Community Forums

Mr John · 05-25-2011, 07:59 PM

Hi all. Is anyone using magnetic lights on the back of their toad instead of wiring the toads lights to the M.H.? The "stealerships" in S. Fl. want $275 to $350 to wire up a 1999 Saturn with lights. I'm not going to keep the car very long and don't want to invest that kind of money at this time.

W8RLM · 05-25-2011, 08:09 PM

I have a friend who has been using them for a couple of years. He is very happy with them.

W8RLM - Bob

njs42 · 05-25-2011, 09:01 PM

Nothing wrong with it--particularly on a temporary basis----good idea if you ask me------I guess you did.

DAN L · 05-26-2011, 01:58 AM

i tried the magnetic tow lights from harbor freight. they would not stay on. a waste of money.
i went with tow lights from uhaul. they are not magnetic. a mounting tab fits under the trunk lid. this system works very well for us.

H. Miller · 05-26-2011, 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DAN L

i tried the magnetic tow lights from harbor freight. they would not stay on.

And with Saturns being mostly plastic, it may be hard to find an area to "stick a magnet" to...

chasfm11 · 05-26-2011, 11:25 AM

Here is another point. While we towed for several years with magnetic tow lights, some of the police departments have gotten more aggressive at ticketing vehicles without a working license plate light. IMHO, this is chicken doo doo but in the age of city revenue short falls and the fact that most States have requirements for a working license plate light, it would be hard to fight it if you did get a citation.

A lot depends on how often you might tow after dark. For us, every long trip starts at 5am because we have to get across Dallas before rush hour traffic starts. At that hour, there are law enforcement types out there without a lot of "customers". I prefer not to be one.

HeapBigEngin · 05-26-2011, 01:53 PM

I have used the H/Freight lights for quite a while....and they work just fine. I mean, none of 'em are all that complicated. I do know that they had a batch (made in China like a lot of other stuff) that had the stop/tail lamp wires crossed inside the light housings which made for some unusual lighting characteristics. Easy fix. Once resolved, no problems. Couldn't beat the price, that's for sure.

Re the non-illuminated license plate light, I never gave that a thought. Now that is REALLY chicken s--t if you ask me. I can just see the officer writing a ticket for that while, within a 2 block radius, 2 guys are "shooting up", 1 old lady is being mugged, and 3 kids are robbing the 7-11 store on the corner. Amazing!

1ciderdog · 05-26-2011, 02:06 PM

I used an older set I had and they left scratch marks on the paint. They worked well - didn't blow off, etc.
Bob

doc · 05-26-2011, 02:15 PM

He have used the same set since 2000 and they are still going strong. I do not want to go the diode route and get into the toad wiring as I am worried about damage to the on-board computer. That is an expensive replacement. We have a new Wrangler that we may pu into service and I am looking into wiring another set of tail lights in the tail light housing (the Wrangler top is fiberglass)
If you think you want magnetics, go for it. Cheaper and really easy to setup and take down.

Cousin Ed · 05-26-2011, 04:06 PM

I keep a magnetic set for backup, after using them for a couple of years. I now use LED boat trailer lights, which I attach with velcro. I mount them on top of my tailgate with velcro glued to the lights and the tailgate (bedliner) and wrap them with a velcro saftey strap. If you are towing a car they can go right on the rear deck infront of the back window.

In my former life we used the "No license plate light" as easy resaon to stop someone who needed to be checked out..... not some RV going down the road!

GaryKD · 05-26-2011, 04:06 PM

Hi Mr John,
When towing the wife's Caddy, on a dolly, I use a light bar with suction cups. If has worked well for 6 years. In Florida, a vehicle being towed does not need a license plate, much less a license plate light. I'm not sure about other states.

GaryKD · 05-26-2011, 04:10 PM

Hi chasfm11,
Are you sure about your statement that a vehicle being towed needs a license plate light. In Florida, a vehicle being towed doesn't even need a license plate much less a license plate light. It does not seem logical that a vehicle being towed needs a plate and a plate light.

Voyager35L · 05-26-2011, 04:10 PM

My toad is fully connected to my class A. I watched the people behind me when I changed lanes...in some situations, they did not see my toads turn signal,,,and my units. I added the magnetic lights and now they see me all the time.......................so far.

M&EM · 05-26-2011, 04:46 PM

I use the HF magnetic lights/modified them to use the HF 4 inch round very brite LED replacement truck light. These can't be missed in broad daylight. Wiring is simply straight thru the toad to a 4 pin connector at rear of toad. These LEDs are light enough(no pun intended) by themselves that directly velcro mounting should work without the magnetics and housings.

Marty