El-Cheapo strobes

George2615 · Jan 1, 2006

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 · Jan 1, 2006

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

cwarrix · Jan 2, 2006

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 · Jan 2, 2006

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. )
*********************] 

 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. 
 4*No he didn't.

George2615 · Jan 2, 2006

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 · Jan 2, 2006

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 · Jan 2, 2006

( 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. )

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 · Jan 2, 2006

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 · Jan 2, 2006

"BTW Gary, sorry for dragging us off topic, thanks again for the tip on the strobes." 

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 · Jan 5, 2006

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.