So I just finished installing four Big Hella off road lights on my Safari Roof Rack. After doing most of the wiring I decided to do a test to see if I was on the right track and ...............nothing! Turns out I grounded each light to the tab where the lights mounts, but the rack was not grounded due to the fact there is a rubber padding inside the gutters where the rack rests. Instead of re-wiring each light all over again and having to run another complete set of wires I figured why not just ground the rack to the vehicle. I made a 3" ground strap and connected it to one of the mount bolts and then ran a tiny screw through the rubber inside the gutter to ground the rack.....WaaLaa.... light! This worked great but wondering if this could cause any issues that I did not think of?

 

I dont see a problem with that as long as the ground is secure and you dont think it will come off while driving. When I wired my rear aux light off my roof rack I just ran the ground into the engine and grounded it where all the other electrics are grounded.

 

Mine are all grounded back to the battery, saves drilling the rack or vehicle to find a good ground + becuase of the aluminium panels the grounding is not always "ideal" on the "body"

 

Run a common ground to a solid ground point. An existing one, or the battery. Don't forget to size your wires so you keep the volt drop within acceptable limits.

 

Thank you for the replies. It seems to work grest with it grouded and all four lights work great. I was just wondering if grounding the rack could cause any issues that I had not thought about.....lightning or somthing else.

 

Corrosion.

 

Agreed, that would be my only concern for the way you have done it. But if it works for now, you're fine. But as we've mentioned, there are better ways if you ever need to relocate it.