Ground for Bed Lights

[Quint]

I've read a bunch of bed light threads, and watched many of the videos. Most show how they either tie into the OEM bedlight wiring or, if they get power from the 7-pin connector, they just show the location where they physically ground the circuit. My question is where in the circuit to run the ground.

My plan:
- Take power from the red constant power in the 7-pin trailer harness
- Install a 5amp inline fuse then run up to one of the wires on my light button
- Run power out of the 2nd wire in the button to a pig tail, which splits to run power to the strips on both sides of my truck bed
- The LED strips have two wires. One will take the 12v power from the pig tail, and the other is my question.

I am assuming that I run that second wire from the LED strips and ground it to the frame. Is that the correct way to do it in a 12v system? (I find wiring in a house to be so much more straight forward!)

 

[sandman98]

yes. you can run a ground wire anywhere from the frame. either use a self tapping screw and drill directly into the frame or find another bolt nearby. i used one of the bolts that secures the spare tire shield near the rear of the truck as a matter of convenience, since i was already running a wire to the rear harness anyway to tap into the CHMSL pigtail wire for my cap.

you should be able to splice the black wires together and run single ground to the frame if that's more convenient. you don't necessarily need a separate ground terminal for each of the lights.