Kingpin Equipped V Series Light Install Tips
For well over a year, we have been using a Kingpin Equipped 40” V series light bar installed at the rear hatch of our Go Fast Camper. We could go on and on about how amazing this light has been for us and how it has improved our evenings in camp, but in this blog post I’m going to walk you through the basic installation options for your Kingpin light and helpful components that we recommend.
There are two main steps to installing your Kingpin light: mounting it and wiring it.
Mounting
There are a few options to physically attach the light; it ships from Kingpin with double-sided tape and screws.
Option 1: 3M VHB double-sided tape - We chose to use the VHB tape, and since sticking it in place, the light has never moved.
Option 2: Screws
Wiring
As far as wiring the light, there are several options as well. Kingpin now offers a simple wiring kit that you can order with the light to help with installation, or if you want a super clean or more customized route, you can set up the wiring yourself, which is what we did.
Below is a diagram that I drew that is very similar to how we installed our light. I’ve labeled the components (the first two coming from Kingpin) and will link to the additional components.
Kingpin 40” V Series Light Bar
The light bar that ships from Kingpin with double-sided tape and screws
The touch dimmer switch (Kingpin also now sells a rotary dimmer switch)
The butt connectors are what you’ll use to connect the ends of two wires together.
If you don't already have a crimping tool, you will want to get one. This is what we used; you will also want a heat gun. The pigtails* of the light and switch come pre-stripped, but you will want a pair of wire strippers as well for the other wires. This is a simple pair of wire strippers, but this is a much nicer-to-use automatic pair.
After stripping the wires, insert one end into the butt connector, and use the crimping tool to crimp the butt connector on the wire. Repeat the same process on the other end of the butt connector, making sure that red (positive) wires are paired with red wires, and black (negative or ground) wires are paired with black. After both ends are crimped, give a gentle tug to make sure the connection is solid. If you are happy with the connection, you can now use the heat gun on the butt connectors. The heat will shrink their insulator snuggly around the connection, and a small amount of glue in the connections will make for a super solid and water-proof connection.
18 Gauge Marine Duplex Electrical Wire
This is the wire that we used to make the long run from where our battery is to where the light is installed on our camper. Depending on your application, you may or may not need to extend your wires.
This can be used to cover the butt connectors as well as to secure the ends of component #6 below.
Alex Tech Braided Cable Sleeve
We used this to dress the wires for a nicer finish and to protect the wires. It’s available in a few different colors; we chose black.
NOTE: Be sure to slide this on over the wire between the light and the switch, before crimping on the connections.
Depending on whether you're connecting this light to a switch or directly to a breaker (especially if the circuit isn't already protected), it may be wise to install an in-line fuse between the light and the power source for added safety.
This will work with most power banks that have a cigarette-style power delivery port. If your battery only has one port and you are running something like a 12V refrigerator off of that port, you may have to run a splitter. Some of these style plugs come with fuses in them; double-check that you are using the correct fuse for your application.
Ring terminal Pigtail - Build your own
This could also be an option to run the light directly off of a car battery, either the starter, or an auxiliary battery if you have one. Depending on the terminal size and wire gauge that you use, you will need to order and use the right sizes for your application.
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An electrical pigtail is a short piece of wire used to connect multiple wires together or to connect a wire to a device like a light or outlet.
Imagine it like this: if you have two or more wires that all need to connect to the same screw or terminal, but there's only room for one wire, you can twist them together with one extra short wire—the pigtail—which then connects to the terminal. It keeps things tidy, safe, and ensures everything is properly connected without overloading a single connection point.
It's called a "pigtail" because the twisted wires kind of look like a curly pig's tail.
Hopefully, all of or some of this information is useful! There are several different ways that this light can be wired and set up. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out!
Use code DIRTTRAILSWANTED for 5% off any Kingpin Equipped order!
No limit to the number of times used (you can use it each time you place an order!)
Can be combined with Kingpin’s first-time purchase email sign-up 10% discount for a total of 15% off
Some additional things that might help:
Zip Tie Anchors - for cleaner wire routing
3M Mounting Tape - for securing the dimmer switch
