Best ways to upgrade your 2019 ram 1500 bed lights
If you've ever had to quest for a little tool or a loose bolt within the back associated with your truck in night, you understand that the stock 2019 ram 1500 bed lights may sometimes leave the bit to be desired. While the particular 2019 redesign introduced a lot associated with fancy tech and a much nicer interior towards the Ram lineup, the shipment area lighting didn't always obtain the memo, especially around the decrease trim levels. Even if you have got the factory LEDs installed, they tend in order to sit saved within the corners, that is fine until a person kit some gear that completely prevents the sunshine source.
Upgrading these lights isn't just regarding making the pickup truck look cool from a tailgate—though it definitely does that as well. It's really regarding functionality. Whether you're a contractor finishing up a career right after sunset or even a van trying to set up gear in the particular middle of nowhere, having a well-lit bed makes life significantly easier. Let's dive into what makes these lights tick and how a person can make yours far better.
The reason why the factory setup often falls brief
The 2019 Ram 1500 was a slight bridge 12 months. It had been the start from the "DT" era (the new entire body style), but they will were still promoting the "DS" (the Classic) alongside this. If you have the brand new body style, you likely have got the small LED pods near the tailgate. They're decent for seeing what's right 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 may be the placement. Due to the fact they are located low and toward the rear, as soon as a person put a toolbox or a few storage bins in generally there, you've basically produced a wall associated with shadows. Another typical complaint I listen to from owners would be that the factory lights don't stay on longer enough, or they will 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 keep walking back to the cab to hit a button or cycle opportunities.
Choosing among LED strips plus pod lights
When you begin looking at automotive aftermarket options for your 2019 ram 1500 bed lights , you'll generally see two main styles: flexible LED strips plus individual light pods. Have their advantages and cons, and lots of it comes lower to the way you in fact use your pickup truck.
DIRECTED strips are probably the particular most popular option these days. You can run all of them all the method over the underside of the bed rails. Because the light is distributed more than a long distance, this fills the whole bed much more evenly than a single bulb would. This gets rid associated with those annoying shadows. Most of these types of kits come with an adhesive backing, but a quick tip: don't have confidence in the cheap tape that comes upon them. Buy a move of high-quality 3M VHB tape in case you want all of them to stay place during a sizzling summer or a freezing winter.
Pod lights , on the other hand, are usually brighter in specific spots. In the event that you do the lot of heavy hauling and you're worried about tearing a flexible remove, pods are generally a bit even more rugged. They're surrounded in hard plastic material or metal and can take a bit more of a new beating. However, you'll need more cabling to connect multiple pods together, which can make the set up a little even more tedious.
Working with the wiring and the CAN bus system
The 2019 Ram 1500 is a smart truck—sometimes a little too smart for the own good. It uses a CAN bus system that will monitors the volts and resistance associated with just about each bulb on the vehicle. In case you simply tap into the random wire to power your brand-new bed lights, there's an opportunity the truck's computer will believe there's a short or an unexpected draw and throw the code or shut down that circuit.
To avoid this, a great deal of guys prefer to run a dedicated power wire directly from the battery power (with an inline fuse, of course). This keeps the particular bed light signal completely separate from the truck's delicate electronics. If a person want the lights to turn upon automatically when a person open the tail gate, you can use a magnet reed switch. It's a simple little device where one piece continues on the tail gate as well as the other upon the truck entire body; when they move apart, the lights kick on. It feels very high-end and saves you from having to fumble regarding a toggle change in the black.
If a person do would like to tap directly into the factory wiring, the safest bet is generally the trailer wiring harness or even the existing freight light circuit, but you really possess to be cautious along with the load you're adding. LEDs draw very little strength, so you can usually obtain away by it, but it's always much better to play it safe with a relay.
Weatherproofing is everything
Your truck bed is an outdoor environment. Even though you have the tonneau cover, wetness, dust, and muck are going in order to find their method in there. When shopping for 2019 ram 1500 bed lights , pay close attention to the particular IP rating. You need something that will be at least IP67 rated. This implies it's dust-tight and may handle being sprayed with a hose or getting caught inside a downpour.
I've seen plenty associated with cheap light sets from big-box retailers that look excellent for about a month. Then, a very little bit of sodium from the street gets in right now there, or the humidity causes the internal connections to corrode, and suddenly a person have a flickering strobe light within your bed. Spending an extra twenty or thirty bucks on a kit with solid weatherproofing and waterproof connectors will save you the head ache of ripping everything out and doing the work again in six months.
Making the installation look clear
There will be nothing worse compared to a beautiful vehicle with messy wires zip-tied all more than the place. In the event that you're adding lights to your 2019 Ram, take the particular time to conceal the wiring. The Ram's bed design actually has several great nooks and crannies under the bed rails where you may tuck wires out there of sight.
Using split-loom tubes is a superb way to protect the wires and make all of them look like they originated from the manufacturer. If you run your wires along the particular frame rail up to the engine bay, make certain to stay apart from the exhaust components and relocating parts such as the driveshaft. It sounds such as common sense, but you'd be amazed the number of people neglect that things obtain hot and move around under presently there.
The "Cool Factor" and practical uses
Over and above just seeing your own groceries, upgraded 2019 ram 1500 bed lights open up up some fun possibilities. Some guys go with RGB kits that allow them to change the particular color of the particular lights using a phone app. Whilst neon green bed lights might not be everyone's cup of herbal tea, being able to dim the lights or switch all of them to comfortable amber can be really nice when you're hanging out at a campsite and don't want to be blinded.
For individuals who use their particular Ram like a mobile workshop, these lights are a game changer. If you have the RamBox cargo management program, you already have a few lighting, but adding extra strips can help illuminate the middle of the bed that the RamBoxes sometimes prevent. It turns the back of your pickup truck into an functional workspace at any hour of the day.
Final thoughts around the upgrade
All in all, upgrading your 2019 ram 1500 bed lights is among the most cost-effective mods you can do. It's a project that most people can finish in a good afternoon with fundamental tools. You don't need to be a grasp mechanic to number out how to stick a several LED strips under the rails plus run a few of wires.
The is night time and day—literally. Once you have a fully illuminated bed, you'll wonder how you ever managed with out it. No more holding a flashlight between your tooth while trying to tie down the motorcycle or making use of your phone's display to see if you left your jacket in the back again. It's just a single of those basic improvements that can make an already excellent truck even better. Just remember to consider your time along with the wiring, make use of good tape, and choose a kit that can handle the sun and rain. Your shins (and your sanity) will be glad the next time you're loading gear in the dark.