Is a Converter Needed to Add an LED Light to the Back of a Bike Rack

Updated 08/11/2017 | Published 08/10/2017

Products Featured in This Question

Thinline LED Trailer Tail Light - Stop, Tail, Turn - Submersible - 9 Diodes - Red Lens

(1491)

$16.04

2-to-3 Tail Light Converter for Towed Vehicles w/ Incandescent Tail Lights

(173)

$38.04

Question:

I would like to add an accessory LED taillight to my hitch mounted bike rack. The LED lights I have found all have 5 wire. My vehicle has a 4 flat trailer wiring connector. I am interested in the 118158 vehicle to vehicle tail light converter. Two questions: 1 Will this converter work with an LED taillight? 2 I understand from the reviews that the turn lights flash out of phase with the rest of the vehicle lights. I would like the accessory tail light to flash in phase with the vehicle lights. Do you have a product that solves that problem?

asked by: Dean

Expert Reply:

Trailer lights such as # STL59RB are designed to work with what is called a combined system where the brake lights and turn signals are on the same circuit. This is what the 4-Way flat connector has on your vehicle. If you used a converter such as # 118158 it would separate out the brake lights from the turn signals. If you are using a light that is designed for separate brake and turn signal functions then you would need the converter. But if you are using a trailer light such as # STL59RB then you would not.

Converter # 118158 is not designed to work with LED lights so you would need a 2-to-3 converter that is compatible with LED lights.

The turn signals should not be noticeably out of sync with the vehicle tail lights given the short distance from the vehicle trailer connector and the back of the bike rack you will use.

expert reply by: Michael H