F60 Installed Off Road Lights on Roof Rack, Mostly...
#1
Installed Off Road Lights on Roof Rack, Mostly...
Yay or nay?
I still have to work out the wiring; thinking about having an indie shop doing it, but this is inspiring me to maybe take a crack at it. I thought it came out a lot better than I expected...
Last edited by oinktron; 12-18-2018 at 04:09 PM.
#2
I just had an idea... Maybe throw a deep cycle battery up there with a remote control wiring harness. Essentially a self contained unit! Each light draws about 3amps, so I should probably get a 55ah battery. It's not like they'll be constantly on. I think the most I've had them on, in anyone one day, on my truck was maybe 1/2 hour.
#4
#5
Today I initiated my first field test!
I solved the wiring problem. How? I essentially created a gigantic rechargeable wireless flashlight!
Here are some pics.; yes, everything is crude and needs to be tightened up a bit, but it was FANTASTIC!
My remote switch arrives Friday. It will literally be its own contained unit, no wiring into the vehicle whatsoever. It will be turned on and off by remote.
Each of my lights draws about 3amps, so I bought a 35ah deep cycle battery. 3amps x 4 lights = 12ah, so 35ah would, in theory, give me just under 3 hours of usage. However, since I only use these at night on back roads, I don't think I've had an occasion to use them for any more than maybe 30 minutes continuously, so my usage fits easily within the battery capacity. It keeps the battery small too; it's about half the size of a car battery. I also have to get "quick attach" leads so I can easily plug it into the battery charger when it need to.
As to the height, it's perfectly acceptable for my usage, fits in my garage, and I rarely drive into the city. The height actually makes for an excellent beam throw! I could re-install the lights on the lower bar, but that would be for cosmetics more than anything. The nice thing about this set up is, you can easily remove the whole thing whenever you want.
Enjoy!
I solved the wiring problem. How? I essentially created a gigantic rechargeable wireless flashlight!
Here are some pics.; yes, everything is crude and needs to be tightened up a bit, but it was FANTASTIC!
My remote switch arrives Friday. It will literally be its own contained unit, no wiring into the vehicle whatsoever. It will be turned on and off by remote.
Each of my lights draws about 3amps, so I bought a 35ah deep cycle battery. 3amps x 4 lights = 12ah, so 35ah would, in theory, give me just under 3 hours of usage. However, since I only use these at night on back roads, I don't think I've had an occasion to use them for any more than maybe 30 minutes continuously, so my usage fits easily within the battery capacity. It keeps the battery small too; it's about half the size of a car battery. I also have to get "quick attach" leads so I can easily plug it into the battery charger when it need to.
As to the height, it's perfectly acceptable for my usage, fits in my garage, and I rarely drive into the city. The height actually makes for an excellent beam throw! I could re-install the lights on the lower bar, but that would be for cosmetics more than anything. The nice thing about this set up is, you can easily remove the whole thing whenever you want.
Enjoy!
#7