marker light question

[WVbassmistress]

OK..forgive if this is stupid.

My husband totally rebuilt the roof on our little baby Bronco pop up truck camper. So..it is time to replace the marker lights - of course upgrading to LED.
Question #1..is there a specific number of lights required? There were 5 across the back and I would like to eliminate 3 so I can put my awning mount there (VERY limited space back there) That would make 2 red across the back towards the corners, 2 red at the back sidecorners, 2 amber at the front sidecorners and 4 amber across the front. That sound OK?

Question #2..where have you found the best prices for LED lights? And what should I look for. Seems to be a vast assortment. Some are 4 inches wide...some are 2 inches.

Expect more stupid questions. And I will make sure we get pictures. I think he has done a great job.

[PFitt]

Put 3 light marker bar on truck bumper or bottom edge of camper,now your covered for over 80". Also i replaced all my marker lights on 5th with these , very bright http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/rectangular-marker-lamps/mcpc-series-led-marker-lamp/587/

[silversand]

Francesca: ....like a long piece of lumber or I-beam extending beyond the tailgate of your pick-up requiring a marker attached, ANYTHING sitting in/on/under any vehicle making it 80 inches or more wide will require some manner of safety lighting or passive reflective marker at some level of government (Municipal, State, perhaps even Federal, or maybe all three).

The question is: IF someone hits you, or, you hit someone else with your 80+ inch wide motorized vehicle on some public road somewhere, do you want to take a chance (think: potentially catastrophic liability; or ruined conscience if a cyclist or pedestrian slams into some part of that 80 inches at night, while you are underway, stopped at a light,or, backing out of a parking locale) ?

[WVbassmistress]

BTW...excellent point, Super Dave.

[WVbassmistress]

interesting feedback - thanks again.
Looking from the sides, I will have an amber light on the front corner, red on the rear corner. From the front, amber lights at both corners. From the rear, red lights at the corners... minimum. My rear truck lights have all the rest covered. I realize this is all critical to being safe...not just legal.
If Mr. Electrician feels the need to drill more holes in his new roof that is up to him.

[AnEv942]

Francesca Knowles wrote:

silversand wrote:
....OK, here are a list of marker light descriptors required on all vehicles driven in the US at 80+ inches wide:

The O.P's "vehicle" is the truck under the camper. A camper itself is not a vehicle.

Your statement is true, and here in CA its cargo, but once loaded it is considered part of the truck (which its now over 80") and must meet code. No one is twisting any arms here, and if you interpret differently thats your choice. While I disagree that a camper loaded on a truck doesn't need to meet the lighting requirements of the NHTSA/TC (USA/Canada) its an unimportant note.

On top of the federal standards you have state codes also. Oddly Washington has one of the easier to read codes
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.37
specifically
RCW 46.37.090 Additional equipment required on certain vehicles.
(1) Buses, trucks, motor homes, and motor vehicles with mounted campers eighty inches or more in over-all width:
and goes on to specify lights.

but as far as the OPs question my response is yes they can be removed if under 80" wide-yours would be they dont need to be on there in the 1st place.
Alternately if rear ID lights are felt needed the codes reads "as high as practicable" so they could be lowered and still meet code (if interpretation is applicable).
§ 571.108 49 CFR Ch. V (10–1–13 Edition) Table 1-a
large pdf file DOT 571.108 http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2013-title49-vol6/pdf/CFR-2013-title49-vol6-sec571-108.pdf
or the simplified chart http://www.nhtsa.gov/Cars/rules/standards/conspicuity/TBMpstr.html

these spell out lighting requirements they dont spell out what is defined as a vehicle (truck camper)

[trail-explorer]

Lots of links at the bottom of this page:

http://www.ledtrailerlights.com/tips.htm

THey have some good marker lights too:


http://www.ledtrailerlights.com/cm/cm_M23015.htm

http://www.ledtrailerlights.com/cm/cm_CL32.htm

[RWDIII]

Francesca Knowles wrote:

WVbassmistress wrote:
Then again....looking at the charts above, I take it to mean I only need the 2 red lights at the back corners to indicate width. That's my plan and I am sticking to it!!

Great info!

My advice would be to put an amber up front on each side, too. The purpose of the amber-front, red-rear scheme on the sides is to give observers a sense of your direction of travel.

Go for it.
my 2013 Bronco 800 has 9 lites
2 front
2 rear side
5 rear
I would put2 front
2 rear sides
2 rear

[Francesca_Knowl]

silversand wrote:
....OK, here are a list of marker light descriptors required on all vehicles driven in the US at 80+ inches wide:

The O.P's "vehicle" is the truck under the camper. A camper itself is not a vehicle.

[silversand]

....OK, here are a list of marker light descriptors required on all vehicles driven in the US at 80+ inches wide:

-retroflectors;
-identification lights (3 front; 3 rear);
-clearance lights (strictly for width determination);
-Intermediate side marker lamps and/or reflectors;
* and in three States: Multicolour auxiliary signals are permitted, but not required

....are you confused yet :B

[Francesca_Knowl]

WVbassmistress wrote:
Then again....looking at the charts above, I take it to mean I only need the 2 red lights at the back corners to indicate width. That's my plan and I am sticking to it!!

Great info!

My advice would be to put an amber up front on each side, too. The purpose of the amber-front, red-rear scheme on the sides is to give observers a sense of your direction of travel.

[silversand]

...never had a single marker light on our pop-up manufactured in 2005.5 (none of the high-end pop-up manufacturers that I know of (costing $22,000+) have them on their units either). Our roof-line is at 8-foot 2-inches (roof closed, of course). Camper width: 87.5 inches (I don't think that there are any truck campers made, pop-up or hard-side, that fit half ton to 1 ton trucks narrower than about 84~87 inches; with jacks off, ~81 inches).

I had to put reflector tape markers on front of cabover (and, on the 4 jacks) myself. My reasoning is: walkers and cyclists can see the camper jacks as they (and we) drive by them (and us)...I guess I'm just going a step further (ie. being proactive).

I, too, would like to see the DOT regs on this (both State DOT, and Federal DOT).

[WVbassmistress]

Thanks, everyone. I'll have to measure but it would be pushing it to be 80 inches wide. I looked at the new Palomino pop-up TCs and they only have 2 on the corners in the front, but still have a 3 light cluster (excluding the 2 on the corners) along the back *** the ones I was hoping to ditch***. Then again....looking at the charts above, I take it to mean I only need the 2 red lights at the back corners to indicate width. That's my plan and I am sticking to it!!

Great info!

[Super_Dave]

This topic gives me cause to ask an equally stupid question about clearance lights. I've never understood their purpose on truck cabs or camper noses. The fact that they are the primary reason for camper leaks makes it that much harder for me to understand their purpose. From the inside of my truck, they have never illuminated anything that helped me as a driver. If it is supposed to help the "other guy" from hitting me, I'm unclear why they be pointed at the roof of my cab or the nose of my camper.

[Francesca_Knowl]

None of the regs posted so far are applicable to truckcampers.