Adding a Second 7-Way and LED Light Strip to the Back of a 2011 Ford F-150

Question:

Hello, I would like to install a tailgate light bar with reverse light on my truck and I’m trying to come up with a solution where I wont have to cut and splice the factory electrical wires. I have a 2011 Ford F150 Crew-cab with the factory tow package which includes a 4-pin and 7-pin plug-ins. I do not want to use the existing 4-pin hookup and was wondering how I can add an additional hookup? Perhaps a Curt T-connector? Also, is there a way to adapt the light bar from a 4-pin output to a 7-pin. Since the 7-pin plug-in is wired up for reverse lights so that would prevent me from splicing the reverse wire behind the tail light. Not sure if something like that is possible?

asked by: Andy

Expert Reply:

A 4-Way would not work anyway because a 4-Way flat trailer connector does not have a reverse light function. What you could do is use wiring harness # 41157. It will tee in line with your factory connectors and provide an additional 7-Way trailer connector.

For an LED light strip for the back of your 2011 Ford F-150 that has a reverse function we have # BLS-1103 from Pilot. These are all 60 inch long models.

All of these products would normally plug into a 4-Way and then you would splice in the extra wire to the reverse light circuit on the truck. To be able to plug into the 7-Way mentioned above you would need a trailer side 7-Way connector, # H20042. Then you would have to cut off the 4-Way end from the light strip and wire its wiring to the back of the 7-Way. The wire functions of this 7-Way are as follows:

Yellow: reverse lights
Green: tail and license lights
Brown: right turn and stop lights
Blue: electric brake
Black: battery charge
Red: left turn and stop lights
White: ground wire

All in all it would be pretty easy with the above mentioned parts.