Lights

I’ve seen a lot of people use tailgate LED strips for towing lights, and they can work—but there are a few things to think about before going that route.

First, visibility and placement matter. A strip mounted low on the tailgate may not be as visible as factory tail lights, especially in bright daylight or if you’re towing a taller Class A. You want your brake/turn signals clearly visible to traffic behind you.

Second, wiring and signal compatibility can be tricky. Many LED strips don’t always separate brake and turn signals cleanly without additional converters, so you may still end up doing some wiring work.

Third, durability is a concern. Tailgate strips are more exposed to weather, dust, and road debris compared to integrated lighting solutions.

If your goal is to avoid splicing and drilling, a more reliable option is to use a proper towing lighting solution like plug-and-play kits or professionally designed systems. Something like the setups discussed here can give you a better idea of cleaner installs without compromising safety: https://engineeredracing.ca/

So yes, a tailgate LED strip can work, but it’s not always the most dependable or safest long-term solution for flat towing.

MDKMDK wrote:

gonzo71 wrote:
Got a new truck in fall and I am working on getting it ready to tow behind the Class A.

On the old truck I drilled into the tail lights and added a separate bulb for when towed, I like the not splice into the truck wiring. Now on the new truck there is a bit more to the tail lights and I don’t want to drill into the lights. I thought about using a tailgateLED light strip.
Is there any reason I should not use one of those
https://www.actiontrucks.com/product-detail/RMP960134/tailgate-light-bars?gclid=Cj0KCQjw7Z3VBRC-ARIsAEQifZQdkKIfsnTOMXGE7TATJqu-sNjfe4vIFOuDi0l5tKYBtOJZIZ5UoyUaAkFOEALw_wcB

Looks like it would work. Nothing legal comes to mind except no cyclops brake light, and I'm not even sure if that's a legal requirement. If it simplifies rear light connections on the towed vehicle, and it works, why not?

gonzo71 wrote:
Got a new truck in fall and I am working on getting it ready to tow behind the Class A.

On the old truck I drilled into the tail lights and added a separate bulb for when towed, I like the not splice into the truck wiring. Now on the new truck there is a bit more to the tail lights and I don’t want to drill into the lights. I thought about using a tailgateLED light strip.
Is there any reason I should not use one of those
https://www.actiontrucks.com/product-detail/RMP960134/tailgate-light-bars?gclid=Cj0KCQjw7Z3VBRC-ARIsAEQifZQdkKIfsnTOMXGE7TATJqu-sNjfe4vIFOuDi0l5tKYBtOJZIZ5UoyUaAkFOEALw_wcB