96 Ranger

[harwood39]

Here is my 96 Ranger. For lighting I have the following.


Edge 9000 Ultra B-Link 12 Strobe


Axixtech MiniXtreme 4's Split Blue/Amber in grill


Axixtech L26R32B Gen 1 modules in side windows just for secondary side lighting.


Fedsig HAW's in each corner


Fedsig Cuda 33 inch TA in back window


Bar after we polished the lenses, and added amber to the front.





This was right when the bar showed up at my house before cleaning and redoing the front.





I will post more pics of the truck tomorrow. Any other suggestions would be great. I am debating on moving the ambers to the very center up front or leaving it how it sits now.

 

[stfd1911]

looks good how it sits now....vid would be nice to see

 

[nerdly_dood]

i like the blue/amber a lot, quite distinctive... what's your color setup in the back of the Edge?

 

[harwood39]

The rear colors are all blue with amber halogen flashers. I will take more pics today and a video. I am reprogramming the bar soon as the pattern right now is alternating side to side and speeds up and down. This video is a pattern I am in love with

that is how i would like mine to flash, minus the TA in back as my bar does not have that. Its a nice more random pattern that leaves no dark time.

 

[JohnMarcson]

What's the reason for the front amber? I hope you only use that while stopped....

 

[natep24]

What's the reason for the front amber? I hope you only use that while stopped....

just a question...but why do you hope he only uses the amber while parked? i am just trying to learn different state laws.

 

[shues]

I don't think it's a matter of laws, but a matter of sending a mixed or confusing message. That bar has a lot of clear and amber to confuse or distract other motorists from the message that the blue light is supposed to be sending.

 

[harwood39]

i run the amber with the blues. trust me. here you need as much lighting as possible. People never stop for any emergency vehicle in town. A lot of times they will just sit there and look in the rear view at an ambulance thats blaring lights and siren. Cops are even having a hard time.

 

[shues]

You're already having trouble with people not pulling over for blue, so your solution is to add amber, a color that people already associate with not pulling over for? How is that working out for you?

 

[philyumpshus]

Amber is generally accepted as a warning color; it's not commonplace to run it to the front. NFPA states that amber should only be used to the rear. (I know POVs don't need to meet NFPA so don't jump all over me.)


I would put all of your amber to the rear. What state are you in?

 

[shues]

Amber is generally accepted as a warning color.

I respectfully disagree.


You won't find me pulling over and stopping for the next tow truck that I encounter in traffic. Now, I might say that amber is generally accepted as a caution color, conditionally. Amber is a color that the public has been conditioned to not yield/pull over for.


The public is conditioned to think "It's a tow truck", or "it's snow removal equipment", or "it's a utility company vehicle". Pulling over for these vehicles is not the desired result. Displaying amber to the front during an emergency response sends the message like "pay attention to me, there is a hazard here, be careful as you continue driving otherwise normally."

 

[harwood39]

What state are you in?

I am in ND/MN. Right on the boarder. Pretty much everyone in our volly group runs a little amber to the front also.

 

[harwood39]

Here are a few more crappy pics. You can barely see them, but theres pics of the TA, axixtech heads in the windows, than the grill lights.

 

[kitn1mcc]

thats a nice looking job

 

[harwood39]

I may be moving the side window modules to the rear window as the bar is basically right above the side windows.

 

[VolEms]

I would take out the amber to the front and put blue. I know you want more color but you already have blue and white. I have seen in NY Volly FF who have blue and Amber, but thats since they cant have white. Here is a vid,


http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=433818952109

 

[harwood39]

that video is gone... and flashing white to the front for us is iffy, but some have it, some have amber.

 

[Tlandreth22]

Personally I like the setup. I say keep the amber to the front of the bar. Even though amber isn't a response color for the front, there is enough blue for motorists to realize that he is responding and they need to move.

 

[harwood39]

As far as everyone complaining about the amber.... I also have strobes in the amber corners up front, and blue/amber grill lights. There is enough light to get people to notice me.

 

[nerdly_dood]

Personally I like the setup. I say keep the amber to the front of the bar. Even though amber isn't a response color for the front, there is enough blue for motorists to realize that he is responding and they need to move.

Where I come from, laws are pretty strict and blue is ONLY used for police, so that lightbar would clear the road perfectly fine and people wouldn't give a second thought to the amber in it.


If blue is used as a courtesy color and police use a different color you should be fine, there's plenty of blue to indicate that people should pull over, with amber to increase visibility.

 

[harwood39]

Police here use blue/red, EMS uses blue/red, Fire uses red, Vollies use blue

 

[harwood39]

here are some crappy videos. Just did them in my garage for now, will take good ones outside when i get time. And like i said previously, I am probably going to move the LED head that is in the side window to the rear.


The following are everything besides the bar strobes.

 

[Mr911]

I may be moving the side window modules to the rear window as the bar is basically right above the side windows.

I agree that the lights in the side would look better in the back of the truck...BUT, i think that they would look good in the rear side windows of the cap and perhaps you could add something like 2 TIR3's in blue to the rear? Just a suggestion...Stay safe!

 

[harwood39]

I agree they would look good in the rear side windows of the cap. I just need to figure out if I want them vertical or horizontal in the windows. I don't want too much straight out back that will drown out the TA.

 

[EMS10EMT]

There are a couple ambulance's where I am that have one amber light to the front and/or side. Im not sure what the point is but to each his own.


Medic West out in NV comes to mind with amber to the front.


at any rate, the truck looks good, and if its working for you then so be it.

 

[rwo978]

Amber to the front here is mainly used for 'stopped' EVs. Basically, and "I'm here, but move along, nothing to see..." thing.


All highway patrol cars in the state have a pair of ambers to the front in their liberties. The SO here had amber flashers to the front of their MX700s, then went to all r/b Liberties, and are now are going back to a pair of ambers along with the R/B in the Liberties.


Contrary to John, I think EVs should have amber all around. But, it should only be a portion of the lighting, not 50/50 or anything, I'd say less than 25%, maybe even 10%-15%. If parked alongside the road, or elsewhere warning is needed w/o extra attention, the amber has that 'lower' importance, but still enough to protect.

 

[medicandy]

Looks nice.

 

[CrownVic97]

I've seen this truck going around the Fargo area in person and I gotta say, it stands out in traffic with that Edge up there.


Real nice set-up, man .

 

[harwood39]

Thanks for the compliments. And really found out how nicely my setup moves traffic yesterday. Had a 5 alarm fire and of coarse half of the damn town had to go look and i couldnt get to my intersection without the lights so on they went and everyone moved real quick.


This setup will be moving to an 01 Expedition in a couple months. Some things will be changed, but the bar will stay, and some of the LED heads will be moved around or replaced.


I am a huge fan of how bright the strobes are. I know the blue isnt as deep of a blue as LED, but its extremely bright.

 

[JohnMarcson]

Amber to the front will wash out the blue and you will look like a tow truck or snowplow. Even hough NFPA/KKK aren't laws they are standards for a reason. If you want something for "extra punch" use clear to the front keep the amber to the rear. Just because everyone else does it that doesn't make it a good idea. The amber makes an otherwise professional setup look amateurish.

 

[harwood39]

The amber really doesn't wash out the blue. At least no one seams to think so or even notices the amber. Like stated earlier in the post, state patrol runs amber to the front also.

 

[JohnMarcson]

The amber really doesn't wash out the blue. At least no one seams to think so or even notices the amber. Like stated earlier in the post, state patrol runs amber to the front also.

Still doesn't make it a good idea.

 

[rwo978]

http://www.statetrooperplates.com/ndhp.htm


amber to the front is very common in ND. NDHP have had it pretty much since the aerodynic, seen in the above link.

 

[nerdly_dood]

I really hate amber to the front of police vehicles. (No, seriously, I HATE IT)... but whatever works, works. My advice would naturally be to change all amber lights to the front of police cars to be blue or white, within the law.


On POVs I don't mind it as much.

 

[rwo978]

Why????


There's an EV parked along side the road. We all talk about 'minimizing' gawking. So, a couple amber heads to say "here I am", but the motoring public will think it's some construction/street vehicle and motor around it, aka, ignor it, only to realize it was something else after the fact.


I don't care for all one color setups, like some LEOs down south (blue). But, I'm not going to have a coronary about it. :roll: It's all about the area you're in. Here, amber to the front is common and not going anywhere anytime soon. So, why all the pissing and moaning about it?? You don't like it, don't move here, even though it's the safest area in the country to live. :|

 

[EVT]

A NDHP Trooper told me that the amber to the front in ND was due to some law where if you pull up on a vehicle to check on it you can't activate red/blue lights because then that person is no longer free to leave. So the amber is for safety without requiring someone to legally stop. I have no idea if that's true or not but that's what he said.

 

[rwo978]

They're taking the 'yeild' to a T. As such, they're interpreting it to mean anytime you pass/come upon a stopped EV, you're also supposed to 'stop' or yield before passing. In reality, would you want a whole line of cars 'stopping' then going? Not likely.


While this might be their reasoning, I still allude to my previous statement.

 

[nerdly_dood]

A NDHP Trooper told me that the amber to the front in ND was due to some law where if you pull up on a vehicle to check on it you can't activate red/blue lights because then that person is no longer free to leave. So the amber is for safety without requiring someone to legally stop. I have no idea if that's true or not but that's what he said.

Then if there's a good reason for the amber, by no means should they use the amber lights at the same as red/blue.

 

[rwo978]

They don't use both at the same time. Mostly, 75%+, they cut back to just the amber heads to the front and arrowstick to the rear, or, 25%+ leave all the red/blue on.

 

[harwood39]

Here is a shot of the truck from yesterday. The fire happened on Monday, we have been guarding the property. It shows where I moved the ambers to the center of the bar. anyways off the topic of the amber. This has been my week thus far. Today and tomorrow will be the same, escorting people into the building to gather belongings. I wish I had some action shots from the fire of all the responding trucks. It was crazy! All firefighters in 3 towns, and the national guard responded plus members of outlying small town fire departments all responded. 3 Ambulances, 2 EMS supervisor trucks, lots of police, MCI equipment truck, ATF, and all of us volunteers.