Advice for emergency lights

[m-thew]

I just started a job as a rural mail carrier and need a light (or 3) for the roof of my car to draw attention to me puttering down our country roads. I can't afford a full light bar just yet. I have visited a couple of dealers locally that have fairly anemic revolving amber lights but even worse are the magnets that are supposed to secure them to the roof. Has anyone purchased a good setup on line or have a rural carrier friend who has a light that has worked well and "stuck" around for a while?
Thanks for your help,
Matt

 

[Lynx_Arc]

try a police and fire supply place, some of them sell stuff like that of higher quality but make sure anything you get is legal for you location, some colors of lights are reserved for use. I have seen some revolving lights with quartz halogen in them that were very bright and had magnets that were plenty strong.

 

[ACMarina]

What kind of vehicle are you driving?? If it's possible, maybe you could mount some lights in the rear window, out of the wind where the ability to hold would be greatly decreased. Maybe some wigwags or something would be of help. .

 

[Roy]

My mail carrier uses a mag mount yellow strobe on her car. Ask your local mail carriers or VFD where they get their lights.

 

[cobb]

My parents local rural mail carrier uses a right and left drive car with a simple 2 yellow lamps on top hooked to a flasher circuit and a mail sign in the middle. I do not recall the car but its like a small suv or stationwagon.

The lamps are jsut basic ones you see on the front fender of a large truck.

My relative who use to deliver papers use to drive with his flashers on. Well in one city the cops told him to not run them. So he just turns then off in that area and back on else where when delivering, plus he has a large reflective sign on the rear of his car. Its a geo metro incase your wondering.

www.northerntool.com if I remember the url correctly has some cheap magnet strobes. Ive considered one for my wheelchair, but it would be difficult to mount.

 

[celler]

These guys Siren Net seem to have a good selection and prices.

Craig.

 

[oklalawman]

Ebay, I have bought several and saved bundles....

 

[jeffroalpha700]

The following are manufacture links. Hopefully this will help. The first 3 are the most common used in the warning industry. Consider new LED lighting if you can afford it as they can be very bright (especially concidering that you never have to ever replace lamp assemblies). One of the most effective lighting systems if you want a mini-lightbar would be the Whelen Mini Freedom. Hope some of these links help.
http://www.whelen.com
http://www.code3pse.com
http://www.fedsig.com
http://www.star1889.com/
http://www.tomar.com/
http://www.911ep.com
http://www.soundoffinc.com/

 

[cobb]

I wonder if they make emergency lighting that uses led instead of those halogen lamps that only run for an hour or less? I will check those out incase they answer my questions. I frequently look at lights as partly I cant read most signs and find some exits are red while a few are green. Why would they switch from red to green in some buildings? Of course using a 600 pound electric wheelchair knowing where most exists are is useless, but just the same some signs use bulbs with multi leds in them, while others regular bulbs.