You can get LED replacements that will fit into those halogen sockets. The will be a bit brighter but not distractingly so and should last a lot longer.
One more thing, these "halogen led bulbs" (let's call them that) usually have a cluster of LEDs instead of a single wire in an actual halogen bulb and if by chance a single LED does malfunction it won't stop the whole assembly from working properly.
As a Sheriff's Deputy, Our light bars fast flash while driving but automatically go to a slow flash once the car is put in Park. All of our cars also sync together on a scene, so they flash together. We also have a nighttime "dim" mode that reduces brightness by about 1/3.
"All of our cars also sync together on a scene, so they flash together." Ok I would like someone to explain how that works. Very cool ! I'm guessing they have light sensors that see the other car's lights?
@@jsherwin7260 Actually, it's a system from the emergency lights/siren company Whelen. It's a feature of their newer CenCom system, and the systems connect wirelessly once the vehicles are within a certain range of each other. Super cool system, and also super expensive, so not a ton of departments have them (Yet). Supposedly, this can be utilized between departments as well, and CenCom will do it's best to make the lights as calm/synced as possible.
@@jsherwin7260 There are systems like code 3 matrix or soundoff blueprint or whelen core They have mostly Bluetooth receivers transmitters, where they communicate with each other syncing together.
and Ive heard from a VA state trooper that they did a study and a slow back and forth is best. unfortunately a lot of stuff tries to be really flashy but those just make it worse
And blinding, i hate cops that leave their super fast flash on once pulled over because it makes it harder to see them or the road. Go to the slow strobe, you are still seen and you aren't making the road unsafe
@15:33 "I don't know why I put these away. I need them." Of course you know why you put them away in the middle of the job. The very best place to find something when you need it is the place it's supposed to be. If you just tossed aside something you're going to need again, you spend most of your time looking for the thing you tossed. You've learned that lesson.
As a retired trooper, I agree wholeheartedly with the LED strobe lights being in the distraction category. Also to be considered is the blinding effect to oncoming drivers, causing them to avert their attention and focus to what is in the roadway.
As a truck driver i appreciate your desire for low key warning lights.... often times at night when i come across an emergency scene after driving in darkness for hours its somewhat difficult to maintain focus and see properly...... same with highway construction light poles 20ft high that shine brighter than the morning sun bouncing off some jackwagons 18in chrome drop visor
Admitting you are wrong, or that there are other viable options just means your open minded enough to move forward and make changes or improvements as needed. Its called good sense.
I'm a mom-and-pop U-Haul dealer. I'm proud to say we use the same chocks as were used to block the tires on this truck. The big stores ain't got nothing on us! On the recycle note, we had a 2022 or 2023 truck in last year with an extremely old box on it. My wife asked how I knew the box was old. A close look showed multiple layers of old U-Haul decals under the new one, and the clearance lights were all rectangle using a tiny bulb instead of button LEDs.
The halogen rotators by themselves are my favorite. I once almost hit a police officer with my car because the led emergency strobe lights on the police car were so blinding. The officer was standing in the road at night, directing traffic after an event while wearing a reflective vest and holding a flashlight with the orange tip cone. The strobe pattern was so fast and intense, I couldn’t see the reflective vest or orange glowing flashlight end, and that was with me going no more than 5mph. I believe you when you say led strobes are distracting to drivers and dangerous to you while you’re on the side of a road.
Halloween is the worst. They hire a police officer who sets up with his blinding strobes then people feel they can just walk into the road near the police car not realizing passing traffic is blind.
The EXACT SAME thing happened to me. I had to stop, wait for him to come over to my car, and explain that I could NOT SEE him at all because of the lights. 😮 It was not distraction, I was literally blinded by the lights.
As a former L.E.O, I really understand a few of the jackasses I worked with couldn't understand to put them on night mode at night and would crank them to fast then get pissed when they about got ran over. I told them hundreds of times to use the lowered settings at night and fog so to not blind everyone, including us.
Whelen is listening, Casey. With their new systems, they're now dimming and slowing down light patterns for nighttime operations. There's progress being made!
As someone who's internal monolog is constantly annoyed by the intense LED strobe lights of police, fire, ambulance and tow trucks.... I'm voting for the halogen rotators. The LED slow amber lights are not too bad as they are less painful on the eyes so they would be a close second. During the day, the amber LEDs would be best. Pretty slick asking us to comment our vote so the comments will boost your algorithm. :D
Could you mount the strobs on a soft platform that would isolate them from vibration/ shock. I like them best for the reasons you stated. We must be like minded. Just a thought.
I seen guys use old radiator hoses as isolators. Casey might have to go with smaller diameter heater hoses tho , to keep the "white wall" effect in-play .
@@tednichol-mh5hu If, Casey would find a appliance recycler, there is a part of washers mount the motors, with steel insides with rubber boots. I'd think, the strobes might have the same size of bolts, that way, they can be mounted where they are, but still protected from the shock of movements. And, if able to replace with LED, so much the better. 5/23/2024
The worst are the blue fast flash, and trail lights. For me. Color unfortunate, everything else is the same color to my eyes, yellow red green.. but the blue disjoints from the source and seems like it's right in my face and can't see much of anything else.
Totally in agreement with you about certain lights being a distraction vs warning. After 40 yrs in emergency services I am safely retired. I always used the emergency lights we had judiciously not on all the time every time. Great content CL! Keep on truckin' and stay safe.
Casey, always good to have options. They do make lightbars with photocells built into the lightbar to dim them at night. But having the ability to use amber or red is also a nice option which I don't think is available on some models. Stay safe out there.
I love that stretch of road. Had a lot of backhauls up 97 and over Blue Box when I was running regional dedicated. I don't have a favorite pattern. You have options and those options make you visible. That's what counts. Stay safe.
How I imagine Casey speaking at a business conference: "Make sure to diversify and create secondary and tertiary income channels to maximize your ability to help out those less fortunate.
I definitely agree that the slower alternating right/left is enough to grab attention without being so much that it's overly distracting. I've definitely been distracted and blinded on wet or snowy nights by police cars with the LED bars that are approximately the same intensity as the sun so I don't blame you at all for trying to minimize that while you're standing/laying on the side of the road trying to get a recovery done as quickly as possible.
I used to haul oversize ag equipment for a John Deere dealership. I had a Signal Stat LED flashing beacon that was very visible during daylight hours, but would have been retina-damaging at night. Since I did not haul oversize at night, I had no concern over night brightness. In your video, I found the slow alternating yellow pattern to be the best warning. Law enforcement locally use light bars that flash in a pattern from one side to the other, indicating (at least to me) the direction needed to pass the hazard in the roadway. I found those lights most helpful when on the interstate, allowing me to select a safe lane from a greater distance, since the hazard could be on the shoulder of the highway or the median.
If that's a DUI, most states should suspend before she leaves the crash scene. I'd also expect clauses about overloading in the contracts would complicate her life more.
I prefer the original red rotating and the slow yellow side to side together. The best of both worlds. Very high visibility without too much distraction.
@Casey LaDelle - if you're not already aware of the product. .. Tesa Tape. Its the automotive fabric tape. Works (sticks) great and makes any wire collection look great. Its what the manufacture used until they got cheap when some have switched to no stick thin poly film. LOL ..as you said that .... I smiled knowing where you were going with the nite mode. Technically LED's can't dim. There is trickery that can be played to turn them on/off fast .. to diminish their "apparent" output level .. and your eyes can't detect their on/off
Really like your channel. I retired last summer after 40 years driving truck all over the Northwest, with a lot of miles up and down 97. I understand the need to be seen by tow truck operators, but some trucks have so many lights going that other drivers are blinded by them. Seems like too many hazard lights can create a more hazardous condition.
Since the advent of LED headlights on vehicles, night time driving is a pain in the eyes now. My contention is, they are not focused and have a hellish flow around them and worse, on a truck that has been lifted, they do not realign their beams to point down more, they are now shooting blinding light through my back window and sideview mirror!
For the LED bar, I wonder if Casey could do a traffic calming mode. So the lights look like they're in steady mode but blink twice every few seconds or so to not be as distracting. I know Jamie Davis towing had such a pattern on HR130.
I like the traditional lights but with your LED bar on slow Amber side to side flash, as you've said it's not distracting but does well at lighting up the surrounding area alerting passers by.
Red Flashing, Hey Casey they should make an anti vibration pad to fix your issue, 8 Pack Bumper Feet with Stainless Steel Washers, 1 Inch, Waterproof Isolation/Anti-Vibration Bumper Feet for License Plates, Air Compressors, Pressure Washers, Speakers, and Other Machinery WALMART WEB STORE Skoglary Tools,4x Conditioning Rubber Mount Pad For Air Damper Vibration Tools & Home Improvement ,Drill Bits Accessories, Clearance Items
You can get direct fit LED lamps for the rotators that don't need to flash. They'll handle vibration much better (if properly built) than halgoens do. Best of both worlds!
Still encourage looking at stealth or regular reflective tape. Some are not so ugly by day but really react to headlights to help make your equipment standout passively. I did an old firetruck on the rear facing diamond plate with pattern fitting dots and what a difference.
You could try led bulbs in those rotators. Might be a good compromise. They'll be brighter and last longer. When strobes and led lights became popular, many had day/night mode settings. I think most ran them in the blinding day time settings all the time thinking it was better. Now, as a result, I don't think manufacturers bother to build them with that feature anymore. Thanks for the great content.
Casey I’m thinking an Arrow Stick would be a good choice for the trucks. They work well for traffic control as they can be set to flash to the right or left. And I think they meet your requirements of being warning and not distracting.
I have seen several other people mention it already but get LED replacement bulbs for your rotating lights. I had a similar issue with my wife's car and her headlights (Subaru has a class action lawsuit suit for it) but the vibration knocks the lights out all the time, sometimes 3 times a year. I replaced it with LED's from Amazon and their lasting 2-3 years now. Don't buy the cheap ones, I spent $40-$60 on hers but the best investment ever.
As you were saying, 'I know I'm going to get a lot of people saying 'I told you so!'...' in my head I heard an old sitcom line. 'I would NEVER say 'I told you so!'...I said that."
I used to look after a waste compactor plant, it was lit with halogen lights which kept blowing when trucks dumped their loads into the hoppers. I drilled out the mounting holes and mounted the lights on rubber grommets, solved the problem. Now I would just replace with LED lamps, you can get most types to replace existing bulbs, they should last much longer and not be affected by vibration.
Casey, I completely agree with you on the wiring, that is horrible! I would recommend the mesh wire loom (it can be solid where you have to feed the wires through, or split like normal wire loom). It looks far more professional and clean vs the hard plastic spit wire loom. And since you seem to share the same view as I do on things like this, I think you'd like the mesh wire loom better.
I think the harness is backwards... on mine the power wires come out the other end of the harness, not at the controller side. They also have right angle adapters to hide the harness behind the controller. Also the light bars can be controlled with a control box like Casey is using or off dash switches like the halogen rotators are.
I fully agree with what you say about the flashing bright lights being a distraction but even worse, especially for us older folks, it’s completely blinding….it is really scary to come up on someone with such lighting and have to drive by braille as you go by. It’s a bad situation.
What you say about the strobes being distracting is very true. I have come upon accident scenes where multiple police cars had their strobes flashing. They were too bright to look at and various people on foot (including the cops) were completely invisible.
In the volunteer fire department I'm in over in WV our Tanker has 3 halogen MX7000 light bar's 2 minis in the rear and full size on the cab both Ambulances have Halogen light bar's and the Chevy SUV response unit has another MX7000 on it we NEVER have any issues with the lights not working
Check out the Whelen Rotabeam (R316 or R416) if you want the rotator look while using LEDs. They have a bunch of different pattern options including slower rotation modes.
Also check out Whelen DVI mode which has been designed to help mitigate the issues of LEDs at night by keeping the lights always on and then ramping/lowering/ramping/lowering/etc the intensity of the LEDs. Also, many of the big manufactuers like Whelen, Federal Signal, Feniex Industries do have LED systems that allow true night mode dimming and or slower modes/park modes.
And they're not even necessarily released in order because the big stolen thing that he's talked about in this one is the video that dropped the other day
Casey, I know how easy it is to spend someone else's money. You could install a whaletail spoiler on the roof and put your Red rotating lights on the roof, that would give you the desired effect of the red lights hitting a white background and probably fix your lightbulbs breaking then you can put your LED light bar on the headache rack. If the lightbar has traffic advisory then you can use the lightbar while on the side of the road
I prefer the Last Pattern and 3rd Pattern. Last pattern provided enough attention getting while not being overwhelming and very distracting. Good light level, great light pattern. 3rd pattern was similar to the last but more bright lights which has the potential to be distracting in rough weather.
Excellent presentation. Thank you. I think I agree with you on the rotating lights. They are perfect for night use. Seeing the night shots confirms it in my head. I think I would try to replace the rotating units with rotating units that have LED bulbs and are of a highly reliable nature. You could leave that obnoxious bar thing up there as a backup or for day use. The light bar is just too much at night as best I can tell,
So I’ve been following your page for a very long time and I love your content and I’m not trying to be anything except for informative. I run roadside service for Florida and I have for 10 years along with off-road recovery and out of all the light bars I have ever had. I have never seen one and I have bought a lot of light bars, that were LED
Haters gonna say you didn't strap in the second wheel because you didn't wanna mess up without a zip tie on your strap. Was very excited to see the finished product. Hopefully the light bar works out in the long run!
I like LED strobes we use in the fire trucks. They look like old rotating lights but they’re bright and don’t draw enough voltage to power a tiny house
Look at Michigan State Police they continue to use the one gum ball on top but it is now a led and it works great. They wanted to stay traditional but more effective light. You could replace your rotators with two of the ones like theirs . But both types on your truck look good and effective
@@jilbertb DISCO BALL far out on the BOOM ! ? 🕺🏻 🥳 💃🏻 ( actually , i think some almost straight-down white work lights @ the end of the inner-most section [ that doesn't extend ] would be a help , as well as a small Amber beacon on each side of the tip of the boom { similar to the Orange & Blue PUCK-Flares } that are quite noticable & not blinding , and would also be visible when the boom is UP / rigged on a boxtruck which blocks many of his current lights ) .
Certain flash frequencies (5-30 Hz) can trigger epileptic seizures. Her conversation with U-Haul might have gone something like this:🤣 She: "I need my stuff back. Can I get it?" U-Haul: "Yes you can." She: "Where is it?" U-Haul: "It at our repair facility in Portland." She: "Can I rent a U-Haul to come and get it?" U-Haul: "No you can't. Try Ryder."
I personally think you ought to take the red beacons off the headache rack use a mounting bracket and put it on the sleeper that way you won't be going through bulbs and maybe then Mount the LED light bar on a headache rack they are shock resistant
As an older person who has a hard time with lights at night #3. It’s enough to get your attention but not blind you as you get closer to the area. Most of us try to not drive at night unless it’s absolutely necessary but, it sometimes happens that it is necessary.
The slow side to side yellow is perfect! Like others have said, you can get LED replacement bulbs for the halogen that “might” last longer than the halogens!!!
Fun fact: Did you know humans can see more shades of green than any other color? This is because the human eye is more sensitive to green frequencies and is located in the middle of the visual spectrum, where perception is best.
Though I agree 100% with the incandescent bulbs argument I must also point out that they're only useful when they are able to be seen. They're absolutely useless on sunny days and that's why I've converted everything except for my headlights to LED and those I try to get HID for so I can see.
rotating beacons for sure.. I couldnt agree more that while trying to create safer scenes that the tow trucks and emergency vehicles with the annoyingly bright flashing lights are actually creating a hazard in the fact that they are not just distracting but flat out blinding especially when there is moisture present..
I have cataract implants and every time those light flickers I see flairs shooting across my vison. Cop pulls me over I will adjust my mirrors to reflect it back at them.
Casey, I really appreciate your attention to detail and your focus on safe operations! Now, if one could get the motoring public to be better drivers we'd all benefit! Great vid and stay safe out there!
LED’s are distracting to me but worse yet they do not allow for depth perception. So I can’t tell if they are 20 yards or 2 miles away. I think led’s do not reflect on things, they are just bright.
Sorry, not true. LEDs are just another way to make light. No effect on depth perception vs incandescent bulbs. But as we get older our eyes don’t work as well and if we have cataracts that aren’t repaired any bright point source of light can be blinding. If that’s your issue, see your eye doctor.
@@Dave-ei7kkyes a “led” is just a form of light. But the term here is inclusive of the casing, programming & strobe functionality and not just the basic light emitting source.
@@mesonichue6198 And how does any of that affect depth perception? Just curious and speaking as a guy who has had cataract surgery and experienced the glare that cloudy lenses can cause. If that or a greasy/dirty windshield are present I can see why very bright or strobing lights might impair someone’s vision.
@@Dave-ei7kk My experience was on a 5 lane rural highway late at night with homes, trees and fields. The only ambient light being the moon if out, yard lights and plain street lights at .5-1.0 mile intervals where crossroads are at, so very dark . The best way I can explain is that the flashing/strobe lights are mounted on the side or top plane of the vehicle and are so bright that the vehicle itself is hidden behind the light due to brightness and speed of strobe. They can be seen from far away but determining how far is difficult because there was no reflection(?), they are very bright but create a more two-dimensional view. The old style rotating lights give a better perspective of distance because they are slower and a person can watch what the light is reflecting on(a tree, house, emergency vehicle or the ground for example) and have a three dimensional perspective as to where the light is located. The night the strobe(led bulb) lamps were ineffective as a safety feature until very close to the scene there were two dark grey or black Sherrif vehicles on the side of the road. The single lamps on the cars did not form any discernible pattern that a person could use to determine exactly where the cars were parked as one car was overlapping the other so it was a cluster of bright lights that didn’t make sense. Roof mounted rotating lamps of the older style would have made it easier to determine the location and number of vehicles and what was happening. I can’t describe the scene any better than that.
@@Dave-ei7kk I did some research, found some studies and typed a quite long reply. Now it isn’t here. Maybe I forgot to actually post the reply. Short version: strobe effect vs old style rotator and how direction, the intensity, color, reflection and shadows are perceived.
Good morning Casey☀️ Whatever works best to keep you safe, especially at night! Take care and keep the excellent content coming. Stay safe out there!❤️🙏
I agree with you Casey the rotating beacon lights are less distracting , I had them on my shop F350 tow truck back in the early 80s-90s they did what you say warning people there's a accident. Australia
I think that you are right about the distractive nature of some of the light patterns. When you are driving, I think you should use low distraction lighting. When you are on the roadside, brighter more attention grabbing lighting is warranted.
You can get LED replacements that will fit into those halogen sockets. The will be a bit brighter but not distractingly so and should last a lot longer.
Dropped in to say exactly this, could even do a warm white LED.
Yeah that's what I came to say.
One more thing, these "halogen led bulbs" (let's call them that) usually have a cluster of LEDs instead of a single wire in an actual halogen bulb and if by chance a single LED does malfunction it won't stop the whole assembly from working properly.
plus 1 And nothing to say you can't put a lower powered LED ie if the halogens were 25w match or lower the LED 15w!
High-powered LEDs (ie: 25w up) won't fit in that style of fitting without a lot of modification as they have a big ballast on the base.
As a Sheriff's Deputy, Our light bars fast flash while driving but automatically go to a slow flash once the car is put in Park. All of our cars also sync together on a scene, so they flash together.
We also have a nighttime "dim" mode that reduces brightness by about 1/3.
"All of our cars also sync together on a scene, so they flash together." Ok I would like someone to explain how that works. Very cool ! I'm guessing they have light sensors that see the other car's lights?
@@jsherwin7260 Actually, it's a system from the emergency lights/siren company Whelen. It's a feature of their newer CenCom system, and the systems connect wirelessly once the vehicles are within a certain range of each other. Super cool system, and also super expensive, so not a ton of departments have them (Yet). Supposedly, this can be utilized between departments as well, and CenCom will do it's best to make the lights as calm/synced as possible.
@@jsherwin7260It’s most likely Whelen core light controllers, they communicate either over WiFi or Bluetooth to find and sync with other core systems.
@@jsherwin7260
There are systems like code 3 matrix or soundoff blueprint or whelen core
They have mostly Bluetooth receivers transmitters, where they communicate with each other syncing together.
That fast flashing LED sequence is definitely the "create new customers" mode.
LoL, well said!
Hey.. he's already on site for it. But, can't solicitate. They would have to ask.
To me the slowest left right blink on the LED's was the least distracting. The faster it goes the more hypnotizing it is.
That is what I was going to say, mindreader😂
Ditto
@@davidbreaux5989 agree
and Ive heard from a VA state trooper that they did a study and a slow back and forth is best. unfortunately a lot of stuff tries to be really flashy but those just make it worse
And blinding, i hate cops that leave their super fast flash on once pulled over because it makes it harder to see them or the road. Go to the slow strobe, you are still seen and you aren't making the road unsafe
The LED slow pattern I think is the better of the choices
@15:33 "I don't know why I put these away. I need them." Of course you know why you put them away in the middle of the job. The very best place to find something when you need it is the place it's supposed to be. If you just tossed aside something you're going to need again, you spend most of your time looking for the thing you tossed. You've learned that lesson.
Exactly. There are two correct places for every item. In use or put away in their proper place.
amen.
As a retired trooper, I agree wholeheartedly with the LED strobe lights being in the distraction category. Also to be considered is the blinding effect to oncoming drivers, causing them to avert their attention and focus to what is in the roadway.
As a truck driver i appreciate your desire for low key warning lights.... often times at night when i come across an emergency scene after driving in darkness for hours its somewhat difficult to maintain focus and see properly...... same with highway construction light poles 20ft high that shine brighter than the morning sun bouncing off some jackwagons 18in chrome drop visor
Admitting you are wrong, or that there are other viable options just means your open minded enough to move forward and make changes or improvements as needed. Its called good sense.
I'm a mom-and-pop U-Haul dealer. I'm proud to say we use the same chocks as were used to block the tires on this truck. The big stores ain't got nothing on us!
On the recycle note, we had a 2022 or 2023 truck in last year with an extremely old box on it. My wife asked how I knew the box was old. A close look showed multiple layers of old U-Haul decals under the new one, and the clearance lights were all rectangle using a tiny bulb instead of button LEDs.
The halogen rotators by themselves are my favorite.
I once almost hit a police officer with my car because the led emergency strobe lights on the police car were so blinding. The officer was standing in the road at night, directing traffic after an event while wearing a reflective vest and holding a flashlight with the orange tip cone. The strobe pattern was so fast and intense, I couldn’t see the reflective vest or orange glowing flashlight end, and that was with me going no more than 5mph.
I believe you when you say led strobes are distracting to drivers and dangerous to you while you’re on the side of a road.
Halloween is the worst. They hire a police officer who sets up with his blinding strobes then people feel they can just walk into the road near the police car not realizing passing traffic is blind.
The EXACT SAME thing happened to me. I had to stop, wait for him to come over to my car, and explain that I could NOT SEE him at all because of the lights. 😮 It was not distraction, I was literally blinded by the lights.
As a former L.E.O, I really understand a few of the jackasses I worked with couldn't understand to put them on night mode at night and would crank them to fast then get pissed when they about got ran over. I told them hundreds of times to use the lowered settings at night and fog so to not blind everyone, including us.
@@DB-yj3qc The worst is when they run the takedown lights and park halfway out in the road and stand on the road-side of the car they pulled over.
When I learned to tell myself to remember instead of don't "forget" I remember better..love your show ..big fan
Whelen is listening, Casey. With their new systems, they're now dimming and slowing down light patterns for nighttime operations. There's progress being made!
Yea, everyone doing it. Its called DVI,
slowed down pattern with glowing softly fade in out lights
Love them
Definitely like the old school lights!
As someone who's internal monolog is constantly annoyed by the intense LED strobe lights of police, fire, ambulance and tow trucks.... I'm voting for the halogen rotators. The LED slow amber lights are not too bad as they are less painful on the eyes so they would be a close second. During the day, the amber LEDs would be best. Pretty slick asking us to comment our vote so the comments will boost your algorithm. :D
Could you mount the strobs on a soft platform that would isolate them from vibration/ shock. I like them best for the reasons you stated. We must be like minded. Just a thought.
I seen guys use old radiator hoses
as isolators. Casey might have to
go with smaller diameter heater
hoses tho , to keep the "white wall"
effect in-play .
@@tednichol-mh5hu If, Casey would find a appliance recycler, there is a part of washers mount the motors, with steel insides with rubber boots. I'd think, the strobes might have the same size of bolts, that way, they can be mounted where they are, but still protected from the shock of movements. And, if able to replace with LED, so much the better. 5/23/2024
The worst are the blue fast flash, and trail lights. For me. Color unfortunate, everything else is the same color to my eyes, yellow red green.. but the blue disjoints from the source and seems like it's right in my face and can't see much of anything else.
You remembered the light bar. Yeah! 👏
Totally in agreement with you about certain lights being a distraction vs warning. After 40 yrs in emergency services I am safely retired. I always used the emergency lights we had judiciously not on all the time every time. Great content CL! Keep on truckin' and stay safe.
Slow amber is my favorite. noticeable but not too distracting
Casey, always good to have options. They do make lightbars with photocells built into the lightbar to dim them at night. But having the ability to use amber or red is also a nice option which I don't think is available on some models. Stay safe out there.
I love that stretch of road. Had a lot of backhauls up 97 and over Blue Box when I was running regional dedicated.
I don't have a favorite pattern. You have options and those options make you visible. That's what counts. Stay safe.
I prefer the old school strobes, way less likely to give me a migraine when driving by them at night.
True. Some strobe sets are set so fast that the "flashing aspect " is ineffective.
How I imagine Casey speaking at a business conference: "Make sure to diversify and create secondary and tertiary income channels to maximize your ability to help out those less fortunate.
say all the big words and popular phrases to impress folks.
you can get direct replacement LED bulbs, they just replace the halogen bulbs, then you can have the spinning lights that don't break
That was me with the tiny home. That thing SUCKED to pull but they're all like that. That came from Arizona all the way up to Oregon
Yup seen your video, was positive it was you.
I definitely agree that the slower alternating right/left is enough to grab attention without being so much that it's overly distracting. I've definitely been distracted and blinded on wet or snowy nights by police cars with the LED bars that are approximately the same intensity as the sun so I don't blame you at all for trying to minimize that while you're standing/laying on the side of the road trying to get a recovery done as quickly as possible.
I used to haul oversize ag equipment for a John Deere dealership. I had a Signal Stat LED flashing beacon that was very visible during daylight hours, but would have been retina-damaging at night. Since I did not haul oversize at night, I had no concern over night brightness. In your video, I found the slow alternating yellow pattern to be the best warning. Law enforcement locally use light bars that flash in a pattern from one side to the other, indicating (at least to me) the direction needed to pass the hazard in the roadway. I found those lights most helpful when on the interstate, allowing me to select a safe lane from a greater distance, since the hazard could be on the shoulder of the highway or the median.
Good luck getting U-Haul, to rent her another U-Haul, to get her stuff out of the wrecked one..lol
Had the same thought!
Yup
Penske rentals...
• Especially since it was a DUI !!
• In my area , Penske rents STRICTLY
to businesses , not walk-ins.
If that's a DUI, most states should suspend before she leaves the crash scene. I'd also expect clauses about overloading in the contracts would complicate her life more.
I prefer the original red rotating and the slow yellow side to side together. The best of both worlds. Very high visibility without too much distraction.
@Casey LaDelle - if you're not already aware of the product. .. Tesa Tape. Its the automotive fabric tape. Works (sticks) great and makes any wire collection look great. Its what the manufacture used until they got cheap when some have switched to no stick thin poly film.
LOL ..as you said that .... I smiled knowing where you were going with the nite mode. Technically LED's can't dim. There is trickery that can be played to turn them on/off fast .. to diminish their "apparent" output level .. and your eyes can't detect their on/off
Really like your channel. I retired last summer after 40 years driving truck all over the Northwest, with a lot of miles up and down 97. I understand the need to be seen by tow truck operators, but some trucks have so many lights going that other drivers are blinded by them. Seems like too many hazard lights can create a more hazardous condition.
The one with the halogens turning and the slow back and forward amber is 👌
Since the advent of LED headlights on vehicles, night time driving is a pain in the eyes now. My contention is, they are not focused and have a hellish flow around them and worse, on a truck that has been lifted, they do not realign their beams to point down more, they are now shooting blinding light through my back window and sideview mirror!
For the LED bar, I wonder if Casey could do a traffic calming mode. So the lights look like they're in steady mode but blink twice every few seconds or so to not be as distracting. I know Jamie Davis towing had such a pattern on HR130.
I like the traditional lights but with your LED bar on slow Amber side to side flash, as you've said it's not distracting but does well at lighting up the surrounding area alerting passers by.
Nice set of versatile/variable warning lights.
Federal Signal makes LED rotators.....SLR Beacon.......pricey but best of both worlds
Bloody great units they are and all.
The fedsig navigator is my favorite light bar
You are totally correct about the lights.
The benefit is what you could do at night is the halogens and use the traffic advisor > light sequence I find those pretty useful
Glad you remembered the light bar!
Red Flashing, Hey Casey they should make an anti vibration pad to fix your issue, 8 Pack Bumper Feet with Stainless Steel Washers, 1 Inch, Waterproof Isolation/Anti-Vibration Bumper Feet for License Plates, Air Compressors, Pressure Washers, Speakers, and Other Machinery WALMART WEB STORE Skoglary Tools,4x Conditioning Rubber Mount Pad For Air Damper Vibration Tools & Home Improvement ,Drill Bits Accessories, Clearance Items
You can get direct fit LED lamps for the rotators that don't need to flash. They'll handle vibration much better (if properly built) than halgoens do. Best of both worlds!
Hey Casey! Don't forget the light bar....
:)
Still encourage looking at stealth or regular reflective tape. Some are not so ugly by day but really react to headlights to help make your equipment standout passively. I did an old firetruck on the rear facing diamond plate with pattern fitting dots and what a difference.
You could try led bulbs in those rotators. Might be a good compromise. They'll be brighter and last longer. When strobes and led lights became popular, many had day/night mode settings. I think most ran them in the blinding day time settings all the time thinking it was better. Now, as a result, I don't think manufacturers bother to build them with that feature anymore. Thanks for the great content.
would be a good compromise but be sure o use correct bulbs as some tend to overheat
Casey I’m thinking an Arrow Stick would be a good choice for the trucks. They work well for traffic control as they can be set to flash to the right or left. And I think they meet your requirements of being warning and not distracting.
That's Cp Steve Miller towing that tiny house , he has a TH-cam channel as well. Does hotshot and diesel repair.
The first setting amber color is the one I would use. Good luck with the rest of the lights. Stay safe.
Heat shrink is a good way to cower wires.
I liked the slower LED pattern. Great job as usual Casey. Take care, stay safe.
I have seen several other people mention it already but get LED replacement bulbs for your rotating lights. I had a similar issue with my wife's car and her headlights (Subaru has a class action lawsuit suit for it) but the vibration knocks the lights out all the time, sometimes 3 times a year. I replaced it with LED's from Amazon and their lasting 2-3 years now. Don't buy the cheap ones, I spent $40-$60 on hers but the best investment ever.
Yep like the slow yellow blinking best
As you were saying, 'I know I'm going to get a lot of people saying 'I told you so!'...' in my head I heard an old sitcom line. 'I would NEVER say 'I told you so!'...I said that."
I informed you thusly
I used to look after a waste compactor plant, it was lit with halogen lights which kept blowing when trucks dumped their loads into the hoppers. I drilled out the mounting holes and mounted the lights on rubber grommets, solved the problem. Now I would just replace with LED lamps, you can get most types to replace existing bulbs, they should last much longer and not be affected by vibration.
Casey, I completely agree with you on the wiring, that is horrible! I would recommend the mesh wire loom (it can be solid where you have to feed the wires through, or split like normal wire loom). It looks far more professional and clean vs the hard plastic spit wire loom. And since you seem to share the same view as I do on things like this, I think you'd like the mesh wire loom better.
I think the harness is backwards... on mine the power wires come out the other end of the harness, not at the controller side. They also have right angle adapters to hide the harness behind the controller. Also the light bars can be controlled with a control box like Casey is using or off dash switches like the halogen rotators are.
I fully agree with what you say about the flashing bright lights being a distraction but even worse, especially for us older folks, it’s completely blinding….it is really scary to come up on someone with such lighting and have to drive by braille as you go by. It’s a bad situation.
Slower LED left right!
Though as a retired cop, I do really like non led rollers!!
What you say about the strobes being distracting is very true. I have come upon accident scenes where multiple police cars had their strobes flashing. They were too bright to look at and various people on foot (including the cops) were completely invisible.
In the volunteer fire department I'm in over in WV our Tanker has 3 halogen MX7000 light bar's 2 minis in the rear and full size on the cab both Ambulances have Halogen light bar's and the Chevy SUV response unit has another MX7000 on it we NEVER have any issues with the lights not working
Check out the Whelen Rotabeam (R316 or R416) if you want the rotator look while using LEDs. They have a bunch of different pattern options including slower rotation modes.
Also check out Whelen DVI mode which has been designed to help mitigate the issues of LEDs at night by keeping the lights always on and then ramping/lowering/ramping/lowering/etc the intensity of the LEDs.
Also, many of the big manufactuers like Whelen, Federal Signal, Feniex Industries do have LED systems that allow true night mode dimming and or slower modes/park modes.
всегда рад тебя видеть👍
спасибо за видео👍👍👍
You’re on the right track. Nice scenery.
I just drove 97 from Wenatchee to Madras and back. I looked for you the whole way.
that's a pretty drive.... been forever since I went down thru 97 that far. Barely make it to Wenatchee anymore!
I think these videos are done a couple days before he releases them.
And they're not even necessarily released in order because the big stolen thing that he's talked about in this one is the video that dropped the other day
I knew that was going to happen! The lights look great
Couldn’t you fit a led bulb in the rotators?
Casey, I know how easy it is to spend someone else's money. You could install a whaletail spoiler on the roof and put your Red rotating lights on the roof, that would give you the desired effect of the red lights hitting a white background and probably fix your lightbulbs breaking then you can put your LED light bar on the headache rack. If the lightbar has traffic advisory then you can use the lightbar while on the side of the road
I prefer the Last Pattern and 3rd Pattern.
Last pattern provided enough attention getting while not being overwhelming and very distracting. Good light level, great light pattern.
3rd pattern was similar to the last but more bright lights which has the potential to be distracting in rough weather.
Excellent presentation. Thank you. I think I agree with you on the rotating lights. They are perfect for night use. Seeing the night shots confirms it in my head. I think I would try to replace the rotating units with rotating units that have LED bulbs and are of a highly reliable nature. You could leave that obnoxious bar thing up there as a backup or for day use. The light bar is just too much at night as best I can tell,
The red in slow looks the beast
Don't look at the beast.
So I’ve been following your page for a very long time and I love your content and I’m not trying to be anything except for informative. I run roadside service for Florida and I have for 10 years along with off-road recovery and out of all the light bars I have ever had. I have never seen one and I have bought a lot of light bars, that were LED
I think that's a TH-camr pulling that tiny home, CP Miller. He is on his way to Portland.
I liked the last pattern.
Haters gonna say you didn't strap in the second wheel because you didn't wanna mess up without a zip tie on your strap. Was very excited to see the finished product. Hopefully the light bar works out in the long run!
I’ve used techflex quite a bit and never needed zip ties, looks better than most cable looms too
Strobes are nothing more than DRUNK MAGNETS 🧲
I like LED strobes we use in the fire trucks. They look like old rotating lights but they’re bright and don’t draw enough voltage to power a tiny house
We run the old school halogen lights on our wreckers. My personal preference though
Look at Michigan State Police they continue to use the one gum ball on top but it is now a led and it works great. They wanted to stay traditional but more effective light. You could replace your rotators with two of the ones like theirs . But both types on your truck look good and effective
Cascade Heavy Rescue, mobile Discoteque!
No disco ball 😔
@@jilbertb
DISCO BALL far out on the
BOOM ! ? 🕺🏻 🥳 💃🏻
( actually , i think some almost
straight-down white work lights
@ the end of the inner-most section
[ that doesn't extend ] would be a help , as well as a small Amber
beacon on each side of the tip of
the boom { similar to the Orange
& Blue PUCK-Flares } that are quite
noticable & not blinding , and would
also be visible when the boom is UP / rigged on a boxtruck which
blocks many of his current lights ) .
You are definitely right. The rotating beacons are the best. Least distracting and least blinding by far.
Certain flash frequencies (5-30 Hz) can trigger epileptic seizures.
Her conversation with U-Haul might have gone something like this:🤣
She: "I need my stuff back. Can I get it?"
U-Haul: "Yes you can."
She: "Where is it?"
U-Haul: "It at our repair facility in Portland."
She: "Can I rent a U-Haul to come and get it?"
U-Haul: "No you can't. Try Ryder."
I personally think you ought to take the red beacons off the headache rack use a mounting bracket and put it on the sleeper that way you won't be going through bulbs and maybe then Mount the LED light bar on a headache rack they are shock resistant
Casey loved the strobe light at the end great timing just got a buzz from some good cannabis 🤣👍
As an older person who has a hard time with lights at night #3. It’s enough to get your attention but not blind you as you get closer to the area. Most of us try to not drive at night unless it’s absolutely necessary but, it sometimes happens that it is necessary.
I wonder if Uhaul will rent the lady another truck to haul her stuff away in
The slow side to side yellow is perfect! Like others have said, you can get LED replacement bulbs for the halogen that “might” last longer than the halogens!!!
Flashing green lights is what plow trucks are using. Really easy to see.
Fun fact: Did you know humans can see more shades of green than any other color? This is because the human eye is more sensitive to green frequencies and is located in the middle of the visual spectrum, where perception is best.
That is not true for us color blind guys. Too complex to explain here.😢
Though I agree 100% with the incandescent bulbs argument I must also point out that they're only useful when they are able to be seen. They're absolutely useless on sunny days and that's why I've converted everything except for my headlights to LED and those I try to get HID for so I can see.
rotating beacons for sure.. I couldnt agree more that while trying to create safer scenes that the tow trucks and emergency vehicles with the annoyingly bright flashing lights are actually creating a hazard in the fact that they are not just distracting but flat out blinding especially when there is moisture present..
One thing always leads to another, nothings easy. Good Job!
Morning!
Put both types on, run whichever is better for the situation. And a stand up light mast could be handy
I could not agree more regarding the LED lighting. Especially at night and as I age, my eyes are more sensitive.
I have cataract implants and every time those light flickers I see flairs shooting across my vison. Cop pulls me over I will adjust my mirrors to reflect it back at them.
Casey, I really appreciate your attention to detail and your focus on safe operations! Now, if one could get the motoring public to be better drivers we'd all benefit! Great vid and stay safe out there!
The 4th one was my favorite, definitely gets people’s attention, especially at night
LED’s are distracting to me but worse yet they do not allow for depth perception. So I can’t tell if they are 20 yards or 2 miles away.
I think led’s do not reflect on things, they are just bright.
Sorry, not true. LEDs are just another way to make light. No effect on depth perception vs incandescent bulbs.
But as we get older our eyes don’t work as well and if we have cataracts that aren’t repaired any bright point source of light can be blinding. If that’s your issue, see your eye doctor.
@@Dave-ei7kkyes a “led” is just a form of light. But the term here is inclusive of the casing, programming & strobe functionality and not just the basic light emitting source.
@@mesonichue6198 And how does any of that affect depth perception? Just curious and speaking as a guy who has had cataract surgery and experienced the glare that cloudy lenses can cause. If that or a greasy/dirty windshield are present I can see why very bright or strobing lights might impair someone’s vision.
@@Dave-ei7kk My experience was on a 5 lane rural highway late at night with homes, trees and fields. The only ambient light being the moon if out, yard lights and plain street lights at .5-1.0 mile intervals where crossroads are at, so very dark .
The best way I can explain is that the flashing/strobe lights are mounted on the side or top plane of the vehicle and are so bright that the vehicle itself is hidden behind the light due to brightness and speed of strobe. They can be seen from far away but determining how far is difficult because there was no reflection(?), they are very bright but create a more two-dimensional view. The old style rotating lights give a better perspective of distance because they are slower and a person can watch what the light is reflecting on(a tree, house, emergency vehicle or the ground for example) and have a three dimensional perspective as to where the light is located.
The night the strobe(led bulb) lamps were ineffective as a safety feature until very close to the scene there were two dark grey or black Sherrif vehicles on the side of the road. The single lamps on the cars did not form any discernible pattern that a person could use to determine exactly where the cars were parked as one car was overlapping the other so it was a cluster of bright lights that didn’t make sense.
Roof mounted rotating lamps of the older style would have made it easier to determine the location and number of vehicles and what was happening.
I can’t describe the scene any better than that.
@@Dave-ei7kk I did some research, found some studies and typed a quite long reply. Now it isn’t here.
Maybe I forgot to actually post the reply.
Short version: strobe effect vs old style rotator and how direction, the intensity, color, reflection and shadows are perceived.
Good morning Casey☀️ Whatever works best to keep you safe, especially at night! Take care and keep the excellent content coming. Stay safe out there!❤️🙏
I agree with you Casey the rotating beacon lights are less distracting , I had them on my shop F350 tow truck back in the early 80s-90s they did what you say warning people there's a accident. Australia
Old school rotating! There is bound to be a solution to the broken filament problem. I got faith in ya!
Yer modern distraction bar is awesome!😎🤘🏼☀️☀️
I think that you are right about the distractive nature of some of the light patterns. When you are driving, I think you should use low distraction lighting. When you are on the roadside, brighter more attention grabbing lighting is warranted.