Swamp cow detection device installed! (finally)

[David_VT]

Swamp cow/donkey detection device installed! (finally)

Make no mistake, these are NOT for urban driving! Use off road or on dark lonely roads where you always travel too fast and know that wildlife is just around the next corner... .

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An unexpected dividend of December 50+degree weather in Vermont has made cleaning up the 'to-do' list a reality!



Part one (of many):



Ah yes, finally the darkness is lifted. Finally there is enough heat from the chrome balls of the gnarly Ram to warm your hands at more than 5 feet away. Finally the darn swamp cow will shine on the darkest nights! And oh how I wait for the rude driver with his high beams blasting in my eyes...



And to think I thought those overwattage headlights were bright... . . NOT



Yes, the aircraft lights have landed... . (on my front bumper)!!!

HOW SWEET IT IS!



Used the overhead console (garage door button cubby) to mount my illuminated switch from the shack. Cat 5 wire to the relay mounted at the passenger side battery. Operating the relay with a ground signal terminated (after the switch) at the overhead console. +12 for the switch's idiot light from a fused tap on the output of the new lamp relay(to prove the relay engages). +12 for the relay command from a tap on the high beam line. The result is the ability to kill the dangerous and rather illegal lights with the column mounted high beam / low beam switch. Also when the high beams are commanded on, the overhead switch's light will illuminate if these aux lights are still turned on. New lights only function when the high beam bulbs are powered.

======================================

LB = low beam, HB = high beam,

FL = oem fog light, AC = new aux lights

OHSW = new overhead switch for these new aux lights



===COMMAND== ==RESULT==

HB & OHSW on > HB & AC

HB & OHSW & FL on > HB & AC

LB & OHSW on > LB

LB & OHSW & FL on > LB & FL

As you can see, I did not give myself the ability to run both the fogs and these killer off road lights. No loss, as you can't even tell the fogs are on when the monsters light up the world around me!

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These are by no way the absolute brightest things available and I paid fairly short money for them due to the damage aux lights seem to suffer in my environment. The screws will rust and the rubber will crack, but when someone backs into them and they get crushed, no big deal!

 

[stick]

Lights

David :

What lights are you useing?



Stick

 

[kollmer]

David VT,

Sounds like your a HIGHBEAM IN YOUR EYES VIGILANTE!!! Will these help?

 

[kollmer]

Oh yeah... ... . What the hell is a swamp cow?

 

[CumminsAholic]

I think it's a moose, right? Don't have them here, only their smaller relatives, deer. They seem to cause a lot of damage too, but man I'd hate to see what a bull moose would do.

Corey

 

[Wheaties]

Landing Lights

Congratulations Dave!!



Sounds like you'll be able to strip paint with the new lights Just make sure you have the brake set when you turn'em on, or you'll get pushed backwards



Matt

 

[Briar Hopper]

You afraid of the dark? Don't use 'em on Sunday nights around any churches. If they don't think it's the 2nd coming, then they'll think it's terrorists.

 

[Joe G.]

Not meaning to voice a sour note here or anything. The deer I hit and the ones I almost hit were when I was meeting another vehicle. My "deer finders" were off and my headlights were dimmed. No problem when no other vehicles were around. The deer are very nicely lit up. What to do about deer that insist on running out in front of me when I'm meeting another car?

 

[CumminsAholic]

Well Joe, I guess those are the ones that you just have to use that steel grill guard for and hope for the best. I like the big brushed aluminum ones that a lot of the newer semi's have... now that's a push bar/grill guard.

Corey

 

[Joe G.]

Yeah, I know. The deer I hit just about got away clean. His hind feet and legs hit just outside the grill guard on the passenger's side. Knocked out a parking light and bent up the front bumper corner. $1100 bill to the insurance company to get it fixed. Never touched the grill guard! Curses!

 

[JR2]

Oh I hate swamp donkeys..... lucky for Dave the ones down his way are small. You should see a 1500lb bull run out on to the highway.

I just put some Light Force lights on my truck. I used a floor switch like trucks used to have to switch them on and off. It works really well. Click the link in my sig to see a pic of the lights. I have since added blue filters that make flying snow disappear.

 

[bighammer]

I've had a set hanging under my bumper for a long time. Incredible light for a mere 45 bucks! They are just rubber utility/tractor lights with a special replacement. I figured I'd probably mangle them off-roading or in deep snow, but so far they are still hanging on. I didn't want them on top of the bumper and they are just a little too big for the bumper openings. Maybe I'll make them fit if I ever get that front hitch



I usually run mine with low beams or just the parking lights. The high beams don't seem to add anything. I can also flash my high beams at the folks who have forgotten to dim theirs. (a fair warning then turn on my retina roasters and give 'em purple dots for the next week)



I connected mine to the headlight switch. When rotated it activates a relay for the landing lights. (who needs a dome light with the individual overhead console lights?) Sort of a hidden switch.



BTW, don't leave them on while parked. They get HOT and need the airflow

 

[Cummins Corvette]

What the heck planet are ya'all from? What are you talking about? I have been trying to improve the lighting on my truck for a while with limited success. It would be helpful to understand you guys.

 

[JR2]

Big bad driving lights... ... . the kind that light up the trees two miles in front of your truck.

#ad

 

[Cummins Corvette]

Where do ya get em? They look cool! BTW nice looking truck

 

[JR2]

Here is a link to the manufacturer:http://www.lightforce.net.au/prod_drive.html



Here is there usa distributor

www.lightforce.com

There is a place to look up local distributors on this site.



I found them at a local big rig shop, they are not cheap but they are very nice and very adjustable.





The brighteset lights I have ever seen were aircraft landing lights like david installed. Most guys are using a housing from KC and then putting in the aircraft bulbs. There have been several threads on them, do a search and I am sure you can find it. Or maybe email david_vt and get the details.

 

[gitchesum]

GE 4522 aircraft landing lights, 250W each. About 500,000cp mounted on the front of your truck.

I've got a set I need to mount on the front of mine. I need new housings first. These lights are tough too. Took a hot on the left side of my truck that broke the housing but the light never broke and the bulb still works.

 

[David_VT]

My reply notification did not work...

My new bulbs must be too bright. . I did not see the reply messages in my email...



Granted our lower 48 Moose (a. ka. Swamp Cow, Swamp donkey or 4 legged legally protected highway death machine) might not top out like those up in AK, but nevertheless they are still the same kind of killers. We see them well over a thousand pounds and a few into the 1500's in this region because they are so protected. No natural predators and very very hard to see at night as nothing reflects off their fur.



One second your tooling along over the speed limit on a nice dark interstate in your expensive Ram with it's wonderful OEM illumination system. Next millisecond you've RAM'd into 1000 - 1800 lbs of mystery meat on very tall legs that are likely to allow the bulk of the belly to go almost unmollested into your windshield. If your not so lucky you will never remember the airbag which did not see enough G's to fire only knocking the legs out of the way. Had the bag fired it had it might have kept the beast from making you into a nice seatcover for your quad cab bench... .



Depending on your environment, buy expensive KC's for the stainless or save a few bucks and get them from JCwhitney (look the same and probably are). If you are in a harsh environment where you know you will loose the housings due to ice and snow, go the cheapo way and get the housings from WalMart. They won't have the fancy S. S. pigtail but if like me, you won't have them long enough to worry about that.



The bulbs are mentioned about when you want to move to the midnight sun level.



BE SURE to have some easy kill switch, floor or somehow cut into the hi/lo switch. You want to be able to kill them fast if you are surprised by oncoming traffic. The AC landing lights will cause an accident if you are not careful.



WHERE DID YOU GET THE BLUE FILTERS, I WILL CHECK YOUR POSTS ABOVE, GREAT IDEA!!



David

 

[JR2]

David -

The blue filters will only fit on the brand of lights I have and they do not have the aircraft bulbs in them. (they are still bright) I have seen KC's with blue glass in them before so you may want to look around and maybe email KC.



I agree with you on the moose thing, those suckers love to run onto the road in the middle of the night. I once saw a class C motor home that had moose hair on the upper window frame from a collision. The thing was totaled. Its not uncommon for people to die in moose - truck collisions.