VIDEO: Installing Ditch Flood Lights - No More Dark Roads

ROBERTSUNRUS wrote:
:) Hi, Thank You for the video. I want to do something similar. In the 70's when I worked at a Lincoln Mercury dealer, Many of the cars had what was called "Cornering Lamps". They would come on with the use of your turn signals. And they would allow you to see where you were going on dark or unlit streets at night.

A while ago we were figuring a delay on break relay could be used to hook lamps to the turn signal. The delay would be just longer than the blink speed.

ROBERTSUNRUS wrote:
:) Hi, Thank You for the video. I want to do something similar. In the 70's when I worked at a Lincoln Mercury dealer, Many of the cars had what was called "Cornering Lamps". They would come on with the use of your turn signals. And they would allow you to see where you were going on dark or unlit streets at night.

There were a few cars in the 30s and 40s that had headlamps connected to the steering linkage that would point lights into the turn.

:) Hi, Thank You for the video. I want to do something similar. In the 70's when I worked at a Lincoln Mercury dealer, Many of the cars had what was called "Cornering Lamps". They would come on with the use of your turn signals. And they would allow you to see where you were going on dark or unlit streets at night.

Good idea, I know what you mean. I can see ahead but see nothing on the sides when it's very dark out.

RoyB wrote:
Camper Jeff - I was always doing things like this back in my Jeeps days and always had to pay the price of ripping things off the jeep so it could pass DOT safety Inspections..

On on my off-road POPUP trailer... I ran into problems mounting my own version back-up lights. was not DOT approved and I had to remove them to pass inspection... I think the main reason on the back-up lights is they are required to only come on when you place the tow vehicle in reverse... A separate ON-OFF switch not allowed... Of course these lights did not have aDOT approved lens on them either...

I think you can mount almost anything to the sides of the road vehicles but not sure if that is good in every state.... My 5thwheel has the two large 8-inch scare lights mounted on the side at the roof height and no one has said anything about them at the State inspection Station not being approved lights...

Just bringing it up hehe...

Roy Ken

Hi Roy,
I had the same road/ditch lights installed on the front bumper for over a year before the bumper got crunched. Never had an issue with them. In Washington, we don't go through inspections other than emissions testing.

The reverse lights will be addressed in another installation video to be posted soon. Still editing. For those, they do only work in reverse via the shift lever. An additional switch would be able to turn them on only from within the truck camper which is parked off road when in use. The power source for the reverse lights is from the center pin of the 7 pin plug on the bumper and grounded by the white negative of the 4 pin plug next to the 7 pin.
The reverse lights are by Truck-Lite and are the same as the reverse lights on many large trucks and trailers.

The people at Six Robblee's thought I should be OK using them this way. No problems as yet.
Take care,

Great video

I think I might have screwed on a magnet to the bumper, and another to a LED light set with batteries. On the odd time when I might need them, I could just magnet click them onto the front, back, or even side if I wanted a low power evening light. Also useful for under the hook or looking in dark holes.

But it's still a useful mod. Thanks for the video.

Camper Jeff - I was always doing things like this back in my Jeeps days and always had to pay the price of ripping things off the jeep so it could pass DOT safety Inspections..

On on my off-road POPUP trailer... I ran into problems mounting my own version back-up lights. was not DOT approved and I had to remove them to pass inspection... I think the main reason on the back-up lights is they are required to only come on when you place the tow vehicle in reverse... A separate ON-OFF switch not allowed... Of course these lights did not have aDOT approved lens on them either...

I think you can mount almost anything to the sides of the road vehicles but not sure if that is good in every state.... My 5thwheel has the two large 8-inch scare lights mounted on the side at the roof height and no one has said anything about them at the State inspection Station not being approved lights...

Just bringing it up hehe...

Roy Ken