Light Bar

[Jacob Steinberg]

So I'm looking to but a light bar on my bull bar and I was wondering if any of yall have wired one up to your high beams or would know how to. I was thinking about just putting the wire on the +wire and just having the power flow threw it to activate the switch. ANY advice would be appreciated!

 

[shovelbill]

please consider using a proper harness in which the switch triggers a relay that feeds the lights the CORRECT voltage via 10G wire from the battery and 14G to the lights.........you can use the highbeam circuit to trigger the aux lamps so they re instant on/off with the stem switch.

you can also do this for your headlight circuit...LITERALLY makes a night and day difference.....and you won't let the smoke out of the wires either.

 

[Jacob Steinberg]

please consider using a proper harness in which the switch triggers a relay that feeds the lights the CORRECT voltage via 10G wire from the battery and 14G to the lights.........you can use the highbeam circuit to trigger the aux lamps so they re instant on/off with the stem switch.

you can also do this for your headlight circuit...LITERALLY makes a night and day difference.....and you won't let the smoke out of the wires either.

this is the lightbar im looking at getting i was just wondering if i could switch end off it and wire it directly into the high beam or how would you recommend doing it?

 

[df2x4]

this is the lightbar im looking at getting i was just wondering if i could switch end off it and wire it directly into the high beam or how would you recommend doing it?

Definitely don't wire anything directly into your headlight circuit. You can use the high beam circuit as a trigger wire, but you want a relay in there so you're not powering the light bar off of that same circuit. Doing what you described with no relay will absolutely catch things on fire, real quick. All the power to your headlights runs through the switch in the dash, and it's barely adequate for the factory setup.

 

[Jorge6.5]

What those guys said. I used a relay for my 20" led light bar, just used the high beam wire to trigger the relay.

Super easy

 

[shovelbill]

let me find you a video that may help Jacob.......

 

[shovelbill]

this will simplify what we're trying to say:

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to put things VERY simply in regards to our trucks....and most vehicles.
thin gauge wire(16G or less) is run from the "battery" to the headlight switch and then off the the headlights......there's lots of resistance in the various connections and long runs of wire.....in electric speak, resistance equates to heat....our trucks headlight system is already overtaxed with it's 110w of low beams and 130w of high beams. notice how when you switch on the highs the lows turn off? that is to aid in the truck not self immolating.

a lot of us have built or bought stand-alone harnesses to run our headlight system, using much better wire to carry the load. this also makes the lights BRIGHTER, with out column mounted switch/wiring being used as the "trigger" to turn on relays that in turn power the headlights.

any auxiliary lighting system should be on it's own circuit......multiple circuits CAN be used in conjunction with one another. there are various ways to use different switches, relays and such to make them operate the way you want them to.

the "Search Forums" tab in the upper left of this page can help in your quest for answers beyond our few replies..........

or if you have a few weeks/months/years and lots of coffee you could try and read a thread addressing these very issues......there's TONS of good information to be had in there, unfortunately it's mixed in with the "off topic" ravings of it's lunatic author, whom happens to be me.....

many good folks have joined in to provide their experience and knowledge on this very topic you've inquired about.

http://www.gmt400.com/threads/spyder-headlamps-my-take-on-em-and-lighting-in-general.36647/

at 90+ pages at this point i think a TABLE OF CONTENTS is going to be necessary, LMAO

 

[shovelbill]

this is the lightbar im looking at getting i was just wondering if i could switch end off it and wire it directly into the high beam or how would you recommend doing it?

back to your question......Osram is a good name in the industry, but i suspect that "light bar" is not made by Osram. just looking at the price point tells us it is not of high quality to begin with......it may provide light, but these types of bars should not be used on public roads.

you didn't say WHY you want that particular lightbar.....

the fact that you may be able to SEE in front of you doesn't make it less dangerous to the unfortunate people driving TOWARD you either......unless it's for OFF the public roadway operation.

please research the subject and ask more pointed questions regarding what you're actually trying to accomplish.

 

[Jacob Steinberg]

back to your question......Osram is a good name in the industry, but i suspect that "light bar" is not made by Osram. just looking at the price point tells us it is not of high quality to begin with......it may provide light, but these types of bars should not be used on public roads.

you didn't say WHY you want that particular lightbar.....

the fact that you may be able to SEE in front of you doesn't make it less dangerous to the unfortunate people driving TOWARD you either......unless it's for OFF the public roadway operation.

please research the subject and ask more pointed questions regarding what you're actually trying to accomplish.

what im using it for is on and off road at night most of the roads i drive have no street lights so i just to provide more light ill most likely rewire my headlights but that will come later. the light is not made BY osram but it does use osram LEDs

 

[Jacob Steinberg]

Definitely don't wire anything directly into your headlight circuit. You can use the high beam circuit as a trigger wire, but you want a relay in there so you're not powering the light bar off of that same circuit. Doing what you described with no relay will absolutely catch things on fire, real quick. All the power to your headlights runs through the switch in the dash, and it's barely adequate for the factory setup.

yes i was just going to use it top trigger what the black switch would trigger in the link just tie it in to send power threw.