Ditch Lights & Brackets for the 5th Gen

[teotwaki]

I recently won a sPod 6 circuit SourceLT unit in a raffle so as part of the install I will start adding auxiliary lighting to my 2018 ORP.

If possible, please share any pictures of what ditch lights you installed and include brands and sources. Also share any user experience info if you have had your install in place for a while. If you have already written a post please link to it. I tried some searches but the pickings were slim.

I bought these brackets as many of the thin ones had vibration complaints.

Amazon.com


They are 3/16" thick and shouldn't easily vibrate.

I'm currently shopping for LED pods in the 3" range. So many of the inexpensive Amazon offerings have issues with water leakage, early failures and lack of vendor support.

I am leaning towards these Rigid D series on sale for Cyber Monday

"RIGID Industries - D Series PRO Flood Surface Mount LED Lights, 3 Inch LED Off Roading Lights, Easy to Install, Off Roading Accessories, 50,000 Plus Hour Lifespan (2 Pack, Black Housing, 202113)"

 

[97BlackAckCL]

I have these and the side shooter LED pods, very happy with them

2010-2021 4Runner Low Profile LED Ditch Light Kit – Cali Raised LED

 

[Pedro367]

I had the same pair of those Rigid D's on a few of my previous Jeeps. They were incredible lights for the money. Never leaked and really bright for a 3x3 cube. Rigid makes great stuff. I'm seeing only $160 on Amazon right now too. Can't really beat that.

 

[teotwaki]

When I started this thread I deleted the first version and reposted. Unfortunately 4rNCMTN's post had been shared but was also deleted. Based on my email notification here is the missing info:


4rNCMTN said

I have the SDHQ bracket and baja designs lights. you can see them here:

https://www.toyota-4runner.org/for-sale-non-t4r-items/312490-baja-design-squadron-sport-pair-denver-nc-$175.html

They are beefy mounts and I used them for years.
***************

 

[hoppyjr]

I went with Cali-Raised low profile brackets and Morimoto XHB combo lights.

My use isn’t so much for ditches, but added light along the sides of the roads to identify animals or other hazards.

I went Morimoto HXB combo beam after watching several comparison videos. I also went with HXB wide beam in the fog locations. Both are outstanding and provide exceptional lighting.

I can’t speak to pricing, but I always value performance over cost.

 

[Humble Leader]

baja designs s2 pro with amber lens covers (I have amber lens as well but for the last year have just used the amber covers). they are mounted to greenlane offroad brackets and are very low profile. here are three different pics of different angles that I found

the s2 lights and greenlane brackets are very stealth looking. in the first pic you can hardly tell they are there.

 

[4rNCMTNs]

Not sure why my post was deleted. I might have done it in my haste.

Here are some more pics I had to go back deep to find. I like that the SDHQs are wide and I was able to mount my antenna on it for my GMRS radio.

Sent from my Pixel 8 Pro using Tapatalk

 

[bopskip]

those look amazing - how difficult was the install for the baja designs? I've been trying to do most of the work on the vehicle on my own.

 

[4rNCMTNs]

Not hard at all. I took a 3/4" wide piece of aluminum and bent it in a wide U shape and bolted it into the Squadrons and then down to the SDHQ mount.

 

[TRD PANTHER]

baja designs s2 pro with amber lens covers (I have amber lens as well but for the last year have just used the amber covers). they are mounted to greenlane offroad brackets and are very low profile. here are three different pics of different angles that I found

the s2 lights and greenlane brackets are very stealth looking. in the first pic you can hardly tell they are there.

I was thinking about something similar, except I would go with the DD SSC2 combos.Are you satisfied with the amount of light in that location? Are your Greenlane brackets vibration free? I am considering the SDHQ brackets also. I want something low profile like yours.
I see you have a new avatar after your mishap. Were you trying out for the Leafs?

 

[mrblah]

I have been using SDHQ brackets for years also.

They are pretty strong and low profile. I bolted some stupid big and heavy 5.6 inch lights to those brackets for years before I came to my senses.

I don't have the lights anymore, but I still use the brackets.

 

[blksubykid]

Rago brackets with BD Squadron Sports. No complaints over the past 4 years but will probably remove lights when I go full bumper

 

[TRD PANTHER]

Rago brackets with BD Squadron Sports. No complaints over the past 4 years but will probably remove lights when I go full bumper

What type of lighting will you use for your peripheral/ditch lights on the front bumper?

 

[honda250xtitan]

lasfit brackets; theyre very low profile. i'm sure a direct knockoff of someone who made them in the states first. and whatever lights i feel like grabbing from the other vehicles/projects. normally baja designs. lights are rarely on the vehicle tho, it's a dumb spot for lights to live on a daily driver IMHO.

 

[Humble Leader]

I was thinking about something similar, except I would go with the DD SSC2 combos.Are you satisfied with the amount of light in that location? Are your Greenlane brackets vibration free? I am considering the SDHQ brackets also. I want something low profile like yours.
I see you have a new avatar after your mishap. Were you trying out for the Leafs?

haha. the greenlane brackets have been vibration free for me. They also do not require both hood bolts to be removed to install them and are still sturdy (no hood misalignment to worry about). I looked at SDHQ, they are nice as well and probably more sturdy. the reason I didn't go with them is because of rust. if you live in a salt /winter environment the aluminum will be better

I liked baja because of not having to deal with wiring in the backlight feature - that wasn't important to me (I did look at DD). also availability was key for me. it was easy for me to get baja on amazon including any replacement parts and harnesses. the s2 pros are very bright and a good low profile option. I have the baja non street legal fogs in amber and the combination of these two is insane. if I were to do it again though I would buy the squadron pros. reason being I think they are a better bang for the buck and brighter, but not enough so to make me want to upgrade. looking back low profile was key for me, but now meh not so much

I have the lights maybe at 10.5 and 1.5 in reference to a clock face. a good combination of side ways and forward light. there aren't too many videos on the s2 lights but this guy has a good video showing the light output - he is running s2 sports, not the pros which are brighter

BAJA DESIGNS LIGHTS!! YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING!! - YouTube

ya I changed my avatar - reminds me when I see it that no matter how prepared you are, how much you scout the terrain , sometimes you're just going to have a bad day. actually less than a week later after I got stuck there two guys got stuck on a trail just north of there. one went into the mud and someone tried to recover and also got stuck at about 930 at night in the rain... they both got out though after a third person came to help. this time of year the mud can be deceiving... I went alone since I wanted to get one last ride this year before the trail closes until May. that was also a mistake since I was pretty far from home with mediocre cell service. had my ham radio but I wasn't going back into my truck to use it and find a repeater that was actually being monitored, and it was much warmer in the sun outside of the truck lol

 

[teotwaki]

I really appreciate all of the responses, especially pictures. Hopefully this thread will become a resource for those just starting to think about adding ditch lights to their rig.

 

[blksubykid]

What type of lighting will you use for your peripheral/ditch lights on the front bumper?

Probably going Lil Bs with S2s in the outer most location pointed about 60-90ish degrees outward. Don’t have the bumper yet but that’s the idea in my head lol who knows how it’ll actually look and perform

 

[TRD PANTHER]

haha. the greenlane brackets have been vibration free for me. They also do not require both hood bolts to be removed to install them and are still sturdy (no hood misalignment to worry about). I looked at SDHQ, they are nice as well and probably more sturdy. the reason I didn't go with them is because of rust. if you live in a salt /winter environment the aluminum will be better

I liked baja because of not having to deal with wiring in the backlight feature - that wasn't important to me (I did look at DD). also availability was key for me. it was easy for me to get baja on amazon including any replacement parts and harnesses. the s2 pros are very bright and a good low profile option. I have the baja non street legal fogs in amber and the combination of these two is insane. if I were to do it again though I would buy the squadron pros. reason being I think they are a better bang for the buck and brighter, but not enough so to make me want to upgrade. looking back low profile was key for me, but now meh not so much

I have the lights maybe at 10.5 and 1.5 in reference to a clock face. a good combination of side ways and forward light. there aren't too many videos on the s2 lights but this guy has a good video showing the light output - he is running s2 sports, not the pros which are brighter

BAJA DESIGNS LIGHTS!! YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING!! - YouTube

ya I changed my avatar - reminds me when I see it that no matter how prepared you are, how much you scout the terrain , sometimes you're just going to have a bad day. actually less than a week later after I got stuck there two guys got stuck on a trail just north of there. one went into the mud and someone tried to recover and also got stuck at about 930 at night in the rain... they both got out though after a third person came to help. this time of year the mud can be deceiving... I went alone since I wanted to get one last ride this year before the trail closes until May. that was also a mistake since I was pretty far from home with mediocre cell service. had my ham radio but I wasn't going back into my truck to use it and find a repeater that was actually being monitored, and it was much warmer in the sun outside of the truck lol

Mud is one of my least favorites. Except for fire roads and simple 4wheeling, I don’t go out by myself anymore. Winch?

 

[TRD PANTHER]

Probably going Lil Bs with S2s in the outer most location pointed about 60-90ish degrees outward. Don’t have the bumper yet but that’s the idea in my head lol who knows how it’ll actually look and perform

Maybe you’ll set a new trend.

 

[Humble Leader]

Mud is one of my least favorites. Except for fire roads and simple 4wheeling, I don’t go out by myself anymore. Winch?

no winch. there aren't many winch set ups for the early 5th gen bumpers. a winch would also mean upgraded suspension and springs. my suspension is functioning just fine and if there's one thing about me, it's that I don't like spending money when I don't have to lol. although in this situation a winch would not have helped. no where to really hook on to