Spot Light Roof Bars

[CraigE]

Does anyone know of a dedicated roof bar for spotlights? Have seen some but have not been able to get the brand and a google search turns up bugger all. Lower profile to the roof as possible. Plenty of roof bars around but all require light mounting plates or modifications to be added.

[drivesafe]

Hi CraigE, if you can use a welder, make your own.

I made mine and as a welding goes, I make a good fence painter. None the less I still made up a roof driving light bar and to avoid drawing attention to myself, by day, I can install or remove them in a few minutes.

Here’s a link to the projects section. Have a look there as there are some pics.

http://www.aulro.com/modules.php?name=Foru...iewtopic&t=5471 (http://www.aulro.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=5471)

Rough as guts but work well. Cheers

[LRHybrid100]

I'm looking for someone to make something like this :

http://www.aulro.com/albums/album114/Def_lights_cropped.jpg

They are about $200 in the UK - but the freight is a killer, as much as the bar style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif

LRH

[crump]

rhinos heavy duty bar can be fitted with the mounting plates, as strong as, the mounts cost $22, cant remember the price of the bar, but due to the height of the bar, you can mount the lights underneath it, soyou get that low profile look. If you send me an email adressI'll send you some pics of mine.

[CraigE]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>rhinos heavy duty bar can be fitted with the mounting plates, as strong as, the mounts cost $22, cant remember the price of the bar, but due to the height of the bar, you can mount the lights underneath it, soyou get that low profile look. If you send me an email adressI'll send you some pics of mine.
[/b][/quote]
Crump, Thanks I have Rhino bars on the Fender and there is a fair amount of space under them, but I want to mount big XGT lightforces on them and keep as low to the roof as possible so I can still put canoes on the roof and keep the spacing right. I am thinking about another bar, the lowest profile bar leg Rhino make is still realy a bit high.

[CraigE]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>I'm looking for someone to make something like this :



They are about $200 in the UK - but the freight is a killer, as much as the bar

[/b][/quote]
Thats the ticket.

[CraigE]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>Hi CraigE, if you can use a welder, make your own.

I made mine and as a welding goes, I make a good fence painter. None the less I still made up a roof driving light bar and to avoid drawing attention to myself, by day, I can install or remove them in a few minutes.
[/b][/quote]
Thanks, that might be an option. If I can get some stainless low legs for mounting to gutters a piece of stainles tube might be the go.

[drivesafe]

And don’t forget you will need fit reflector covers under each light otherwise all you do is light up your bonnet and can’t see the road in front of you.

Now if you do put reflectors on them, you will blow your fuel consumption out of the water if you travel faster than about 50 or 60 kph.

By putting the lights part the way down the roof, you get away from that problem.

If you do mount them on the roof.. also make sure you fit them as far from each side as possible otherwise you will end up lighting up your side mirrors.

Cheers.

[Greylandy]

If you mount four lights on the roof ... should all be in a spot pattern or a combination of spot and spread beam?

I'd think if all were in a spot pattern you wouldn't need a reflector or be concerned where they are mounted ... :?: :?:

[drivesafe]

Hi Greylandy, even with spots, you still get some fan out of the light and at night, it is a pain in the you know what when you have a bonnet glowing in your face as you are trying to concentrate on the road in the distance. With the bonnet light up, even slightly, it just defeats the whole purpose for having the extra lights in the first place.

I set up my first roof mounted lights about 20 years ago.

Made them up, tested them ( during daylight ) and that night, headed off from Sydney for Brisbane. My intention was to get way out on the open road by the time it got dark and then I would aline the four driving lights.

I was going along the Putty before it got dark enough to need the high beam and when I did, I had to turn them straight off again because all I could see was a bright red blob, my bonnet.

I pulled off the road the first place I came to with a street light and spent the next half an hour moving the lights back along the roof. Luckily I had used a gutter mount roof rack.

I made sure the light no longer hit the bonnet and then away I went, but not far.

The lights were now far enough back that when they were on, they lit up the side mirrors. The light didn’t shine in my face, just lit up the entire interior of the car.

As the driving light’s rack mounts were not side way adjustable, all I could do was fold both mirrors in so the light didn’t hit them. Didn’t need them out there any way.

When I got back from that trip, I redesigned the rack mounts and never had another problem.

Cheer and hope this is of some help.

[CraigE]

Drivesafe,
Is it better to get them close to centre of the roof to eliminate the mirror glare?
Thanks

[DaveS3]

I made one (well 90% done :oops: ) out of a Defender roof rack bar. I Just hacked it up to suit style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif

Mine sits on the gutters so I can move it forward or backwards to adjust the light if it hits the bonnet roof ect....

Mine is mounted as low as possible with a bar running over the to to help protect the lights from being smashed off.

Dave.

[VladTepes]

Dave do you have a pic of your set up ?

[drivesafe]

Hi CraigE, there’s a real scientific way to get them located correctly.

First off workout how high they are going to be once mounted, then add say 2cm to the height to be safe.

Now, and this is the scientific part, get yourself a pole made of timber or plastic conduit or, as I used, a length of aluminium square tube and two towels.

Spread one towel over the front edge of the bonnet and the other towel over the front edge of the roof at the windscreen.

Next lay the timber or tube or whatever on the towels so that one end is just over the front of the vehicle, the other end of your pole will be sticking back over the roof.

Now with the ruler, move backwards along the pole until you get to a point where the height of the pole would be at the top of your lights and note how far back from the front of the roof this point is.

Next do the same thing with the mirrors. You should only have to do one side to get the distance in that the lights have to be in away from the edge so that they don’t light up your mirrors.

Just rest your pole against the mirror and the top edge of your roof and measure it out again.

There is plenty of room for up to 4 Hella 181 driving lights and although I kept mine close to the centre, I had room to actually fit 5 if I had wanted to.

I have 2 IPF spots on the front bumper and these are set for long distance straight down the road. The two centre roof mounts, I have facing forward to light up the road just in front of the RR. The two outside roof mounts are turned as far as they can be so they face just off to the side . These work great on tight curved roads. I can actually see around corners. :wink:

Cheers.

[sclarke]

Mine are fitted but not wired ot tested yet. should be next week.

Other problem is trees knocking them around

I have 4 Cibie oscars on the roof rack, 2 spots 2 driving lights, 2 spots are forward and facing to about 50m in front, 2 driving are kicked to the side abit and aiming about 30m to the front/side

on the bull bar is a pair of Cibie Super Oscar spots. Headlights have been rewired with relays to get the full 13.8v they want.

all the extra lights run 55w bulbs as the light difference in 55w and 100w is bugger all. i experimented alot with lights and bulbs when i was rallying.

Pix to come very soon.