I recently had to back into a campsite in the dark, by myself. I set my Dewalt flashlight at the back of the site where I wanted the street side rear corner of my trailer to end up, but entering the site from the road, I came within about 6"-8" of scraping a tree and doing serious damage to my awning. That got my attention.I've been thinking...(I know, a dangerous thing), but I was wondering if there are any lights out there that are battery powered with a magnetic base? I would not use them very often, maybe a few times in the winter, and it would save the hassle of hard wiring in a backup light system. I could just set one or two on the square tube bumper facing backward and see better where I'm backing.I've done a couple of searches on the internet, but haven't found anything yet. If I found the right lights, they would go on my Christmas list to my DW. :)

How bright? The HF puck lights have a magnet.

JiminDenver wrote:How bright? The HF puck lights have a magnet.I have several of these lights. They work very well. Watch your Sunday paper for coupons; Harbor Freight often gives this flashlight away free with any purchase - sometimes even free with NO purchase required!

HF, Sears, any auto parts store. They all sell battery powered lights with a magnetic base. They won't light up the night, but should be good enough to guide you in.

This light?Portable Worklight FlashlightIf so, that certainly has possibilities. And it is cheap already! I could buy 3 of those and just stick them to the bumper. I would probably buy one first and test it in my backyard at night. We have a Harbor Freight only about 20 minutes away.

fallsrider wrote:This light?Portable Worklight FlashlightIf so, that certainly has possibilities. And it is cheap already! I could buy 3 of those and just stick them to the bumper. I would probably buy one first and test it in my backyard at night. We have a Harbor Freight only about 20 minutes away.I have one of those.. although they are nice (I keep one in my truck) I don't think that it throws enough light to use for backing up your trailer.

Battery Backup Light? | Good Sam Community

Gdetrailer
Explorer III
Dec 06, 2014
fallsrider wrote:
I brought my DS to our local state park tonight, arriving well after dark. Wow, are these new backup lights nice! They completely lit up the whole CS behind me as I was backing in. What a difference. I could see really well through my side mirrors.

If you have considered adding backup lights, I can highly recommend these.

Thanks for the update!

Glad they work well for you.

A "mod" which is well worth the hassle.
fallsrider
Explorer
Dec 06, 2014
I brought my DS to our local state park tonight, arriving well after dark. Wow, are these new backup lights nice! They completely lit up the whole CS behind me as I was backing in. What a difference. I could see really well through my side mirrors.

If you have considered adding backup lights, I can highly recommend these.
fallsrider
Explorer
Nov 30, 2014
Gdetrailer wrote:

:B

Much better than messing around with a bunch of magnetic flashlights :D

That really should be very helpful!

I agree. I'm glad I went this route now.
Gdetrailer
Explorer III
Nov 30, 2014
fallsrider wrote:
I finished installing my backup lights this afternoon. It went pretty easy, thankfully. While I had the end caps off the bumper, I installed fiberglass screen over the holes to keep out wasps. I didn't have a problem this summer, but it would only have been a matter of time.

The lights seem bright enough. But the real test will come while trying to back into a very dark campsite.

:B

Much better than messing around with a bunch of magnetic flashlights :D

That really should be very helpful!
fallsrider
Explorer
Nov 30, 2014
I finished installing my backup lights this afternoon. It went pretty easy, thankfully. While I had the end caps off the bumper, I installed fiberglass screen over the holes to keep out wasps. I didn't have a problem this summer, but it would only have been a matter of time.

The lights seem bright enough. But the real test will come while trying to back into a very dark campsite.
fallsrider
Explorer
Nov 26, 2014
CarterKraft wrote:
You might be suprised with the amp draw ofthose ligths, I have six of them on my service truck bed and 2 sets of LED compartment lights, all of them together don't pull more than 10 amps.

If they are indeed 27 watts each, which is what they are rated, then they will pull 4.5 amps total.

I can believe that the ones on your truck don't pull more than 10. LEDs are great that way.

The lights arrived today. I bought stainless screws to match the taps. I'm looking forward to mounting and wiring them.
CarterKraft
Explorer
Nov 26, 2014
fallsrider wrote:
Well, I decided to proceed with the hard wired installed lights. I purchased this 2-pack, 27W LED Lights, recommended by Gdetrailer, and also purchased the 14 ga marine wire recommended by BurbMan. Since I'm only going to be pulling less than 5 amps, the 14 ga will be more than sufficient.

You might be suprised with the amp draw ofthose ligths, I have six of them on my service truck bed and 2 sets of LED compartment lights, all of them together don't pull more than 10 amps.
texasclarks
Explorer
Nov 26, 2014
I have one of these Kobalt lights from Lowes that has a magnetic base as well as a flexible 'snake' body that you can coil around the bumper or other object.

CLICK HERE

I like it because it uses a rechargeable as well as a 3xAAA battery pack.

I bit more than harbor freight but much better quality.
BurbMan
Explorer II
Nov 26, 2014
Instead of a lockwasher you could use a little blue loctite on the threads, that would keep the profile inside the bumper as low as possible. Post some pics when you get it done, it sounds like a very cool mod!
fallsrider
Explorer
Nov 25, 2014
BurbMan wrote:
...With the 4 tapped holes in the back...

...If you would like or have any use for the 4 1/2" square U bolts that I used in my first installation, I would be happy to send them to you for free...

Thanks, Burb, for the generous offer on the U bolts. I had not noticed the tapped holes. I like your idea a lot for mounting directly to the bumper. I already have the stubby Phillips. I might just get the right size screws in stainless, with a thin lock washer. I have a ladder on the right side, so I would just need to be careful stepping on or off the ladder that I didn't step on the bumper and put any pressure on the light on that side. Should be doable. Great idea.

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