Build Your Own Kit: Under-Glow for Three Axle Cargo, Utility or Food Trailer
Be sure to scroll down, expand each text group section and read the information presented. We think you'll find our product documentation is very thorough.
We receive a lot of requests for full perimeter under-glow light systems. The challenge is not all trailers - even the same year and model - have the same structure in terms of possible LED strip mounting locations. And of course not everyone wants to light up all the same areas of their trailer. With so many trailer types/styles on the market there are lots of variables; lots of options. Simply not possible to create a kit for all these various makes/models/layouts. To solve this problem we created this BUILD YOUR OWN KIT (BYOK) product to assist customers with ordering the LED Under-Glow lighting and related materials they need for their specific trailer. This product is designed for a THREE AXLE CARGO, UTILITY or FOOD TRAILER. We have other products for other formats. This product has a maximum of 10 LED light segments and 6 wheel well light segments. You don't have to use all segments. Download the PDF diagram to get started.
HOW TO PLACE YOUR ORDER
The process to place your order is pretty simple. Follow these steps:
1. Download the PDF diagram . You'll notice we have different diagrams based on the vehicle format. EG: motorhome 2 axle, motorhome 3 axle, fifth wheel trailer 2 axle, etc. This particular product you're looking at now is for the three axle cargo/utility/food trailer.
2. Print out the PDF diagram you downloaded and then write down the measurements for each of the LED segments you want to light on your trailer where indicated by A through J (and W1 - W6 if you want wheel well lights). See note below on what you need to know about taking those measurement.
3. Using the drop down boxes on this product page, select the LED segment lengths that match those on your diagram (all LED segments have a 15' power lead hard wired to the LED strip). If your trailer layout doesn't use all of the segments listed on the diagram (many won't), simply leave those segments marked as 'none'.
4. Make your LED controller selection as well as your LED color selection.
5. Add to cart and check out.
TAKING MEASUREMENTS | WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
It's super important when measuring your trailer that you look at the bottom of your trailer to examine the mounting area you have available. Yes, we know it's a pain to get on your back with a tape measure to do this but it really is the only way to get a good look and to get it right. We say this because you'll need to make sure you have a sufficient and appropriate surface area to attach the LED strips to your trailer. For example, just because you have 8' across the front of your trailer doesn't mean there is actually 8' of mountable space on the bottom of your trailer to attach the LED strip. The only way you'll know for sure is by looking at it. When doing so, make sure the area where you will be attaching the LED strip is clean and smooth (and free from sharp edges). The LED strip MUST be mounted flat against a single continuous mounting surface, in a straight line; it cannot bend around a radius or corners. Plus, the entire strip needs to be stuck to the mounting surface and not span across mounting surfaces. If you do, the strip will almost certainly fail in the spot that isn't affixed firmly to the mounting surface or, the point at which is spans across the two mounting surfaces. If you don't have a smooth, flat, contiguous mounting surface we recommend riveting or screwing 1.5" wide aluminum or plastic flat stock to the surface and then mount the LED strip to that flat stock. More details about this can be found on the INSTALLATION TAB of the product page. The point is to carefully examine the bottom of your trailer when you're taking these measurements before placing your order.
Once you have your measurements and have them written down on the diagram, you're ready to place your order using this product page. You'll notice each LED segment has a drop down box listing the available LED lengths from 1' to 16'. Yes, the maximum length of a single continuous LED strip with 300 LEDs is 16' (actually it's 5 meters which is about 16.4'). The laws of electricity as we know it today won't allow for longer lengths of 5050 LEDs using 12vdc power on modern day vehicles. This is why you'll notice our layout diagram has two LED segments in front of the first axle. Many trailers have longer distances than 16'. If your trailer has more than 16' in front of thee first axle, you'll need to use two LED segments in that space. For example, assume the distance between the first axle and front of your trailer is 18'. If you want full coverage in that area, you'll need two LED segments to fill that entire space. How you configure those two LED segments in terms of the lengths is up to you. You can for example use two 9' LED segments - or - one 10' + one 8' - or - one 16' + one 2', etc. We suggest using a full 16' and a smaller LED length to fill out the entire area but it's not essential. You'll also see multiple LED segments across other areas of the trailer diagram layout such as the front, rear and behind the rear wheels. This is because there often isn't a single flat surface that can be used to cover the entire area.There might however be 2 or even 3 flat surfaces you can mount an LED strip to which is why we list these extra LED segments on the diagram. As an example, your trailer might be 8' across the front but when you do your visual inspection to take measurements you find there isn't a single flat surface that spans the entire eight feet. Instead, you might be able to fit two four feet LED strips across that area or perhaps another combination of varying lengths to cover the area. For those LED segments that don't apply to your trailer, simply leave them set to 'none'.
For each LED segment, select the corresponding LED length from the drop down to what you wrote down on the diagram. For example, if LED SEGMENT A on your trailer is 14.5', you would select 14 from the drop down. Note that these LED segments are not precise in terms of the length. They will generally be a little less due to the power lead connection to the LED strip. It's not critical to have the exact length because the lights are so bright. If there's 5 - 10 inches of space that isn't covered, no one will know by looking at it. If however you're really concerned about this, order the longer length (e.g. 15' in our example here) and cut (and seal) the LED strip at the end where you cut. These LED strips can be cut in groups of 3 LEDs. That said, in the vast majority of cases, rounding down will rarely be noticeable and thus you won't have to cut the LED strips.
The kit includes 18awg feeder cable to be used to connect the LED strips to the LED controller.
LED CONTROLLER FEATURES
Bluetooth + RF Combo Wireless Control
The LED Controllers offered in this kit are our GEN2 Single Zone and Dual Zone Heavy Duty Bluetooth COMBO LED Controllers. COMBO means they can be operated using either the included M7 RF wireless hand held remote OR your Bluetooth enable smartphone (and our free APP). Both will work. The RGB version is capable of displaying 16 million different color combinations. The GEN2 RGBx version can display even more color combinations depending on the type of LED strips connected to them. In addition, lighting effects on the Bluetooth controller are significantly more controllable in terms of speed and intensity. Each color and lighting effect is controlled by "sliders" or a color square on your smartphone screen so you can adjust the speed and intensity to get the lighting the way you want it.
Key Features & Capabilities
- Our GEN2 LED Controllers are based on the Bluetooth 5 chip set family which provide fast response times and the best possible RF/Bluetooth transmission distance.
- The SUPER and HEAVY DUTY GEN2 Controller can support Single Color, RGB, RGBx and RGBxx LED strips with both RF and Bluetooth control.
- The HEAVY DUTY controller versions include two antennas: a screw-on 2" stubby antenna and an extended magnetic mount antenna with 15' of wire for optimal reception on any vehicle.
- Use the included RF wireless remote to quickly turn on/off/dim your Boogey Lights. You can also select up to 7 different preset colors using the RF remote as well as access 7 different lighting features.
- Use your smartphone to operate your Boogey Lights®: On, Off, Dimming, Color Selection, Brightness, Speed, Color Programming, Timers
- Adjust the color sliders or color square to select the color you want.
- Access additional lighting features (e.g. strobing, flashing, breathing, morphing) modes using the 7 Function Keys.
- Save your favorite lighting configuration using Pre-Sets
- Countdown Timer and a 24 hour On/Off Timer function
- Quick-Switch feature for use with RGBx LED strips.
- Password protection to stop others from connecting to your LED controller.
- Programmable Color Rotation mode offers the ability to program the controller to display two or three colors of your choice and then rotate those colors in sequence.
- Assign a 'nick name' to your controller so you can easily find it when scanning.
- Set the APP to auto-connect to your LED controller every time you launch the APP on your phone
- DOWNLOAD the GEN2 LED Controller Operating Manual & Wiring Diagrams
- DOWNLOAD the GEN2 Bluetooth Operating Manual
- DOWNLOAD the GEN2 M7 RF Wireless Remote Operating Information
- VIEW the GEN2 LED Controller Series Product Page
- VIEW the GEN2 BLUETOOTH APP Information Page
WHAT IS RGB + AMBER (RGBA) ?
RGBA is a new LED strip format Boogey Lights® developed. The RGBA led strip includes our core RGB tri-chip technology using a 5050 RGB LED with the addition of a fourth 2835 diode that is AMBER. Designed primarily for motor vehicle applications, that fourth AMBER diode can be wired to a separate switch on the dash, tied into a relay to work with existing running lights or controlled by our GEN2 LED controller all of which allows you to quickly and easily turn on just the AMBER leds. Then, for those who want the flexibility to be able to display up to 16 million color combinations using the RGB tri-chip, they can do that too. RGB + A provides the best of both worlds. Single color amber plus RGB tri-chip multi-color. The product photo carousel of this product page includes a close-up view of the LED strip design and wiring diagram. Note that due to the addition of that fourth diode, the RGBA strips are a little wider than our standard tri-chip RGB and single color LED strips. Also, the power lead wires use five conductor vs four. For additional information including product specs, click the SPECS navigation tab on this product page. If you select the RGBA LED color option, we include a 30amp relay and wireless on/off remote to control the Amber diodes in the RGBA led strips.
WHAT IS RGB + WHITE (RGBW) ?
On the RGBW led strip, in addition to RGB, you get one extra diode which is Warm White. That warm white diode has a Kelvin temperature of 2400 which means it has a yellowish look giving it a warmer, softer, candle like look (see photo below). That fourth diode on the RGBW led strip can be wired directly to our GEN2 LED Controller which supports RGBx LEDs. As an option, you could also wire that fourth diode to a completely separate on/off switch. Your choice. You could also use the Quick-Switch feature with this fourth diode too
COLOR OPTIONS & CONSIDERATIONS
This light kit is offered in eight single color options and in three multi-color configurations: RGB, RGBW (RGB + warm white) and RGBA (RGB + amber). For the single color options the LED controller wireless RF remote will give you the ability to turn the LEDs on/off as well as dim, flash, strobe and breath (and change the speed at which those features work). With the bluetooth APP, you can perform these same functions as well as save presets. For the multi-color options, you have the same capabilities however the feature set is significantly expanded since you also have the ability to change/adjust/tweak the colors you want to display. With the included RF wireless remote you can change between 7 pre-set colors (Red, Green, Blue, White, Light Blue, Lime Green/Yellow, Hot Pink/Purple) and functions of on/off, blending, strobing, breathing, flashing, fading and dimming. You can also use your Bluetooth enabled smart phone to create a custom look. The Bluetooth APP allows you to program the RGB diodes of any of our RGB, RGBW and RGBA strips with over 16 million different color combinations plus three pre-sets. Also, the Bluetooth APP offers 2 and 3 color rotation programming along with two timer features. Click the BLUETOOTH APP navigation tab on this product page for significantly more information on both the Bluetooth capabilities and APP functionality (including a video showing how the Bluetooth APP works)
RGBW: On the RGBW led strip, in addition to RGB, you get one extra diode which is Warm White. That warm white diode has a Kelvin temperature of 2400 which means it has a yellowish look giving it a warmer, softer, candle like look (see photo below). That fourth diode on the RGBW led strip can be wired directly to our GEN2 LED Controller which supports RGBx LEDs. As an option, you could also wire that fourth diode to a completely separate on/off switch. Your choice. You could also use the Quick-Switch feature with this fourth diode too.
RGBA: On the RGBA led strip, in addition to RGB, you get one extra diode which is AMBER. That fourth diode on the RGBA led strip can be wired directly to our GEN2 LED Controller which supports RGBx LEDs. As an option, you could also wire that fourth diode to a completely separate on/off switch. Your choice. You could also use the Quick-Switch feature with this fourth diode too.
QUICK SWITCH FEATURE
The Quick Switch feature is available on our GEN2 SUPER, HD SINGLE ZONE and HD DUAL ZONE LED Controllers. Whatever color LED you have connected to the GREY output wire of the GEN2 Controller is the color that will display when the Quick Switch is triggered with 12vdc +. The most common use for this configuration is with commercial vehicles who want to be able to instantly turn off whatever color they're running and turn on a DOT compliant AMBER which is on our RGBA LED strips but it could be used for other applications too. For these installations, the yellow trigger wire is connected to a toggle switch or other wireless switch that activates the AMBER leds. You can also do the same thing with the RGBW product. When the Quick Switch trigger wire is not energized, the LED controller operates the RGBxx diodes normally.
PRE-BUILT LED CONTROL CENTER (OPTIONAL)
We offer the option of pre-building the LED Control Center with your order. These LED Control Centers make for a professional looking installation. Also makes the installation a little easier for DIYers since the controller wiring is neatly organized and easily identifiable. It's also a huge time saver. Can easily save two hours (or more) when doing a typical installation.
The pre-built Control Center has the LED Controller and power connections mounted to a PVC board. The power connections make it simple to connect your battery power as well as the LED strip power leads via a terminal blocks mounted to the board. Simply strip the end of the battery lead cable and LED strip power leads, push them into the terminal block and tighten the screw. This design also makes trouble shooting easier. The board has four 2" stand offs with plexi-glass mounted on top which keeps the components protected. You can read more about this option on the LED CONTROL CENTER product page. We include some photos too.
The LED Control Center option is only available when an LED Controller and/or relays are ordered.
TAIL-TURN-BRAKE OPTION
You'll notice we offer the option of adding up to four RED led strips to the bottom rear of the trailer (see layout diagram). This is for tail-turn-brake integration. These RED led strips can be wired to the trailer's tail, turn and brake light and operate independent from the under-glow light system. Each RED LED strip has three diodes such that each diode can be connected to the trailer's tail, turn and brake lights. Wiring details can be found on our website here. We offer instructions for both 3 and 4 conductor circuits. Additional details can be found on the INSTALL tab of this product page.
Keep in mind that adding additional LEDs to your trailer's tail-turn-brake wiring may exceed your tow vehicle's rated amperage for that lighting circuit and throw an error because the lighting control module (LCM) 'thinks' there is a problem with your electrical system due to the increase in amperage draw. In these cases the easiest work around is to add an independent relay (3 or 4 relays depending on how your tow vehicle is setup) to the circuit to make them work. The relays draw milliamps and won't cause the LCM to error out. This problem is most likely to occur with newer tow vehicles. If your tow vehicle is 2015 or newer, we strongly suggest adding relays to your installation initially. We offer heavy duty relays for sale on our website here but they can also be purchased at any auto parts store. They're very common. Don't wait until after you do the install to find out your truck's LCM doesn't like the additional amperage draw you've just added.
WHEEL WELL LIGHTING (OPTIONAL)
We offer the option of adding wheel well lighting to your full perimeter light kit. It can be done for one, two or three axles; motor homes and fifth wheel trailers. Sold per pair. With the exception of RGBW, we use our HEAVY DUTY LED Strips for this purpose (RGBW uses low profile). Be aware however that not all RVs will be able to accommodate lights mounted in the wheel wells. You'll need to measure the amount of clearance you have between the tire/wheel and the RV to see if there is enough room to get into the wheel well to do the installation (without removing the tire/wheel). Assuming your RV has enough clearance to work, the next thing you need to consider is the mounting location. For maximum lighting effect we prefer to mount the Heavy Duty LED strip straight up from the tire and off set a little toward the outside wall of the RV. This minimizes the possibility you'll be able to see the LED strip directly and instead, only see the glow from the LEDs flooding the tire/wheel well area. Next you'll need to consider the mounting surface. Is it clean? Smooth? Will 3M tape (promoted with 3M adhesion primer first of course) adhere to that surface? Some RVs are under-coated which can make it difficult to get the LED strips to adhere to the surface without first having to scrape the under-coating away and/or screwing the LED strip to the wheel well at each end. Others have a type of material covering the wheel well surface itself. In this case you may need to cut that material away first to get to the smooth surface beneath it. You'll need to look closely at your RV to make this determination. It is not something we can assist you with based on the model. The last thing you want is for that LED strip to come loose from it's mounting location just above the tire/wheel as you drive down the road. The final consideration is length. How much room do you have to mount the LED strip? You need at least 12" (15 LEDs) for the smallest strip and 32" (45 LEDs) for the maximum length. The longer the LED strip the more LEDs and thus the more light you'll get.
Once you've confirmed the above, make your selection from the drop down options for this product. You'll notice we offer three LED strip length options PER AXLE wheel well. They're ordered per wheel well. Do not assume that just because a 32" led strip will fit in the wheel well for the steer axle, the same will fit in the drive axle. This is particularly true for motor homes.
OTHER ITEMS YOU MAY NEED
No two installation scenarios are the same. Not everyone shares the same installation quality goals. Some folks are OK with twisting wires together, others want to solder them. Some folks are OK with running wires where they may be seen or unprotected to save money/time, others want a tidy, clean install without any wires showing. Some folks are OK with mounting their LED strips to whatever surface they can find, others want to take the time necessary to build out appropriate mounting surfaces to provide the best lighting effect on their vehicle. The point is it's not possible to provide all the materials necessary for all installation scenarios and quality goals. Our light kits provide the essential components needed for a high-quality, functioning lighting system. Installation of our light kit to your specific vehicle may however require additional items to make it look and fit the way you want. This is particularly the case with electrical wiring and mounting of LED strips. Before proceeding with your installation we suggest you consider THESE OTHER ITEMS.
THE KELVIN SCALE
NOTE ON EXTENDED USE
The LEDs used in this product are very bright; the brightest 12vdc LED lights available. They're designed to be used for accent lighting applications where they are typically powered on for a few hours (usually on a dimmed setting) and then powered off. While they can be used in functional lighting applications (e.g. bright white to temporarily illuminate a work area), the lights should NOT be left powered on for extended periods of time (e.g. 6+ hours). If the LEDs are left powered on for long periods of time - particularly on their brightest setting - the LEDs closest to the power source will have a burned look to them over time. This is because the amount of voltage being pulled through the LEDs closest to the power source will be higher than the voltage going through the LEDs further down the strip. The end result is that those LEDs closest to the power source will be hotter thus creating the burned look. This will occur mostly when displaying the color white on a full brightness setting but can also occur with other colors. For this reason, we do NOT suggest leaving these LED lights powered up for extended periods of time particularly on their brightest setting. Burned looking LEDs is NOT covered under warranty.
WARRANTY INFORMATION
Boogey Lights® Low Profile Hi-Intensity Surface Mounted LED light strips are used in a number of Boogey Lights products for a variety of vehicle applications (including this product). Where and how these light strips are installed make all the difference in their durability and thus, our warranty. For this reason the duration of the Boogey Lights Low Profile Hi-Intensity LED Light Strips original owner warranty varies based on the vehicle application, use and installation types.
- Recreational Applications: RVs, Motorcycles, Golf Carts: 3 years
- Cars/Pickup Trucks/Off-Road: 1 year
- Marine / Fresh Water: 3 years
- Marine / Salt Water: 90 days
- Food/Cargo Truck/Trailer, Other Light Duty Commercial Use / Installation done by Boogey Lights technicians in Florence, KY: 3 years
- Food/Cargo Truck/Trailer, Other Light Duty Commercial Use / All other installation types: 1 year
- Heavy Duty Truck and/or Trailer Commercial Use / Installation by Boogey Lights technicians in Florence, KY: 1 year
- Heavy Duty Truck and/or Trailer Commercial Use / All other installation types: 90 days
Note on Commercial Applications: These low-profile surface mounted LED strips are not built to withstand significant flexing or lateral movement of the surface the strip is mounted to. Some examples include on semi-truck trailers as well as tow trucks where there is significant movement, bending or flexing of the surface to which the strip is mounted. Also, the strip can not mounted in such a way as they span multiple mounting surfaces. Mounting them this way will virtually guarantee the strip will fail sooner rather than later. These strips must be mounted to one single continuous smooth, clean, flat surface and in an area that is protected from corrosive chemicals. Commercial vehicles that frequently travel roads treated with corrosive chemicals often used for melting snow and ice can impact the durability of these LED strips if the strips are mounted in an area that is exposed to these chemicals. Hi-Intensity Strips that fail in these operating environments ARE NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. For these types of operating environments we strongly recommend (and warranty) our HEAVY DUTY LED strips.
View the complete limited product Warranty Terms & Conditions here
Installation Tips
There is no set installation configuration. Whether you have a motor home, bus, 5th wheel, tag-along travel trailer, utility trailer, food truck or semi-truck the configuration concepts are pretty much the same. Your rig and your imagination are the only limits. It is important however to identify where you're going to mount the LED strips as well as where the LED controller will be located. Here are some installation ideas to consider which have worked well for other customers. You may want to check out our section of HOW-TO VIDEOS which many customers find helpful with deciding how they want to install their Under-Glow lights.
Some things to keep in mind when deciding how many and what type of LED strips to purchase:
- Our Hi-Intensity LED strips can be cut every 3 LEDs to accommodate shorter runs. If you cut the strip, make sure you cut where indicated and seal the end with heat shrink or similiar substance. Important moisture not get into the strip.
- The maximum length of one Hi-Intensity strip is 16'. Multiple 16' strips CAN NOT be daisy chained together. If you want to do a run longer than 16', you can butt two strips together to get the desired length. That said, we've rarely seen an installation that required doing this for a lack of light. Boogey Lights® LEDs are so bright that one 16' strip should provide more light than you'll need. Simply centering one 16' strip will in most cases be sufficient.
- The maximum number of 16' LED strips that can be powered at one time depends on which controller you're using. Our Single Zone Heavy Duty controller will power at least six 16' LED strips. You might be able to get 7 depending upon your wiring. That said, it's possible to add additional controllers and manage those controllers with one RF remote. Lots of possibilities. The limitation ultimately comes down to your power source.
- Be mindful of where your power source is located as well as where you will be mounting the controller. The power lead for each Hi-Intensity strip needs to connect directly to the controller at your power source. Knowing where your controller will be mounted in relation to where the LED strip will be placed will determine how much power lead cable is needed on each LED strip.
- We include a couple of images (see below and the carousel of images of the product iself) of examples of wiring diagrams for both a single zone and dual zone controller installation to give you an idea of how the LED strips, LED controller, Power leads and Feeder cable connect to each other.
Before You Start
Installing the Boogey Lights® LED UNDER-GLOW trailer kit is relatively simple. Installation time for a full perimeter under-glow system is typically 6 to 10 hours depending upon complexity of your configuration. Some things to keep in mind before you start.
- The Under-Glow trailer kit is intended to be installed on the bottom of an RV, camper or trailer. Make sure you have adequate area where to affix the LED light strips. You'll need to make sure you have sufficient surface area to attach the LED strips. In addition, the area where you are attaching the LEDs needs to be reasonably clean and smooth (and free from sharp edges). If not, the LED strips won't stick. The LED strip MUST be mounted flat against a single contiguous mounting surface, in a straight line. Really important the entire strip be stuck to the mounting surface and that you NOT attempt to span across mounting surfaces. If you do, the strip will almost certainly fail in the spot that isn't affixed firmly to the mounting surface (or, the point at which is spans across the two mounting surfaces). If you don't have a smooth, flat, contiguous mounting surface we recommend screwing 1.5" wide aluminum flat stock to the surface and then mount the LED strip to that flat stock. This aluminum flat stock can be purchased at just about any home improvement store or, we offer it for sale online too. Also, do not attempt to mount the strip to follow a radius. The LED strip has to be mounted in a straight line and flat. Failing to follow these mounting instructions will almost certainly result in a damaged LED strip which is not covered under warranty.
- Think about where you're going to be mounting your LED CONTROLLER. If that location is in an enclosed metal storage box or is surrounded mostly by metal, you're likely going to want to purchase the LONG RANGE REMOTE and an LED CONTROLLER that has the Extended Antenna option. Our LED Controllers work on radio frequencies. Radio frequencies don't go very far when they are enclosed in metal. We strongly suggest testing the effective range of your RF remote/LED controller BEFORE permanently mounting it. If you're not getting the range you'd like, either relocate the LED Controller or purchase the Long Range Remotes and/or Extended Antenna.
- Make sure you know where your electrical connection will be. Most trailers (motor home, travel trailer or fifth wheel) have an electrical access panel somewhere on the trailer where 12vdc power is available. We prefer to make all of the electrical connections where the house batteries are located. This isn't a requirement but generally works best as you can tap directly into 12vdc power directly from the battery bank. If you are going to use 110vac, make sure you have ample room to mount/affix the power converter box. The 110vac to 12vdc power converters we sell for this kit are 10amps. If you are going to max out the heavy duty controller with LED light strips you'll need to run TWO power converters in parallel (for a total of 20amps). If you have questions on this, please call us. We'll be happy to assist you!
- Decide how you are going to connect the power lead coming from your LED light strips to the power source. Most trailers have access into the electrical closet from underneath the trailer itself. If so, this is the perfect place to run your power cables. Important to remember that the remote control units are not water proof so you want to mount the contoler box in an area that will remain dry.
- The only way to ensure the LED light strip stays stuck to trailer, camper or trailer is to make sure you prepare the surface in accordance with the directions. Every LED light kit we sell includes 3M adhesion promoter (aka "primer"). It's absolutely critical the surface be prepared using this special 3M promoter and that you follow the directions provided with every light kit. For the power lead wires that feed the LED strip we include some extra 3M tape and zip tie mounts.
- If you need to cut the LED strip, make sure you do it before affixing to your trailer. Our LED strips can be cut every 3 LEDs and are clearly marked.
- AMPERAGE Data for all Boogey Lights products can be found on our website.
- 3M Adhesion Primer. If you're using the 3M promoter tubes (vs bottles), the cotton tip on the end of the 3M Promoter tube will evaporate quickly. Once you break the glass tube inside the promoter tube it’s important to use the promoter tube immediately. Do not allow it to sit around. If you do, the cotton applicator tip will dry up. Once you paint on the promoter you have at least an hour to mount the light strip although we recommend proceeding immediately after painting the surface with the 3M Promoter.
- When in doubt, call our technical support team! We're the experts. We've done this many times. We know what works.
Wiring the Optional Tail / Turn / Brake Lights
Each single Boogey Lights LED contains THREE DIODES, all of which are RED. The number of LEDs on the LED strip varies based on the length of the LED strip. The longer the LED strip, the more LEDs on that strip. Each LED strip has 4 conductors: One 12vdc negative (the black wire which is the ground) and then three 12vdc positive wires (color coded red, green and blue). Each of those three positive wires connects to one of the diodes in each LED. This gives you three different LED Diodes you can control making it ideal for Tail, Turn, Brake light integration. Simply wire the Boogey Lights LED strip to your existing tail light housing as follows:
- Existing Ground -> Black wire ground on Boogey Lights LED Strip
- Existing Tail Light 12vdc+ -> Red wire on Boogey Lights LED Strip
- Existing Turn Light 12vdc+ -> Green wire on Boogey Lights LED Strip
- Existing Brake Light 12vdc+ -> Blue wire on Boogey Lights LED Strip
Depending on your trailer's tail light wiring, you may not have these same three 12vdc positive wires. In some trailers, the brake and the turn signal share the same circuit. In that case you would wire both the Green and Blue 12vdc+ wires on the Boogey Lights LED strip to the existing turn/brake light circuit on each side of the trailer. Note that some trial and error may be required to identify which wires on the existing light housing operate each of these light functions. Have a 12vdc multi-meter handy can be helpful in these cases.
In the event your tow vehicle lighting control module (LCM) is throwing an error and/or the LEDs aren't working correctly (assuming they're wired properly), it's due to the increase in amperage you've added to the lighting circuit. The LCM sees the amperage increase as a potential electrical problem and shuts down the circuit (and/or throws an error code). The simple solution is to install relays. A relay will only draw milliamps which won't cause the LCM to error out. This issue is more likely to occur with pickup truck tow vehicles than it is with motor homes but can happen on both. Most any 10+ amp automotive relay found at any auto parts store will work. We offer a 30 amp heavy duty automotive relay for sale on our website. We use these relays for all of our heavy duty semi-truck tail-turn-brake lighting installations. We also offer this water proof junction box which will house 3 relays.
Here are two relay wiring diagrams for the two possible lighting circuit configurations:
WIRING EXAMPLE: Single Zone LED Controller
WIRING EXAMPLE: Dual Zone LED Controller. NOTE: While this diagram is for a motorhome dual zone install, the concepts are the same in terms of wiring a dual zone controller on a fifth wheel trailer.