Light Bars Installed, Auxiliary Switched

[.genomer]

Finally got around to installing a couple bars from Rough Country. This configuration is clearly personal preference. I primarily wanted to give others an idea for whatever custom install they may or may not choose to go with, as well as answer any questions for wiring/installation. The setup is as follows:

Aux 1 (ignition) - Daytime Running Light

Aux 2 (battery) - 50" Black Series DRL Bar (forward facing)

Aux 3 (battery) - 20" Black Series Bar (rearward facing)


Review
I have to say that although the DRL is a cool feature, it's rather useless here in California. They're still prohibited, on-road, and I actually like the black series without the DRLs running. Because I programmed the ignition memory to Last State, I generally leave them off. In hindsight, I wish I would have gone with a 40" light instead of the 50". I only say this because a smaller bar would have offered a more-to-size look on the Rambar. Overall, I love the setup and the battery Aux function for camping and instances in which the truck doesn't need to be on.



Night Time/Functionality
The 42k lumens offer amazing illumination. Some cheaper bars take a few moments to warm up before offering full brightness. These don't take any time at all and are located behind the cab. Many light bars that are windshield mounted have the consequencial hood glare problems. Additionally, with the bars mounted on the Rambar in the bed, there is absolutely no whistle or added sound.

Before/Headlights Only


After/Headlights & Aux 2


Before/Rear, Full Blackout


After/Aux 3 Only

 

[oaklandopen]

Looks awesome. Id love to have something like that for driving to work in the morning when it's still dark and i have deer to look out for

 

[Gray Ghost]

Nice work. I like the fact they are illegal for regular urban driving, they can be more blinding that high beams and seldom needed. That said, when you are in the middle of nowhere, your pictures show the drastic difference the lights can make. I am certainly going to need one on my front bumper in the future. I may try to figure out how to hook them up to the autodimming function we have on high beams so I don't have to cut them off when someone is coming around the corner.

 

[.genomer]

Thanks fellas. The lower front grill would be a perfect location for that Gray. Assuming the light bar doesn't interfere with the cummins intercooler, that spot fits a 20 incher. I reached out to Rough Country for info on the idea of mounting brackets and am waiting to hear back. If it's feasible, I'd be interested in seeing a light system as you described!

 

[Omarf4]

Love the setup. Can you provide details on how you wired up the aux switches? I assume you are using the 6 aux switches with the upfit module option that comes with certain trucks. Did you tap into the wiring in the engine bay or behind the dash?

 

[.genomer]

Omar-

So it originally seemed so confusing. Not only were the switches gonna require wiring, but then Rough Country sent this big bundle of wiring, relays, fuses and switches.


Ignore all that.

Just as any circuit, there is a positive (red) and ground (black) wire.

I estimated the length of wiring. From bed to undercarriage to engine bay, it was about 15 feet. The typical wire gauges, for lighting, ranges between 10AWN-16AWN. In this case, I matched what was already wired on the light and then soldered.



The truck bed rail caps (little squares on the ends of the bed walls) allow for running wiring inside the bed walls and down to the ground. I ran my wires through the Rambar, in through the bed rail mount and to the undercarriage.

Because the underside is exposed to the elements and have the potential for rubbing, a 10' conduit should be used.


These conduits are about $5-$10 at any auto store. Run the wiring through this and find an out-of-the-way area to secure it under the body (and away from moving parts/power steps). I used zip ties and found a couple wiring harnesses to follow toward the front of the vehicle.

I'll say this now because it'll save more time than I spent, you -do not- need to remove wheel lines to get the wiring up and into the engine bay.

Wiring Auxiliary Switches
As mentioned, follow driver side wiring harnesses and you'll meet the fuse box adjacent to the Upfitter/Auxiliary switches.



Each one of these plugs has a number associated with it. Simply remove the plug, find the super tiny number on the connector. The top connector says 1-4 and the bottom one has 5 and 6.

These will be your positive (red) power source. Remove the rubber green plug, with plyers, from the top left connection if you want to set Aux 1.

Remember the set of wires RAM gave you?


Find only one of them that matches your gauge wiring. Snap it into the unplugged connector that you've just exposed. Now you have a solid sealed positive connection.

Attach your light positive wire to this by soldering or, in my case, crimping on male and female connectors. Take your ground wiring and crimp on a round connector. This wire should be attached to one of the top fender 10mm screws. It is sufficiently rated at 40AMPS.

Plug your upfitter connector back into the female truck-affixed connector and you're all set. The only thing left is configuring the commercial menu (default password is 0000).

Too Long; Didn't Read

Aux connector is your positive terminal.

As long as your auxiliary equipment(lights) don't exceed 40AMPS, you don't need to infuse a relay. The point of these connections are plug and play, a relay is meshed into the fuse panel.

The ground wire should make solid contact with the frame or negative terminal on the battery.

Any daytime running light wiring will require it's own Aux switch. This should be set to Ignition run. It will also carry such low current that ground wiring isn't necessary. Simply wire the positive to an Aux switch of your choosing.

 

[offroadr]

looks cool!

 

[User_1648]

Excellent write-up @.genomer! Admins - could we please pin this to the DIY section?

 

[Omarf4]

FREAKING EXCELLENT WIRING DETAILS!

Thank you!

 

[jsalbre]

FYI, the upfitters guide says max fuse size is 40amps with a max continuous of 28 amps.

 

[.genomer]

FYI, the upfitters guide says max fuse size is 40amps with a max continuous of 28 amps.

Thanks for this info update, I was going from memory, without doing the math and must have been mistaken.

480w ÷ 12v = 40amps (front led bar)

 

[jsalbre]

Sounds like you’re pushing the limit a bit there. Keep an eye on the wiring and the six relays for any signs of overheating.

 

[.genomer]

Well the limit is 40, so yeah you're right. I've done multiple tests to ensure the relay doesn't blow a fuse. This includes hour long continuous running, combined light functions and multiple night driving applications. So far so good and no heat issues at all.

I should have attached this to one of the first posts for better information when multiple switches are used (Its up to the customer to select which fuse applies the best fit toward their Aux switch setup):

"Max Combined Fuse “rating” allowed for Aux Swit hes 1,2,3,4,5, 6/PTO and Run Only is 225A. These Aux/PTO/Run fuses can be relocated to accommodate the loading on them. The maximum allowable total continuous amperage is 135A. Maximum fuse rating in any one location is 40A."