El-Cheapo strobes

[George2615]

If he's in his own yard. Why would he have to worry about getting run over? Don't people know how to drive where he lives? If people can't stay on the road and drive through yards I'd think about moving. He wired his lights that way for use on the road not his yard.

 

[Inspector507]

OK OK Bad choice of words...
Out BY the road. Do you feel better now?

 

[cwarrix]

Isn't it a bit far fetched to think someone (anyone) with half a brain cell could mistake a little tractor for an emergency vehicle? /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif Even if it were night time in which case they would be on constant and not flashing... but even if they were flashing, the headlights are still so close together that it would be hard to mistake for a police vehicle. Just my opinion, not trying to ruffle any feathers /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

As for people knowing how to drive, location has nothing to do with that. There are idiots everywhere, not just Central Ohio. I was almost hit in my front yard, and I live on two acres, in the country, not sure where I would move to make it safer.

If a couple (or more) flashing lights make my tractor more noticeable, and therefore makes me safer, I'm going to use them. If I happened to be on the road for the whole 400 feet from my barn to my garage and a car pulls over thinking I'm a PO, I'll kindly ask them to stay where they are while I call the real cops to arrest them for being too stupid to drive. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[LBrown59]

<font color="blue">1*If he's in his own yard. Why would he have to worry about getting run over?
2*Don't people know how to drive where he lives?
3*If people can't stay on the road and drive through yards I'd think about moving.
4*He wired his lights that way for use on the road not his yard. )</font>
*********************] </font>

<font color="#666666"> 1*Because the idiot drivers don't always stay in the road.
There was a 110 foot long 3 to 5 foot wide 3 to 6 foot deep road ditch along the front of my property.
It made a pretty good barricade between me and the road traffic when I was mowing the front edge of my yard but I still had to watch that somebody didn't run into the ditch and flip the car over onto to me while I was mowing there.
This fall I put in a culvert and filled in the ditch so now I have to watch the traffic even closer that I did before because I removed that barricade which makes it even easier for someone to run off the road into my yard.
I don't know about you but I think me and inspector507 want all the advantages we can get over the idiots on the highway.
2*No they don't and that also goes for your area and any where else.
3* Wouldn't do any good: The Idiot drivers are everywhere. Moving would simply be trading idiots. </font>
<font color="red"> 4*No he didn't. </font>

 

[George2615]

My apologies to all who replied. My half a brain cell must have been asleep when I questioned the alternating headlight flasher legality.
The only thing I have to watch for on my 40 MPH road are the idiots who drive 65 and above. They can't read around here. I guess schools don't have to teach english anymore.

 

[cwarrix]

Come on George, I didn't mean to say you had half a brain cell. I didn't mean to offend you in any way and I sincerely hope you didn't really take it that way. I understand there are laws about this sort of stuff, and I would encourage all to follow the law. I'm not questioning whether it is legal or not, as I admittedly do not know that part of the law, but I do question whether a tractor with flashing lights could be mistaken as an emergency vehicle /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Sorry if my opinion came across as a personal thing.

 

[cwarrix]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The only thing I have to watch for on my 40 MPH road are the idiots who drive 65 and above. They can't read around here. I guess schools don't have to teach english anymore. )</font>

I agree, and some of them can read and choose not to... My son knew two teenagers killed on our road less than 1/4 mile away for driving carelessly. They were doing over 120MPH in a 45MPH zone when they passed our house. Two cars racing, one car wrecked killing both driver and one passenger. All of the kids were honor roll students! Smart kids making stupid mistakes.

No kind of lights on your tractor would protect you from somebody doing 120MPH. But maybe for the casual speeders, and people more interested in their cell phone conversation than driving; it might give them a chance to see me a few hundred yards before they would without the strobes or flashing lights, giving them a chance to slow down a bit before they are right on top of you.

BTW Gary, sorry for dragging us off topic, thanks again for the tip on the strobes. I hooked mine up to a battery yesterday and they seem to be pretty bright. I'm happy with them so far especially for the price. I'm still trying to find a good spot to mount them on my tractor. I'll post pictures when I get around to it.

Happy New Year to All !!

 

[LBrown59]

My brother lives on a 1 . 5 mile curvy stretch of county road.
Posted speed limit is 45 but he sees them fly by his place 60 and 70 all the time.

I don't think it would do him any good to move as I don't think all of the idiot drivers in this country are on that 1.5 mile stretch of road.

 

[JustGary]

<font color="blue"> "BTW Gary, sorry for dragging us off topic, thanks again for the tip on the strobes." </font>

No problem, it's quite humorous. You're welcome for the tip.

I held mine to the battery posts just this evening, and was delighted (or maybe lighted, delighted, lighted, delighted...) at the brightness. Mine seems pretty close to the stated 2 Hz, but I didn't see the need to time it.

I decided that I'm going to make a magnet plate with two 55W halogen lamps and the flasher on it. That way I can put it on the ROPS if I'm near the road or remove it if I'm in the tree rows (it's really one or the other for me, different properties). The lamps will pivot on the plate for back/front adjustment, and the wires will tie wrap to the ROPS.

I also bought a 30A relay and holder from All when I bought the flasher, so I can hook it up with my own circuit and not tax the tractor's existing systems. I like to make my modifications fully removable just in case I decide I want something else. When I find the magnets I want I'll make the plate and post a picture.

Regards,

Just Gary

 

[PILOON]

Re: El-Cheapo strobes

I bought some a few years ago, not exact same discussed here, but zenon flasher controlled just the same.

They workrd as advertized however I found that in cold weather they just would not fire up. Maybe it was the flasher that stiffened up but I finally determined that the gas tube ceased to 'conduct' in the cold.
Maybe it is a characteristec of zenon gas.
But then it might have been an 'quality/ brand issue' and not apply to all zenon flashers.

My 2 cents.

 

[JSUnlimited]

It amazes me that when this sits next to the road with all of the lights on how many people just don't cut us any slack, they don't slow down, they don't change lanes, etc.

My point, If the size of this truck and the amount of NFPA approved lights don't indicate to a motorist to change lanes or slow down, then I don't think a small utility tractor with one or two little strobes with maybe less than a couple of watts of dischage will alert anyone to do anything.

However, I myself have a collection of surplus emergency warning equipment collected over the years. I have a two outlet weather proof strobe pack with two clear strobe tubes (used to insert into existing housing of vehicle) that I thought I would put on tractor some day...........someone will still run me over.

 

[JSUnlimited]

This might be neat if you wanted to spend the money. It's all LED and the light pattern is selectable.

For time wasting material check out:
Whelen Engineering

 

[cwarrix]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( My point, If the size of this truck and the amount of NFPA approved lights don't indicate to a motorist to change lanes or slow down, then I don't think a small utility tractor with one or two little strobes with maybe less than a couple of watts of dischage will alert anyone to do anything.)</font>

OK, forget the lights, how about a 50 cal machine gun on the front and back? That might alert them to slow down. No, wait, there's probably a law against that too. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I have a two outlet weather proof strobe pack with two clear strobe tubes (used to insert into existing housing of vehicle) that I thought I would put on tractor some day...........someone will still run me over.)</font>

Yeah, but at least with all these flashing lights our wives will have a better shot at winning the law suit /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[JSUnlimited]

cwarrix,

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( OK, forget the lights, how about a 50 cal machine gun on the front and back? That might alert them to slow down. No, wait, there's probably a law against that too. )</font>

Yeah, I like that idea!

It just simply amazes me peoples ignorance while driving. I know here in Ohio you'll get ticketed if you don't move a lane over and/or slow down for construction/police/fire/ems with appropriate warning signals activated. ****, people don't even hesitate to drive over fire hoses!

Seriously though, I like the idea of adding additional warning lights. I'm often on or near roadways especially with the BH and you've got a point with the lawsuit deal. Nice project, sorry to highjack the thread, just had to get on my soapbox for a little bit!

 

[cwarrix]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Nice project, sorry to highjack the thread, just had to get on my soapbox for a little bit!)</font>

Actually JustGary started the thread, I'm just hanging out here waiting to see what he does with his lights, so I can copy /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Come on Gary where's the pictures /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Seriously, I was looking at my tractor last night and I can't find a place I want to mount these yet. Guess I need to by a ROPS for my tractor so I can mount them there... honey... I need the checkbook... Wish me luck on that one!

 

[JustGary]

<font color="blue"> "Come on Gary where's the pictures" </font>

Ouch. Didn't Just Gary tell you he thought they would be bigger and only bought one? Baaaad mistake. You won't be impressed with mine.

Thanks for the prompt, though, I need to find those magnets so I can finish the job...

- Just Gary

BTW, hijack away. If it ever becomes important, someone will steer us back on topic.

 

[JustGary]

OK. I finally found a little "free" time. I'm posting this mainly for the use of the hard drive magnets. Not much else is very creative, and I didn't even wire it up yet. Anybody got any spare time? I need more.

I found a piece of 1/4" aluminum, 16 X 3 inches in my scrap pile. It had a short ring welded to the side, so I left it on. I don't know what I'll do with it, but I'm sure it will be important one day.

I had to bore two big holes in the bar so I could use it at the top of my ROPS. The ROPS has two big bolt heads spaced a little over 5" apart. I scratched my head for a while and decided to use the 1 3/8" spade bit that was calling my name. Go ahead and laugh, but this bit is a little better than the basic flat stamped ones. Anyway, with a little oil and predrilling the center hole, it worked just fine. Yes, I used the drill press and clamped the work down.

Next I selected three similar magnets from the small pile I got at work. Lucky for me I bumped into the hard drive party one day, where they had taken apart about thirty computer hard drives. The magnets are very strong, and have mounting holes already drilled on them. Find a few friends with dead hard drives and take them apart. Newer ones pretty much all have similar sized magnets, since they're just a commodity now.

I drilled and tapped the plate for 8-32 screws to hold the magnets. The magnets are only about 1/8" thick. I only had round head machine screws in the bin, so I had to grind the heads lower after I installed them.

Then I bent a piece of 1" aluminum bar to hold the el-cheapo strobe above the lamps. I installed the strobe using its cheap threaded lugs, but decided to not tighten them very much since someone else mentioned that they'll break out of the housing.

Next, I drilled and tapped more 8-32 screws to hold the strobe bracket onto the plate. I didn't have time to find the washers.

Finally, I drilled and tapped 10-24 screw holes for the light brackets. One screw each in the center, so they can rotate. I found the #10 washers with the screws. If any of this stuff vibrates out I'll just locktite it. I can find that faster than the washers...

I bought the lights at the box auto parts store. I know, I got driving lights, but I think the spot will be big enough. If I don't like them, I'll replace them with floods.

Tada! I'll wire it up soon... I already bought the relay and relay holder, so I'll add a bracket next to the fuse panel and use the headlamp wires to close the relay. I'll post another picture when I get that done.

Regards,

Just Gary

 

[JustGary]

Ben showing you the magnets. The three of them hold the bar on quite well. Get it close to the ROPS and it jumps the last inch or so! Keep your fingers clear...

- Just Gary

 

[JustGary]

One more picture. Another view of the top just in case you missed seeing Ben. Note the holes in the bar to fit over the bolts at the top of the ROPS.

- Just Gary

 

[TwinWillows]

The short piece of pipe looks like a flag holder to me /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif