HOW TO: Add a full width LED light bar to your bike rack, when your bike blocks the trailer lights.

[John E Davies]

EDIT 05/15/22 see related thread: ... https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6892-how-to-connect-a-standard-sae-4-pin-harness-or-4-pin-with-backup-lights-to-your-oliver-factory-7-pin-wires/

This is just a teaser, I took a video today and it is very cool. I wanted to make very sure my connections were good before putting the rear cargo area back together. I haven't finished the job yet. I will add to this in a couple of days.

Video - OLIVER Bike Rack LED Light Bar Initial Test

 

What a pain, the Oliver 7-Pin wire color coding is very different from the industry standard. I figured it out on the first try, and nothing smoked or melted.

More later.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Trainman]

Nice job John, plus I like LED's in everything I own.

trainman

[Frank C]

Very nice job, John.  I don’t have a bike rack on the back of our Ollie, but now I want to add that light bar to the rear bumper just because it looks so cool when working!  🙂

[John E Davies]

https://www.bluesea.com/products/1001100/CableClam_with_Stainless_Steel_Dress_Cap_0.68in

The location for the Clam was a little tight for a regular battery drill, a 3/8” angle drill worked fine. It allowed me to go Olde School and bring out my air tools, which I haven’t used in a long time….

I changed the SAE 4 pin connector plus the separate white backup wire for 6 pin waterproof Deutsch connectors. I can not recommend this and do not suggest that you try it, I was amazed to see how very TINY and difficult to work with the lightbar wires were, 28 AWG or even smaller with floppy silicone insulation. I fully expected the mod to fail. My cheap Amazon ratchet crimper did its best.

I riveted a piece of 3/4” x 1” x 0.188” 6061T6 aluminum angle to the rear cross beam, then stuck down the lightbar with the included 3M super tape. The bar is in a vulnerable spot and I wanted to add straps for the bike tires, the angle prevents any undue pressure or stress on the lightbar.

The lightbar works great, it really adds a TON of brightness and bling at the back of the trailer.I will try to get some night pictures when towing. Highly recommended, just don’t cut that factory harness. I will post another thread about hooking up the wires inside the trailer.

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

 

[Raspy]

Hey John,

 

Will you be at the rally next week?

I'll be there in my X22.

John Roemer

[John E Davies]

1 hour ago, Raspy said:

Will you be at the rally next week?

I'll be there in my X22.

Hi Raspy, sorry, I am not attending. I normally try to stay on the west side of the Great Plains…. but I will be in central Texas in 2024 for the total solar eclipse, we could meet then. 😬 I would appreciate seeing lots of pics of your baby, maybe you could start a detailed thread?

I don’t recall, don’t you live in Nevada? In a week we are headed to south Idaho and then Great Basin NP (tho it is too early so we probably won’t be able to get high up there), then west and back through Steens Mountain area. Maybe we will run into each other…

John

[John E Davies]

Edit, added a warning picture about the CableClam holes:

John Davies

Spokane WA