Auxiliary or Driving Lights Mounted to Cabover Overhang?

[rando]

Has anyone mounted auxiliary or driving lights to the underside of the cabover section of their camper? At this time of year we are often driving on back country roads and looking for campsites well after dark, which can be challenging. I am thinking about adding some extra lights for this sort of situation (strictly off highway), and don't have or want an aftermarket bumper bar. It seems that many folks mount lights to their roof racks, and it seems like it would be pretty straight forward to mount lights in a similar position by attaching them to the underneath or front of the cabover (red arrows):


The advantage of this would be an easy and stable mount (without a bumper bar), and good angle to minimize the shadows and get good peripheral coverage. The disadvantage would be possible glare off the hood. Any experience with high mounted lights, or recommendations for a particular light?

 

[brokenhornmw]

Has anyone mounted auxiliary or driving lights to the underside of the cabover section of their camper? At this time of year we are often driving on back country roads and looking for campsites well after dark, which can be challenging. I am thinking about adding some extra lights for this sort of situation (strictly off highway), and don't have or want an aftermarket bumper bar. It seems that many folks mount lights to their roof racks, and it seems like it would be pretty straight forward to mount lights in a similar position by attaching them to the underneath or front of the cabover (red arrows):

IMG_1107.jpg

The advantage of this would be an easy and stable mount (without a bumper bar), and good angle to minimize the shadows and get good peripheral coverage. The disadvantage would be possible glare off the hood. Any experience with high mounted lights, or recommendations for a particular light?

I am adding a light bar to mine one I modify my roof.

 

[DavidGraves]

Hi Rando

Here in Gods' kingdom a lot of the youthful set mount those 10 zillion watt LED light bars across the roof of their rig above the windshield.

If you could find someone near you with that set up and maybe check it out one night....help you make your decision.

David Graves

North Gods' kingdom (OR)

 

[rando]

That is part of the reason I am a little reticent to (a) mount anything to the roof and (b) consider an LED light bar. It seems to be a bit of an epidemic here as well and is well correlated with the use of poorly aimed blue-to-purple aftermarket headlamp bulbs that scatter all over the place and blind everyone else on the road. Unfortunately (or fortunately ?) none of my band of merry makers has sunk this low yet, so I would be the guinea pig.

That said, more light would be useful, and mounting anything to the tupperware that forms the front end of a new Tacoma will be challenging.

 

[craig333]

Bolted through. Won it in a raffle and it doesn't do anything. Glare is an issue with anything mounted up high. Just have to try it and see how much of a problem it is.
My bumper mounted lights do the work. I prefer to drive in daylight but when I have to drive at night it does come in handy.

 

[rando]

Craig,

When you say it doesn't do anything, you mean the lights on the camper don't provide usable light, or they don't work, period?

Any suggestions for 4-6" wide pattern lights?

I definitely prefer to drive in daylight as well, but when it gets dark at 5pm, that can be challenging.

 

[brokenhornmw]

I run a light bar on my crawler and love the color and how it lights up a dark road.

I did the same on my trucks lumber rack. It worked well but had a couple shadows from the truck.

So I will put a light bar in the front of the camper and a couple of lights on my bumper to light up any shadows from the truck.

 

[pvstoy]

on your front end is there any spot that you can frame mount a tap the extends out to the front?

I had two Hellas on the previous truck and currently on the 4 Runner. I prefer the right side to have a cornering pattern and left a more focused tighter beam that projects down the road. I have a rocker switch that will turn them active. Low beams the cornering light on and high beams they all are on. It is just stunning what a good cornering light pattern will give you that fills in all the shadows with no hot spots.

The new to me Dodge will get the same lights and a simple roll bar tubing to hold them. Soon as I can book time with my fabricator.

Edit to add I currently use [SIZE=12pt]Hella Rallye 4000 , right Corning, left Euro driving.[/SIZE]

 

[ckent323]

Rando, et. al.,

I researched driving lights and light bars before my Alaska trip.

California and many other States as well as British Columbia Canada have laws about headlights, driving lights and other auxiliary lights.

Here is a general summary which may vary from state to state:

1) All front mounted lights (headlights, driving lights, fog lights, spot lights) in use while driving on a public road must be DOT and or SAE compliant. That information is usually molded in or stamped on the glass or lens or front of the light.
2) No more than 2 sets of lights may be used at a time (i.e. 2 headlights plus 2 driving lights, 2 headlights plus 2 fog lights, 2 headlights plus a spotlight, etc.)
3) The mounting location and height range is usually specified as a "zone" or area and restricted
4) Driving lights may only be used when the high beams are on and must not be operable when low beams are on (implies same circuit as high beams but not same circuit as low beams)
5) All non DOT/SEA compliant lights must be covered when the vehicle is operating on a public road
6) Use of non-compliant lights is an infraction (e.g. not identified as Dot./SAE compliant, mounted outside the specified "zone", not properly pointed, too many lights in use, etc)

Now I know these laws are not universally or even regularly enforced. In addition, some folks may object to over regulation.

Please keep in mind I am only communicating information and I am agnostic on any issue or politics related to these laws. However, I accept the law and do my best to abide by it even if I disagree with it.

Here is a reference to the California law on headlights and auxiliary lights:

https://law.justia.com/codes/california/2007/veh/24400-24411.html


I hope this is helpful information and stimulates some research before you spend time and money mounting lights.

Craig


P.S. If you have your brights on and use illegal and far too bright off road lights when coming at me on the highway I reserve the right to turn on my grill mounted 50 watt CO2 laser and burn out the lights on the front of your vehicle. Apologies if I accidentally vaporize your radiator as well. ;-)

 

[DavidGraves]

Research shows fully 60 percent of American drivers don;t know what that little green symbol on their autos' dash array means....

"YOUR FOG LIGHTS ARE ON, DUMBASS!!!"

Typical in these parts is for folks to drive with fog lamps on 24/7/366....the glare is often blinding to an oncoming vehicle.

Oh well.

DG

 

[klahanie]

Back in my Duran Duran hair days a bud had KCs on his roll bar (was only a single chrome tube bar not the coveted 3 tube style). Riding shot gun I didn't like them. It always seemed to be dusty (from the guy infront) or rainy/misty and the light being reflected right infront of the windscreen was annoying to me...

I've got Hella 4000s also, in the euro/driving pattern. The regular old school type. Never had LEDs. Good steady light with a rock solid mounting design. They're mounted on the bumper and aimed slightly to the road edge (for cornering and animals). Don't do much hwy night driving. Mostly they are revenge lights (per above), look kinda posuer but use them one night with a bunch of half crazy, ugly drunk locals tailing you in the bush and I'm happy to have them. Wasn't happy with the pin striping, but, what can you do...

Got the Hella clear covers for them too - great option - but also carry the included opaque covers, in case I get pulled over.

ON EDIT wanted to mention the 4000s have a pretty deep body, back from the mounting hole. So it might have to be a long (and firm) tab if you go bumper mount.

 

[Vic Harder]

I had Lightforce lights on a previous truck. Loved them, and they are bomb/bullet proof.

 

[craig333]

I meant they're ineffective. An LED light bar would work much better. I think you're looking at more lighting close in? The LED light bars work well for that. For distance I'd stick with the Hella 4000's or the Lightforce and such.

I'm also assuming we're all talking offroad, not highway use. Mine are wired into the stock high beams so if in the rare case they are on on the highway they can be clicked off quickly

 

[klahanie]

Reread the OP, pic, and the intended use.

My past complaint of reflected light, with lights aimed forward and vehicle travelling at speed, might be mostly a non issue in this application. Also a high quality lights might not be warranted.

I think it would be very slick if lights were put under the cab over in such a way that the driver and passenger could rotate them to illuminate side roads, clearings, etc. Don't know if the human and camper geometry would work in this case - I looked at doing similar but am to short and the gap to great - but if so an LED might be better because they operate much cooler. Failing that, a number of small side lights could be mounted... I wonder if they make a light bar that can be shaped into a curve ?

Just a thought, maybe too redneck, IDK. Prob can buy rotatable wireless controlled units to do the same ...

 

[craig333]

They do make them curved. I have two side mounted lights but movable light would be handy.

 

[rando]

It sounds like taking the time to figure out some sort of bumper mount might be more likely to lead to a positive outcome than mounting to the camper overhang. I will think about an easy way to make some sort of hard points to mount to - there has to be some metal somewhere under all that plastic.

 

[pvstoy]

"...
That said, more light would be useful, and mounting anything to the tupperware that forms the front end of a new Tacoma will be challenging.

I still laugh when I read how you compare the Tacoma front to Tupperware.

 

[trikebubble]

Rando, et. al.,

I researched driving lights and light bars before my Alaska trip.

California and many other States as well as British Columbia Canada have laws about headlights, driving lights and other auxiliary lights.

Sorry to meander away from the exact topic at hand, but this reminds me of my pre-North lighting set-up trip. I ordered my new bumper with a 30" led bar built in, and replaced my oem fog lights with more powerful bulbs, all in preparation of our 3 week trip to the Arctic last July. I even replaced my stock reverse bulbs with brighter and more powerful ones.
Of course, it wasn't until a few days into our trip that it dawned on me.......you don't need no stinkin' lights in the Yukon and NWT in July.
Having said that, the Heise 30" led light bar in my bumper does throw off an incredible amount of light, I have found it very worthwhile when off-road around here at night. One of the projects on my list is to connect my campers big rear flood lights to a switch on my SPOD in the truck. I have had to get out, on an occasion or two, open the camper and turn those rear floods on, to back up into a camp spot in the dark.

 

[DieselShack]

I think Baja designs has lights that will replace your fog lights that can give you more useable light. You can also look at ditch lights, they mount at the base of your a pillar, at the corners of your hood. You can point these in your preferred direction. I feel like when hunting for campsites at night, the ditch lights pointed to your sides would be most beneficial.

 

[craig333]

We need to be very careful when modding our lights. I've seen mods to fog lights that while they produce more light from the drivers perspective, also produce incredible glare for oncoming drivers. In spite of the poor headlights my dodge has I haven't done any of the mods I"ve seen because they fail to take into account you're still using the same reflector. Simply tossing in a different, albeit bright bulb, can play havoc unless the reflector isn't taken into consideration.