I had several really bad experiences with driving backwards, with a
trailer, in low to no light conditions or in the rain. (one was when
picking up thet Bliss punch). It is a big hazard and it is ****ing
frustrating.

So, I want to know what you would recommend for a source of light that
is practical to use. A handheld spotlight, something that can be
mounted on roof temporarily, etc.

thanks

i

On Sep 28, 12:30 pm, Ignoramus18262 ignoramus18...@NOSPAM.
18262.invalid wrote:
I had several really bad experiences with driving backwards, with a
trailer, in low to no light conditions or in the rain. (one was when
picking up thet Bliss punch). It is a big hazard and it is ****ing
frustrating.

So, I want to know what you would recommend for a source of light that
is practical to use. A handheld spotlight, something that can be
mounted on roof temporarily, etc.

thanks

i


I think you have it right there- a cig. lighter powered magnetic base
floodlight. Hacking an existing unit is probably quickest- trick is to
find something that 'floods' the light, rather than a spotlight.

I have used fixed additional backup lights, and they never seem to be
in the right place for a given job.


Dave

On Fri, 28 Sep 2007 11:30:51 -0500, Ignoramus18262
wrote:

I had several really bad experiences with driving backwards, with a
trailer, in low to no light conditions or in the rain. (one was when
picking up thet Bliss punch). It is a big hazard and it is ****ing
frustrating.

So, I want to know what you would recommend for a source of light that
is practical to use. A handheld spotlight, something that can be
mounted on roof temporarily, etc.

thanks

i
Ive used a pair of cheap "fog lights" with magnets on the bottom and
wired through a plug on my trailer hitch.
Sticke em on the fenders of your trailer and light up the night. When
done, unplug em and tuck em away.

Gunner

Fog lamps throw a wide, but thin beam. Fine for average street vehicles. My
4x4s have flood lamps, http://vehiclelight.com/620wh3.html throwing a cone
that illuminates nearly everything in a medium range, like overhanging
branches and ditches. I am going to install 2 on my new (to me) motorhome.
--
--
Stupendous Man
Defender of Liberty, Advocate of Justice

Ignoramus18262 wrote:
I had several really bad experiences with driving backwards, with a
trailer, in low to no light conditions or in the rain. (one was when
picking up thet Bliss punch). It is a big hazard and it is ****ing
frustrating.

So, I want to know what you would recommend for a source of light that
is practical to use. A handheld spotlight, something that can be
mounted on roof temporarily, etc.
Interesting problem. We used to have a 15 passenger van, which had a
massive back door with a small window up too high to see any obstructions
behind. I got a B&W camera, and rigged a tiny first-surface mirror at
45 degrees, so the camera saw what you'd see in a rear-view mirror (ie.
the horizontal reversed). I got a cheap "beach TV" and rigged a voltage
regulator so it could run off 12 V from the accessory jack. But, I
still couldn't see what was back there at night, and the "back-up
lights" didn't throw much light down at all. I mounted some fog lights
in back, mostly pointed down to light up the ground in that big blind
spot. This pretty much worked, where the lights converged in the middle
you could see pretty clearly. I don't know if you need the TV setup,
but there are a variety of lights that can be bought at the auto parts
stores. The really big ones would blow fuses on your back-up light
circuits, so they might need temporary wiring and a cigarett lighter plug.

Jon

"Jon Elson" wrote: (clip) I don't know if you need the TV setup, (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
You can get a pretty nice color back-up camera at Costco for about $80. I
have one on my car, and I find that the existing back-up lights are strong
enough. I think it would be extremely useful for backing a trailer, because
you not only see, what's back there, but also when you drift off center or
off angle. It uses a wireless link between the camera and the monitor,
which makes installation very simple. Only thing I am not sure of is
whether the distance added by the trailer will make the signal drop out.

What I do sometimes is add guidepoles (flag on a piece of 1/2' thinwall,)
and stick one in each rear corner of the trailer when backing up. This aids
me is seeing the rear corners of my large flatbed trailer.

I know tow trucks use rear looking cameras. They are relatively inexpensive.
You could make a magnetic mount, and just place the camera at the rear of
the trailer with a long coax cable when backing up.

Camera + monitor, runs off 12vdc

https://www.supercircuits.com/index....=5462#detailed
https://www.supercircuits.com/index....OD&ProdID=4749

or perhaps 2 12v flood lights on magnetic mounts, place one each rear
wheelwell when backing up.

tony



"Ignoramus18262" wrote in message
...
I had several really bad experiences with driving backwards, with a
trailer, in low to no light conditions or in the rain. (one was when
picking up thet Bliss punch). It is a big hazard and it is ****ing
frustrating.

So, I want to know what you would recommend for a source of light that
is practical to use. A handheld spotlight, something that can be
mounted on roof temporarily, etc.

thanks

i

On Fri, 28 Sep 2007 11:30:51 -0500, Ignoramus18262
wrote:

I had several really bad experiences with driving backwards, with a
trailer, in low to no light conditions or in the rain. (one was when
picking up thet Bliss punch). It is a big hazard and it is ****ing
frustrating.

So, I want to know what you would recommend for a source of light that
is practical to use. A handheld spotlight, something that can be
mounted on roof temporarily, etc.

thanks

i
What's the problem?

Fit a pair of fog lights to the trailer, powered off the reversing light
connection on the trailer socket.


Mark Rand
RTFM

On Fri, 28 Sep 2007 20:11:07 -0400, Tony wrote:
What I do sometimes is add guidepoles (flag on a piece of 1/2' thinwall,)
and stick one in each rear corner of the trailer when backing up. This aids
me is seeing the rear corners of my large flatbed trailer.

I have a very nice guidepole actually, this is not a problem, the
problem is general darkness.

I till try to find or make a floodlight on a magnetic base.

i

I know tow trucks use rear looking cameras. They are relatively inexpensive.
You could make a magnetic mount, and just place the camera at the rear of
the trailer with a long coax cable when backing up.

Camera + monitor, runs off 12vdc

https://www.supercircuits.com/index....=5462#detailed
https://www.supercircuits.com/index....OD&ProdID=4749

or perhaps 2 12v flood lights on magnetic mounts, place one each rear
wheelwell when backing up.

tony



"Ignoramus18262" wrote in message
...
I had several really bad experiences with driving backwards, with a
trailer, in low to no light conditions or in the rain. (one was when
picking up thet Bliss punch). It is a big hazard and it is ****ing
frustrating.

So, I want to know what you would recommend for a source of light that
is practical to use. A handheld spotlight, something that can be
mounted on roof temporarily, etc.

thanks

i

According to Jon Elson :


Ignoramus18262 wrote:
I had several really bad experiences with driving backwards, with a
trailer, in low to no light conditions or in the rain. (one was when
picking up thet Bliss punch). It is a big hazard and it is ****ing
frustrating.

So, I want to know what you would recommend for a source of light that
is practical to use. A handheld spotlight, something that can be
mounted on roof temporarily, etc.
Interesting problem. We used to have a 15 passenger van, which had a
massive back door with a small window up too high to see any obstructions
behind. I got a B&W camera, and rigged a tiny first-surface mirror at
45 degrees, so the camera saw what you'd see in a rear-view mirror (ie.
the horizontal reversed).

If the mirror setup is too awkward, just point the camera out
the back, and reverse the wires to the horizontal deflection yoke, which
will display the image backwards on the screen.

Enjoy,
DoN.

--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

On Fri, 28 Sep 2007 11:30:51 -0500, Ignoramus18262
wrote:

I had several really bad experiences with driving backwards, with a
trailer, in low to no light conditions or in the rain. (one was when
picking up thet Bliss punch). It is a big hazard and it is ****ing
frustrating.

So, I want to know what you would recommend for a source of light that
is practical to use. A handheld spotlight, something that can be
mounted on roof temporarily, etc.

thanks

i
I put small driving lights on the back of both my (past) trailers to
make backing easier. Meant custom wiring, but I used RV plugs and used
the accessory wire for the backup lights.


--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

On Fri, 28 Sep 2007 15:41:32 -0500, Jon Elson wrote:



Ignoramus18262 wrote:
I had several really bad experiences with driving backwards, with a
trailer, in low to no light conditions or in the rain. (one was when
picking up thet Bliss punch). It is a big hazard and it is ****ing
frustrating.

So, I want to know what you would recommend for a source of light that
is practical to use. A handheld spotlight, something that can be
mounted on roof temporarily, etc.
Interesting problem. We used to have a 15 passenger van, which had a
massive back door with a small window up too high to see any obstructions
behind. I got a B&W camera, and rigged a tiny first-surface mirror at
45 degrees, so the camera saw what you'd see in a rear-view mirror (ie.
the horizontal reversed). I got a cheap "beach TV" and rigged a voltage
regulator so it could run off 12 V from the accessory jack. But, I
still couldn't see what was back there at night, and the "back-up
lights" didn't throw much light down at all. I mounted some fog lights
in back, mostly pointed down to light up the ground in that big blind
spot. This pretty much worked, where the lights converged in the middle
you could see pretty clearly. I don't know if you need the TV setup,
but there are a variety of lights that can be bought at the auto parts
stores. The really big ones would blow fuses on your back-up light
circuits, so they might need temporary wiring and a cigarett lighter plug.

Jon
Or run them off a battery on the trailer with the BU circuit just
triggering the relay. Or get one of those remote control units sold
for wiring driving lights without putting wires through the fire-wall
and turn the lights off and on with that.
Use the battery on the trailer for your breakaway box too.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

What I think I will do is buy a spotlight with 12v plug, and will make
a magnetic mount for it. I would mount it on the roof of my pickup.

i

Rick Frazier wrote:

I used to tow a lot, and back in my misspent youth, I had a "light bar"
on my pickup (looked like a roll bar, but no structural strength to
speak of).


Now that you mention it, I have a red/blue lightbar from my volunteer
fireman days.

All LED, several automatic flash patterns, and a nice magnetic mount -
draws less than 1 amp and lights up like a crime scene.

Anybody want it?

$300 (it cost qquite a bit more) or trade for some marine stainless
steel work?


Any interest? Drop me a note.

Richard Lamb

Maxwell Lol wrote:

Here's one I saw in a catalog:

"Two million candlepower unit is the most powerful cordless,
rechargeable, handheld spotlight in the world. This spotlight is more
powerful than aircraft landing lights and 20 times brighter than auto
headlights and will throw a beam more than miles. Spotlight recharges
in just a few hours from a 110V AC home outlet or any 12V car or boat
outlet. Hanging loop included. Keep one spotlight at home and one in
the car. Imported."

http://www.orvis.com/store/product_c...&feature_id=18

Price: $109

Bet this would be fun at the local "Lover's Lane." :-)


You think too small! You need one of those WWII surplus carbon arc
searchlights, so you can hit them all at once. If you add some flashing
blue police lights and sirens, and the place would be empty in ten
seconds. ;-)


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

On Fri, 28 Sep 2007 22:30:06 -1000, Rick Frazier
wrote:

Ignoramus18262 wrote:
I had several really bad experiences with driving backwards, with a
trailer, in low to no light conditions or in the rain. (one was when
picking up thet Bliss punch). It is a big hazard and it is ****ing
frustrating.

So, I want to know what you would recommend for a source of light that
is practical to use. A handheld spotlight, something that can be
mounted on roof temporarily, etc.

thanks

i
I used to tow a lot, and back in my misspent youth, I had a "light bar"
on my pickup (looked like a roll bar, but no structural strength to
speak of). With a couple of off road type lights facing forward, and
three facing backward at slight angles from straiht back (for backing
up, or otherwise harassing the a**hole the just has to tailgate at
relatively high speed and just won't back off in the middle of the night
way out in the wilderness on the interstate), the illumination to the
rear was quite sufficient for just about anything, including backing a
variety of trailers, both low (flatbed) and tall, fully enclosed units
with a race car inside.

Of course, it'd be quite illegal to display a white light (of any decent
candlepower rating) toward the rear on a street or highway, and I
certainly wouldn't do so now, but once you're out of traffic and
actually trying to back a trailer down a narrow alley and into a garage,
the lighting is really helpful.

The additional drag of the light bar and off-road lights does come with
a cost (besides the initial monetary outlay), in that the gas mileage
drops by about 10-15% due to the additonal drag of the lights sticking
up in the airstream. I never really noticed the difference while
towing, but empty, it did lower mileage somewhat... Finally got smarter
and set up the light bar with a mount that plugged into the stake
pockets, with a decent (hefty) connector for the electrical, so it could
be installed or removed in under 5 minutes. Got back the gas mileage,
and it didn't look like I was trying to be a pretend Baja Cruiser when I
didn't need the lights for towing/backing...

The front mounted lights would light up a freeway sized sign about a
mile and a quarter out if the terrain was flat enough... Of course, this
only worked in the dead of night with no oncoming traffic, because the
lights would have been blinding even to the oncoming traffic of a
divided freeway.... I can't remember the exact candlepower of the
lights, but without a 70+ amp alternator, you couldn't run them long
without draining the battery significantly... Sort of reminds me of the
car that had a pair of aircraft landing lights behind the grille. It
did pretty well on high speed late night runs down the interstate too.
Man, it's really a miracle any of us survived those days, when we ran
tubes in non-speed rated tires, and somehow got away with it...

Perhaps something on a smaller scale would work for the occasional
baking situation.. like a couple of mag-mounted lights and some heavy
cable to a serious power connector. (What I ran needed a
contactor-rated relay, as the typical light/horn relay of the day would
cook in relative short order).

--Good Luck
Like the big "instant sun" Hella lamp we had on the front of the R12
we rallyed back in the late seventies. That thing was something like
6X10 inches and 2 million? candlepower. Swith it on, and the sun came
up!! It was OK at speed but would seriously discharge the battery at
idle.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 17:09:24 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
wrote:
Maxwell Lol wrote:

Here's one I saw in a catalog:

"Two million candlepower unit is the most powerful cordless,
rechargeable, handheld spotlight in the world. This spotlight is more
powerful than aircraft landing lights and 20 times brighter than auto
headlights and will throw a beam more than miles. Spotlight recharges
in just a few hours from a 110V AC home outlet or any 12V car or boat
outlet. Hanging loop included. Keep one spotlight at home and one in
the car. Imported."

http://www.orvis.com/store/product_c...&feature_id=18

Price: $109

Bet this would be fun at the local "Lover's Lane." :-)

You think too small! You need one of those WWII surplus carbon arc
searchlights, so you can hit them all at once. If you add some flashing
blue police lights and sirens, and the place would be empty in ten
seconds. ;-)

Nahhh. Too big a PITA keeping the gen-set for those GE and Sperry
anti-aircraft searchlights running with the old straight-6 flatheads -
The GE was a Hercules, the Sperry a Chrysler Industrial... Valley
Skylite has a few dozen of them, and from what I was told it's a full
time job keeping enough of them running to fill the rentals they get.

And getting the right copper-jacketed carbons with the additives is
getting really hard, the Mil-Spec surplus ones are long gone. They
have to order them in from China.

But 800 Million Candlepower makes even Hella Super Rallye's look
like a firefly fart... ;-)

-- Bruce --

On 29 Sep 2007 06:47:13 -0400, Maxwell Lol wrote:



Here's one I saw in a catalog:


"Two million candlepower unit is the most powerful cordless,
rechargeable, handheld spotlight in the world. This spotlight is more
powerful than aircraft landing lights and 20 times brighter than auto
headlights and will throw a beam more than miles. Spotlight recharges
in just a few hours from a 110V AC home outlet or any 12V car or boat
outlet. Hanging loop included. Keep one spotlight at home and one in
the car. Imported."


http://www.orvis.com/store/product_c...&feature_id=18


Price: $109

Bet this would be fun at the local "Lover's Lane." :-)


Night vision googles are far far more fun there....

G

Gunner