Tailgate light bar

[Ram Man 727]

So after beating my head against a wall for the better part of an hour I thought I would jump online here and see if anyone could assist me.

Yesterday I purchased a 60" Putco Blade with amber turn signals and the Putco adapter. Since yesterday it was raining and rather cold, I couldn't do the install so I was going to do it today. I looked at another video of a person with a 5th gen Ram and it looked rather easy. However, apparently Ram made some minor design changes and now I am baffled and may need to return the Blade and adaptor. The video I saw had a solid smooth painted finish, but mine has a plastic shroud instead of a one piece and it's fairly irregular.

Does anyone else have a Ram with the shroud like the one I am talking about and if so, were you successful in installing a Putco Blade and what techniques did you use to install it? Like I said I was beating my head against the wall and I was looking here and I saw things mentioned about spacers but it appears that is for the MFT.

The spacers are required for regular tailgates as well. I have the same light bar and adapter. it was very easy.. once you have the spacers

 

[Maxx102]

The spacers are required for regular tailgates as well. I have the same light bar and adapter. it was very easy.. once you have the spacers

Do you have any photos of how yours look? Kinda interested from the top down - through the gap point of view.

 

[Ram Man 727]

Here are a few photos - just showing 2 of 4 screws - inside spacers a little longer than outer ones

 

[Le_Slacker]

Got one of these from Home Depot. Cut to length, and notched in for the bumps and tailgate wiring. Drilled into the plastic, and nut+bolts in place
All wired into a curt harness

All easy to remove if need be.

 

[dannymcd]

I bought the OPT7 one, took one look at the install and returned it. I'm think I'm going to try again, but it looked like it was too thick and the tailgate would come down and smash it, since then a few people have mounted it successfully so maybe they're hope but with that cable and plastic under there it's not as simple as it should be.

 

[MValdez]

I bought the OPT7 one, took one look at the install and returned it. I'm think I'm going to try again, but it looked like it was too thick and the tailgate would come down and smash it, since then a few people have mounted it successfully so maybe they're hope but with that cable and plastic under there it's not as simple as it should be.

I installed the OPT7 on my truck and the tailgate does not interfere with it when deployed

 

[Maxx102]

The spacers are required for regular tailgates as well. I have the same light bar and adapter. it was very easy.. once you have the spacers

So after much reading and a little bit of praying, I was able to install the Putco Blade. I used two 1/2" spacers in the middle and two 1/4" spacers on the end and it lined up well with plastic lip. They are down far enough to where they don't interfere with the tailgate.

Here is a list of items I used.
4 - 1" #10-24 Stainless Steel Flathead Philips Machine screws (would have preferred Hex screws but they weren't available.
2 - 1/2" Spacers - Aluminum
2 - 1/4" Spacers - Aluminum
8 - #10 Stainless steel washers
4 - #10-24 lock nuts (nuts with the nylon in them).

The Assembly was as follows.
Screw, bracket, spacer, washer, Plastic part on truck, washer, lock nut. I made up a basic drawing to refer to.


Only thing I would recommend is lowering the spare tire (if you have one) as that is in the way a lot. I used a 48" long aluminum ruler to help measure to ensure accuracy. The washers are basically there to provide some extra support for the spacers and bolts and provides a little more support. Be very careful where you drill and you aren't drilling into metal.

 

[Knight.]

So after much reading and a little bit of praying, I was able to install the Putco Blade. I used two 1/2" spacers in the middle and two 1/4" spacers on the end and it lined up well with plastic lip. They are down far enough to where they don't interfere with the tailgate.

Here is a list of items I used.
4 - 1" #10-24 Stainless Steel Flathead Philips Machine screws (would have preferred Hex screws but they weren't available.
2 - 1/2" Spacers - Aluminum
2 - 1/4" Spacers - Aluminum
8 - #10 Stainless steel washers
4 - #10-24 lock nuts (nuts with the nylon in them).

The Assembly was as follows.
Screw, bracket, spacer, washer, Plastic part on truck, washer, lock nut. I made up a basic drawing to refer to.


Only thing I would recommend is lowering the spare tire (if you have one) as that is in the way a lot. I used a 48" long aluminum ruler to help measure to ensure accuracy. The washers are basically there to provide some extra support for the spacers and bolts and provides a little more support. Be very careful where you drill and you aren't drilling into metal.


View attachment 104920

Does the light bar feel loose from only mounting to the plastic?? I thought the screw was suppose to go into the metal.

 

[Maxx102]

Does the light bar feel loose from only mounting to the plastic?? I thought the screw was suppose to go into the metal.

Short answer, is no it doesn't feel loose. That is why I added the extra washers to "sandwich" the molded plastic between...gives it a more support than just the screw, spacer, and nut. Also the center section of the molded plastic I believe it is held on with those plastic "rivets" that typically holds on to trim pieces. I couldn't that section at all.

 

[Knight.]

Short answer, is no it doesn't feel loose. That is why I added the extra washers to "sandwich" the molded plastic between...gives it a more support than just the screw, spacer, and nut. Also the center section of the molded plastic I believe it is held on with those plastic "rivets" that typically holds on to trim pieces. I couldn't that section at all.

okay thanks, I’m going to try it your way. Already bought the hardware just need to find some time to install it lol.

 

[FirstRam2020]

So after beating my head against a wall for the better part of an hour I thought I would jump online here and see if anyone could assist me.

Yesterday I purchased a 60" Putco Blade with amber turn signals and the Putco adapter. Since yesterday it was raining and rather cold, I couldn't do the install so I was going to do it today. I looked at another video of a person with a 5th gen Ram and it looked rather easy. However, apparently Ram made some minor design changes and now I am baffled and may need to return the Blade and adaptor. The video I saw had a solid smooth painted finish, but mine has a plastic shroud instead of a one piece and it's fairly irregular.

Does anyone else have a Ram with the shroud like the one I am talking about and if so, were you successful in installing a Putco Blade and what techniques did you use to install it? Like I said I was beating my head against the wall and I was looking here and I saw things mentioned about spacers but it appears that is for the MFT.

Maxx102,

Just curious, did you tell Putco you had the multi-function tailgate? When I called them a couple weeks ago and told them the truck/tailgate I had, they said they have different spacers/brackets for their light to make it clear those raised areas. No drilling required.

Also, any key reasons you went with Putco vs OPT7? I'm debating between the two and am stuck trying to make a decision. Price point is better for the OPT7 for sure, but the Putco isn't too expensive. Especially if it's a quality product that will last for years and performance is good.

Thanks.

 

[Maxx102]

Maxx102,

Just curious, did you tell Putco you had the multi-function tailgate? When I called them a couple weeks ago and told them the truck/tailgate I had, they said they have different spacers/brackets for their light to make it clear those raised areas. No drilling required.

Also, any key reasons you went with Putco vs OPT7? I'm debating between the two and am stuck trying to make a decision. Price point is better for the OPT7 for sure, but the Putco isn't too expensive. Especially if it's a quality product that will last for years and performance is good.

Thanks.

So good questions - first I don't have a MFT, traditional tailgate only. When I purchased the truck I wasn't sure if I wanted that type of tailgate....even if I bought one now I think I would still be on the fence. However, I definitely would add the bed utility group...that would have saved me with some yard work this summer.

As for the Putco vs OPT7 - I reached out to OPT7 because of their three row light and asked about it. Turned out I would have to splice into the factory wiring with a wire tap for reverse to work. I did not want to do that and only wanted plug and play. OPT7 did tell me they were working on a harness that wouldn't require a splice, but no ETA as of yet. I know that OPT7 has some nice stuff and there are a lot of people on here who like them, but I have had Putco products before on my other trucks and have always been happy with them so there is a customer loyalty type thing there too.

In addition to that, there is a small chain of stores in my region that specialize in aftermarket accessories for trucks and SUV's. Their motto is "everything but the truck". They are a Putco dealer with in-store working displays of Putco (and others) products. I can actually see the product first hand and decide whether or not to purchase it. I've purchased other products for my Ram and previous trucks from this chain of stores I am referring to and they have always made sure that I have been satisfied with my purchase and if not, they fix it. Again that customer loyalty.

 

[Dogpatch]

So good questions - first I don't have a MFT, traditional tailgate only. When I purchased the truck I wasn't sure if I wanted that type of tailgate....even if I bought one now I think I would still be on the fence. However, I definitely would add the bed utility group...that would have saved me with some yard work this summer.

As for the Putco vs OPT7 - I reached out to OPT7 because of their three row light and asked about it. Turned out I would have to splice into the factory wiring with a wire tap for reverse to work. I did not want to do that and only wanted plug and play. OPT7 did tell me they were working on a harness that wouldn't require a splice, but no ETA as of yet. I know that OPT7 has some nice stuff and there are a lot of people on here who like them, but I have had Putco products before on my other trucks and have always been happy with them so there is a customer loyalty type thing there too.

In addition to that, there is a small chain of stores in my region that specialize in aftermarket accessories for trucks and SUV's. Their motto is "everything but the truck". They are a Putco dealer with in-store working displays of Putco (and others) products. I can actually see the product first hand and decide whether or not to purchase it. I've purchased other products for my Ram and previous trucks from this chain of stores I am referring to and they have always made sure that I have been satisfied with my purchase and if not, they fix it. Again that customer loyalty.

The Curt 56584 Cable does the splice for you in line of the 7 pin harness behind the bumper and splits off a 5 pin connector. The 5th pin on the connector is connected to the reverse wire. All you have to do is put the proper connector on the reverse wire on the OPT7 light bar and it should be plug and play.

 

[dts828]

The Curt 56584 Cable does the splice for you in line of the 7 pin harness behind the bumper and splits off a 5 pin connector. The 5th pin on the connector is connected to the reverse wire. All you have to do is put the proper connector on the reverse wire on the OPT7 light bar and it should be plug and play.View attachment 106297

Yes the Curt Harness connects to the 7 pin behind behind the bumper. I used it with with my opt7 light bar.

Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk

 

[FirstRam2020]

So good questions - first I don't have a MFT, traditional tailgate only. When I purchased the truck I wasn't sure if I wanted that type of tailgate....even if I bought one now I think I would still be on the fence. However, I definitely would add the bed utility group...that would have saved me with some yard work this summer.

As for the Putco vs OPT7 - I reached out to OPT7 because of their three row light and asked about it. Turned out I would have to splice into the factory wiring with a wire tap for reverse to work. I did not want to do that and only wanted plug and play. OPT7 did tell me they were working on a harness that wouldn't require a splice, but no ETA as of yet. I know that OPT7 has some nice stuff and there are a lot of people on here who like them, but I have had Putco products before on my other trucks and have always been happy with them so there is a customer loyalty type thing there too.

In addition to that, there is a small chain of stores in my region that specialize in aftermarket accessories for trucks and SUV's. Their motto is "everything but the truck". They are a Putco dealer with in-store working displays of Putco (and others) products. I can actually see the product first hand and decide whether or not to purchase it. I've purchased other products for my Ram and previous trucks from this chain of stores I am referring to and they have always made sure that I have been satisfied with my purchase and if not, they fix it. Again that customer loyalty.

Maxx102,

Appreciate the feedback. As for the MFT, I honestly barely ever open the tailgate the traditional way. It's been quite handy and convenient for me, but this is my 1st truck as well. If I had trucks for some time, I'm sure my muscle memory would lead me to opening the tailgate in the top down manner vs split open.

 

[firemanjay]

How bright are the reverse leds? Since i smoked my windows i am having a hard time seeing the right side edge of my driveway, will the putco light up enough to throw light to the sides?

 

[Dogpatch]

How bright are the reverse leds? Since i smoked my windows i am having a hard time seeing the right side edge of my driveway, will the putco light up enough to throw light to the sides?

This is with the VLED 1800 Lumin license plate light bar. I’m going to add some other under bumper lighting aimed at the sides for close reverse cornering. It added a great amount of light without the tailgate light bar.

 

[MannyN]

How bright are the reverse leds? Since i smoked my windows i am having a hard time seeing the right side edge of my driveway, will the putco light up enough to throw light to the sides?

That's what smoking windows does to you. You loose your peripheral vision.

 

[DeV]

Got my 18" split bar yesterday. White wire is bare at the end. Anyone who bought bullet connectors to connect to the putco harness know what size they got?

 

[bnh105]

With the light and the 5 pin I took the harness they sent and cut 1 pin off and then I use solder splice and heatshrink to the reverse wire and was able to plug that in to the 5 spot. making this plug and play.

do you have a picture of this setup, im currently trying to figure this 5 pin connector out right now