Interior switch for bed 12v wiring?

[RebelYell]

Anyone figured out how to connect a dashboard switch to the existing bed wiring?

Instead of hacking up a brand new bumper for fog lights i was thinking i get a roll bar i saw and mounted a LED bar on top. I do alot of country driving so its not an issue.

Sponsored

 

[RebelYell]

I know I could always run the hot line back into the cab and hook it to a switch but was hoping it might already be in there.

 

[Hot Runr Guy]

The fuse for the bed power ports is in the under-hood fusebox, my guess is the wiring runs under the cab, rather than thru it. Maybe utilize one of the in-cabin unused fuse locations?

HRG

 

[scpowered]

What about a remote controlled relay? Something like this... Amazon

 

[RebelYell]

What about a remote controlled relay? Something like this... Amazon

Oh thats new. I could put the wiring inside the right side cubby and hide it. Nice! Thanks

 

[Hot Runr Guy]

Oh thats new. I could put the wiring inside the right side cubby and hide it. Nice! Thanks

You might want this one, the original linked is normally closed (on), this one is normally open.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B6MTML28?ref=emc_s_m_5_i_atc&th=1

HRG

 

[bgn]

Those relays work well. Used one for my ditch lights before I moved on to the F-150 switch mod.

 

[scpowered]

Good catch on the normally closed . I didn't notice that. So many to choose from.

 

[Maverick_Innovation_Designs]

@RebelYell I am working on a cubby box for switch mounting. It'll come with the necessary switches as well.

@Hot Runr Guy I'm also working on a plug-n-play cigarette lighter tap to supply front aux power for things like fog lights or light bars. I was checking the wiring diagram and it's set for a 30A fuse, which should be plenty. It's also in a convenient location to wire up to the cubby box. Parts are already on order so I should have a working proto in a few weeks.

 

[RebelYell]

@RebelYell I am working on a cubby box for switch mounting. It'll come with the necessary switches as well.

@Hot Runr Guy I'm also working on a plug-n-play cigarette lighter tap to supply front aux power for things like fog lights or light bars. I was checking the wiring diagram and it's set for a 30A fuse, which should be plenty. It's also in a convenient location to wire up to the cubby box. Parts are already on order so I should have a working proto in a few weeks.

If the cubby your talking about is in the bed its outside the scope of the proposal. So when I add the sport roll bar so I can add lights i need something that will allow me to turn on those lights from within the cab. Ideally if the wiring had been inside the passenger side fuses it would have been easy to pull the fuse and make a empty fuse tap that allowed the wires to go to a switch and add an inline fuse to one wire but since they are in the bed to the front fuse block. Although now that I think about it i could do a relay in the bed cubby and run a single line from the inside fuse block to a switch to the relay in the bed…

 

[Maverick_Innovation_Designs]

If the cubby your talking about is in the bed its outside the scope of the proposal. So when I add the sport roll bar so I can add lights i need something that will allow me to turn on those lights from within the cab. Ideally if the wiring had been inside the passenger side fuses it would have been easy to pull the fuse and make a empty fuse tap that allowed the wires to go to a switch and add an inline fuse to one wire but since they are in the bed to the front fuse block. Although now that I think about it i could do a relay in the bed cubby and run a single line from the inside fuse block to a switch to the relay in the bed…

My current plan is running a tap to the 12v cigarette socket by the front center console. There's space behind the center dash (at least on '22-'24) to run wiring up to the center dash cubby (for XL and XLT trims). I was thinking for the Lariats and '25s, I'll make a switch box that sits on top of the holder behind the center dash (near the windshield).

The 12v cigarette socket is on a 30A fuse, so you should have plenty of power. You can run the power line from the switch, across the driver footwell, then under the door trims to the back of the cab. From there, you can pass the wire through a grommet (I made my own for an IP67 seal) to the bed or to the bed trim.

The bed rail trim is largely hollow inside, so it's fairly easy to route the wire through and either just find an area where it can come out without water ingress or use a grommet to ensure water (doesn't get underneath the trim). I have a light bar that I control this way, it's routed to the bed but I plan on relocating through the trim since I now have a tonneau cover.

Pic 1: Behind door trim of the left side passenger door, there's a grommet leading to the bed.

Pic 2: After removing the clips for the left rear tire well, you can bend the plastic and see where the grommet from the back of the cab is leading up to the front left grommet in the truck bed. Note, directly above where this photo was taken are the plastic clips for the bed rail trim. You can pass the wire through one of those clips and run it along the underside of the bed rail trim.

Sponsored