Installers, game on!

T

TangoDown

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May 22, 2010
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Montana
Hi everybody.


My Sheriff is looking to spec out a 2011 Dodge Crew Cab pickup for replacing one of our Ford Expeditions. We have already decided on the truck - now it's just a matter of putting stuff into it.


I think I have the Sheriff convinced to let me and another wrench-happy Deputy install most of the equipment, save the radio. So... now I come to you experts, asking for advice on what to put in the truck.


Vehicle: 2011 Dodge Ram Crew Cab


Partition: Single Prisoner (Half Cage)


Seat: Single Prisoner ABS seat


NOTE: I was hoping to take out the bench seat in the back - leaving a bunch of room behind the driver seat for hauling gear. Has anybody done that before?


Lights:


Front: Currently have a Code 3 Supervisor in the 06 Expedition. Anybody know if that will transfer over to the Dodge??


Rear: Looking for an affordable directional arrow.


Side: Currently have a pair of Soundoff Predators. Might replace with a LINZ6.


Siren: Up for recommendation.


Console: Preferably something with the ability to mount a computer in the future. Not sure what computers we are going with, but assume it will be a laptop. I know we'll have to buy mounts for the computers.


Video/Radar: Already have Digital Ally cameras and Python II (sigh) radars.


Spotlight: Already have GoLight.


Anything else you can think of, throw it together and tell me what you think we should buy. We are trying to stick to a budget on this one. Thanks!!!


TD
 
I'm really hoping to get some good advice in regards to the prisoner seat situation. Since we only have a little bit of room in the back, and the Deputy is the Search/Rescue coordinator, we are hoping to give him plenty of room to store gear without having to use the bed of the truck.
 
i would leave the seat in place.. the reason i say that is because you really limit yourself to 2 people in the truck. think about a sar call where you have to transport the RP to the area where the patient is. you need the 3rd spot in back. i would really look at installing a toolbox in the bed and throw on a retractable bed cover so you can cary more gear. its a truck, dont limit yourself to just the cab
 
Mike, guess I should give you a little more background to our county... we never transport other people in our rig unless they ride in our prisoner cages. We have too much gear and none of us feel comfortable with somebody in the backseat directly behind the driver. If we are in a pinch, we can haul somebody in the passenger seat as well. Trust me, this isn't our first rodeo. We are looking for a single seat.


Thanks for your .02c though
 
For the rear window I would say go with the Sound-Off Ultra Lite Directional/Warning LED Light w/ Directional Arrow Control Head. This would lay flat against the back window or could be mounted outside the vehicle. Galls offers these for $400 (http://www.galls.com/style.html?assort= ... tyle=DR009) so I would think you could get it cheaper from somewhere else. This will allow for you to either use the traffic adviser or warning mode (get with colored ends).
 
I'd go with a microman arrowstar bar!
 
I have 911EP TDWL 24s and 36s in multiple colors for sale in the For Sale forum. PM me ASAP if interested. These are great name brand lights for an amazing price.
 
Some questions, recommendations and points to ponder. First, is it going to be a Quad cab or Crew Cab? Quad Cab has the 3/4 sized rear doors, and the Crew Cab has the full sized rear doors. This may make a difference in choosing your partition and rear seating.


Is the truck going to be a 1500, 2500, or 3500 series? Four wheel drive or two wheel drive? This may make a difference in choosing a console or not being able to utilize a console, and will have some affect on where the shifter is located and if there is an additional shifter for the 4-wheel drive.


From the research I've done on these trucks, it appears that the rear seats are a 60/40 fold up split, with the 60 part behind the passengers side. if you wanted to keep the larger part of the rear seating area for storage by removing part of the seat, you'd be placing your prisoner behind the driver instead of the passenger side.


I haven't seen a single prisoner transport system available with an ABS seat for a Dodge truck, but that doesn't mean there isn't one available. With the factory seat still in play, Setina Mfg. may offer a single Cell partition for the truck, but if it has Side Curtain Airbags, you may run into safety and mounting issues.


There is also a company out there, http://www.policecages.com/, that will custom manufacture a single cell partition to fit your truck, but again side curtain airbags may factor in as a problem.


My research also shows these trucks have a centered rear slider window, which can cause some issues in mounting a rear stick. If I had to recommend one that may work, I'd choose one with the smallest footprint, such as a Tomar RECT 13 or 14 Series or a SoundOff Ultralite.


Side warning will also be a mounting challenge if you're wanting to mount lights in the rear side windows. You're going to have to route the wiring through the door/jamb to do it properly, and without window guards you'd have one of the lights exposed to potential damage from a transport.


Not sure if your Supervisor will transfer over, but I'm guessing you will have some customizing to do to mount it even if it's a close fit.


Siren choice will depend on if you're going to be able to use a console or not, but my choice is always a Unitrol.....anything Unitrol.


That's all I have for now based on your info. I'd suggest taking a walk-around one of these trucks to make sure you're going to be able to upfit it properly.....sometimes the bling factor of a new ride can obscure the fact that the vehicle isn't really the most practical choice for it's intended purpose.
 
Thanks Cajun.


The rig is a 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 Crew Cab 4x4. Spoke with Setina today, and they do make a single prisoner transport cage for that truck. As long as we can find an ABS seat for the back, they will custom fit the cage to that seat.
 
And an external lightbar is completely out of the question? Is it marked or slick?
 
DEPUTYSTEPHENSON said:
For the rear window I would say go with the Sound-Off Ultra Lite Directional/Warning LED Light w/ Directional Arrow Control Head. This would lay flat against the back window or could be mounted outside the vehicle. Galls offers these for $400 (http://www.galls.com/style.html?assort= ... tyle=DR009) so I would think you could get it cheaper from somewhere else. This will allow for you to either use the traffic adviser or warning mode (get with colored ends).
Click to expand...


ERM here on the board as well as other members sell the Ultralite arrow stick. I have several ultralites and love them. Checkout www.ledguy.net for the ultralites...


Seth
 
I sell Sound Off, Tomar, Able2/Sho-me, JottoDesk, and GoRhino if you need any lights, consoles, or PB. PM me if I can help you out. I'm out of town for the weekend and only have access to the Internet through my phone.
 
Anybody have any luck using a truck headache rack (safety rack) with a lightbar mounted on top?? See them a lot on Tow Trucks... was wondering if the same would work well for a patrol vehicle.
 
Most firepolice officers in my county have pickups and I'd guess that out of the 50~ with pickups, at least half of them use some form of a rack-mounted bar. At my fire station, only 2 of the 6 pickups have roof-mounted bars. Either a basic "back rack" setup or a construction-type rack. A little easier install since no drilling on the roof to run wires or mounts.
 
Thanks all, you have given me some great ideas to run with. I will get back with all of you once things start to be finalized. Again, thank you.
 
Unless you are going to mount t he arrow stick on the back rack I say forget..I hate arrow sticks!!!!!!!! Go with a whelen light bar on a backrack, and lights in the grill, and whelen talon on the dash.
 
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