How to Wire Camper Shell Brake Lights

How to Wire Camper Shell Brake Lights

camping image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com

A camper shell can convert your truck from an open-air bed to an enclosed, lockable space, much more realistic for long camping trips where you'll need to stow your gear during the day when you're away from your campsite. To stay safe while driving, you'll need to wire your camper shell brake light to your truck. Full-size Ford trucks made after 1997 come equipped with an extra wire just for this purpose.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:
  • Safety glasses
  • Positive wire
  • Negative wire
  • Wire stripping tool
  • Soldering iron
  • Electronic solder
  • Heat-shrink tubing
  • 8-mm socket and ratchet
  • Plastic zip-ties
  • Electrical tape
Step 1
Run a positive and a negative wire from the camper's brake light to the drivers side of the truck tailgate.
Step 2
Find the green wire underneath the truck frame. Trace it from the driver's side taillight all the way outside the truck until it goes beneath the taillight into a plug. Unplug the green wire and strip half an inch off the end.
Step 3
Build a work-around wiring harness that will allow for two conductors, one for the truck taillights and one for your camper taillight. Solder the new connections, sealing them with heat shrink tubing. Take out the taillight using 8-mm bolts.
Step 4
Drop the new connector wire into the hole, and attach it with a plastic zip-tie. Reinstall the taillight.
Step 5
Strip half an inch off the end of the wire you plan to attach to the green truck brake wire. Attach the wires by twisting them together. Seal the wires with heat shrink tubing, solder them and wrap them with electrical tape. Ground the wires on the truck chassis under the bumper with solder.

Tips & Warnings

 
Make sure that the wiring does not hang too low or it can get caught and break loose.
 
Wear safety goggles to ensure that debris from the truck does not get into your eyes.

Article Written By Elizabeth Grace

Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Elizabeth Grace is a freelance writer. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in public relations from Pepperdine University, and has 15 years of experience developing marketing campaigns for universities and multinational corporations.

Write for Trails.com
  • Editor's Pick

    5 Top North American Wildflower Hikes

    5 Top North American Wildflower Hikes

    Springtime brings a sense of new beginnings and new life as flowers begin to bloom and fill the air with their sweet and pleasant fragrance. Luckily we can see wildflowers all summer long, since spring hits at different times throughout North America. See flowering cactu...

    More National Parks...
  • Popular Article

    National Park Substitutes: Great Spots Without the Crowds

    National Park Substitutes: Great Spots Without the Crowds

    Coping with crowds at national parks can get tiresome, especially during the peak tourist season. If you want to escape from the herd, or just take a breather from the bustle of bigger attractions, the United States has plenty of less-visited but still worthwhile spots t...

    More National Parks...
  • Featured Destination

    Prevent Yourself from Getting Lost While Hiking

    Prevent Yourself from Getting Lost While Hiking

    When you're hiking you're going to want to make sure you stay found. What I mean by that is that you've put an itinerary in the car, you know the area that you're hiking to, you know the route and the trail you plan on being on, you know what the trail markers are going ...

    More Camping Basics...

Hotel Finder

Destination
Check-in
Check-out
Adults (18+ yrs)
Children (2-17 yrs)
Get Rates and Availability

Outdoor Gear & Equipment

ALL NEW Trails Gear Store powered by:

Trail Finder

US Map

Search by Keyword