KC ERA4 Ditch Lights Installed

That does look nice with a little more space between the light and the antenna. Having the lights swung out a bit further isn't a bad thing either. I'm pointing the lights slightly outside anyway to cover the side and front so these will work pretty good for me.
Is there only one mounting hole for the light to grip onto?

There are two slots on the SPV mounts that you can chose from. I went with the inside slot.

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Any more feedback on the SPV mounts. Did that fix the issue of the light bouncing?
 
Any more feedback on the SPV mounts. Did that fix the issue of the light bouncing?

The thicker gauge steel and two bolt install offered by the SPV mount was the way to go for me. The bouncing is gone. I still see some minor shaking of the light housing when going through really rough terrain. You won't notice it now unless you're staring at the light while you drive. The passenger side didn't shake for me with the Grimm standard duty mount and its remains completely still with the SPV mount.
 
Any more feedback on the SPV mounts. Did that fix the issue of the light bouncing?
I'm expecting delivery of the mounts today. Ill get them installed whenever the kids let me spend some time with the truck and Ill post the result here. Should be a day or two for me to get er done.

Ill know pretty quick if the waggle is fixed for me like it was for @madeinchina.

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More soon.
 
Any more feedback on the SPV mounts. Did that fix the issue of the light bouncing?
The SPV mounts did the trick. There is only the slightest movement of the lights now. Problem fixed! Thank you @madeinchina for the recommendation.

This is clearly a case of buy once cry once. I should have taken the hit and bought these first so I could have saved the $80 bucks on the others. Lesson learned.

I used the outer mounting holes (@madeinchina used the inners) for two reasons. Mainly, just to be different cause I have issues, but also to swing the lights out just a bit more to reduce the reflection on the hood and reduce the visibility of the lights by hiding them a bit more with the A pillar. Also I wanted to see how much bobble I would get on the furthest mounting point. Both mounting slots seem like they will work fine though. The clearance is very good.

A few notes about the install and some observations:
- The SPV mounts are twice as thick as the Grimm mounts and the powder coating is way better than the high gloss paint on the Grimms.
- The thickness obviously helps (that's what she said) but I think its the second mounting point that really makes them so stable.
- Getting these mounts into the location they are mounted was the hardest part of the entire install. All my years of playing Tetris helped quite a bit.
- Be careful not to drop the lower mounting bolts down into the fender cause its quite an adventure to get them out
- When I took the KCs off, I noticed I already had some some significant corrosion on the mounting bolt that attaches the actual light. I applied some anti seize lubricant to the bolt to hopefully stop the bolt from further decay
- These mounts, though they are larger, actually work with the rubber cowling behind the hood better. It sits better with these mounts, way better.

I'm super stoked with the SPV. Definitely worth the price.
 
Ordering some today. Where's the best place to order?
 
The SPV mounts did the trick. There is only the slightest movement of the lights now. Problem fixed! Thank you @madeinchina for the recommendation.

This is clearly a case of buy once cry once. I should have taken the hit and bought these first so I could have saved the $80 bucks on the others. Lesson learned.

I used the outer mounting holes (@madeinchina used the inners) for two reasons. Mainly, just to be different cause I have issues, but also to swing the lights out just a bit more to reduce the reflection on the hood and reduce the visibility of the lights by hiding them a bit more with the A pillar. Also I wanted to see how much bobble I would get on the furthest mounting point. Both mounting slots seem like they will work fine though. The clearance is very good.

A few notes about the install and some observations:
- The SPV mounts are twice as thick as the Grimm mounts and the powder coating is way better than the high gloss paint on the Grimms.
- The thickness obviously helps (that's what she said) but I think its the second mounting point that really makes them so stable.
- Getting these mounts into the location they are mounted was the hardest part of the entire install. All my years of playing Tetris helped quite a bit.
- Be careful not to drop the lower mounting bolts down into the fender cause its quite an adventure to get them out
- When I took the KCs off, I noticed I already had some some significant corrosion on the mounting bolt that attaches the actual light. I applied some anti seize lubricant to the bolt to hopefully stop the bolt from further decay
- These mounts, though they are larger, actually work with the rubber cowling behind the hood better. It sits better with these mounts, way better.

I'm super stoked with the SPV. Definitely worth the price.
I can say 'ditto' to everything in DDD's post, including the warning about dropping the fender bolt...that added significant time to the install. :sneaky: Other than a slight noticeable jiggle these things are rock solid. Wish I would've known about them before ordering the Grimm mounts. I will find something to use the Grimms for. I will post pics in my Build thread over the weekend.
 
I can say 'ditto' to everything in DDD's post, including the warning about dropping the fender bolt...that added significant time to the install. :sneaky: Other than a slight noticeable jiggle these things are rock solid. Wish I would've known about them before ordering the Grimm mounts. I will find something to use the Grimms for. I will post pics in my Build thread over the weekend.
What are you thinking for the Grimm mounts?
I hate wasting money (and hate having hardware sitting in my garage) and have been trying to think of a use for them.
Maybe a reverse light mount or something?
 
Anyone done a write up on the install? Pretty straight forward? How did you guys run your wiring?
 
The SPV mounts did the trick. There is only the slightest movement of the lights now. Problem fixed! Thank you @madeinchina for the recommendation.

This is clearly a case of buy once cry once. I should have taken the hit and bought these first so I could have saved the $80 bucks on the others. Lesson learned.

I used the outer mounting holes (@madeinchina used the inners) for two reasons. Mainly, just to be different cause I have issues, but also to swing the lights out just a bit more to reduce the reflection on the hood and reduce the visibility of the lights by hiding them a bit more with the A pillar. Also I wanted to see how much bobble I would get on the furthest mounting point. Both mounting slots seem like they will work fine though. The clearance is very good.

A few notes about the install and some observations:
- The SPV mounts are twice as thick as the Grimm mounts and the powder coating is way better than the high gloss paint on the Grimms.
- The thickness obviously helps (that's what she said) but I think its the second mounting point that really makes them so stable.
- Getting these mounts into the location they are mounted was the hardest part of the entire install. All my years of playing Tetris helped quite a bit.
- Be careful not to drop the lower mounting bolts down into the fender cause its quite an adventure to get them out
- When I took the KCs off, I noticed I already had some some significant corrosion on the mounting bolt that attaches the actual light. I applied some anti seize lubricant to the bolt to hopefully stop the bolt from further decay
- These mounts, though they are larger, actually work with the rubber cowling behind the hood better. It sits better with these mounts, way better.

I'm super stoked with the SPV. Definitely worth the price.

Very happy to hear the SPV mounts worked out for you! Onward to the next project =P
 
Anyone done a write up on the install? Pretty straight forward? How did you guys run your wiring?

Installing the SPV mounts was pretty straight forward. Tape up nearby painted surfaces then twist and turn the mount until it slides into place, there's definitely some tetris involved but its not terribly hard. For wiring added shovel terminals to the truck aux wiring and the light's wiring. This way the light wiring harness can be removed later and replaced with something else down the road. Let me know if you have any specific questions.
 
I ran the far (driver side) cable through the windshield wiper run (inside the plastic insert in front of the windshield and behind the hood) to a small port hole on the passenger side where I bundled it with the passenger side cables just forward of the fire wall.
I don't think this is the best way but I haven't gotten in there and re-run it yet. And I wasn't sure about running the cables directly over the middle of the Eco-Boost.
It seems to be holding up but its not really properly tied off yet.
 
I'm planning to run 2 aux switches so that I can have the amber and highs separate. Which wires from the harness did you run to the aux switches?

1661402585311.png
 
I'm planning to run 2 aux switches so that I can have the amber and highs separate. Which wires from the harness did you run to the aux switches?

View attachment 6252
If you are using the powered AUX cables, then you need to cut the relay and the switches away. You should have one set of White/Red/Black from each light.

Run them to the powered AUX cables behind the battery.

Pair the blacks up and ground them to a single ground somewhere near the battery. I used the ground toward the front of the truck by the battery.

Pair the two White cables with the powered violet/green (This is the amber and AUX1)

Pair the two Red cabled with the powered green/brown (this is the main light and AUX 2)

Then just enjoy the midnight sun!
 
Super helpful. Thanks Doug!
 
Swapped the passenger side to the SPV heavy duty a pillar bracket this afternoon. Light housing no longer sits up against the antenna. Takes a little bit of turning to fit the bracket into position but overall not too bad. Used some masking tape to cover up the fender and hood surfaces near the work area.

View attachment 5956View attachment 5957
Thinking about doing these same lights. Do you have any pictures from the side? These appear to be a larger sized ditch light and just want to make sure they don’t look too out of place.

Also- do you notice any wind noise at highway speeds with them out there?

Thanks!
 
If you are using the powered AUX cables, then you need to cut the relay and the switches away. You should have one set of White/Red/Black from each light.

Run them to the powered AUX cables behind the battery.

Pair the blacks up and ground them to a single ground somewhere near the battery. I used the ground toward the front of the truck by the battery.

Pair the two White cables with the powered violet/green (This is the amber and AUX1)

Pair the two Red cabled with the powered green/brown (this is the main light and AUX 2)

Then just enjoy the midnight sun!
Thinking about doing these same lights. Do you have any pictures from the side? These appear to be a larger sized ditch light and just want to make sure they don’t look too out of place.

Also- do you notice any wind noise at highway speeds with them out there?

Thanks!
20220819_181713.jpg


I kept the wires to the KC switch and the relay. Since the upfitter switch fuses are different than what the KC lights call for this keeps the KC fuses in play. The green wire on the KC switch side goes to the white lights, white to the amber light. Attach these to the desired upfitter wire. Attach the black and yellow from the relay to the battery negative and positive. The 3 amp fuse on the yellow lead to the KC switch should be cut and spliced onto the white from the switch.
If that's confusing I will write up a better description on my computer.
 
Oh, and I have not noticed any increased wind noise with these installed.
 

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