Ok, some might shut me down for this, but here goes:
Since in the early days of the Back to the Future movie, where Michael J Fox get given that black toyota truck from his folks (movie 1) I allways thought 4 Spots on the top rollbar looked radical.
Now I would like to fit 4 spots to my truck, has anyone done this, pro's and con's? etc? How to fit them etc
2002 Toyota Hilux KZTE D/C 4x4 Raider Dastek Unichip - ARB bullbar - WARN winch - SAC intercooler - Long range tank - Maxxis MT tyres - Lenso alloy mags
Most of the Sir-e-azz Contenders at the Bridgestone Night Challenge had roof mounted lights.
Sure work lekker and one of them was telling me that:
he did get pulled up at a road block but only had to demonstrate that they were on a separate isolator, they didn't mind that they didn't have lens covers on.
He'd just read the Thread on the 4x4Comms sight so he was struggling with bowel control enol but to no avail he got off scott-free :roll:
Connect them directly to the battery via a 30A relay that's activated by your switch. Be sure to have good connections throughout and be sure that you have a fantastic earth on the roll bar ... Put a seperate earth strap on if neccesary and don't skimp on the power cable (battery to spots through the relay). It's a long run and you will easily get a voltage drop .... a little overkill is good, and of course connect in parallel. It may also be a good idea to bridge out all the positive connectors (also with decent cable) and tap your supply into the middle (between spots 2 and 3) to spread the supply more evenly.
Tip: your dash switch should have an LED indicator (you can get them built into the toggle itself) so that you can see if they are accidentally activated during the day. Should they be left on in error they can drain a battery very quickly and will burn the covers in no time flat if those are in place.
When your road comes to an end ...... you need a HILUX!.
Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers ... what you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow. Don't take life too seriously ..... no-one gets out alive. It's not about waiting for storms to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain. And be yourself ..... everyone else is taken!
Used to have spots on the rollbar of my Ford Corrier when I wass still doing fieldservice and sometimes I would leave from a site at 18h00 on a three hour trip back home throug rurall KZN wit lots of cattle and game on the roads, so the spots wass there for no other reason than lighting up the road and they saved me a couple of times,still there wass no reasoning with the traffic cops here. They made me take of the spots.I used to keep them covered an only removed the covers at night.
I am also not for the spotlights on the roof trick if they are just for show. All the reasons mentioned below applies, and I do not want to be on the wrong side of a Metro-cop with a chip on his shoulder and who has a point to prove.
They do, however, work great when doing night trails. If you are going to use them off road, mount them on a bracket that attaches to your roll bar/roofrack. Also do the wiring so that you have a Hella plug or Brad-Pit plug or whatever plug to supply the power. Once you reached your destination, you can attach your "light-bar" and plug it in and off you go. No mess no fuss...
Thys de Jager CEO and Refreshments Manager at Team Offroad.
2010 Hilux 3.0 D4D D/C 4x4 with GOMAD "Brood" Canopy. Tripod.
1997 Jeep Wrangler TJ 4.0 Sport. The original SFA. AGA... Gooi kole email: thys@teamoffroad.co.za
Thanks all, yeah it will be for show, but also for when on trips etc. I think im going to ditch this idea for now. I do know the pigz in KZN are full of shit with cars compared to any other city / are in SA. I mean they pull you over for having a bigger set of wheels on your car!
Appreciate your feedback! :D
Bruce'ster
2002 Toyota Hilux KZTE D/C 4x4 Raider Dastek Unichip - ARB bullbar - WARN winch - SAC intercooler - Long range tank - Maxxis MT tyres - Lenso alloy mags
Just so that we knock this on the head once and for all....This is what the law says:
National Road Traffic Act, 1996
National Road Traffic Regulations, 1999
Chapter VI : Fitness of Vehicles
Part II : Equipment on or in respect of vehicles
184. Manner in which lamps to be fitted and maintained
1) The head lamps of a motor vehicle shall be fitted –
a) at a height of not less than 450 millimetres and not more than one comma four metres above ground level, measured to the centre of the lamp; and
b) not more than 500 millimetres behind the front-end of the vehicle.
2) The head lamps and fog lamps of a motor vehicle shall, unless the design of the lamps incorporates some other means of preventing a dangerous glare to oncoming traffic, not be fitted with lenses of clear glass or other like material.
I hope this helps
Just because it says "4WD" doesn't make it an off-road vehicle.
Mark, a veteran autolek that fitted mine said that they are normally connected to the brights and that this is in compliance with regulation although there is nothing to stop you from putting them on a seperate switch. The use of brights in an urban or built up area is not permitted in any case, and failure to dip for oncoming traffic is an offense as well, so that's why there is no issue with direct to brights connection.
Hope that helps.
When your road comes to an end ...... you need a HILUX!.
Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers ... what you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow. Don't take life too seriously ..... no-one gets out alive. It's not about waiting for storms to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain. And be yourself ..... everyone else is taken!
Magtig! Bakkies en spotlights, hulle gaan maar net saam... Ek het nog altyd n goeie verskoning gesoek om n 4 mooi reghoekige KC's op my roofrack te sit, maar kon nog nooit n goed genoeg rede kry om dit te doen nie, want so dink ek elke keer as ek voor die versoeking staan.
#1 Die ligte gaan in die pad wees as ek my Kayaks op die dak laai.
#2 Met die klomp dwalende diere op die pad ry ek, as ek dit kan help, nie in die donkerte in ons buurlande nie. En as ek moet dan ry ek in elkgeval teen n spoed wat die standaard ligte voldoende is.
# Sou ek in n konfooi ry saam met vriende kan ek die ligte ook nie regtig gebruik sonder om hulle van agter te verblind nie berhalwe seker as ek voor ry.
Verder het ek n paar Hella Rally 2000 gehad op my vorige voertuig. Die een paar se lense is deur n klip in Namibia stukkend gegooi. Die tweede paar se body het gebreek net bokant die bracket wat aan die nudge bar vas kom. Die goed was seker maar net te groot....
Alone I wander a thousand miles, and I ask my way from the clouds.
African Child wrote: Sou ek in n konfooi ry saam met vriende kan ek die ligte ook nie regtig gebruik sonder om hulle van agter te verblind nie berhalwe seker as ek voor ry.
Konfooi ry is ook blykbaar onwettig, jy kan mos maar voor ry as jy die spots het
Hi. I also thought of fitting 4 spots on the roll bar as it was just the way a 4x4 had to look in the 80s. I am a bit concerned about practicality and wind resistance as I was thinking of getting 4 Bosch Navigator spotlights which are quite big. The law.......mmmmmm ja.... I know its illegal but .......baaie dinge is.....
Fabian wrote:Hi. I also thought of fitting 4 spots on the roll bar as it was just the way a 4x4 had to look in the 80s. I am a bit concerned about practicality and wind resistance as I was thinking of getting 4 Bosch Navigator spotlights which are quite big. The law.......mmmmmm ja.... I know its illegal but .......baaie dinge is.....
Beside the wind resistance, it's impractical in the bush - unless you have a protective cage, and sometimes it's a hassle to get into your garage. I wouldn't do it.
When your road comes to an end ...... you need a HILUX!.
Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers ... what you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow. Don't take life too seriously ..... no-one gets out alive. It's not about waiting for storms to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain. And be yourself ..... everyone else is taken!
Fabian wrote:Hi. I also thought of fitting 4 spots on the roll bar as it was just the way a 4x4 had to look in the 80s. I am a bit concerned about practicality and wind resistance as I was thinking of getting 4 Bosch Navigator spotlights which are quite big. The law.......mmmmmm ja.... I know its illegal but .......baaie dinge is.....
AFAIK it's legal as long as they are on a seperate switch and have covers on them. In other words, for bush use only
Fabian wrote:Hi. I also thought of fitting 4 spots on the roll bar as it was just the way a 4x4 had to look in the 80s. I am a bit concerned about practicality and wind resistance as I was thinking of getting 4 Bosch Navigator spotlights which are quite big. The law.......mmmmmm ja.... I know its illegal but .......baaie dinge is.....
AFAIK it's legal as long as they are on a seperate switch and have covers on them. In other words, for bush use only
That is how I understand it as well.
When your road comes to an end ...... you need a HILUX!.
Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers ... what you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow. Don't take life too seriously ..... no-one gets out alive. It's not about waiting for storms to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain. And be yourself ..... everyone else is taken!
Done the same with my previous Lux, but when renewing licence, they said I couldn't because there was an S or X mark placed on my vehicle. Had to put it through the test again for a fair amount of money.
The law clearly states the regulations, and they don't care if it is on a separate switch or covered. Mine was on a old Beetle foot switch on the floorboard. They simply mark your vehicle. Last mentioned is done by those people sitting next to the road on cheap camping chairs with their clipboards. They visually inspect vehicles driving past, and simply take down your plates to be reported.
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When Life knocks you down, make sure you fall on your back. If you can look up, you can get up
Would spotlights on the roll bar burn the paint on the roof? I have 4 large Bosch navigators. My plan is to mount them on the roll bar and use them when I'm out of town.
Fabian wrote:Would spotlights on the roll bar burn the paint on the roof? I have 4 large Bosch navigators. My plan is to mount them on the roll bar and use them when I'm out of town.
No, not unless they are in very close proximity and focussed onto the paint, like if the spot were to be loose and flop forward. Even then a cold air-flow will alleviate the heat build-up.
When your road comes to an end ...... you need a HILUX!.
Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers ... what you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow. Don't take life too seriously ..... no-one gets out alive. It's not about waiting for storms to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain. And be yourself ..... everyone else is taken!
I am also contemplating on how to mount them with an extra bar mounted onto the roll bar but I dont want to spoil the looks of the roll bar so I will probably drill straight into the roll bar and have somesaddle washers manufactured. I prefer the clean kook of the lights straight onto the roll bar
You do know that it is illegal on public roads in terms of the road traffic ordinance? If they are removable and are removed on public roads then you won't have a problem. Might look cool but impractical if you negotiate wooded trails - they snag.
If you really want to do it, drilling into the roll bar weakens it and there are other ways. A simple solution would be to get two U-clamps ( like used on exhaust pipes) and a piece of angle iron of a size to fit however many spots it is that you want, drill two holes (think it'll be 8mm) to accept the bolt end of the u-clamp. fit the clamps upside down to the roll bar at the spacing needed to line up with the holes in the angle iron - the angle iron can then be bolted to the clamps with a couple of extra nuts (It's then also easy enough to remove.) Fit the spots to the angle iron. Might look better if the angle iron is fitted with the vertical face pointing down.
When your road comes to an end ...... you need a HILUX!.
Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers ... what you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow. Don't take life too seriously ..... no-one gets out alive. It's not about waiting for storms to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain. And be yourself ..... everyone else is taken!
