# Light Bar question



## snowdieselva (Mar 14, 2009)

Hi everyone. I am new to this website. I have a 97' F250 Power stroke with a Meyer plow. I have a backrack on it and i am looking for any suggestions on a full size light bar. There are so many choices out there that i'm wondering what setups you guys run and how you like them. I am leaning towards a Whelen, but i am open to other ideas and possibilities. The truck does not have any other lights on it now and i plan on installing strobes soon to. 

Thanks in advance for your help. It is much appreciated...

justin


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## Pirsch (Jun 1, 2007)

The big question you need to ask yourself. What type of Budget do you have? There are alot of bars out there. Whelen is one of the strongest bars and Federal, Code 3, SVP/Star has some good ones too. You need to look at what you want the bar to do. Take downs, Back Lighting, Alley Lights, Do you want LED, Strobe or Halogen.

The biggest thing is what type of budget your looking at. Prices for full size bars will range from in the $250-$3000 range depending on what you want.

Give us a hint and we'll point you a direction to go.


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## snowdieselva (Mar 14, 2009)

I want only LED's. I am planning and expecting on spending probably 1-2thousand. Under 1000 would be nice but most of the ones i have seen are $999+. I am interested in a full size LED light bar with take downs, alley lights 10-12 LED light heads on it. Any other ideas would be appreciated. 
Thanks


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## chuckraduenz (Jan 4, 2009)

i had a 911ep 49" millennium lightbar. it had alley lights, take downs, arrow stick. its reprogrammable to about a few 100 patterns. can also turn it into a tow bar with brake functions on the bar. can easly change colors on it. low power draw. about 25amps. kinda wish i wouldnt have sold mine. but i got an offer on it i couldnt resist. if need i can get ya one. i know a guy whos got a few for sale. i can also get pics. but for those of you who said 911ep is out of buisness. your wrong. and also those of you who said the millennium bars catch fire. there not its tha galaxy bars. and they didnt catch fire. the main brain fryed. muchless how can a bar catch fire when its frame is alum. but i like my bar i had. never had a problem with it. iv got a video of mine on photobucket. i might find another......

chuck


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## ColliganLands (Sep 4, 2008)

full size whelen LED, that leaves the whelen liberty and the justice both are nice it all comes down to budget and personal preference.. heres a link to my setup(pics and videos)http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=65656 ... 55in whelen liberty 14 led heads (fully populated police model) alleys/takedowns/rear traffic advisor


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## snowdieselva (Mar 14, 2009)

I just saw that you have Whelen Liberty on your truck. How do you like that, and i like the pictures and videos of it. I am interested in that particular model with the same setup as you have? The cheapest liberty i have found is about $1500? Does that sound like a good deal?


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## ColliganLands (Sep 4, 2008)

thats a good deal.... i love the bar its awesome to plow with.. i plow for a municipality so its great keeps people back, they dont pass you,pull inf front of you, and oncoming usually pulls over and lets you pass. 
i paid around 350 more than that for my bar and controller


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## snowdieselva (Mar 14, 2009)

thats good to know. thanks for all the help. i think i am going to order the liberty soon. it looks very very bright. With taxes shipping and the controller it would be right around 1800. how hard was it to mount your controller? 

Im probably going to build a police style console out of steel and weld it up and build brackets for the controller and my cb radio and switches i have for it but i was just wondering of any other good suggestions that would be easier on where to mount the controller so it is easy to get to?


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## ColliganLands (Sep 4, 2008)

well mine was really easy to mount running the wires was a little more difficult. the over head console just pulls off the roof no bolts or anything it just clips up. the all i had to do was drill2 holes in the black piece that was still attached to the roof put in carriage bolts so that the threads were facing towards the doors slid the controller over the heads of the carriage bolts and tighten them..
good luck


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## snowdieselva (Mar 14, 2009)

Thanks. I'm just curious, where did you purchase your liberty?


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## ColliganLands (Sep 4, 2008)

through a local installer up here in MA he gets all his bars through MHQ (municipal Head Quarters) who upfit all the police/fire/ems/dpw/dot vehicles in the area
sirennet.com has them and they have an option so you can lay the bar out exactly how you want it


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## snowdieselva (Mar 14, 2009)

again thanks. i will checkout sirennet.com 

again just wondering, how long have you had your Liberty, and do you know what the main difference between the Whelen liberty and the Justice are? There is a big price difference and some people are trying to sell me on the Justice.


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## ColliganLands (Sep 4, 2008)

snowdieselva;770375 said:


> again thanks. i will checkout sirennet.com
> 
> again just wondering, how long have you had your Liberty, and do you know what the main difference between the Whelen liberty and the Justice are? There is a big price difference and some people are trying to sell me on the Justice.


ive had mine since october... the justice uses 6led corners, con3 modules and has no control over indivdual lightheads(for flash patterns/turning on&off). the liberty uses 12 led corners and linear leds all around (better/brighter/less directional) has complete control over each pair of lightheads for flash patterns/turning on&off. also has crusie lights 
both have the ability for a traffic advisor (big difference here is liberty has it so it can be used with an controller justice needs a special controller

heres the two specs/features from whelen
Liberty:
FEATURES

• Four Extended Corner Linear-LEDs adds increased lighting coverage to each side of the lightbar.
• Add up to12 "LINEAR LED" directional modules, for a total of 16 linear LED modules.
• All Linear-LED™ lightbar featuring the next generation of ultra bright, ultra wide-angle LED technology
• Build your lightbar in any color combination with take-downs and LED modules in any position you want
• Sleek aerodynamic profile with state-of-the-art optics
• Optoinal halogen take-downs and alley lights.
• Optional five or six Linear Traffic Advisor™ with ultra high intensity Linear LED modules.
• Clear outer lenses are standard, optional color lenses are available
• Lightheads are driven by an all electronic module that provides proper input power and choice of flash patterns. You are assured of equal light intensity fron each lighthead through a voltage range of 10-16 VDC.
• ScanLock™ allows you to scan through ten flash patterns and lock in the desired pattern. Every pair of lights can have it's own unique pattern.
• All models exceed SAE requirements
• Extruded aluminum chassis provides superb strength and stability
• Slightly wider footprint provides greater stability and weight distribution on the thinner roofconstruction of today's vehicles
• All LED modules feature new wide angle design for increases performance
• Low "LC" Current operation uses a small diameter external cable harness for operation with standard or low current switch controls or micro switches
• Pre-wired with 15' passenger side cable exit
• Optional driver side cable exit available

SPECIFICATIONS

• Extruded aluminum chassis provides superb strength and stability 
• Slightly wider footprint provides greater stability and weight distribution on the thinner roof construction of today's vehicles 
• All LED modules feature new wide-angle design for increased performance Low "LC" current operation uses a small diameter external cable harness for operation with standard low current switch controls or micro switches 
• All models exceed SAE requirements 
• Passenger side, 15' external cable harness includes two (8 gauge) power cables to the battery, and sixteen low power (22 gauge) function wires for connection to the customer supplied Switch Control. These low power function wires need less than ½ amp to operate, allow for simple operational independence of each light bar control function, and make wiring a snap! 
• Driver side cable exit with 25' power cable available. 
• Three standard lengths: 44 3/8", 49 ¾" and 55". Contact factory for custom lengths. 
• Optional halogen take-down and alley lights

Justice:
FEATURES

Front, rear and all bar operation control
Optional Scan-Lock™ flash patterns
Pattern override feature
Alley lights
Take-downs or flashing takedowns 
Low power operation
Optional Traffic Advisor with control head

SPECIFICATIONS

Twelve inches wide and only 2 1/4" high (without mounting feet).
Three standard lengths 44", 50", 56" plus a 62" Wrecker Bar.
Black polycarbonate base on an extruded aluminum platform. Clear outer lens standard with a moisture resistant compression fit gasket. Color lenses available.
Standard CON3™ lighthead modules with removable optic spreading filters.
Center section available with single CON3 or two LTR3s™ (for split color center section).
Corner modules available with 6 or 9 Super-LEDs®.
Standard passenger side cable, driver side optional.
Service oriented. Change colors, upgrade or service lightbar in the field.
Simply remove four screws to access any section of the lightbar.
Replace any lighthead by removing one screw and single connector.
Wrecker Lightbar, standard 62" Competitor Series model with rear work and brake/tail turn lights.


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## snowdieselva (Mar 14, 2009)

Im leaning more towards the Liberty. The justice doesnt look as bright in the videos i have seen, and plus yours just looks better. Yours has the traffic advisor, is that correct? And if it does do all Liberty bars come with a traffic advisor built into them or is that a option?


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## ColliganLands (Sep 4, 2008)

they're all wired for it.. you can either wire it to a switch like mine or buy the traffic advisor control head and wire it to that..


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## ultimate plow (Jul 2, 2002)

Heres my federal signa legend. I used to have it on the backrack but I moved it to the roof and ran the cable down the post of the backrack with loom. Watch ebay! I got both my legend bars for 1200. They copst 1500 a piece from a distributer.


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## snowdieselva (Mar 14, 2009)

ColliganLands: If i got a Liberty bar all i would have to do is hook up a single toggle switch or buy the expensive control head and have the Traffic Advisor working in the back or the bar, correct? And any Liberty comes ready for this correct? 

Ultimate plow: I like the looks of the Federal Signal. Looks similar to the Whelen Liberty. How do you like it? And what kind of work lights are those on the back of your backrack? Are they LED?


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## snowdieselva (Mar 14, 2009)

one more question Ultimate plow: Does your Federal Signal also have a traffic advisor built into it like the Whelen does? I found a new one for 1499 shipped and its not even on EBAY. I like its price better thats for sure lol.


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## ColliganLands (Sep 4, 2008)

mines on a control head.. im sure theres a way to use s ingle switch but if youre going to spend that much for the liberty wouldnt you want to control it fully?
All liberty's come wired for the t/a (traffic adivsor)
heres the switches i have... http://www.sirennet.com/9switboxmodw.html
search around for that online ive seen them as low as $150.00


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## snowdieselva (Mar 14, 2009)

oh yea i was planning on purchasing both control heads but some people have told me that you can put a single toggle switch and do it. I figure hell if im spending this kinda money why not drop another 100 or so for a nice control head. do you know what model control head/heads you have to control the t/a and the bar? i have been looking and there are many different models available?


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## snowdieselva (Mar 14, 2009)

and colliganlands: do you know anything about that Federal Signal Legend compared to a Liberty? I have looked at it and it seems to be similar but its cheaper. I'm still leaning towards a liberty though.


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## ColliganLands (Sep 4, 2008)

i have the pccs9n from whelen. all i did for my t/a was used 2 of the push button switches on it for left and right arrow and push them both for center out.
you can see in this picture the labels over the push buttons for the t/a


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## ColliganLands (Sep 4, 2008)

snowdieselva;770476 said:


> and colliganlands: do you know anything about that Federal Signal Legend compared to a Liberty? I have looked at it and it seems to be similar but its cheaper. I'm still leaning towards a liberty though.


i dont know much about federal signal since whelen and code3 are pretty much the only lights used near me. the legend is a nice bar but really in the end it all comes down to personal preference. i see the liberty on all the police cars around me and the town i work for uses them so i knew everything about them which is why i bought one


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## snowdieselva (Mar 14, 2009)

Oh ok. Thats a nice setup and that will save me quite a bit of money then. Some people have told me that i need a dedicated control head for the T/A and those are about the price of that control head you have. What do the other switches control?


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## snowdieselva (Mar 14, 2009)

For me around here lots of people have the 9M Whelen, which is nice but not my personal favorite. Or people have the Tomar light bars. Personally i don't like those that much. I have only seen one Liberty up close but it was not on. Im leaning towards the Liberty right now even with the price of it. I have heard that Whelen are some of the most reliable in the industry and there American made to.


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## ColliganLands (Sep 4, 2008)

i have front flash( front center and front corners), rear flash( rear outboards and center leds), take down & alleys(all on one switch) and then low power(last switch is a momentary)
then the slide switch does: stage 1 (front corners and center 2 leds) stage 2 ( full rear of bar and rear corners) and stage 3 (full bar and flashing takedown + alleys)


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## snowdieselva (Mar 14, 2009)

oh ok. was it hard to wire it up to that controller that way?


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## ColliganLands (Sep 4, 2008)

its not hard once you decide how you want to do it.. again personal preference... theres 25 wires coming from the lightbar that have to go to 8 wires from the controller so its all about how you personal want your lightbar to work. also theres dipswitches on the back for the slide switch so it will activate the different pushbuttons for each "stage"


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## snowdieselva (Mar 14, 2009)

oh ok so its just splicing them togather and personal preference more than anything. do the takedowns flash or can they just come on and stay on solid?


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## ColliganLands (Sep 4, 2008)

they can flash if you hook up that wire but if theyre flashing and you push the button for steady burn it will override the flash. i like the flashing for the day time to add more visibilty .
yes you just splice them together however you want them wired


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## snowdieselva (Mar 14, 2009)

how hard was it to mount to your backrack? did you have to drill holes in the light bar and did you use the BackRack light bar adapters or does Whelen have adapters?


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## ColliganLands (Sep 4, 2008)

i used the backrack "l" shape lightbar brackets.
the back rack mounts using the stake pockets in the bed of the truck takes about 5 minutes to install the back rack
and the lightbar comes with mounting plates intalled on it. i made my own so it would sit flat against the backrack brackets and not be 2 feet off the roof of the truck


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## snowdieselva (Mar 14, 2009)

oh ok. i already have the backrack installed and will be installing the CB i have sitting in my garage soon and hopefully a lightbar soon. i was just wondering about that. in your one video i saw you have rear work lights on the back rack. what brand and model are they?


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## ColliganLands (Sep 4, 2008)

they are caterpillar lights off a loader. its lamp g
the cat Part # is 142-8637


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## ultimate plow (Jul 2, 2002)

Liberty and legend are pretty much the same as far as intensity. Mine has a digital touch pad controller which makes installation a breeze! theres the main power cable, ground cable and a cat 5 computer type cable. So theres not 20 independent wires coming from the bar. the controller has 6 pre programmed modes which you can choose from. It does have a built in arrowstick, low power modes, front and rear cutoff. Lots of people have libertys so I just wanted to be a little diffrent and anyway I got a great deal on the bars.

http://www.fedsig.com/products/docs/literature/M9004_Six-Button_Controller.pdf


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## ultimate plow (Jul 2, 2002)

the other little lights on the backrack are fed sig flashing tir6s


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## snowdieselva (Mar 14, 2009)

thanks for your help ultimate plow. I have looked at the Legend and i really like it and how easy it is to hook up. I might get that now, i don't know though. I found one for $1500 with taxes and shipping with the controller.


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## publicsafety (Mar 1, 2009)

snowdieselva;770360 said:


> thats good to know. thanks for all the help. i think i am going to order the liberty soon. it looks very very bright. With taxes shipping and the controller it would be right around 1800. how hard was it to mount your controller?
> 
> Im probably going to build a police style console out of steel and weld it up and build brackets for the controller and my cb radio and switches i have for it but i was just wondering of any other good suggestions that would be easier on where to mount the controller so it is easy to get to?


I can ship you a sound off signal ETL5000 for 1500 shipped. Excellent lightbar.

Let me know if you need more info.

-Sean
1-800-6461086
www.ThePublicSafetyStore.com


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## JDWalkbehind (Oct 14, 2007)

so did you end up getting anything?


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