light bar installation suggestions

[Steve223]

Hello Together,

Just bough a couple of light bars one 13" I installed in the back via the Rhino spotty brackets http://www.4sdata.net/skitch//bar-20130621-124850.png

and will hook it up to the reveres light no drama with that.

Still not sure what to do with 27" front one.

It comes with bracket's which are not round and have a single screw so not ideal for a round bar but thought about directly mounting it to bull bar by drilling straight trough it as below?
http://www.4sdata.net/skitch//bar-20130621-125115.png

do you think this would be sufficient just with one screw on each site?

Any other suggestions would be appreciated, the light does not fit under the roof rack (at least with default brackets)

Cheers

steve

[Tombie]

Will be illegal up on top of the bar..

Plenty out there like that - but keep it in mind!

[Steve223]

Will be illegal up on top of the bar..

Plenty out there like that - but keep it in mind!

thanks tombi, good that I posted here, any idea where could I go to get a custom bracket made up? will then need to attach it below roof rack

[andylandy]

Hi Steve,

How about coming off the front of the top round bar on the bull bar, so the light bar would sit just above the top of the spotties, would be very easy to make a couple of brackets to go there, and would then not protrude too far above the bull bar, not sure on the legality, but would be easy to do and easier to wire up as well, as for a single screw, I wouldn't hang something that size off 2 screws (1 bolt each side maybe) but as i said a pair of brackets wouldn't take you long to knock up.

Cheers

Andy

[CaverD3]

You could probably get rod of the round ones now. :D

PS what brand and how much?

[TerryO]

Is it really a good idea to have two large spot lights and a light bar mounted in front of the radiator.

Just a thought. ...:angel:

[Steve223]

Thanks guys, Andy thought about that as well but as terry mentioned above i'm concerned the radiator will get enough air with so much space taken away.

The lights are 3 w USA made IP 67 Bison lights

Paid $550 for 3 bars

http://www.bisonpro.com/

[BMKal]

I'd either make up or buy shorter brackets (you can get something that will work from Bunnings if need be) and mount the light either under or in front of the roof rack.

Needs to be mounted far enough back that the front of the roof "shades" the bonnet from the glare from the light bar. One thing to be aware of though is that mounting a light bar under the roofrack increases the amount of "wind" noise from up there.

I have a 40 inch bar (only single row of LED's though - much thinner than yours) mounted under the front of the roofrack, between the two front legs. Works well for me - but there has definitely been an increase in wind noise.

It's OK - I just turn the stereo up. :angel:

[101RRS]

Will be illegal up on top of the bar..

Plenty out there like that - but keep it in mind!

Also in most jurisdictions lights have to be mounted in pairs and a light bar in most jurisdictions is considered to be one light.

Stupid I know but that is how it is - ADRs and many States have just not updated their "spotlight pair" rules to account for light bars.

There was a lot of discussion about this over on Exploreroz a while back where a guy was booked in northern WA for having a single light bar. Discussion of pros and cons was long and extended and I would not like it all the be repeated here - suffice to say as Tombie said - Plenty out there like that - but keep it in mind.

Cheers

Garry

[Steve223]

Yes I read that before but apparently a thin strip of electrical tape in the middle of bar creates 2 lights and solve the legality issues until they amend regulation

[FeatherWeightDriver]

The letter of the NSW laws seem to only allow single lights (read centrally mounted light bars) if and only if you have 2 other additional lights: (from http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/fragview/inforce/subordleg+522+2007+sch.2+0+N?nohits=y&tocnav=y&xref=Type%3Dsubordleg%20AND%20Year%3D2007%20AND%20 No%3D522 )


89 How additional headlights are to be fitted
If 2 or more additional headlights are fitted to a motor vehicle with 4 or more wheels, the additional headlights must as far as possible be fitted in pairs."

[Steve223]

Light bars installed and tested it last week at night camp set up at Dunn's Swamp, make quite a difference very good light output but it sure is whistling on the roof...

[Barn.555]

I mounted mine on the bajarack with a length of alloy angle and stainless steel U bolts. It works great. I only use it off road at night, don't really need it on the highway. It has taken plenty of hits in the rainforest with no dramas.

[Steve223]

Installed my one on two angles below pioneer rack cross bar

[connock]

I was told once that additional lights had to be mounted within a 600mm radius of the manufacturers headlights and not to the out sides of original either, So if this is true mounted to the roof would be illegal for any extra lighting. Off road would be different I recon.

connock

[BMKal]

Baja Designs 40 inch Stealth bar fitted under Windcheater roofrack. Just happens to be the right width - s/s angle brackets supplied with the light bar bolt up directly to the bolts which secure the roofrack to its support legs.

http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/7972/zq8u.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/854/zq8u.jpg/)

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/7674/p1on.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/94/p1on.jpg/)

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/2271/4ly4.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/28/4ly4.jpg/)

[FeatherWeightDriver]

I was told once that additional lights had to be mounted within a 600mm radius of the manufacturers headlights and not to the out sides of original either, So if this is true mounted to the roof would be illegal for any extra lighting. Off road would be different I recon.

Might be a SA only rule for the 600mm bit. Neither the NSW nor Australian ADRs mention that restriction (at least not that I could find).

In NSW currently additional high beam lights can not be wider apart than the low beam lights, and you need to make sure if mounted on the roof they do not dazzle other drivers when in use.

The older ADRs applicable to pre-Oct 1991 build vehicles had 2 restrictions for additional high beam lights:
- not closer than 600mm apart
- not be higher than 1.6m off the ground
...althought it also says "It is acceptable for older vehicles to be up-graded to comply with the later ADR 13/00 requirement" so go figure

As for off road only, if they are fitted to the car while on a road you can be defected for them even if they are not in use.

NSW ADRs: http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/registration/downloads/vsi/vsi_12_-_guidelines_for_lights_light_signalling_devices_fo r_heavy_vehicles_nov_2007.pdf

PS: Actually light bars are technically illegal in NSW, as by the letter of the law you are only allowed to fit "additional pairs of high-beam headlights", and before you say each led is a pair you are limited to 6 additional high beam lights. :confused: But let's ignore that for the moment as I don't know of anyone who has been booked for an otherwise legally mounted light bar.

[nismine01]

I believed that it was the number of reflectors that equaled the number of lights.
A car with dual, (two lights each side) had 4 head lights, this was the same for a vehicle that had the 2 reflectors behind 1 glass, i.e. the old Sigma etc.
If this is the case a light bar will have many, many reflectors, which brings up another problem. How many lights are you legally allowed on the front of a vehicle? I believed in South Aus it was 6.

Mike

:confused:

[drivesafe]

PS: Actually light bars are technically illegal in NSW, as by the letter of the law you are only allowed to fit "additional pairs of high-beam headlights", and before you say each led is a pair you are limited to 6 additional high beam lights. :confused: But let's ignore that for the moment as I don't know of anyone who has been booked for an otherwise legally mounted light bar.

Queensland has similar laws but in the usual Queenslander way of fixing things, there is a quick and simple remedy.

All you need to do to make your LED bar compliant, is bolt a small plate over the centre few LEDs and they are now legal.

BTW, this is the info supplied by Transport and Main Roads, Queensland.

Just follow the link below.

http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Search-results.aspx?query=driving%20lights&scope=tmr.qld.gov.au

[drivesafe]

Queensland has similar laws but in the usual Queenslander way of fixing things, there is a quick and simple remedy.

All you need to do to make your LED bar compliant, is bolt a small plate over the centre few LEDs and they are now legal.

BTW, this is the info supplied by Transport and Main Roads, Queensland.

Just follow the link below.

Search results (Department of Transport and Main Roads) (http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Search-results.aspx?query=driving%20lights&scope=tmr.qld.gov.au)

OK so there has been a change of heart in QLD.

I have the original PDF for LED lights which starts out exactly the same as the NEW/Repealed/Re-issued ( what ever ) but the NEW version states you can now fit odd numbers of driving lights, including LED type.

The new rules date May 2013.

[FeatherWeightDriver]

the NEW version states you can now fit odd numbers of driving lights, including LED type.

Time for NSW government types / pollies to pull their finger out! :angel:

[jonesy63]

Time for NSW government types / pollies to pull their finger out! :angel:

FWD - agree totally... time for our Gay Minister for Roads to do something about it... I mean, Duncan Gay, our Minister for Roads! :wasntme::D

[CaverD3]

He is too busy signing contracts with corrupt US companies, so he can take more money from motorists to do anything sensible. :angel: