Toggle Switch Question

[Winston]

Ok so I am wanting to install different rock style lights on the 150 but the amp draw for all lights combined is too much for one switch. I want to mount two switches. My question is; does anyone know what it’s called to have two toggles with a connecting bar going across the two so they are somewhat married and are forced to go on and off together? I have searched for this set up all over the internet with zero success Thanks

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[Fordphanatic]

The real question is what is the required amperage of the switch for the lights you are trying to wire up. Let's start there and then we can figure out what switch to use

 

[Popplemer]

Why don't you use a relay with the correct amperage and operate it with the switch? Pushing a bunch of power thru a rocker switch wouldn't be my first choice

 

[Kanuck]

As stated above... use a relay mounted under the hood close to the battery and lights with a small gauge wire running from the switch to the relay coil. The 12 volt supply can be from a cct that is only on with truck on or running.

 

[Kanuck]

To simplify....the 12 volt supply would be the power to the switch to energize the relay.

 

[Big Dog Daddy]

As the others have said, you should use a relay to carry the high amperage load. Like this.

 

[Kanuck]

A side note....IF you are going to the trouble of running a wire from under the dash to under the hood, run a cable with 2 or 3 wires in it for future additions. That way, you only need to do it once. For powering just a relay, I would run 20 or 18 gauge wire only. You don't need a heavy cable.

 

[Buyer2021]

And when you do ^that^, locate the relay and all of the high-current wire under the hood so those runs are as short / direct as possible. All of the high-current fuses, relay, and wires in this circuit should be rated for the specified lamp loads.

That way all of the 'long' wire runs for the for the low-current switching (fuse-box > switch > relay) can be much smaller gauge (and therefore easier to run). Note that the 'switching' circuit only needs to be ~1~2 Amps at most, with the fuse, switch, and wire rated accordingly.

Not only does this make the physical wiring easier to route and install, it ....

• keeps that potentially dangerous high-current out of the cab (inherently safer)
• more likely ensures full-current delivery to the lamps

All just 'best practices' (IMO) for your consideration.

 

[powerboatr]

See the brains were up early?
Yep
Switch a relay , let relay carry the amp load for the lights

Curious what is the amp load for lights??

 

[Big Dog Daddy]

See the brains were up early?
Yep
Switch a relay , let relay carry the amp load for the lights

Curious what is the amp load for lights??

Lol, you Texan's are always an hour late to the party! ?
@Kanuck is the true early bird here!

 

[powerboatr]

Lol, you Texan's are always an hour late to the party! ?
@Kanuck is the true early bird here!

At 59....I need my beauty sleep
I don't just wake up looking this good
???

 

[Kanuck]

I have given up looking good...at 71, I will be taking the forever sleep soon enough. Not going to waste my time, so off to bed about 10:30 pm and up a little after 5:00 am.

 

[Kanuck]

At 59....I need my beauty sleep
I don't just wake up looking this good
???

From the look of your Avatar... there isn't any amount of sleep that will help you....

 

[Buyer2021]

About relays, just FYI for the OP ..... relay pin-numbering is universally standardized and printed / molded on the relay body; for your application the preferred switching relay will have four pins (blades):

• Pin 30 - connect the fused high-current feed from the battery here (+12VDC)
• Pin 85 - connect a low-current wire to chassis ground here (this is not the ground for the lamps, it's the ground for the low-current relay switching coil)
• Pin 86 - connect the low-current switched wire here, this activates the relay coil (+12VDC)
• Pin 87 - Connect the high-current wire to the lamps here, this is only hot when the switch is On (+12VDC)

IF, for whatever reason, you use a not-preferred 5-pin relay with the additional pin being 87a (aka a 'changeover' relay), you must insulate the not-used pin 87a, it will be high-current 'hot' when the switch is Off (!)

 

[Buyer2021]

See the brains were up early?

At 72, well, let's just leave it at 'rust never sleeps'

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