D2D DIY | I Can SEE! Adding High Power LED Reverse Lights to my Silverado

As I mature (aka get older) my night vision is degrading and once I got my Chevy pickup truck it was very difficult to see behind the truck while in reverse. Knowing that I had a 7 pin trailer plug on the Silverado I knew that I had easy access to the reverse lights power.

A quick Amazon search resulted in some low cost HIGHLY reviewed LED light bars with a multitude of options. I chose a flood light LED pair for about twenty dollars and got some accessories while I was at it.

I fabricated a custom metal bracket to hold the LED lights and welded it using my Lincoln 210MP onto the trailer bar of the truck. I chose this location as the trailer ball attachment is lower then the lights offering some protection from any parking bumps, toys or shrubs that might get hit.

I tapped into the reverse and ground wires of the trailer hitch plug and attached my LEDs. NOTE: the red wire on the LED light bar is the positive (polarity is important.) Originally I wanted to make the wire termination with some Wago connectors sealed with silicone but ran into some issues. The wago connectors were supposed to be able to accept stranded wire but the wire from the LED bars was not able to push through the spring terminal so I resorted to wire nuts. I wanted to seal everything with silicone but for some strange reason the LED lights would not work when I sealed the wire nuts, anyone have any theories let me know in the comments! In the end I simply wire nutted and sealed everything with electrical tape. Easy enough to add a few water tight connectors later if I need to, it has held up for a few months of NASTY weather already.

Big thanks to RIDGID for sponsoring our channel check out their latest power tool promotions!
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LED Light Bar: http://amzn.to/2Ft6f9D
Wago Connectors: http://amzn.to/2ECyUrF

Will use these if I run into moisture issues later on:
http://amzn.to/2CWtQO4

Other Tools I Used: (affiliate Links)
EDC Belt Carry: http://goo.gl/XZnWRx
RevMarkers: https://goo.gl/UJZfnq
Swanson Combination Square: http://goo.gl/EYuGAn
Ear Plugs: https://goo.gl/R937J7
RIDGID Cordless Angle Grinder: https://goo.gl/807O2y
RIDGID 18V Hybrid LED Light Panels: https://goo.gl/w9eAkH