Motor Controlled Rack lights?

[L4CX]

Yeah, I had the idea to mount light to the top of my roof rack that could pan and tilt with a control in the Cab. I just thought it would be cool. Has anyone done this? I really didn't know what to search for so I haven't done a whole lot of searching on the site. I was thinking about going to the junk yard and getting a power mirror and the control joystick and wiring it up like that.

I figure it would be pretty sweet to be able to move them. Kind of robotic. Any ideas/comments would be nice. I'm completely aware of how weird this idea is, so YOU DON"T HAVE TO TELL ME. Just any ideas, or comments. thanks.

 

[High_Order1]

it's not weird - security and law enforcement have done it for 25 years. Google "go light" I think. They have them for boats, too.

Only thing is you really need to mount it either way up or way forward or the front of the cab blocks a lot of the light.


-Shawn

 

[Halfnuts]

http://www.boatersland.com/gue22040.html

^Gets my vote

 

[SkanlaxJMO]

subscribing..this should be interesting

 

[Jason94sport]

Yeah a go light will work. There are several versions & copies out there. Ebay has them & is a good source to find the makers of them. Search for "spotlights"

 

[ExploringNC]

search e-bay, I've thought of the same thing and found alot of lights on e-bay that would work. Waiting on time to weld up my new rack so I can install the lighting I want but one of these is on the plans.

They have remote controll (by wire) magnetic ones that can be easily installed when needed also. It could be stored in a nice box in the back and when you go off road you could just stick it on.

 

[L4CX]

I figured that they probably made them. I just was thinking of a way to make one my self. I like to be able to tell people that I built it my self and that it actually works. After thinking about it for a while, I might actually go with High order's advice and mount them on the front bumper so the beam won't be blocked. Unfortunately I won't be able to start in on this venture for a while because I lack money and all the money in my budget under "auto fun" will be going to my Hydrogen booster. Which is pretty close to being done. I'll post up my write up when I get it done. Probably not a for a while though. Sorry for you that are waiting.

 

[Charlie]

that would be sweet, how much movement are you thinking of?

 

[L4CX]

I haven't really thought about that as actual Degrees. I'm not sure how much the motor in a mirror can rotate. Probably about 40-60? If I do two on the front it'll give me enough Coverage. We'll see. I just bid on a "Control stick" for it. I'm excited.

 

[High_Order1]

if the mirror motor doesn't have the oomph to move a large-ish light around, you could buy a pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) mount for a security camera. They are making them cheaper and cheaper, and they do exactly what you are wanting, with the bonus of being outdoor-ok.

-Shawn

 

[L4CX]

Yeah, I actually thought about this idea from an idea I had of using those kind of camera's for a camp I work at for their week in review video as getting raw video in hard to get to places. Right now I'm still working on getting my money in order. I just got married two months ago so we are just now starting to climb towards Finacial Stability. The truck comes last. I did, however, score a free brush guard from my friend. It's from a 79 bronco that he has. He got that one, and a parts truck full of goodies (including two brush guards) for $600. He was very excited about the deal. He sold the parts truck for about what he paid for the whole deal. The 79 he kept drives like it's new. It even sits for usually about a month at a time. Anywho, I'll update this as I get the money.