Community Forums

bruce Dixon · 03-19-2014, 09:48 AM

Has anyone added Day time running lights to their MH.

I have a 2002 Itasca Horizon 39QD.
I'm tired of forgetting the lights are on when driving during the day when I stop.
What did you do to add DTL system to your Coach, and where did you get the parts?
Seems like there should be a relay to wire to ignition Switch to turn power off to the Light switch??
For some of you guys that think driving with lights on during the day is wasting energy or is a conspiracy by light bulb manf. Please don't hijack this thread.
I'm more concerned about a dead battery because I forgot to turn my lights off. Many areas here in Oregon require lights on as do many states.

tropical36 · 03-19-2014, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bruce Dixon

Has anyone added Day time running lights to their MH.

I have a 2002 Itasca Horizon 39QD.
I'm tired of forgetting the lights are on when driving during the day when I stop.
What did you do to add DTL system to your Coach, and where did you get the parts?
Seems like there should be a relay to wire to ignition Switch to turn power off to the Light switch??
For some of you guys that think driving with lights on during the day is wasting energy or is a conspiracy by light bulb manf. Please don't hijack this thread.
I'm more concerned about a dead battery because I forgot to turn my lights off. Many areas here in Oregon require lights on as do many states.

Do you not have an alarm already installed and maybe not working? If not, add a generic relay and wire to one installed under the dash, maybe? I once did this to a Jeep that was without and used the horn, but this won't always do and especially if you have air horns added on to your OEM horns, like we do...

As for energy used, it does take a little more fuel, no matter how small, but safety first should always be the rule.

**TonyDi** · 03-19-2014, 10:05 AM

I had an alarm wired to my headlights to let me know when they are on and the engine is off. I prefer to use my headlights as doing so will also turn the tail lights on on my MH and on my toad. I like the increased visibilty they give plus they help if you enter rain or fog. Way too many people forget to turn their headlights on when it is raining. Having them on to start with solves that problem.

wbhubbert3 · 03-19-2014, 12:38 PM

My coach only had the basic headlight switch (made by Ford), and I wanted a daylight running light system that gave me reduced power to only the low beam lamps and was tied into the ignition switch. DRL on when ignition is on and DRL off when ignition off. Plus it would be over-ridden when I turned the complete headlights on at night.

This company (Canadian, where DRL is mandatory) manufactures kits which are not difficult to install to your existing wiring: Hamsar Diversco

Give them a call and they will recommend a kit model based upon your particular system and put you in contact with a US seller.

Hikerdogs · 03-19-2014, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wbhubbert3

My coach only had the basic headlight switch (made by Ford), and I wanted a daylight running light system that gave me reduced power to only the low beam lamps and was tied into the ignition switch. DRL on when ignition is on and DRL off when ignition off. Plus it would be over-ridden when I turned the complete headlights on at night.

This company (Canadian, where DRL is mandatory) manufactures kits which are not difficult to install to your existing wiring: Hamsar Diversco

Give them a call and they will recommend a kit model based upon your particular system and put you in contact with a US seller.

Daytime running lights have been an option on the Ford F53 chassis at least as far back as 2001. We had them on our 2001 Winnebago Adventurer and on our 2013 Adventurer. I have also seen them on Winnebago products built on Freightliner chassis. I was informed by a Winnebago factory rep that when they order a chassis for a particular build they specify whether or not the chassis manufacture should include daytime running lights.

In our case it was a $50.00 option. I believe the chassis is already wired for them but you need a different headlight switch and 2 relays (the sockets are already in the power center) to make them work.

I would contact the freightliner chassis people to see if they have a similar system in place. If they do it's not much of a job to plug in a couple relays and change out a headlight switch.

falconman · 03-19-2014, 04:58 PM

Go to danielsternlighting.com or webelectricproducts.com. They offer a DRL-1 module that uses the turn signal lamps as the DRL. Might be a solution for you.
Read the article written by Mr Stern about DRL, very informative.

dvmweb · 03-19-2014, 08:02 PM

Just make it part of your protocol to turn on all of your lights when driving. And off when you stop. Checklist?

wanderso · 03-19-2014, 08:30 PM

On one rig I owned, I installed an aftermarket headlight alarm. Very useful for remembering to turn them off. Here is a $29 example that will work with any rig.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1965-1967-FO...17a911&vxp=mtr