Best ways to upgrade your 2019 ram 1500 bed lights
If you've ever had to search for a little tool or the loose bolt within the back of your truck at night, you understand the stock 2019 ram 1500 bed lights can sometimes leave a bit to end up being desired. While the 2019 redesign brought a lot of fancy tech and a much nicer interior to the Ram lineup, the freight area lighting didn't always get the memo, especially for the reduce trim levels. Actually if you possess the factory LEDs installed, they tend to sit saved within the corners, which is fine until you load up some equipment that completely blocks the light source.
Upgrading these lights isn't just about making the pickup truck look cool with a tailgate—though it will be does that as well. It's really about functionality. Whether you're a contractor finishing up a career right after sunset or a camper trying to setup gear in the middle of no place, having a well-lit bed makes living significantly easier. Let's dive into what makes these lights tick and exactly how a person can make yours much better.
Precisely why the factory setup often falls brief
The 2019 Ram 1500 has been a slight bridge yr. It was the release of the "DT" era (the new entire body style), but these people were still marketing the "DS" (the Classic) alongside it. If you possess the brand new body design, you likely possess the small DIRECTED pods near the tailgate. They're decent for seeing what's best in front of you, however they don't do a great job of illuminating front side of the bed close to the cab.
The main concern is the placement. Since they are situated low and toward the rear, mainly because soon as a person put a tool kit or a few storage bins in generally there, you've basically made a wall associated with shadows. Another common complaint I listen to from owners would be that the factory lights don't stay on longer enough, or they only trigger along with the interior dome lights. If you're working out of the back of the truck to have an hour, you don't want to maintain walking back in order to the cab in order to hit a key or cycle the doors.
Choosing between LED strips and pod lights
When you begin looking at aftermarket replacement options for your 2019 ram 1500 bed lights , you'll generally see 2 main styles: versatile LED strips and individual light pods. Both have their benefits and cons, and lots of it comes straight down to how you in fact use your vehicle.
DIRECTED strips are probably the most popular choice these days. A person can run all of them all the method throughout the underside associated with the bed side rails. Because the light is distributed over a long distance, it fills the whole bed much more equally than a single bulb would. It gets rid of those annoying shadows. Most of these kits come along with an adhesive support, but a quick tip: don't have faith in the cheap video tape that comes on them. Purchase a roll of high-quality 3M VHB tape when you want them to stay put during a hot summer or a freezing winter.
Pod lights , on the other hand, are usually brighter within specific spots. In the event that you do a lot of weighty hauling and you're worried about trimming a flexible strip, pods are generally a bit even more rugged. They're surrounded in hard plastic or metal plus can take a little bit more of a new beating. However, you'll need more cabling for connecting multiple pods together, which may make the installation a little more tedious.
Working with the wires and the MAY bus system
The 2019 Ram 1500 is a smart truck—sometimes a little too smart for the own good. This uses a CAN bus system that will monitors the voltage and resistance of just about each bulb on the particular vehicle. In case you simply tap into the random wire in order to power your fresh bed lights, there's a chance the truck's computer will believe there's a brief or an unexpected draw and throw a code or shut down that routine.
To avoid this, a great deal of guys choose to run a dedicated power wire straight from the electric battery (with an inline fuse, of course). This keeps the particular bed light routine completely separate from the truck's sensitive electronics. If a person want the lights to turn on automatically when a person open the tail gate, you can use a magnet reed switch. It's an easy little gadget where one piece goes on the tail gate and the other upon the truck entire body; when they proceed apart, the lights kick on. Seems very high-end and saves you from having to fumble regarding a toggle switch in the black.
If a person do need to tap in to the factory wires, the safest wager is normally the movie trailer wiring harness or the existing freight light circuit, yet you really have got to be careful along with the load you're adding. LEDs attract very little power, so you can usually get away with it, but it's always much better to play this safe with a relay.
Weatherproofing is everything
Your truck bed is an outdoor atmosphere. Even if you have the tonneau cover, dampness, dust, and grime are going to find their way in there. When shopping for 2019 ram 1500 bed lights , pay shut attention to the IP rating. You need something that is at least IP67 rated. This implies it's dust-tight and may deal with being sprayed with a hose or getting caught within a downpour.
I've seen plenty associated with cheap light products from big-box suppliers that look excellent for about a month. Then, a little bit of bit of salt from the street gets in generally there, or the dampness causes the inner connections to rust, and suddenly you have a flickering strobe light inside your bed. Spending an extra twenty or thirty bucks on a kit with solid weatherproofing and waterproof connectors will save you the headache of ripping it all out and carrying it out again in six months.
Making the installation look clear
There will be nothing worse compared to a beautiful vehicle with messy cables zip-tied all more than the place. In case you're adding lights to your 2019 Ram, take the time to conceal the wiring. The particular Ram's bed style actually has several great areas below the bed rails where you can tuck wires away of sight.
Using split-loom tubes is an excellent way to protect the cables and make them look like these people originated from the manufacturing plant. In case you run your own wires along the particular frame rail upward to the motor bay, make sure to stay away from the exhaust components and shifting parts such as the driveshaft. It sounds like common sense, but you'd be amazed how many people forget that things get hot and shift around under generally there.
The "Cool Factor" and useful uses
Further than just seeing your groceries, upgraded 2019 ram 1500 bed lights open up up some fun possibilities. Some men go with RGB kits that enable them to alter the color of the particular lights using the phone app. Whilst neon green bed lights might not be everyone's cup of green tea, being able to dim the lights or switch all of them to a soft ruby can be really nice when you're going out at a campsite and don't want to be blinded.
For all those who use their particular Ram like a mobile workshop, these lights are a sport changer. If you have the RamBox cargo management program, you already have a few lighting, but incorporating extra strips can help illuminate the center of the bed that the RamBoxes sometimes obstruct. It turns the back of your vehicle into an usable workspace at any hour of the day.
Final thoughts for the upgrade
All in all, upgrading your 2019 ram 1500 bed lights is one of the most cost-effective mods you can do. It's task management that most people may finish in a good afternoon with basic tools. You don't have to be an expert mechanic to shape out how in order to stick a few LED strips under the rails plus run a few of wires.
The is night time and day—literally. As soon as you have a completely illuminated bed, you'll wonder how you ever managed without it. No more holding a torch between your teeth while trying to tie down the motorcycle or making use of your phone's display to see in case you left your coat in the back again. It's just one of those basic improvements that makes an already excellent truck even much better. Just remember to take your time with the wiring, make use of good tape, and choose a kit that can deal with the weather. Your shins (and your sanity) will be glad the next time you're loading gear in the dark.