Transport Evolved - WOLFBOX Power Running Boards: Fancy Upgrade, Or Usable Add-On?
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Disclaimer - Transport Evolved received this product free of charge from WOLFBOX in order to bring you this first-person review. No money exchanged hands for the review itself, and no editorial control was given or implied. WOLFBOX sees this review the same time it goes live.
Modern pickup trucks — regardless of what they're powered by — are much larger than they used to be, a shift that's been well documented across the industry over the past two decades. That added size and height doesn't just affect the driver's experience, either — research has repeatedly linked taller, heavier trucks to increased risk for pedestrians and other road users in a collision. And for the people actually driving them, the added size means they're also further off the ground. While most modern EV pickups today come with some form of fixed running board (or side step) for you to use to get in and out of the cabin more easily, high-end models often come with retractable automatic powered running boards.
On the face of it, it might seem like another expensive component that could easily fail — but for those who live in areas where a pickup truck is more practical everyday country transport rather than trailer queen, retractable side steps can be a bonus in helping you gain extra ground clearance and minimize the chance you'll hit your truck on a wayward tree stump.
So when WOLFBOX invited us to try out its Power Running Boards for the F-150 Lightning, we were eager to give them a go on our crew truck — a 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat.
But in typical Transport Evolved style, while we were eager to try out this add-on, we most certainly didn't want to make any modifications to our stock wiring that couldn't be easily reversed. So we came up with our own, alternative installation procedure.
Watch on YouTube — or if you'd prefer (we would), PeerTube.
Chapter Breakdown:
00:00 - Introduction01:40 - Disclaimer: Gifted Review02:23 - We're Doing Things Differently02:48 - What Comes in the Box04:08 - Nikki Made a Custom Loom05:01 - Removing the Original Side Steps06:52 - Heat Shrinking Redundant Connectors07:45 - Moving the Control Box Inside Rather Than Outside09:04 - Modifying the Stock Loom, Extending Power Lines with 12 AWG Cable11:40 - Routing the CAN Tap Cable12:09 - Adding Nikki's Custom Loom Piece14:50 - Testing the Motors Actually Work Before Mounting15:31 - Diverging from Standard Install: De-Pinning the Power to the Steps to Pass Through the Rear of the Cab17:20 - Mounting the Motor and Brackets17:30 - The Next Day… Things Happened…18:46 - Recap for Motor Installation21:05 - Reviewing the Installation Instructions and Process21:57 - Our Official Verdict26:19 - A Niggle About the Lights27:56 - Final Verdict — And Notes on Vehicle Value30:04 - Thanks, and Goodbye!
Links: (Provided By WOLFBOX)
Please note: the following links were provided by WOLFBOX - they are not TE Endorsements. Transport Evolved receives no compensation from the links listed below.
Grab your WOLFBOX Power Running Boards here with a fan-exclusive discount
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/2BA0E48F-86CE-48F5-A7BE-7DA38F0DF9A0?maas=maas_adg_ED7FBA462AA0710CF4F611C89B853FF0_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maasUse code 13PRBOARD for 13% off!
Official site https://gears.wolfbox.com/?ref=TRANSPORTEVOLVEDUse code 13PRBOARD to save an extra $55
WOLFBOX #WOLFBOXPowerRunningBoards
Links: (Transport Evolved)
If you want to build your own pass-through harness for the STAC64 trailer control module connector, here's the parts list:
STAC64 male socket, A polarization — Molex
STAC64 female socket, A polarization — Molex
12 AWG female crimp terminal — TE Connectivity, x4
22 AWG female crimp terminal — Molex, x10
Mini-Fit Jr. connector (or a connector of your choice) — for the CAN High/Low tap-off to the WOLFBOX controller - plus an appropriate crimp tool for this connector.
Soldering station + Flux + patience!
You'll also need:
Heat shrink (various sizes) — for the underbody socket you removed a connector from
Heat-shrink butt connectors — for splicing/extending the power and earth wiring
Klein Tools 3000CRKIT interchangeable ratcheting crimp kit — the crimp tool used in the video
XFasten self-adhesive automotive loom tape — for wrapping and finishing the harness
The pass-through is a straight one-to-one mapping — pin 1 goes to pin 1, pin 2 goes to pin 2, and so on all the way through for every position on the connector, so nothing gets crossed or reordered. Keep pin 6 (CAN High) and pin 7 (CAN Low) run as a twisted pair, then tap off that same twisted pair to feed the WOLFBOX controller — also twisted.
To twist the CAN pair yourself, chuck one end of the two wires into a cordless drill, have someone hold the other end taut (or anchor it), and run the drill slowly until you get a consistent, even twist along the length — this video shows the technique clearly. It only takes a few seconds once you get the tension right.
If you choose to use the same technique we did (a reverse install) you'll also need:
12 AWG cable — to extend the power and earth wires (If you choose to mirror our install)
A new round terminal — for the grounding point
25 Amp Micro2 fuse + add-a-tap fuse holder — to tap position 27 on the internal passenger fusebox
Also — shout out to Nikki's shirt! She's wearing gear from Kumsons Electric Race Team — "Kickin' Gas & Havin' Fun" — Alberta's Kumson family, who run the world's first and only all-electric ATV racing team. We interviewed them at Everything Electric back in 2024 — you can watch that interview here — and they're very much worth a follow if you haven't seen their story yet.
Sponsors And How To Support Us!
Support the Show:
Donate Bitcoin: 1QRZRGCCXUKPDZ2DZ9KX9JYJXMZDYHYGFZ0MN4WH
Join the Conversation:
Subscribe to our Main Channel, Transport Evolved or our second channel, Transport Evolved Take Two
Don't forget to check out Kate Walton-Elliott's new venture, Antithesis Press!
Credits:
Music: via Artlist.io
Host, Script, Editor: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Color: Vi Horton
Art & Animation : Erin Carlie
Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Disclaimer - Transport Evolved received this product free of charge from WOLFBOX in order to bring you this first-person review. No money exchanged hands for the review itself, and no editorial control was given or implied. WOLFBOX sees this review the same time it goes live.
Modern pickup trucks — regardless of what they're powered by — are much larger than they used to be, a shift that's been well documented across the industry over the past two decades. That added size and height doesn't just affect the driver's experience, either — research has repeatedly linked taller, heavier trucks to increased risk for pedestrians and other road users in a collision. And for the people actually driving them, the added size means they're also further off the ground. While most modern EV pickups today come with some form of fixed running board (or side step) for you to use to get in and out of the cabin more easily, high-end models often come with retractable automatic powered running boards.
On the face of it, it might seem like another expensive component that could easily fail — but for those who live in areas where a pickup truck is more practical everyday country transport rather than trailer queen, retractable side steps can be a bonus in helping you gain extra ground clearance and minimize the chance you'll hit your truck on a wayward tree stump.
So when WOLFBOX invited us to try out its Power Running Boards for the F-150 Lightning, we were eager to give them a go on our crew truck — a 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat.
But in typical Transport Evolved style, while we were eager to try out this add-on, we most certainly didn't want to make any modifications to our stock wiring that couldn't be easily reversed. So we came up with our own, alternative installation procedure.
Watch on YouTube — or if you'd prefer (we would), PeerTube.
Chapter Breakdown:
00:00 - Introduction01:40 - Disclaimer: Gifted Review02:23 - We're Doing Things Differently02:48 - What Comes in the Box04:08 - Nikki Made a Custom Loom05:01 - Removing the Original Side Steps06:52 - Heat Shrinking Redundant Connectors07:45 - Moving the Control Box Inside Rather Than Outside09:04 - Modifying the Stock Loom, Extending Power Lines with 12 AWG Cable11:40 - Routing the CAN Tap Cable12:09 - Adding Nikki's Custom Loom Piece14:50 - Testing the Motors Actually Work Before Mounting15:31 - Diverging from Standard Install: De-Pinning the Power to the Steps to Pass Through the Rear of the Cab17:20 - Mounting the Motor and Brackets17:30 - The Next Day… Things Happened…18:46 - Recap for Motor Installation21:05 - Reviewing the Installation Instructions and Process21:57 - Our Official Verdict26:19 - A Niggle About the Lights27:56 - Final Verdict — And Notes on Vehicle Value30:04 - Thanks, and Goodbye!
Links: (Provided By WOLFBOX)
Please note: the following links were provided by WOLFBOX - they are not TE Endorsements. Transport Evolved receives no compensation from the links listed below.
Grab your WOLFBOX Power Running Boards here with a fan-exclusive discount
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/2BA0E48F-86CE-48F5-A7BE-7DA38F0DF9A0?maas=maas_adg_ED7FBA462AA0710CF4F611C89B853FF0_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maasUse code 13PRBOARD for 13% off!
Official site https://gears.wolfbox.com/?ref=TRANSPORTEVOLVEDUse code 13PRBOARD to save an extra $55
WOLFBOX #WOLFBOXPowerRunningBoards
Links: (Transport Evolved)
If you want to build your own pass-through harness for the STAC64 trailer control module connector, here's the parts list:
STAC64 male socket, A polarization — Molex
STAC64 female socket, A polarization — Molex
12 AWG female crimp terminal — TE Connectivity, x4
22 AWG female crimp terminal — Molex, x10
Mini-Fit Jr. connector (or a connector of your choice) — for the CAN High/Low tap-off to the WOLFBOX controller - plus an appropriate crimp tool for this connector.
Soldering station + Flux + patience!
You'll also need:
Heat shrink (various sizes) — for the underbody socket you removed a connector from
Heat-shrink butt connectors — for splicing/extending the power and earth wiring
Klein Tools 3000CRKIT interchangeable ratcheting crimp kit — the crimp tool used in the video
XFasten self-adhesive automotive loom tape — for wrapping and finishing the harness
The pass-through is a straight one-to-one mapping — pin 1 goes to pin 1, pin 2 goes to pin 2, and so on all the way through for every position on the connector, so nothing gets crossed or reordered. Keep pin 6 (CAN High) and pin 7 (CAN Low) run as a twisted pair, then tap off that same twisted pair to feed the WOLFBOX controller — also twisted.
To twist the CAN pair yourself, chuck one end of the two wires into a cordless drill, have someone hold the other end taut (or anchor it), and run the drill slowly until you get a consistent, even twist along the length — this video shows the technique clearly. It only takes a few seconds once you get the tension right.
If you choose to use the same technique we did (a reverse install) you'll also need:
12 AWG cable — to extend the power and earth wires (If you choose to mirror our install)
A new round terminal — for the grounding point
25 Amp Micro2 fuse + add-a-tap fuse holder — to tap position 27 on the internal passenger fusebox
Also — shout out to Nikki's shirt! She's wearing gear from Kumsons Electric Race Team — "Kickin' Gas & Havin' Fun" — Alberta's Kumson family, who run the world's first and only all-electric ATV racing team. We interviewed them at Everything Electric back in 2024 — you can watch that interview here — and they're very much worth a follow if you haven't seen their story yet.
Sponsors And How To Support Us!
Support the Show:
Donate Bitcoin: 1QRZRGCCXUKPDZ2DZ9KX9JYJXMZDYHYGFZ0MN4WH
Join the Conversation:
Subscribe to our Main Channel, Transport Evolved or our second channel, Transport Evolved Take Two
Don't forget to check out Kate Walton-Elliott's new venture, Antithesis Press!
Credits:
Music: via Artlist.io
Host, Script, Editor: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Color: Vi Horton
Art & Animation : Erin Carlie
Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
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