mounting spotlights hi/lo on bullbar

[patrollin]

hi all, thought I'll start general discussion on mounting spots on bullbars.

Who likes mounting them "low" within bullbar?

Who likes mounting them "high" on top of bullbar?

Also, who likes to mount them within centre of bullbar & who likes mounting more towards outer of bullbar (near headlights)?


whats the pros/cons of each?

[nicbeer]

on top is not legal but i used to have a set of hella 181s on there and worked well as spreads and a set of 9" nanes in the centre hoop.

cant run any wider on a zook otherwise u'd be on the side of the car.

[HotFourOk]

As said, on top may be illegal, but I think it looks funny anyway.

I just like them mounted in the centre hoop like normal.

I have seen a few older 4x4s mount the spotties next to the headlights, so it looked like they have twin light headlights, but it is dependant on he car type if it looks ok. You would have to do some testing to check whether the housing of the spot blocks the existing lights beam or not.

If you buy good gear, you only need the 2 in the middle

[chimpboy]

As said, on top may be illegal, but I think it looks funny anyway.

I just like them mounted in the centre hoop like normal.

I have seen a few older 4x4s mount the spotties next to the headlights, so it looked like they have twin light headlights, but it is dependant on he car type if it looks ok. You would have to do some testing to check whether the housing of the spot blocks the existing lights beam or not.

If you buy good gear, you only need the 2 in the middle

This is all true. I've got four spotties mounted on my bullbar, all "low"... but two of them do much more work than the other two since they are higher quality.



I modified the bullbar by welding some flat bar onto it, near the headlights. That's what the round spotties are mounted on. These are of unknown origin, my old man bought them at an auction, but they produce stacks of light. The two rectangular ones are pretty good also, but not as good as the round ones. I don't think I could stand having them on top of the bullbar, I hate having stuff obstructing my view.

Anyway, this setup worked very well indeed on the recent NT run, lighting up the highways a loooong way ahead. That's also with 130W/90W headlight lamps. I was very satisfied with how how the road ahead was lit, and there was one incident where the amount of light we had almost certainly saved us from taking out a few dozen sheep.

[MICK79CRUZA]

hi got both high an low the top ones r spead. light up just past were normal headlight finish an the xgt 240 light up the rest i find it great get nearly 1Km of light in front of me lit up all the way. cheers mick.

[patrollin]

has any1 tried measuring the max distance that a spotlight can throw at different heights? Does a spotlight throw further at a higher level? Is there a point where a spotlight becomes too high & is less effective? Are spots as effective up on roof as out front on bullbar?
Things I've been pondering lately...
Here's my setup btw:

[Ezookiel]

Middle:


But on the outsides of the uprights (headlight sides), there used to be a set of lights mounted at about 45degrees towards each side of the car, for finding those difficult to see over-grown tracks to the sides.
They filled with muddy water, and had to be removed, and have yet to be replaced.

[sudso]

has any1 tried measuring the max distance that a spotlight can throw at different heights? Does a spotlight throw further at a higher level? Is there a point where a spotlight becomes too high & is less effective? Are spots as effective up on roof as out front on bullbar?
Things I've been pondering lately...
Here's my setup btw:

A spotlight wont throw further if higher but gives you a longer spread of light in it's field of greatest intensity on the road. Depends on the angle of the beam you set it at.

[patrollin]

Middle:


But on the outsides of the uprights (headlight sides), there used to be a set of lights mounted at about 45degrees towards each side of the car, for finding those difficult to see over-grown tracks to the sides.
They filled with muddy water, and had to be removed, and have yet to be replaced.

Hey, I reacon these spots pointing out each side are a GREAT idea!! Wonna put some on mine, at least on the passenger side at the very least. Pointing out to the side, they're be great for finding house numbers, etc. at night. I also wonder if they're be helpful on country roads @ nite - u can see what's off to the side...

[sudso]

Middle:


But on the outsides of the uprights (headlight sides), there used to be a set of lights mounted at about 45degrees towards each side of the car, for finding those difficult to see over-grown tracks to the sides.
They filled with muddy water, and had to be removed, and have yet to be replaced.

Hey, I reacon these spots pointing out each side are a GREAT idea!! Wonna put some on mine, at least on the passenger side at the very least. Pointing out to the side, they're be great for finding house numbers, etc. at night. I also wonder if they're be helpful on country roads @ nite - u can see what's off to the side...

I had a 100w spread beam on each side of the upright posts too pointing out to sides.
They are the same size as my headlights (GQ) and yeah they are great for side viewing! Or on the highways point em back in a bit and great for spotting stray wildlife at high speed further up the sides of the road.

All this was good until a mate clipped my bar and put a nice twist in it.
Getting a Cheezy now anyway