Thread: Light bar location?

Where is the best place to mount an LED light bar?
600mm wide bar, spot flood combo.
Both for open road driving and well formed 4x4 tracks

The vehicle that's getting the light bar:

I’ve got mine, ranger, mounted on the top of the bull bar, used thread inserts into the bar. Mine is hooked up to the dip switch,with an interior isolating switch.
Around town I can just normal hi beam.
However this is illegal, they are not allowed to work on the dip switch. Must have a seperate switch all together.

if you go roof...it will have to be way back so doesnt hit bonnet so bugger all use up close...personally just above the number plate would be best option unless you can put it on bonnet out of line of sight and not interfere with air intake...the flat below/infront of suzuki badge probably best of all.

Either right up the front on the bumpers or go right back the bar on your tray, might loose a bit of light but you won't get glare off the bonnet. Easy to mount there as well

Slight aside, I saw a truck the other day with 2 smaller bars mounted diagonally (forming a v pointing at the centre of the front of the truck) across the roof to give a lot more light out the sides

Run mine on top of winch bar it’s a good spot to have it as far as providing good light and no reflections off anything which often happens if they’re mounted on top of a bull bar or the roof etc but the downfall is it gets real dirty and this affects how much light it throws out so need to get out and give it a wipe sometimes

Couple of different ways to look at this.

Firstly if you need extra illumination then take a look at the maximum lumens you can get out of your existing headlights. There are some aftermarket kits available to seriously boost full beam power. Do you have to be careful of any rules that might apply.

If you are travelling gravel roads frequently and simply mount a light bar onto the plastic bumper then you will end up flogging out the holes and having problems. I have seen a plastic bumper ute that didn’t have a bullbar, with a decent sized light bar fitted using a simple frame running along the underside (inside) the bumper. Such that the mounting bolts were pulling up onto the metal frame and not onto the plastic. I don’t know how long it lasted.

You really do not want the lightbar to be the front-most part of the vehicle. This is to be avoided at all costs!

In the absence of any bar work on the front of the vehicle, which would solve your problem in a heartbeat, I would fit a single Rhino rack type bar on the roof and fit the light bar on that. I don’t know what roof rack mounting options there are on the Suzuki but usually it’s pretty straightforward.

Whatever you do It must be capable of dealing with vibration which is always more than you think.

As a single light it's a work light not driving light so has some difference in rules for switch, a pair of lights is easier in terms of rules for switch

Originally Posted by 223nut

Either right up the front on the bumpers or go right back the bar on your tray, might loose a bit of light but you won't get glare off the bonnet. Easy to mount there as well
Slight aside, I saw a truck the other day with 2 smaller bars mounted diagonally (forming a v pointing at the centre of the front of the truck) across the roof to give a lot more light out the sides

I have a cunning plan around that. Possibly throwing a couple of wee 3" flood lights on the top bar of the tray. On a fire truck we call them letterbox lights, if I go down that road they would be wired as work lights. Easier to keep it legal that way.

Originally Posted by Ryan_Songhurst

Run mine on top of winch bar it’s a good spot to have it as far as providing good light and no reflections off anything which often happens if they’re mounted on top of a bull bar or the roof etc but the downfall is it gets real dirty and this affects how much light it throws out so need to get out and give it a wipe sometimes

That would be the ticket. Just need to find a steel bumper/bull bar haha.

Originally Posted by Flyblown

Couple of different ways to look at this.

Firstly if you need extra illumination then take a look at the maximum lumens you can get out of your existing headlights. There are some aftermarket kits available to seriously boost full beam power. Do you have to be careful of any rules that might apply.

If you are travelling gravel roads frequently and simply mount a light bar onto the plastic bumper then you will end up flogging out the holes and having problems. I have seen a plastic bumper ute that didn’t have a bullbar, with a decent sized light bar fitted using a simple frame running along the underside (inside) the bumper. Such that the mounting bolts were pulling up onto the metal frame and not onto the plastic. I don’t know how long it lasted.

You really do not want the lightbar to be the front-most part of the vehicle. This is to be avoided at all costs!

In the absence of any bar work on the front of the vehicle, which would solve your problem in a heartbeat, I would fit a single Rhino rack type bar on the roof and fit the light bar on that. I don’t know what roof rack mounting options there are on the Suzuki but usually it’s pretty straightforward.

Whatever you do It must be capable of dealing with vibration which is always more than you think.

Some valuable information there thank you!
Good point with dealing with the vibration, the bumper is pretty soft plastic so would need some reinforcing if I mounted it there.

Will do a couple of trials with mounting high and on the bumper so see where will work the best and fabricate something from there.

you could do worse than try it next to your flashing light already there...if it high enough to shine down without hitting bonet you will get best angle of light and will throw further.... its a balancing act,to get maximum throw without getting relections to destroy its good. you will already know where the flasher throws (my beakons on sower truck on roof hit inside of the sunshade,luckily not enough to be a pain but enough to know its on) its light to and if it hits bonnet.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

you could do worse than try it next to your flashing light already there...if it high enough to shine down without hitting bonet you will get best angle of light and will throw further.... its a balancing act,to get maximum throw without getting relections to destroy its good. you will already know where the flasher throws (my beakons on sower truck on roof hit inside of the sunshade,luckily not enough to be a pain but enough to know its on) its light to and if it hits bonnet.

Yup the beacon is mounted high enough there is no light spill on the bonnet. I'm glad the switch for it has an indicator light, makes it easier to tell if it's going or not from inside.

just be bloody careful what bar you buy, most are crap.
trust me i repair the damn things on and off as some as you know

Fitted mind behind the plastic grille. Seperate switch on the dash, all legal with WOF over the last 2 years since fitted. Waterproof led bar - though can't remember the brand. Seems to be surviving river crossings with no water ingress that i have seen. Like mentioned above, light bars have a habit of reflecting off the bonnett if you don't set them up correctly.

I would be trying it up on the roof. mounted right up front by the top of the windscreen.
Make a simple panel steel shade to keep any light off the bonnet.

Best spot I reckon. the lower it is, the more it cast shadows over bumps etc, which is a pain in the arse.

I have just had one fitted yesterday. fitted on nudge bar so semi easy decision
I was recommended Stedi brand, they come with wire harness and switch. Stedi have piggy back plugs for different utes as well. Also different switches to fit factory holes.
Also good warranty

ive played around with many different positions over the years and i prefer them high as possible. mounted top front of the bonnet or roof mounted are my preferences. I rather like to have a 100%spot beam and if you want floods have these as seperate lights mounted low on the from bull bar etc...