# tailgate lightbar



## Evil PSD (Jan 8, 2011)

looking to get a tailgate led lightbar for my 2010 f250, looking to see which one is the best out there and which ones to stay away from, any input is great guys thanks Thumbs Up


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## H&HPropertyMait (Oct 17, 2011)

Recon MINI. get it in smoked. they have all the functions of the big ones but look so much better. we use them as S/T/T on our headache racks. They are bright.


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## DJ Contracting (Dec 16, 2003)

H&HPropertyMait;1392028 said:


> Recon MINI. get it in smoked. they have all the functions of the big ones but look so much better. we use them as S/T/T on our headache racks. They are bright.


Sweet light thanks for posting it.


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## KEC Maintaince (Jan 1, 2011)

purchased the recon light for my gmc canyon i will have it installed on tue or wed. i went with the bigger one


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## H&HPropertyMait (Oct 17, 2011)

I see the bigger ones with burned out lights all the time and it bugs me!


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## dieseltech (Sep 7, 2011)

X2. I hate when they have burned out led's!


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## AG09 (Aug 21, 2010)

Evil PSD;1391969 said:


> looking to get a tailgate led lightbar for my 2010 f250, looking to see which one is the best out there and which ones to stay away from, any input is great guys thanks Thumbs Up


Def go with Recon. I did a lot of research before deciding to go with them.

This is what I have http://www.gorecon.com/product.php?pk=47&pname=Part-26416-60-White-Red-LED-Tailgate-Bar


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## Too Stroked (Jan 1, 2010)

I ordered and just received one of the red Recon bars based on what everybody said here. It's going on a red 2010 F-350. Call me picky, but I do have a couple of beefs with the design:

1) The mounting holes do not even come close to what Ford provided at the rear of the bed. (Minor gripe) This will require drilling two new holes (chance for corrosion) and leave the two factory holes on either side of the bar. Sure, a little sealer will help here, but it's never as good as the factory finish.

2) The wiring (with trailer plug) comes straight out the _back _of the bar. (Major gripe) This means that there's little hope of mounting the bar flat to the surface. My plan is to hard wire it, so the flat 4 plug is getting cut off anyway and I can drill a 3rd new hole in the truck to allow the wiring to go straight back through the panel, but most folks will have to space the bar out and away from the panel. Come on folks, a little forethought would have been nice hear. Couldn't the wiring come out the _bottom _(in the mounted position) of the bar? For those that are simply going to plug the flat 4 plug in, this would have been sweet. Oh wait, nobody has an F-350 in China. Now it makes sense.


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## jrtcbmw (Dec 22, 2010)

to be honest im not a happy recon owner. im on my 3rd rear tailgate light bar. infact the new one has been sitting on top of my tool box for about 4 months now. 

My biggest issue with recon is the wire size. i mean come on really wire thinner then hair. the sh*t just falls apart and can pulled apart with minimal effort. 

Id honestly pay a couple bucks more for a kit that came with thick wire. I guess thats what you get when everything they sell is SOO cheap. 

I actually bought their roof clearance lights (before i knew better) and the moment i got the kit, was the moment i was on the phone getting a return authorization because again the wires were so damn thin and cheap. 

Other things they sell are decent, their LED replacement bulbs for the factory clearance light have held up for a while as well as their third brake light assembly.


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## Too Stroked (Jan 1, 2010)

jrtcbmw;1397043 said:


> My biggest issue with recon is the wire size. i mean come on really wire thinner then hair. the sh*t just falls apart and can pulled apart with minimal effort.
> 
> Id honestly pay a couple bucks more for a kit that came with thick wire. I guess thats what you get when everything they sell is SOO cheap.


Interesting, because wire size was definitely _not _one of my complaints. In fact I was kind of surprised that they used as large of a wire as they did because LEDs don't draw much at all. If anything, the wires on the one I just got are _oversized_. It's going to get installed on my friend's plow truck tomorrow, so I guess we'll just have to see how long it lasts.


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## jrtcbmw (Dec 22, 2010)

I dont know if they got smart and changed things but the last 3 bars ive have had, had like 24/28 gauge wiring. and the clearance lights were the same.

I know LEDs don't draw much, but seriously something that thin just doesn't sit well with me. I mean all the wiring harnesses ive built (custom ones for lights, gauges, switch panel) ive used thicker 14 (i think) gauge wire. Id rather have it oversize then undersized. and wiring isnt a place id EVER get cheap on. Just seen too many issues/problems with cheap thin wiring.


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## chuckraduenz (Jan 4, 2009)

iv been getting the run around with recon for almost a yr now with my tailgate bar. i paid $150ish for it. didnt evon last the summer and i was like a water tank. then it stayed on so i hada pull the fuse. i emailed recon for warranty. they asked for pictures and recipts. all was good. but they were outa stock so they offered me a lower priced bar. i said no. i paid top dollar i want the same one. so then they said well email me again in a month or so. did that still outa stock. they were outa stock all 2011 tell about oct. i emailed them again. he said give me a call plus id have to pay a $24.95 handeling fee (did not say that when i first emailed). i called. no one there. emailed the guy. he said he was gone all that week. so i tryed again next week. no answer. i called again. got a person. they forwared me to a voice mail. left a voice mail. no call back. i emailed again.... and again and again...... been over a month no responses...... i would NOT buy from them ever again due to there ****** customer service.... and there suprised fees.....


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## Evil PSD (Jan 8, 2011)

i hate hearing stories like that, im big on customer service i see it as 50% product 50% customer service when i buy something. If you treat your customers like s*** they wont be coming back and word of mouth spreads fast amoung these forums. im still debating if its even worth getting one or putting money else where haha like my tank since winter sucks for fuel :realmad:


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## chuckraduenz (Jan 4, 2009)

bought time! he emailed me with a number i called it and after the $24.95 fee and another $5 fee "i still have no idea for what" its on its way..... like i said i dont like recons support and i really dont like there suprise fees.


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## Yooper75 (Dec 30, 2010)

I have the 60in Recon light bar mounted under the tailgate of my F350 and I'm extremely disappointed in the quality of it for what I paid for the damn thing. It didn't make it past two years before the truck beat it to death and now only half of it works I'm going to make my own out of LED marker lights when I get the time and money. Too Stroked know's I'm as anal as anyone if not more so about now I treat my truck and it's a certified pavement queen that does not get beat on and lives a pretty pampered life so if I can't get one to last on the back of my truck that says quite a bit about the quality of the Recon light bar.


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## My07Brute (Feb 9, 2011)

FWIW...the Mini Recon is probable made by www.innovativelight.com

I bet it's their 253-4400, and its $30 + shipping from them, you still need the trailer plug (I just ordered 2 for my friends and I, gonna make them fit our dodges).


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## RoadRash (Mar 13, 2012)

Anyone have any idea how one could go about making this strobe? 

The light has a left turn, right turn wire, this would probably be what I would want to strobe.


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## countryboy1365 (Oct 7, 2010)

get an led flasher and hook the pos lead of the bars turn signals to the outputs of the flasher. Verry simple.

http://www.sirennet.com/soetffc06led.html there are cheeper models out there but this is the one i have on my truck


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## RoadRash (Mar 13, 2012)

countryboy1365;1468882 said:


> get an led flasher and hook the pos lead of the bars turn signals to the outputs of the flasher. Verry simple.
> 
> http://www.sirennet.com/soetffc06led.html there are cheeper models out there but this is the one i have on my truck


I thought that was all that was needed. Always apprehensive when things are that easy.

To keep the original design I would leave the light bar plug into the factory 4 pin trailer wire and splice the flasher into the left/right turn wires. Would there be any concern when turning the flasher on of unwanted power going places not intended?

I guess what I'm getting to is when I turn the flasher on (connected to light bar), do I have to worry about my dome light strobeing or something along those lines.


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## countryboy1365 (Oct 7, 2010)

OH ok if you want to do it and still have functional turn signals you have to go about it a little difrently. you have a few options. you can wire it up to a single throw doubble pole stwitch. one side for turn signails one for led flash. Or you could do it like you said just splice the flasher into the signail wires HOWEVER you will need to add a diode on the turn signal side before the flasher so it dosent back feed to your BCM and short out your signal circuit.


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## RoadRash (Mar 13, 2012)

I think I would like to go the diode route. 

Do you mind posting a link to a diode that would work for this setup? 

You've been a great help by the way.


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## countryboy1365 (Oct 7, 2010)

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2036270&filterName=Type&filterValue=Diodes

that should work for ya. just make sure you get it in the right way. They are ploarity sensitive.

http://www.patchn.com/index.php?opt...iode-tutorial&catid=14:electronics&Itemid=112 Heres a like to explane it. And in idiot proof language ( not saying you are) the band in the diode goes to the accessory and you will need diodes on both feeds so basicly you will have


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## RoadRash (Mar 13, 2012)

How does that look countryboy?


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## countryboy1365 (Oct 7, 2010)

yup but i would also put doides on flasher feeds as well just to CYA


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## RoadRash (Mar 13, 2012)

Good catch. Thanks for all your help.


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## countryboy1365 (Oct 7, 2010)

no prob post up a vid when u get it all wired up if you can


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## Maine_Train (Dec 16, 2009)

H&HPropertyMait;1392028 said:


> Recon MINI. get it in smoked. they have all the functions of the big ones but look so much better. we use them as S/T/T on our headache racks. They are bright.


As I was watching that video, it dawned on me: That's a good way to check your installation of lights (especially brake lights), if you don't have someone else there to tell you everything's working. Just run through all the functions while taking a video, and then play it back to see if you missed anything. Thumbs Up

I kinda like the idea of using the smaller bar across the top of a Backrack. On your headache racks, do you have the reverse lights wired up too, or just the S/T/T? If you use the reverse lights, are they switched separately from the other backup lights? Just wondering if light shining on the bed of the truck would be a help or a hindrance when trying to see behind you, backing up at night. (Especially in a snowstorm.)



KEC Maintaince;1392137 said:


> purchased the recon light for my gmc canyon i will have it installed on tue or wed. i went with the bigger one


Didja get your Christmas light bar hooked up? How's it working?

I'm tempted to put one of the full-size bars under my tailgate, and a mini bar on the Backrack, maybe under the cutout for the CHMSL. But the number of people who are unhappy with Recon is giving me second thoughts about buying any of those.


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