Bumper light options

[wvuviv30]

Lets see your (factory) bumper light set-ups and what did you use? How do you like them?

I am looking at adding a set of lights or a light bar to (above) my bumper. I've seen complete kits from Diode Dynamics and Baja Designs; but I've also seen Mopar & Quadratec selling just the brackets.

I live in the rural/country area and need supplemental lighting, I was going to go with a "combo" beam pattern and connect them to the factory Aux switches.

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[NatForest Glad]

I live in a very rural high critter density along roadway with low traffic. I am working on automatic road edge guided spot with oncoming traffic shutdown. I am wanting to use as much off the shelf materials as possible with 3D printed mountings. I will follow your thread.

 

[19Delta]

I live in a very rural high critter density along roadway with low traffic. I am working on automatic road edge guided spot with oncoming traffic shutdown. I am wanting to use as much off the shelf materials as possible with 3D printed mountings. I will follow your thread.

Any updates on your project? Sounds cool!

 

[blau iii]

I used a set of these mounts and a pair of KC Slimlights, worked great! But not that I switched my bumper, these brackets dont work with a winch in place. I have the KC A Pilar backets coming this week. If you're interested, I'll sell these brackets for $50 + shipping

https://www.quadratec.com/p/quadratec/heavy-duty-auxiliary-light-mount-brackets-wrangler-jl

 

[jeeptrixx]

I have a 20" Rigid bar for sale in the for sale section. Works great, just went a different direction.

 

[NatForest Glad]

Any updates on your project? Sounds cool!

Currently bench testing the wireless servo motors for movement. Auto direction sensors are on order but looks like about two months. Still looking for a 12volt spot light to use. I have only been able to locate 120v lights similar to what I would like to use.

 

[dcmdon]

I live in a very rural high critter density along roadway with low traffic. I am working on automatic road edge guided spot with oncoming traffic shutdown. I am wanting to use as much off the shelf materials as possible with 3D printed mountings. I will follow your thread.

If you are working this as an engineering exercise, then far be it for me to piss in your wheaties.

But if you want to make this work easily, then just wire them in with the high beams. I've done this for decades with almost all of my cars. Driving lights come on with the highs. There is a switch where I can turn them off. But otherwise they always come on with the highs.

Generally I run a relay off of the battery. But if you have LED headlights and the aux lights are no more than 30 watts or so on each side, you could probably use a scotch lock connector to tap right into the high beam wires. Combined the headlights and the aux lights won't draw any more than a set of incandescent bulbs.

On the Jeep I'm not even going to make them switched because I found that I always used them and never turned them off. I also never used them when there were other cars ahead of me. So no point in ever turning them on when the highs weren't already on.

 

[tkclemmer]

I ran Rigid Dually XL floods on MOPAR light brackets for a while. These were wired to the factory Aux 3 switch. All in all, the setup worked well and looked clean. They were great when I was running the factory halogen headlights. After upgrading to the factory LED headlights, they are less impressive. If you're running the factory halogens, in my opinion, your money is better spent upgrading the headlights first. I was blown away by the difference.

 

[ORACLElights]

On our Gladiator we are running the 7" ORACLE #2915 and they work really well and provide some cool functionality that others do not.

Off:

Parking Lights:

DRL:

Excellent Beam Throw:

More info and videos of the light output are in the thread here: https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...ght-with-post-mount-for-jeep-gladiator.51747/

 

[IamPro2A]

just wire them in with the high beams. I've done this for decades with almost all of my cars. Driving lights come on with the highs. There is a switch where I can turn them off. But otherwise they always come on with the highs.

Generally I run a relay off of the battery. But if you have LED headlights and the aux lights are no more than 30 watts or so on each side, you could probably use a scotch lock connector to tap right into the high beam wires. Combined the headlights and the aux lights won't draw any more than a set of incandescent bulbs.

On the Jeep I'm not even going to make them switched because I found that I always used them and never turned them off. I also never used them when there were other cars ahead of me. So no point in ever turning them on when the highs weren't already on.

I eventually plan to do this. First issue is it doesn't appear to exactly be easy to reach the headlight wiring. As a matter of fact, it looks like it might actually be easier to dig into the harness. Then, I still plan on using a relay powered off an aux switch. The switch since I'm not 100% sure having them come on with the highs is legal and would pass state inspection, and I don't especially like the aux lights while driving in snow. The relay because the headlights are on the canbus and I don't want to to worry about how the computer sees the added load, especially on just one headlight. It's not so much a matter of the wiring can handle the added load, but how the computer might interpret it.

 

[dcmdon]

Those are all great points. Re having the lights coming on with headlights and passing inspection, I never had that problem. I'd probably still wire in with the high beams and just use a relay to avoid the can bus issues you mentioned, then pull the fuse when going for inspection.

I'n the snow I don't ever use the high beams so it doesn't matter to me.

its interesting, I don't know if you got the factory LEDs. I did and the low beams seem super super bright. So much so that the high beams aren't really any brighter. They just raise the cut off.

In my old car and my wife's car, I'd say the low beam was 50% as bright as the highs. In the Jeep, I'd say the lows are 80% as bright as the highs. But then again the lows are much brighter than I would think I could get away with. But yet, nobody flashes me. Strange.

 

[NatForest Glad]

If you are working this as an engineering exercise, then far be it for me to piss in your wheaties.

But if you want to make this work easily, then just wire them in with the high beams. I've done this for decades with almost all of my cars. Driving lights come on with the highs. There is a switch where I can turn them off. But otherwise they always come on with the highs.

Generally I run a relay off of the battery. But if you have LED headlights and the aux lights are no more than 30 watts or so on each side, you could probably use a scotch lock connector to tap right into the high beam wires. Combined the headlights and the aux lights won't draw any more than a set of incandescent bulbs.

On the Jeep I'm not even going to make them switched because I found that I always used them and never turned them off. I also never used them when there were other cars ahead of me. So no point in ever turning them on when the highs weren't already on.

Thanks for your input. I do have a particular reason for the right side spot light. Where I live I am in the center of a 150 mile stretch of mountainous highway. You really have to what the roadway for mule deer and elk and the occasional cow. This distance usually puts you driving after sunset. I have seen numerous jeeps that use the bumper flood lights and many time they forget to dim or shut the lights off when coming around curves and over the rises. By the time you ask for dims you are blinded because it is like looking at an on coming train. I am sure no jeep driver does this on purpose (of coarse I am guilty for just brights) but an oncoming driver cannot see if there is critters on the shoulder until well after passing.

The floods are very good for the forest roads where you are driving at a very reduced speed. But to me they are too bright for occupied highway speed.

Anyway I am wanting to improve the situation from my part and since I am a retired controls engineer it is a good project for me.

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