Recommendation for strobe for mower.

[RSKY]

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

 

[RNeumann]

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.....

 

[mjw357]

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.

 

[Diggin It]

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

 

[ArlyA]

Daytime strobes are indeed costly, but in our book, are worth it. Here's one on Amazon we've used over the years. It see is at $90 right now. We've purchased 4 of these for around $150 each. These have, and I'd guess all the higher class ones have a photo cell in them, to adjust the brightness. These will light up your life.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FBWPQ6/?coliid=I3OF5S1I6GT3P0&colid=2SJSOW7NF29CZ&psc=0

 

[/pine]

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...

 

[bigtiller]

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

 

[Diggin It]

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.

 

[Industrial Toys]

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.

 

[mrmikey]

To be honest, I have yet to see a 360 degree strobe or LED that matches the visibility of a traditional rotating beacon

Nailed it, I 100% agree.
Whelan makes some excellent strobes. These are great, multiple patterns, synchronizeable and very visible in daylight, not cheap tho TIR3™ & LIN3™ Series Super-LED(R) Lightheads - Whelen Engineering Automotive . You'd need multiples for 360 visibility............Mike

 

[Industrial Toys]

I am always paying attention to flashing lights and how far they can be seen. I bought a reconditioned Star Headlight, Magnet/Suction Cup light bar, which is pretty bright, but I have yet to see any LED Amber lights that match Law Enforcement Red/Blue lights in daytime use.



I have this unit on my E-Gator. From a Niagara Falls Canada based Company. LED, low end commercial. One, two or three flash bursts. Very bright at night, but only so-so during the day.

 

[atsah]

Abrams class 1.. Best light you will ever buy..

https://www.amazon.com/Abrams-Class-1-StarEye-Permanent-Construction/dp/B00TNTURCU

 

[OhioJoe]

I have 2 of these class 1 beacons and they are pretty bright. Currently $80. They have multiple flash patterns and can be setup as rotators.

Strobes N' More Amber LED 36deg EBeacon - Strobes NMore.com

 

[Industrial Toys]

Interesting. But show me what it looks like 1/2 mile away in BRIGHT sunlight. That's all that matters. It doesn't even have to be super bright, it just has to catch someones attention to get them to notice you. AFTER they see you, the beacon is of no further value.

 

[atsah]

I have 2 Abrams on my tractor, you can't even look at them without seeing stars.. They can be seen a long ways away in daylight and at night there actually a little annoying they are so bright..

 

[Industrial Toys]

Some strobes have a photocell for dimming. Something I wish the cops would use.

 

[atsah]

Some strobes have a photocell for dimming. Something I wish the cops would use.

Agreed..

 

[/pine]

Some strobes have a photocell for dimming. Something I wish the cops would use.

I wonder how many unrelated 3rd party vehicle incidents occur because the drivers were either blinded by flashing lights or scared half to death by a blasting horn on a firetruck etc...?

 

[wheelbuilder]

Some strobes have a photocell for dimming. Something I wish the cops would use.

The blue led strobes on the police cars here is pretty hard on my eyes, even during the day. I don't want them getting hit, but they shouldn't add to the problem.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I almost ran over a cop dressed in black that looked more like a soldier ready to jump out of a helicopter at an accident scene, blinded by a bunch of Emergency Vehicles. He got annoyed when I mentioned it for HIS safety. Last time I say something to help a cop.