Recommendation for strobe for mower.

   / Recommendation for strobe for mower. #1  

RSKY

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2003
Messages
2,444
Location
Kentucky, West of the Lakes, South of Possum Trot.
Tractor
Kioti CK20S
I mow alongside two busy country highways. One is for my mother and the other for my father-in-law. Not wanting to throw grass on the road I must mow facing away from oncoming traffic. So I bought a cheap 12-volt flashing light and installed it on my Bad Boy with a simple threaded rod attached to the hitch. It is not bright enough and I want an LED strobe that will get drivers attention.

Any recommendations?

Thanks for your time.

RSKY
 
   / Recommendation for strobe for mower. #2  
The LED sequential light bars would be the best if you want to be noticed. We have them on the back of some of our vehicles. They can be set to sequence left or right etc. It would fit well on the ROPS or similar. Probably more than you would want to sink into the project though.....
 
   / Recommendation for strobe for mower. #3  
What you need is a Class 1 LED, easily visible in full sun. Look at Whelen and Code 3 to get an idea. You wont like the price.
 
   / Recommendation for strobe for mower. #4  
Yeah, for distance in bright sunlight, you'll need to go up in the price range a bit. Do you have a ROPS or are you mounting on a stanchion/post?

If you have a ROPS, you can go with a traffic director type bar, maybe 30" or so wide. They come in two sided models so you get both front and rear, but no side and little angle coverage. If you need 360 degree visibility, they won't do the trick though. You'll have to go with a round/post mount.


Edit to add some options for Galls: amber strobe - Galls
 
   / Recommendation for strobe for mower. #5  
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   / Recommendation for strobe for mower. #6  
It seems to me that mowing shoulders is not that much different than delivering the mail...
Around here most mail carriers use their own vehicles almost all have warning lights (not necessarily strobes)...they seem to work well enough at a minimal expense...
 
   / Recommendation for strobe for mower. #7  
I have a Class one amber beacon from Whelen with a magnetic base. That way I can use it with the tractor and gator, depending on the job. I won't go on the road without it. Class 1 is the brightest, don't settle for anything dimmer, especially when used in daylight.

This isn't a bad price but you may find one cheaper on ebay.

Whelen Class 1 Tall Dome - Magnetic Mount - L1 Series
 
   / Recommendation for strobe for mower. #8  
To be honest, I have yet to see a 360 degree strobe or LED that matches the visibility of a traditional rotating beacon. The straight on focused LEDs are fine for a single direction, but they haven't matched the performance of halogen and a mirror for omni-directional visibility. Rotating halogen beacons are still available but draw more wattage so your machine may not be able to use one.
 
   / Recommendation for strobe for mower. #9  
Buy a good one. Star Headlight makes some nice ones.

Anything will be visible at night, it's the daytime that's the problem. Even the best, don't hold a candle to the old sealed beam revolving lights, in my opinion. In fact, certain highway systems here, still require contractors to have those.
 
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   / Recommendation for strobe for mower. #10  
 
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