2020 Battery LED bed lights

I am aware of the OEM bed lights for 2020 that wire in to the tail light, but find it kind of annoying that they activate by opening the cab and turning on the bed light switch. I am also hoping to not have to go through the struggle of running a new wire to the battery to run my topper interior light (which is currently activated only when turning on the headlights. Anyone aware of a battery powered LED light that fits the slot in the side of the bed for the bed light? I just want to be able to open the topper and push a button to turn a light on, but not have some janky stick on light. Thanks.

 

I added a BD interior light in the back with one +/- wire up to the interior fuse panel. It has it's own switch.

 

With the OEM, a quick touch on the key fob turns the light on for 30 secs, I don’t really find it to be a problem, if I know I’m going back there and will need a light for more than the 30 secs, I will turn on the cargo light switch, however, it’s infrequent as I usually just need to grab something quick. The bigger problem is the placement of the lights, which are often blocked by gear.

 

This might help. I recently finished a truck cap project and added cap and bed lights. I ran a fresh +12v wire for the lights, but added a defeat switch at the dash. Both the tailgate and truck cap rear window have single wire pin switches and are wired such that it does not matter which is opened, the tailgate or the window, the lights turn on.

 

Super slick!

 

Buy the factory lights, they're a perfect fit, plenty bright and they come with a pigtail that you can just wire however you want, it doesn't have to go to the blank behind the tail lights.

Bright enough to cast light on the trees, that's more than enough when it's dark to need light.

If you want to really do it right, and assuming it's a switched power and constant ground as most automotive LEDs are, use the oem lights and pigtail but put a diode in the factory wiring and splice in your own switched signal after the diode. You'll have the best of both! Solder and heat shrink with glue are the way to go. Parts-express.com and Mouser.com are handy sites, if I may recommend for various uses.

I don't know off-hand if it's switched power or ground, so be sure to figure that out first. What you don't want to do is backfeed power and light the whole truck up and/or blow a module or something oddball and expensive. If it's switched power, this diagram should make sense of it.

Disclaimer: I'm no EE, I welcome one to straighten me out.

 

Would this be a plug and play for the 2018 model Taco as well??

 

The 2016-2019 have differently shaped lights and a harness that runs up the bed to near or in the cab but the logic is the same. You could get the lights, some black & red zip wire and nice loom from parts-express on the cheap, do your wiring in the cab and run it to the lights.

 

Thanks, bright too..