Harbor Freight Long-Range Truck Lights? Opinions please

[Philberto]

Actually, I buy tools at Harbor Freight. If I get a whole bunch of use out of them, then great, and if they ever break I'll get Craftsman tools. Otherwise, if I don't use them a whole lot, then I get my money's worth out of them anyways.

[Philberto]

Well, I picked up 2 sets of the HF lights yesterday, and I have to say I'm quite impressed with what you get for $25 apiece (technically $12.50 apiece per light). The light structure seems solid, the mounting system allows me to aim the light quite well, and the only little niggle, the sealing, can be easily fixed with some right stuff gasket maker and some RTV silicone. Will let you know when I have them mounted, and plan on doing a submerge test (without bulbs in) to verify watertightness after my post-purchase engineering.

[bgwolfpack]

Cool, can't wait to see what you do with them. You'll be a good judge as to how much value they are really worth.

Your water test won't be affected by having the bulbs in or out, just by how deep you submerge them.

[Philberto]

Well, I plan on submerging them in a pool... so I can make sure that they are as leak-proof as I can make them. That is the reason for having the bulbs out... so that they don't get wet if the housings leak.

[bgwolfpack]

Well, I plan on submerging them in a pool... so I can make sure that they are as leak-proof as I can make them. That is the reason for having the bulbs out... so that they don't get wet if the housings leak.

Make sure you roll up the windows on the truck first.

[Trail X]

so that they don't get wet if the housings leak.

I don't think water actually hurts bulbs... it's oil that is bad.

[HARDTRAILZ]

Well, I plan on submerging them in a pool... so I can make sure that they are as leak-proof as I can make them. That is the reason for having the bulbs out... so that they don't get wet if the housings leak.

Make sure you roll up the windows on the truck first.

And the doors are closed all the way. Also it is good to plan an escape route when going out to drive through someones pool.

[Philberto]

HAHAHA should have mentioned I'm going to test-submerge the lights on their bar before mounting said bar to my truck. (Now where's the underwater car smiley?)



And James, that may be true, but these are Chinese bulbs... You never know what'll hurt them.

[Philberto]

Okay, so thinking about it here at work, I have a wiring question: I now have (4) 100-watt lights that I wish to wire up on the roof. I wish to have all 4 on one switch, and would like to have them run to a rear fuse panel that I also plan on using to transfer the wiring from my water pump in the rear, as well as my CB radio in the front. I'm also planning on rewiring my front lights when I move them, so that I can have a front fuse block dedicated for offroad lighting and the like. I've already deduced that I'd like to have an aux fuse block under the hood, and an aux fuse block located near the rear seat, does anybody have any suggestions on how I should wire all these up?

The CB draws 1 amp max, the pump 4 amps, the lights (all 4 on roof) a total of around 33 amps, the front lights a total of 9.5 amps, and the compressor I plan on putting in the rear says it consumes a max of 30 amps. In addition, I will probably be adding about 10 amps in lighting on the sides and rear of the vehicle, and 5 amps or so on the underside.

Looking mainly for how I should set up relays (the 2 front lights already run off one), wire gauges, and how to get all the things to wire up to switches in one convenient location (probably center console).

[bgwolfpack]

I'm sure somebody (JD) will offer their expertise. In the meantime take a look at this Phil. http://www.the12volt.com/

[Philberto]

Thanks. Yeah, I'm counting on JD or Bill to chime in on this one. Checking out that site now.

[Hatchet669]

told ya they werent a bad light... good for the price... they are great on long dark roads... lets see how they turn out buddy...

[Trail X]

My rear fuse block is made by Bussman. Look around your local auto parts place, you should be able to find something there. However, mine isn't water proof, so your front one will need to be different.

Blue Sea makes some nice high-end products like this one:


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As for relays, they are harder to keep in order... so if you plan to have a lot, maybe you should look into something like this, made by Hella:


As for switches... just make sure you plan it out well. Simple on/off switches are fairly easy, but if your switch is lighted it will also require a ground. Not a big deal, just another wire for each switch. Just use a common ground, and make the switches come off of a common hot wire. MAKE SURE TO USE 'KEY ON' SWITCHED 12V. I learned that lesson after my first dead battery.
If you plan out your wiring, it can really simplify things for you:

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Then it's just a +12, a ground, and a signal wire for each switch. For above, it was a total of 7 wires for 5 switches.

Also remember to put in blade plugs wherever you think you may need to remove something. This is especially helpful when you need to, say, remove your CB radio to access the structure behind the radio. Also, invest in a labeler... it will greatly simplify things for disassembly and troubleshooting.

[Philberto]

Out of curiosity, where did you tap into your 12v switched source? I too have learned the perils of using an unswitched source, but I still utilize my cb on an unswitched source so that I don't need to have the engine on or key in to use it. Same goes for the pump, but its current draw is usually negligible, and I'll run out of water long before I run out of battery.

[Trail X]

I used an Add-a-fuse to the HVAC fuse in the rear.