Any time you’re with a group of off-road enthusiasts, the conversation always turns to modifications, also known as mods or upfitting. It is a common conversation, which typically turns into a verbal King of the Mountain contest. Some people flex over having spent the most money. Others brag about the size and weight of their after-market equipment, because they assume bigger is better. This is such a common phenomenon that we have addressed it in previous blog posts, and this certainly won’t be the last mention.
If you listen to those campfire conversations, you will hear a common topic. It seems that every 4-wheeler, desert racer or overlander is obsessed with switches, specifically easy install switch panel systems. This is, quite possibly, because nearly every after-market modification requires 12 volt power to operate it. For example, if you add additional lighting for maximum visibility in the desert or forest, or to use when setting up camp, you will need a way to power those lights on. Since a vehicle manufacturer is going to provide you with the switches for the lighting they put on the vehicle, and typically not more, you will need additional switches for your off road lights.
Easy to Program and Customize Switch Panels
Another key concept related to power distribution is that it is an easy to program and customizable smart touch switch panel. Though I have only, thus far, mentioned full sized off road vehicles, the same concept applies to power distribution for your RZR, CanAm, YXZ or other UTV.
Let’s get back to the discussion of campfire conversations. One of the biggest events, in the Western United States, for both full-size vehicles (think Jeeps, 4-Runners and Ultra 4 vehicles) and side by sides (think RZR, CanAm, Yamaha and Kawasaki) is the Trail Hero Event in Sand Hollow, Utah. The event attracts attendees and vendors from all over the United States, and tackles some of the craziest terrain Utah has to offer.
For the first time, ever, the Switch-Pros Marketing team attended the event. We spent the first week of October exploring Sand Hollow OHV Park and the surrounding area. As expected, Night One started with s’mores and one of those “upfitting” campfire conversations, where auto switch panels were a hot topic. That topic is always an easy one for us, since we have been making one of the top accessory controllers since we launched the brand in 2014. Those gathered around the campfire asked what sets up apart from other switches for off road lights. We ran down the list of the primary features and benefits, including the fact that both our 8 switch panel and our 12 switch panel are Bluetooth switch panels. That means that every system we make has built in Bluetooth capability, so that you can control your LED light switch panel while away from the vehicle.
Other things, that we discussed, included the simplicity of the wiring of a Switch-Pros system. There seems to be a misconception that installers should tie our output wires and the accessory input wires to a terminal block. To some, seeing the rainbow of colored wires attached to a block, which then jumpers power out to the accessories, is aesthetically pleasing. What those folks don’t understand is that they have taken our all solid-state power distribution system and provided a way for the elements (water, mineral buildup, dust) to interrupt the flow of power from our power module to the outputs. The other commonly heard reasoning for using a terminal block, is that the installer likes to change their output connections often, and using a screw terminal for each connection, makes that easier. Our question would be “how often are you going to rewire your rig?” Our guess I that the answer is “not very often, if ever.” So why use an old school style connection for an almost never scenario? Wouldn’t it be better to use solder and heatshrink, to ensure a watertight, weatherproof connection? We think YES?
Vehicle LED Lighting Switch Panels
Back to the discussion about the Trail Hero Event. Since the event his held in one of the meccas of Western US Off Road, thousands of people gathered. The vendor area was jam packed, and the booths had tons of quality goods to inspect, test and buy. Our booth had tons of foot traffic, and hundreds who came by for a demonstration of our 8 switch (SP9100) and 12 switch (RCR-Force ®12) panel power systems.
One such group, to visit our booth, was the Lite Brite Nation duo of Brittany and Kevin Williams. We can always count on that crew to film exciting and entertaining footage from the wheeling to crowd interaction. Our Vice President, Laura Muertter, gave an in depth discussion, and hands-on demonstration about our products, which was both informational and comical, courtesy of some passersby, who jumped in with some mocking and silly antics.
The Lite Brite Nation footage, which accompanies this blog post, highlights the very reasons that legit trail riders like Kevin and Brittany chooses Switch-Pros brand products to wire their rigs. In the video, we demonstrate the reason we build the RCR-Force®12 as a 12 switch, 17 circuit system. We explain when and how those additional 5 circuits would be accessed and activated, and what practical off-road applications a driver might use those for. Surely, you’ll find this video chock full of laughs and valuable information. Check it out, and, as always, feel free to phone our Tech Support crew with any specific application questions you might have.
