Video Transcript for A Closer Look at the Diode Dynamics Hitch Lights

Hello neighbors, it's Brad here at Etrailer and today we're taking a look at the Diode Dynamics C1 and C1R Hitch-Mounted Lights for 2" hitches. Here we have our running lights on the Jeep turned on and we see that we have this nice red color. So it gives a little bit of awareness to people that are behind you to just give a little bit, you know, more whether it be foggy out or whatever, more lighting generally lets people know that there's something in front of them and it looks really good in the process. Now the running light function, you're gonna get on both styles and you're also gonna be getting a reverse light. So when I put our vehicle in reverse, it's gonna give us a white backup light, which is really nice because it's gonna keep the light low and projected of where you're backing up. So especially if you have a backup camera, backing up at night if you have tinted windows or just backing up at night in general can be a little bit tricky.

So to really flood that spot of where you're backing up to is a great way to keep your vehicle nice and safe and allow you to navigate without having to get out. Now the difference between the C1 and C1R really comes down to the functionality and what I'll show you here is not only do you get the running lights and reverse, but also you get a fourth brake light. So it's gonna bring attention to the people behind you when you hit those brakes. They'll maybe get off their phone and be able to see it. And part of that comes down to having a safety strobe to really get that attention.

So as I apply the brakes, you'll see the light flash, which is gonna bring attention to the back of the vehicle. And then as I hold the brakes, you'll see that it'll go with the taillights. Now that fourth brake light option I really like because there's so many people that don't pay attention and that strobe is enough for the eyes to kind of gravitate towards this and you know, maybe be the difference of someone rear-ending you. But overall it's just a nice safety feature and that safety strobe, if it's not for you, you can actually omit that by trimming a wire on the harness. And also it is time delay, so it's only gonna go off once it resets itself.

That way if you're in stop and go traffic and hitting the brakes on and off, it's not gonna be constantly strobing, but when you're out on the highway for a while and hit those brakes, that quick strobe will bring attention to your vehicle. When the light is into your receiver tube opening, it sits relatively flush with the front. It looks really good and it is, as I mentioned earlier, gonna work with any 2" by 2" hitch. Now to get this popped in place, there's two plastic tabs that kind of keep tension on here and then the plug just runs back and eventually to the seven pole. But you'll see that these press in and go into where the pin and clip would be.

There's also a top one to keep a little bit of pressure. Now what's kind of neat is if you get this through etrailer.com, not only do you get your light, you also get a locking pin and clip that allows you to keep this in place. That way no one's walking by and taking your light. This is gonna be a great deterrent to make sure that it's gonna stay on your vehicle. Now in order for that pin and clip to work, you are gonna have to trim a little bit on the tabs. So you can see the before and after. I just used the utility knife and just made those cuts and that's gonna allow us to get this in place. So we'll just simply plug this in, slide this in place and the locking pin and clip is really nice. It's threaded in here, so you just line that up. And with the key in place, what you can do is put it in the open position and just rotate this until it locks itself down. Comes with two keys, so that's really nice as well. And a rubber cap to prevent that tumbler from getting anything built up in there. The harnesses included with the C1 and C1R do vary just slightly. It's gonna have the same plug that goes into the back of the light, but it tees off into a seven pole connector. So if you have a factory seven way, more times than not, it should work. It's generally a universal style fit, but making sure you have that seven pole function to plug into is gonna make it, well, able to be working and that's how it gets its functions to be able to light up as you go through the gear selection. So you'll have a plug on the backside of your factory seven way. This will just tee in so there's no splicing required. It even comes with zip ties to get this all cleanly done. And something that I've seen with all of the Diode products is the wiring that they include is truly awesome. I mean it's all braided, it's heat shrinked, great connectors, high quality stuff, and with this all sealed up, once you get it all plugged in, it's gonna keep it water tight so you don't have to worry about this breaking down long term. So pretty basic here. The C1R is gonna be slightly different and I mentioned that you can omit that safety strobe. So I'll get that harness out and show you it. The C1R harness is very similar. You'll find that there's gonna be a few extra electrical connectors. The main thing with the safety strobe is you'll have this box here and that's gonna be doing all the logic for that safety strobe. So if you want to omit that safety strobe, you're still gonna get the fourth brake light function. It's just not gonna flash when you press those brakes. A simple snip of this purple wire is gonna disable that safety strobe for you. So obviously making sure that you have a factory seven way is gonna be crucial for this to work. But these are the universal fits. So essentially if you do have that seven pole, they should plug in, but there are gonna be some vehicle specific fits that are gonna allow you to plug into the back of the taillights and still get all those same light functions. It's just gonna work a little bit better with those chassis. And that's gonna include some of your later model F-150s, Sierras and Silverados as well as a Toyota Tacoma. So make sure you use our fit guide to make sure you're getting the proper setup for your truck. Now if you're new to Diode Dynamics, I'm here to tell you the quality is phenomenal on these. I've had their fog lamps on my own personal vehicle for quite a few years and they've worked flawlessly. Everyone I know that uses them is very happy with them. You get nice heat sinks here for heat dissipation. The overall fit and finish is wonderful. Nice black powder coat finish. So it's gonna hold up long term. It's also gonna be all sealed. So waterproofed, you know, you don't have to really worry about any damage occurring to these. They are rock solid, but the magic really happens with the optic that they use. Pretty much all diodes are kind of created the same. It's how you take that light and disperse it. Their TIR optics do a really good job of keeping the beam pattern exactly where it needs to be and really get the most efficiency out of the light. So you know, you put reverse on this vehicle and this kicks onto that white light, everyone's gonna know you're backing up and that's a good thing. It's great for you to be able to see where you're going, but also if it prevents anyone from hitting you, just because you have a little bit more, you know, indication of what you're doing, I think it's totally worth it. Now for those of you that are kind of lighting nerds and the numbers mean a lot to you, I'm here to tell you it's extremely bright. As far as lumens go, we have a raw of 1,449 and then measured it comes in a little bit over a thousand. Now as far as the peak beam intensity, you get 400 candela. It's very bright, it is super bright in the best way possible. Now even if you do load accessories on quite often, that's not a big deal because to get this all set up and ready to hook up to a trailer, let's say, to get this pin and clip out, super easy, put the key in and if you hold this and just twist on the other side, there's a nice rubber grip, this will slowly bring the tumbler out, pull out your pin and clip, and then if you have that trimmed, I just push on the wire a little bit, that'll pop that out. And then you'll be able to put your ball mount in place. And again, there's zip ties included, so this you can kind of just tuck out of the way and leave that seven pole plugged in because you're gonna retain all the factory functions off of your seven way because it tees in. It's not gonna interrupt any of your usability. And that way whenever you're done, you can just put everything back in with your pin and clip. But in the interim, you now have a locking pin and clip for all of your accessories, which is a nice deterrent. That way all of your accessories stay with your vehicle. And that was a look at the Diode Dynamics C1 and C1R Hitch-Mounted Lights for 2" hitches.