Best way to wire canopy lights?

Jackrabbit · Dec 20, 2008

Anyone found a foolproof way to wire connection for a canopy that is intermittently removed? Any good ideas that would stand up to corrosive Washington State weather? Also any vendors you might know of for good canopy interior lights?

Thanks in advance.

grey ghost · Dec 20, 2008

i would recomend a 4 prong trailer plug.

wire a would be for the hot side for the 3rd brake light.
wire b would be power for the interior light.
wire c for a decent ground.

then atach wire b and d together and fuse it for a possible sig lighter plug on the cap to recharge your cell or spotlight etc..

run the wire inside the truck box behind the turn signal light and attach it under the bed lip then the other half can be atached to your cap just unplug and remove cap.. :icon_thumby:

Jackrabbit · Dec 21, 2008

Thanks. That really started the old brain gears a-grindin'. Especially since a lot of trailer plugs now come with waterproof covers for when they're not attached. I will have to work it when I can dig my truck out of the foot-and-a-half of snow we just got.

Sasquatch_Ryda · Dec 22, 2008

Yea thats about the best way to do them, thats the way I do them all at work.

racsan · Dec 27, 2008

i did a simialr thing with my gen 1 truck ,used a 2 contact plug. my current truck i havent put a interioir light in yet, took off the 3rd brake light after hitting my head on it so many times.

fx2prerunner · Dec 28, 2008

I install about a dozen canopies a week at my work, we use a 3 prong plug

wire 1 - ground
wire 2 - we run to trucks park lights and to the canopy dome light ( so you dont forget to turn off the dome light and wear down the battery)

wire 3 - on a ranger has to go right to the brake switch, there is no chmsl wire in the truck like most trucks have.

any retail store that install's canopies should have wire harness's, 3rd brake lights, dome lights, light duty topper tape, and cap clamps. A few companies to check out would be API, ARE, Raider, Century, Action truck caps, leer ...

API is more into lights clamps and wireing, hope this helps

Sasquatch_Ryda · Dec 28, 2008

fx2prerunner said:
I install about a dozen canopies a week at my work, we use a 3 prong plug

wire 1 - ground
wire 2 - we run to trucks park lights and to the canopy dome light ( so you dont forget to turn off the dome light and wear down the battery)

wire 3 - on a ranger has to go right to the brake switch, there is no chmsl wire in the truck like most trucks have.

Yea I use the park light circuit when I do them at work also, its amazing how many people complain about having to turn on the park lights to use the dome light in the canopy. I guess they'd rather have dead batteries.

I know on the 98+ trucks there is a dead ended wire underneath the CJB (central junction box) under the hood. If you remove the box, there will be a green wire with the end shrink tubed. It's power right from the brake switch.

If you wire the brake lamp of the canopy into the brake light itself, it will blink when you have the signal on.

Jackrabbit · Dec 28, 2008

Sasquatch_Ryda said:
If you wire the brake lamp of the canopy into the brake light itself, it will blink when you have the signal on.

Yea, that would look pretty fracked-up. LOL.

fx2prerunner · Dec 29, 2008

Sasquatch_Ryda said:
Yea I use the park light circuit when I do them at work also, its amazing how many people complain about having to turn on the park lights to use the dome light in the canopy. I guess they'd rather have dead batteries.

yeah I get that complaint alot too, if you use a pin switch and bracket from a remote starter hood pin switch you can hook up a door activated dome light in your canopy but it can be problematic.

Im not sure what years, but in some mazdas the rear signal and brake light are seperate in the taillight, if this is the case you can get all your wires in the taillight and not have to run the wire to the front of the truck.

I didnt know there was a wire under the hood on rangers, thanks for the tip I will be looking for it on the next one I install.

mattging94 · Nov 27, 2015

I know this is an old thread but what I'm doing fits right in with it

Sasquatch_Ryda said:
I know on the 98+ trucks there is a dead ended wire underneath the CJB (central junction box) under the hood. If you remove the box, there will be a green wire with the end shrink tubed. It's power right from the brake switch.

I've been looking for this wire on my 03 for hours and can not find it! Think they forgot to put it on my truck or something? Any pics of one so I know exactly where I should be looking for this wire?

My truck had been wired for a canopy by a previous owner but they did it wrong and wired the 3rd brake into the left brake/turn. But what's really weird is he used an inline 10 amp fuse between the left brake light and the canopy light - that shouldn't be necessary right? The canopy light is LED and shouldn't draw hardly anything

Sasquatch_Ryda · Nov 28, 2015

It should be harness taped to the large harness under the battery Junction box. As for the fuse you do not need to fuse it if it is from a fused source already

racsan · Nov 28, 2015

On the '92 i just got, they had sourced power and ground from the left side taillight assy. Theres a connecting plug that can easily be pulled apart if the cap is removed.

Best way to wire canopy lights?

New Member

New Member

New Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

New Member

Well-Known Member

New Member

New Member

New Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad

Member & Vendor Upgrades

Truck of The Month

Recently Featured

Follow TRS On Instagram

TRS Events

25th Anniversary Sponsors

Check Out The TRS Store

Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad

Amazon Deals