify, you only want to run an LED bar with your high beams.

So how do you run an LED bar with only your high beams and make it as easy as possible to use legally? Run it from a relay triggered by your high beams circuit with an in-line switch that allows you to enable / disable the function depending on where you are. That's what I run in my truck. With the switch in the enable position, when I turn on my high beams, I get them as well as my Diode Dynamics 30" Stage Series LED bar. In the disable position, I just get my high beams.

 

Wireless remote for all off road lights, I can control lights when outside the truck in camp.

 

Is that a setup you bought or built yourself? Mind doing a writeup or posting some links?

 

Mine have a switch that must be on, and then the high beams must also be on.
The high beams send power to the switch, which then triggers the relay
if the switch isn't on, the relay never gets triggered. if the highs aren't on, the switch never gets power

I do this so 1) I can on/off my lights with my high beam stalk. I do a frequent drive down a very hilly 2-lane highway in the middle of nowhere for about 2 hours. Littered with deer. I have ditch lights that I use on this road so I can see deer. When a car is oncoming, I can just turn off my high beams and it cuts the ditch lights off too.
I do this so 2) I can use my high beams without those lights.

 

If I have a need for the amount of light put off by a light bar, I already have my high beams on. So both my grill spots and light bar are triggered by my high beams. Also have separate switches to turn each set of lights off.

 

Highbeams or independently

 

I run all of my driving lights with the switch/ relay powered by the high beam circuit.

ive added a foot switch to my Squadron Pros as well, just so I can dip them first and fast if I ever meet another driver on the back roads.

 

Have a diagram??

 

I do not. But pretty easy. Install to the basic directions with a relay that pretty much any wiring harness has.
On the relay there is the wire that sends the + signal to the relay telling it to turn on the lights. This wire gets cut, and hooked up to the high beam lights. I added a add-a-circuit in the fuse box then attached that wire to the wire going into the relay.

 

If you really feel like you need one, I could geek out and draw one up if I find sometime. But as hawk said pretty easy really.

I drive the Alaska/alcan highway all the time winter and summer. I am thinking of putting a second bar up on my rack. I like to control them with the high beams but still be able to turn them on only when needed. I generally use them more for highway and not nears cities or towns. Between AK, YT, BC, AB and lower 48. Too many rules to keep track. I have to be able to turn them off and still us my high beams.

 

I used this LED remote unit, it's 4 channel. I have fog, driving, ditch and a 42" roof mounted bar. Each is on a separate channel. This remote unit has 2 channels that can handle 20 amps and 2 that are near 5 amps. I used a separate harness with relay for each channel to keeps the current as low as possible. I used liquid tape on the remote wire connections, remote is under the hood near the battery. This has been trouble free for 2.5 years now. One draw back is there is a very tiny current drain from the remote, battery may be flat after 30-40 days of not starting.

AmeriLite UNIVERSAL 4 CHANNEL 12V REMOTE CONTROL MODULE 20A PER CHANNEL

https://www.amazon.com/AmeriLite-Universal-Channel-Remote-Control/dp/B07X2NFYWG

I used these harness kits, eliminate the switch, wire to the remote unit instead. 14ga with good relays.

$17 Nilight - 10036W 14AWG 11.5 Feet DT Connector Wiring Harness Kit LED Light Bar 12V On Off Switch Power Relay Blade Fuse for Off Road Lights LED Work Light-2 Leads

https://www.amazon.com/Nilight-1003...ht+harness&qid=1620492621&s=automotive&sr=1-5