Spot or Flood light bar up under roof rack? NSW roof light legality?

NSW did change their laws as to roof mounted lights some time ago.

But as Mick posted, it still can come back to what mister Plod decides is legal or not legal.

About 15 years ago, a mate of mine from NSW, while in central QLD, got defected for having roof mounted lights on his ute.

Not bad considering here in QLD it has never been illegal to have roof mounted lights.

I have been mounting lights on the roof of just about every vehicle I have owned for the last 35 years and here are some mounting suggestions.

To get the best results from roof mounted driving lights, mount them as far forward as you can but not so they light up your bonnet, and have them towards the centre as best you can, so they don't light up your side rear vision mirrors.

The easiest way to do both, is to get a length of thin timber or an aluminium square tube and lay it on the front edge of your bonnet and on the front edge of the roof so it sticks back about a metre from the front edge of the roof.

Then roughly locate your driving lights so that the top of the lights just touch the underside of the timber/aluminium.

Mark that location and your lights should not be mounted forward of that position. And this will make sure the roof lights will not light up your bonnet.

You can do the same for the mirror clearance.

Lighting up your side mirrors is a real pain and best to be avoided, and if you have a bullbar, also make sure you clear it as it will just blind your road vision.

Once you have mounted the lights, and you are going to adjust them that following night, take three or four towels with you so you can cover the headlights and other driving lights while you adjust the one you are working on. This makes it heaps easier to see exactly where each light is pointing.

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Originally Posted by Aaron IIA

how high in comparison to the driver's eye level they should be mounted, for reasons of safety and courtesy towards other motorists.

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I agree, which is one of the reasons that I am partial to mounting the spot up top because flood will be for most of the driving, and I use the spot for long distance where I can see opposing cars coming before I'm close enough to dazzle.
It is interesting though that this is not reflected in the ADRs as it is a legitimate safety concern. I always feel bad for truckies because they sit so far above their lights.

And cheers for the thread merge mods.

Cheers for the tips Tim.

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Originally Posted by drivesafe

I have been mounting lights on the roof of just about every vehicle I have owned for the last 35 years and here are some mounting suggestions.

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So in your 35 years of doing so, what have you preferred in terms of what types of lights to put up there (on on the bullbar)? I should have mentioned earlier that I don't do any night wheeling, just touring and mountain roads.

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Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

Yep. I think that is the view the RMS took, but not Mr. Plod.

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Exactly.
We need to remember the role of mr plod is there to issue the infringement to suspected offenders, based on their observation, so it can be heard by a court. It won't always (and doesn't have to) go that far though.

So long story short, if you know the laws relating to what you have modified, and mr plod thinks youre guilty, but you believe the law is ambiguous on the matter, then it's a good opportunity to have it heard by a judge.

Hi Niels, up until recently, I have always driven a lot of mile per month and at least 1/3 of this was night driving, which I prefer.

Many years ago I had an S Series Valiant and ran two 250w GE aircraft landing lights mounted on the number. Fabulous out west but a bit useless anywhere else.

As stated earlier, I first ran roof lights 35 years ago, on my Toyota Dual Cab, and from that day to this, I have always made the roof setup so it could be easily fitted and removed, so I kept the lights off the roof by day and only fitted them when I was going to do some long distance night driving.

BTW, I leant the trick of where to place the roof lights the hard way.

The day I fitted them, I spent hours making up the bracket and mounts and tested them in my driveway in Sydney, getting ready for a long drive to Moree that night.



I left home just before dusk and got to Pitt Town ( Putty Road ) and it was dark enough to use the high beam and OH HELL, all I could see was this bright red bonnet and a silver aluminium bullbar, but I could not see the road in front of me.

I pulled up under a street light at Colo Hights and because I had gutter mounted the setup, I was able the slide the lights back till they no long lite up the bullbar.

Jumped in and drove out of town before turning the high beam on again and no light on the bonnet or bullbar, but the entire WHITE interior of the Dual Cab was light up from the driving lights reflecting in through both side mirrors.

This was an easy fix as I just folded both mirrors in and off I went. Made permanent adjustments when I got back home.

On my D1 I ran as many as six 130w bullbar mounted driving lights but eventually went back to 2 on the roof and two on the bullbar.

On my 2002 L322 RR I ran two 130w on the bumper bar and started with four 130w on the roof. But as each globe needed replacing, I eventually ran 55w in all six driving lights.

On my 2007 L322 RR when it's drivable, I now only run just the four 55w roof mount lights.

In the 35 years I have had roof mounted lights, only once was I ever chipped about them and this was in Wollongong at an RBT check, where the officer giving me the breath test told me to wait till his sergeant was attending to another driver, then take off quickly as the sergeant, to quote the officer ?Had a hardon about roof lights?

Now that the lights a legal in a number of states, I would never bother with bumper or bullbar lights again.

Roof mounted lights not only light the road in front of you far better than the lower mounted lights, mine are setup so the two middle driving lights point straight ahead and the two outside lights are set pointing slightly sidewards and these literally let me see around corners.

They are fantastic for off road use and literally brilliant on curved mountain roads.

I don't have them setup to light up the road for the next 5 miles in front of me. I don't care whats happening that far in front of me ( learnt that was a wast of time with the two 250w landing lights ).

I just want to know what is happening a good safe braking distance in front of me when travelling at highway speed.

With the roof lights, I not only get a good view of the road ahead but I get a good safe view of the area to either side. Something that is no where as effective with lower mounted lights.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...017/03/481.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...017/03/480.jpg

If roof mounted lights are illegal, how is it that ALL modern Scania and Volvo prime movers come with them as standard equipment?

They are legal if factory fitted, maybe not quite legal if not, but that doesn't stop me running them. :)

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Originally Posted by Homestar

They are legal if factory fitted

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How so? If they were factory fitted, would the vehicle not get a compliance plate fitted? Would they not need to be removed before the compliance plate is fitted?

I would have thought they were legal or not legal no matter who fitted them.


(Comments and questions are directed at the whole forum and not just you, Gav.)

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Originally Posted by johntins

If roof mounted lights are illegal, how is it that ALL modern Scania and Volvo prime movers come with them as standard equipment?

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It would depend on what state the vehicle is first registered in.

ADRs are not legally binding in every state, unless that state has adopted them in part or in full, as the regulatory requirements.

Jeep ( Chrysler ) applied to get the ADRs changed to allow their vehicles to be sold with roof lights but the individual states own laws still applied.

QLD never had a height restriction and NSW has changed it's regs to allow for roof mounted lights.

What the rest of the country has done, I wouldn't know.

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Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

How so? If they were factory fitted, would the vehicle not get a compliance plate fitted? Would they not need to be removed before the compliance plate is fitted?

I would have thought they were legal or not legal no matter who fitted them.


(Comments and questions are directed at the whole forum and not just you, Gav.)

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I'll see if I can find the right info - I recall reading this in an ADR somewhere - it's what makes the Jeeps roof mounted lights - and those on trucks fitted with them from the factory legal.