Welcome back to another Taco Tuesday! If you missed last week’s TT, we looked at oversized tire setups for the Tacoma.
This week we are looking at ditch light bracket options for the 3rd Gen Toyota Tacoma. We asked Tacoma owners what they chose and what they liked about having them on their rigs.
As always, feel free to DM the owners on IG to ask any additional questions about their setup if needed.
Enjoy!
Table Of Contents
Why Ditch Lights?
Ditch lights fall under the auxiliary lighting category. These lights sit up on top of your hood and require brackets to do so. They are mainly meant for off-road use, but users also find them useful on dark back roads when there is limited street lighting.
Ditch lights are an awesome addition to your Tacoma because they help illuminate surrounding areas that your forward-focused headlights and fog lights just simply can’t. Having them angle out about 45° offers the best possible performance to help guide you through incredibly dark, narrow trails. They also help increase your peripheral vision, allowing you to see the side of the road, wild deer, overhanging trees, a slope of a hill, or even a ditch (you get it now).
Now that we covered why you would add some to your Tacoma, let’s talk about how you would typically mount them to your truck. They mount with your hood’s factory bolts that secure it to the hinges.
While we did get quite a few submissions for the Cali Raised LED ditch bracket kit, there are many other brands to choose from when it comes to ditch light brackets. They include SDHQ, Rago Fabrication, CBI, and many more. It does, however, seem that Cali Raised LED has the market cornered based on this week’s Taco Tuesday.
Let’s see why these Tacoma owners chose to run ditch lights and which brackets they chose.
1. Alex Garcia: Cali Raised LED
Ditch Light Bracket Info
- Model: Low Profile
- Price: $60/pair
What Do You Like & Why Did You Add Them?
I’ve heard amazing things about Cali Raised LED, so I wanted to go with a reputable brand for my ditch light brackets. The fact that they sell on Amazon pushed me even more toward them because I received the brackets in 2 days without having to pay extra for shipping.
I added ditch lights to my Tacoma because being in South Florida, some of these mudding trails in the Everglades and even paved roads are extremely dark. The light bar I have helps illuminate in front of me and I usually keep my ditch lights at an angle to see the sides of the roads and trails.
2. Dylan Patrick: Cali Raised LED
Ditch Light Bracket Info
- Low Profile
- Price: $60/pair
What Do You Like & Why Did You Add Them?
There are a ton of ditch light brackets out there, but I went with Cali Raised LED. They were affordable, had solid reviews, and a lot of them at that. I’ve had them on the truck now for a few trail runs and they hold up just fine with no real noticeable vibrations, even over some deep ruts and other fun stuff.
I got ditch lights for the obvious practical reason of having wider visibility at night, but let’s be real, they look pretty cool. I’m pretty sure they add 5HP, right? I’ll eventually add an extension to the bracket on one side to accommodate a radio antenna, for another 5HP!
3. Richard Pavone: Rago Fabrication
Ditch Light Bracket Info
- Model: Standard Height
- Price: ~$90/pair
What Do You Like & Why Did You Add Them?
I had initially gone for a “low profile” ditch bracket but found that a lot of my ditch light would be wasted shining directly onto the hood. I chose to go with the Rago brackets because of their higher stance. The positioning allows for the full use of the ditch lights and also makes it a little easier to add accessories like bracket extensions for a GMRS antenna.
Recently, I realized these brackets also give me just enough clearance to be compatible with my Dobinsons snorkel. Ditch lights are extremely useful for illuminating switchbacks when off-roading in the dark.
4. Ernesto Morales: Cali Raised LED
Ditch Light Bracket Info
- Low Profile
- Price: $60/pair
What Do You Like & Why Did You Add Them?
The reason why I went with Cali Raised LED is that at the time they were the only company making low-profile brackets that kept the ditch lights out of the line of sight. There’s nothing impairing my vision while driving but they are also the perfect height to get some great lighting if you have the pods pointed at a 45-degree angle.
The brackets are very simple to install as long as you keep a bolt on the hood bracket at all times. It took me somewhere around 30-45 minutes to install. The pros of having low-pro ditch light brackets are they keep the lights as far down as possible, preventing them from getting hung up on overgrowth when on the trail.
Cali Raised LED says they’re supposed to work for a variety of lights which is another plus if you’re opting for a different brand of lights. I love to hit the trails until the sun goes down so I needed to invest in a pair of ditch lights that can take bumps and hits. When I was looking for ditch lights, I wanted something that was functional, cool looking, and more on the budget side.
Cali Raised LED sets a high bar in that criteria so I thought I’d give them a chance and see what they put out. I’m pretty impressed with how much light they give and how they’ve held up to the PNW inclement weather. From a small locally owned business working out of their garage to a much greater manufacturing company, keep your eyes peeled for Cali Raised LED, they’re going places!
5. Matthew Lucas: Cali Raised LED
Ditch Light Bracket Info
- Model: Low Profile
- Price: $60/pair
What Do You Like & Why Did You Add Them?
I chose to go with Cali Raised LED because my boy suggested them to me. I was already getting the lightbar from them, so I figured I would get the ditch light brackets too. These brackets work really well and are high-quality.
6. Chad Harker: Cali Raised LED
Ditch Light Bracket Info
- Model: Low Profile
- Price: $60/pair
What Do You Like & Why Did You Add Them?
I chose the Cali Raised LED ditch light brackets because of their high-quality fabrication and excellent customer service. Being a US-based company also greatly made that decision easier.
I also decided to purchase the Cali Raised LED ditch light combo. These are the 27-watt side projecting pods for $90/pair. After spending countless hours on trails and forest service roads, I needed improved lighting to avoid a collision with either another vehicle, a deer, or the massive herd of elk that resides nearby.
They honestly paid for themselves the first time I used them. These brackets and ditch lights were my first mod to my 19′ TRD Off-Road and have held up to rigorous beatings and countless hours of use over the past four years.
7. Maddison Robinson: SDHQ
Ditch Light Bracket Info
- A-Pillar Light Mounts
- Price: $130/pair
What Do You Like & Why Did You Add Them?
I chose SDHQ because their ditch light brackets are very sturdy and do the job! They won’t bend and they can hold tons of weight on them.
I added ditch lights to my truck for extra light so that I can see better on trail runs whether in daytime or nighttime. Ditch lights help me see through dust and more of what’s in front of me!
8. Tiffany Nguyen: Rago Fabrication
Ditch Light Bracket Info
- Model: Low Profile Ditch Brackets
- Price: ~$90/pair
What Do You Like & Why Did You Add Them?
One of the many reasons I purchased from Rago Fabrication is because they are a reputable company with amazing products that complement my build. I have purchased other items from them such as their bed stiffeners, rear shock guards, and also their shackle hangers. I wanted products that matched the functionality of my build & overall aesthetics.
As far as lights, I currently run only Baja Designs. So for my ditch light brackets, I went with their Squadron Fog Lights in amber.
Final Thoughts
This is one mod that I wish I would have installed on my Tacoma from day one! I had them on my 4Runner until the cheap Amazon pods rusted out, but they were the best things ever for the Florida back roads. When I get my next Tacoma, I definitely plan on adding Cali Raised LED low-profile ditch brackets to it, with Morimoto 4Banger amber pods. Oh yes, it’s going to look so good!
If you want to be featured for Taco Tuesday, submit your build through TrailTacoma.com/Feature. Next week’s Taco Tuesday will be featuring Celestial Silver Metallic Tacomas and asking owners what their Top 5 Mods are. We’re looking for sweet rides to showcase! If this is you and you love your setup, send in your details because we want to see it.
Thanks for reading guys. I’ll see you next week!
