Large battery operated cart.

[Ugly Dougly]

Try these guys for the fiberglas baconmobile.
http://www.artstuf.com/

[LostinReno]

WOW! thanks for the input guys! We have a big charger, I'd actally have to remove myself from the laptop to go see what the amperage is. Mr.Lost used to own a semi with dual batteries (12V though) and he used it for that. Also there is a big shop one we can "borrow" Wow, I really didn't realize all the time involved to charge the batteries. We might have to look into the gas motor option.
Sadly all is on hold due to a sudden family illness . It's always somthin'! Once that and the holidays pass hopefully we can proceed!
For now we are planning it to be a daytime vehicle for multiple reasons. The power draw to run lighting the way I would like would probably need more than the car! The jackasses that think they don't have to light up their bikes are hard enough to maneuver while on foot. People are generally more fucked up at night. My night vision is kind of sucky...ok really sucky!
I'd possibly feel terrible if I ran someone over! LOL!
I actually prefer my bike or being on foot at night anyways.

[gyre]

High efficiency lighting shouldn't be too much of a burden, though it will add to the load.

Fluorescents or LED or even HID like metal halide will give you enough light to see.
I recommend lighting the body with bounced lighting to the extent possible.
If you can use amber lighting, low pressure sodium is the most efficient of all, by a large factor.

You can get fluorescents in 12 volts or use an inverter.
HID is available in DC but at higher cost.

Really efficient european headlamps in quartz give you a guaranteed amount of vision, but be sure to consider side visibility also.
I recently found a source for IPF headlamps.
Marchal are the best when you can get them.
Cibie is always available.
Hella are not as good, but cheaper and available in any configuration.
They offer HID headlamps in universal types for high efficiency.
They also offer many worklamp types in HID suitable for wide angle lighting or backup lamps.
Wattage in HID is typically 35 watts.

[Captain Goddammit]

I've found the most real-world affordable and efficient big lighting to be regular 4-foot fluorescent bulbs, in cheap "shop light" fixtures, running through an inverter if powering with 12VDC. I put those clear plastic protective sleeves on mine, to contain the glass if one should get broken. I wrap colored cellophane over the bulbs, then slip the sleeves over that to get the desired light color, and I tape the ends so the sleeves don't fill up with playa dust and dim the lights.

The one small glitch has been that while my 1200 watt cheapo inverter will easily power a bunch of them, it will only start one at a time, regardless of whether I use electronic ballasts or not. The simple solution for me was to run a separate cord to each fixture and mount a few 5 or 6 outlet power strips in the vehicle, and just plug the fluorescents in one at a time to turn them all on. Simple, cheap, reliable.

Also, the cheapest electrical wire available, per foot, seems to be those 12-foot white extension cords from department stores. You just cut the ends off, then use the stuff to wire your mutant lighting. That's usually cheaper than buying the same wire in bulk lengths.

LEDs are still too expensive to be practical on a once-a-year, maybe once-ever mutant vehicle unless you have a lot of cash at your disposal.

If you have an on-board generator, anything goes, all you need to worry about is cost and durability.

I use a 250 or 500 watt work lamp, one of those rectangular ones they sell dirt cheap at Home Depot, for a headlight. It's way more than adequate!

If you ever drive a quiet mutant vehicle in BRC at night, especially on the streets (mine is gas powered but very quiet, yours will be all but silent) you'll find that the main purpose of an extremely bright headlight is not so you can see, but so people you are approaching from behind can tell you're coming! That's the biggest issue, everyone else can see you and will generally make way.

[gyre]

How cheap are the shop light fixtures?
The really cheap ones have ballasts unsuitable for 80 degrees on the grid.
Fluorescents use more power in the cold.

Are you using the newer high output 4 footers?
Those are radically brighter.
Make sure you have cold rated ballasts.

48" bulbs will be cheaper for sure, if you can use that size.
The 40 watt PL-S units are more efficient though.

They make colored bulbs and colored sleeves.
A benefit to the sleeves is heat retention.
Silicone coated bulbs are available too.

Also, the cheapest electrical wire available, per foot, seems to be those 12-foot white extension cords from department stores. You just cut the ends off, then use the stuff to wire your mutant lighting. That's usually cheaper than buying the same wire in bulk lengths.



I use a 250 or 500 watt work lamp, one of those rectangular ones they sell dirt cheap at Home Depot, for a headlight. It's way more than adequate!

The wire thing is a fluke due to poor pricing at home depot.
If you need a full spool, you should be able to do better elsewhere.

They make compact fluorescents in warehouse sizes up to 150 watts.
(A 30 watt is equal to 100 watt incandescent.)
Put a cfl in a spun reflector fixture, cover with plexiglas and you have a floodlight of x brightness.
I often use a medium base Y adapter to mount two 30 watts in one fixture.
Some reflectors are large enough for this.
They now offer a smaller 30 watt cfl at higher cost.
Not all Y adapters fit the same.
A single high wattage cfl will fit easier, but cost more.
I prefer the high K or daylight bulbs myself.

Or you can buy ready made fluorescent floods in 120 V or 12VDC.


You do need to see to avoid parked art and bikes.
Those rarely get out of the way.
European low beams give you much more range for the glare suffered.
But they aren't the only approach.
The beam differs from fog lights (which have a razor edge cutoff on the top of the beam) by having a very gradual cutoff at the top.
This matters more than you would think.
Real fog lights will be a major advantage in dust storms.
They must be aimed correctly though.
The euro lowbeams are almost as good in fog or dust, not quite.
The low beams are more useful in all other conditions and have longer range, often as good as high beams.

CAUTION- Most crap sold as fog lights have nothing to do with fog lights in any way.
Aim at a wall.
The top of the beam should be cutoff with a knife edge sharpness.
And the pattern should be perfectly smooth and wide.
No hot spots.
They are always aimed horizontally or at a downwards angle to avoid glare to other drivers and to you.

[Captain Goddammit]

Thanks, good info!
I find in practice that a well-lit mutant vehicle gives off plenty of light to see where you're going... if it doesn't, it probably needs more!
I haven't bothered with fog lights simply because when you get a mutant vehicle license you agree not to drive during dust storms anyway.

Home Despot sells 4-foot shoplight fixtures for about $7. Hard to beat.

OH, and remember, the BLM started requiring the DMV to require two red taillights on all mutant vehicles! They never published that new rule, they just sprang it on us during inspection... there was lots of last-minute jury-rigging going on! Again thanks to Wedeliver for loaning me his trailer taillights in '08!

[gyre]

Those cheap fixtures are substandard, in my opinion.
I think you're better off buying commercial grade used fixtures,, or at least using a better ballast.

Many people have recommended upgrading to the newer electronic ballasts and there are some more efficient options.
The HO and VHO are designed for cold weather, which always affects fluorescents.
I was in a huge distribution warehouse with 30 or 40 foot ceilings.
It is entirely lit in 4 foot ceiling fixtures and bright.
I haven't researched the upgrades, but the consensus is that they work.

I found some ballasts that will accept a very wide range of voltages, so more tolerant of the electrics.

I can assure you of better brightness, especially in cold weather with even a good used ballast.

I don't know if your starting problems will go away with better ballasts, in terms of overloading the inverter.
They all take more power to start when cold.

If you want me to research options, I could do that.

I have paid about $10 each for nice 2-tube fixtures used.
_________________________________________________
Fog Lamps


Regarding fog lamps, there are dust storms and dust storms.
The real goal is driving with adequate visibility and the difference is dramatic in bad conditions with the right pattern.
On the highway, it can mean passing someone while going 40 mph, who can't see to safely go 5 mph.
I rarely use them, but when I have, it's been a lifesaver.
And you can get by with a single good one.
FYI, size matters with fogs because the light comes only from the reflector.
You can certainly get by without them on the playa, especially with a highly lit vehicle, but in a persistent wind, it might mean the difference between being stuck somewhere and limping back to camp safely.
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech ... lamps.html

By the way, I use a driving light made with a shrouded bulb like a fog lamp but with the long range pattern.
It is quite unusual in the beam control.
It is the last of the Marchal line still available.
(I don't use amber.)



This is an example of a european low beam pattern.
Note the rise on the right to light the side of the road.
You can see some visibility above the cutoff, which would not be there with a fog beam.
This pattern is superb in fog and rain, up to a point and then it fails.
In extreme conditions, fog lamps are not used with low beams.
On the playa, it would be necessary to dim scattered lighting in worst conditions.


Euro code headlamps are available in external mount housings at good prices, as are universal bolt-on setups.
Sometimes for tractors, bikes, etc they are not labeled as such.
The E1 emblem should be visible on the lens.

[ygmir]

Gyre:
you, are a kind and helpful person........

[gyre]

Thanks.
No more than all you guys though.