VanDiesel99 14 Report post Posted September 2, 2006 For you guys who use permanently mounted lights on your rig, what kind of light did you go with? Does it put out enough light? Can it swivel? Is it rigid enough to survive through all the vibration of driving and washing? I had rigged a 1500 watt halogen set of lamps from lowes on the side of my water tank(no pics sorry). The problem was that it shook so much while I was driving that it wore the threads off the screws and basically just fell apart(not long after I installed it). It put out plenty of light and I could swivel the heads different directions and I was happy with it, but it just didn't last. I still have the switch and the power cord hooked up all I need to do is find some good lights to replace these. Suggestions? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
One Tough Pressure 580 Report post Posted September 2, 2006 I have 2-500 watt halogens on eah side and they have never fallen off or came loose, except for when i wrapped the hose around them while pulling forward one day and ripped it right off. I will check the brand, but they are nothing special. It is more in the mounting. Alkota did the light rack, and it works very well. I can swivel them a little, but the way they were wired, does not give to much extra cord. They tilt up and down well and have come in handy on doing walls with graffiti. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VanDiesel99 14 Report post Posted September 2, 2006 Your fast. The two I had were 750 a piece. They were very bright(had a 500watt and a 250 watt bulb in the same unit). GOt a pic of the mounting? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TNT Pressure Washing 14 Report post Posted September 2, 2006 This is kinda off subject, but do yall have lights near your receiver hitch? I have seen lights that mount on either side of your hitch for hooking your trailer up at night and I was wondering how good they worked. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Christopher 102 Report post Posted September 2, 2006 I use the Tripod lights from Sears or Home Depot. Both the bulbs are 500watts and when on sale they are about $20-30 . The bulbs last a while but a while back I bought some replacement bulbs from Harbor Freight and the bulbs lasted from 15 minutes to 2 hours max. The tripod I bought from there had the same bulbs and it takes forever to change them out. I like the tripod because I can move it close to the work and the individual lights do swivel some so you can light up a big area. I wanted to mount the lights onto the trailer a while back but a welder friend told me that if you weld them onto the frame they will last a long time but if you elevate them they will need to be reinforced a lot because of all the driving, bumps and vibration will take it's toll on the supports. With the tripods, I usually only use one and when I am done I let it cool down and take the light off the tripod (quick release button from Sears) and put both in the truck or into the toolbox and I am on the way. With 50' 12gauge cords that gives you a lot of area to work with but I do have some of the 12 gauge 100' cords but have not needed them yet. Hope this helps. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
One Tough Pressure 580 Report post Posted September 2, 2006 My lights are made by Regent. Nothing special, but they work well and are very tough. I suck at getting pictures, but will try. As far as light on the receiver, I see no need for them. I use the reverse light on the truck to center on the trailer and that does just fine for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
One Tough Pressure 580 Report post Posted September 2, 2006 The light with the yellow frame is a store version and was put on to replace the ripped off one. Note that they use wing nuts on each side. The other one is the way Alkota did it. They put a small piece of angle iron on the fram and then used a 3/8" stud for the stand, welded to a 1/4' piece of pipe that has a single bolt running thru it and a nylon nut on the other end. Still adjustable, but very secure. They are wired to only come on one side at a time, for a max of 1000 watts. It is set up to run on a standard 2000 watt generator found on many AC skids. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grizzley 14 Report post Posted September 3, 2006 Just an idea (and what I do).... Get an inverter for $40 off eBay. Install it under the hood of the truck. Run a heavy extension cord to the bed of your truck and install a ground fault receptacle in the bed. You can mount a few lights off that. I also splice into the power switch of the inverter and extend it into the cab of the truck, just under the glove box so that I can turn it ON/OFF when I want without opening the hood of the truck. Since all inverters have two outlets, it's also nice to run a smaller (household) extension cord into your glove box for 110V power for when you are on a trip and the kids Nintendo goes dead.... you have a house charger in your truck. One outlet to the bed of the truck, one outlet into the glove box. Total cost = $60 (inverter, power cord, junction box) You gain = 2000W power If you take 30 minutes to do the install, you can hid all of the wires so that NOTHING is seen except the plugin in the bed of the truck. If you take an extra 3 minutes, you can make the plugin look stock! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HotShot 34 Report post Posted September 3, 2006 Dang Grizzley, you are the man....great info!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Kassander 26 Report post Posted September 3, 2006 This is kinda off subject, but do yall have lights near your receiver hitch? I have seen lights that mount on either side of your hitch for hooking your trailer up at night and I was wondering how good they worked. I mounted 12v tractor lights on my bumper, for plowing, they work great it makes it like day behind me which is really nice to keep from hitting things. They also work great for hooking up trailers because the shadows change and you can tell how close you are getting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
One Tough Pressure 580 Report post Posted September 3, 2006 Chris, How long can you use the inverter before you have to start the truck? I would not want my truck running while I am out washing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grizzley 14 Report post Posted September 3, 2006 It all depends on what you are running. The inverter kicks OFF if voltage drops below a certain point so that it doesn't drain your battery. I have ran a electric pressure washer (hot box) for about 2-3 hours with no problems. I'd say that is the heaviest load for the longest time that I have every had it under without starting the truck. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
copgib 15 Report post Posted September 4, 2006 Grizzley, how long do you think you could run two(2) 500watt lights with the inverter before charging up the truck battery? Thanks Hugh Copgib@earthlink.net Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ron Musgraves 240 Report post Posted September 4, 2006 mine are hooked to pw, no worries Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grizzley 14 Report post Posted September 4, 2006 Grizzley, how long do you think you could run two(2) 500watt lights with the inverter before charging up the truck battery? Thanks Hugh Copgib@earthlink.net I'd hate to guess.... I have ran 2 before for an hour with no problems. I'm not sure if they are 500W or not, but I'd assume they are. They are the yellow halogen work lights that come with a stand. I have never had the inverter shut down due to low battery during any type of MY usage. I guess it has allot to do with how new/good your battery is as well. It's hard to say if it will work for your application. For the money, it's worth the investment. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
One Tough Pressure 580 Report post Posted September 4, 2006 If one must use an inverter, then why not have it hooked up to the washer battery? At least it gets a constant charge while the machine is running. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
