Radio Flyer Wagon Lights

I added LED lights to the front and back of my sons radio flyer to illuminate the groud when we go out at night and also to be visible to traffic.

Items Used in This Project

Below are parts and tools used in this project, some of the parts I already had so I made use of those.

• Radio Flyer wagon.
• Mini Rocker Switch
• 6 x AA battery holder (from Arduino kit)
• 18 gauge wire (The thicker wire made it easier when running from the back tires to the front.)
• 2 x strips of Triangle Bulbs Waterproof LED Light 3528-IP65-White-60L, 12V.
• Soldering station
• Hot glue gun
• Painters tape
• Wire hanger
• Heat shrink tubing
• Wire Cutters / Wire Strippers
• Drill
• 3D Printer (optional)
• Spray Paint (optional)

Determine Placement for Everything

I chose to place the LED strips between the back tires and from tires so that it can illuminate the ground and also protect the strips if you go off a curb or stair and it scrapes the bottom.

I cut the battery holder in half so that it can fit into the existing hole at the bottom of the wagon and glued the two parts together. I then bent the wire that connects the two batteries at the fold to make sure that they remained in series. I also cut a hole in the front of the wagon to install the rocker switch which turns the lights on and off.

Run the Wires and Connect Components

I drilled the holes for the wires at the back of the wagon and the front by the wheel. I used the metal hanger as a guide and ran it from the back to the front (this probably took 30 minutes with one person). After the hanger exited through the front, I taped the wires to the hanger and pulled them through from the back to the front.

Then I soldered all the wires and used heat shrink tubing to protect them. (I accidentally switched from red wire to black on the switch and by the time I noticed it I didn't feel like undoing the connection.)

I used hot glue to plug up all the holes I drilled and also used hot glue to route the wires in the front and keep them organized.

3D Print Cover for Battery

Lastly, to hide the wires and protect the batteries I printed a cover. Then I spray painted the cover to blend into the rest of the wagon color but since its at the bottom, it doesn't really matter.