Extra Side Marker Lights

[AbdRahim]

Anyone add more marker lights to the sides of their coach. One small marker light on a 37' coach does not seem adequate.

[KanzKran]

Originally Posted by AbdRahim

Anyone add more marker lights to the sides of their coach. One small marker light on a 37' coach does not seem adequate.

In addition to front (amber) and rear (red) side marker lights, coaches and buses and straight trucks over 30 ft LOA require an intermediate side marker (amber). That's DOT minimums. If your coach is over 30 ft long, it should already have an intermediate marker.

[AbdRahim]

It does, but it seems small. I am thinking of replacing it with a much larger one.

[Det57]

I added an additional side marker light just behind my front wheels on my 37 foot coach. I used LED and also switched out all my other side marker lights and cab lights to LED including the small rectangular ones under my mirror arms.....

I also added 4 inch round reverse LED lights into my rear bumper panel. The ones in the tail lights were not quite enough. These new ones will sear your corneas to your retinas when backing up.

[KanzKran]

Originally Posted by AbdRahim

It does, but it seems small. I am thinking of replacing it with a much larger one.

While not actually required, you can always add two on each side, between the existing ones, though that’s overkill IMO.

If you just want to make the middle one larger or brighter, consider using a “PC” rated light, which has a 90 degree beam angle fore/aft of its center line (180 deg spread). Your existing light is probably “P2” rated, with a 45 degree angle either side of center (90 deg spread).

They’re designed to be used on corners of “over 80” inch wide vehicles, mounted at 45 degrees, so one unit does the job of both side marker and clearance where two individual P2 lights are normally used, but you can use them flat on the side or as individual front/rear clearance lights too, since the required spread angles are DOT minimums. Much more visible from small angles, like someone on your right, back by your rear wheels.

[JFXG]

You could do like some truckers do, and run about fifteen along each side. [emoji6]

[pjgolpher]

I have a cracked lens on one of the side marker lights. How does the lens come off? and where would I find a replacement?
2017 Ventana #3709

[NITEHAWK]

I added reflective tape right over each wheel well on our 36' coach. We do have the midcoach side marker light over the door.

Yellow on the fronts and red on the rears.
Adhesive backed reflective from Harbor Freight.
Easy to put on. Inexpensive.

[KanzKran]

Originally Posted by Det57

I added an additional side marker light just behind my front wheels on my 37 foot coach. <snip>

I've noticed them showing up on tractors recently, behind the front wheels and fairly low. Way more visible than those built into the molded front/side marker lights trucks have been using for some time now. No big deal during nice weather, but at night, in a heavy rain, with a lot of traffic, it's actually really nice to have some extra lighting, especially when you're sitting low in a car, and can't see much to start with. There's no mistaking that amber light in your side window or that corner of the windshield.

I added a lightboard to the lower leg of the outboard on my sailboat, with LED stop/tail/turn/side marker lights, mainly because the boat overhangs the trailer so much that a tailgating truck may not see when I hit the brakes. The lights are right in a car driver's eyes - also good for tailgaters. I'm paranoid that a car with move into my lane behind the tow vehicle and right into the trailer, again mainly in a heavy rain with lots of spray, in heavy traffic, during the summer, especially when the middle lane slows and I (in the right lane) end up slowly pulling ahead of someone who's just got to get in the 'faster' lane.

Originally Posted by Det57

I also added 4 inch round reverse LED lights into my rear bumper panel. The ones in the tail lights were not quite enough. These new ones will sear your corneas to your retinas when backing up.

My van has a rear red fog light, which is just an extra high intensity bulb like a brake light bulb, with a narrow focus at the bottom of the tail/turn/brake light stack on the driver's side (a European requirement), in an area not lit by any of those other lights, and it's surprisingly helpful backing into a dark spot at night. Not what it was meant for, but helpful nonetheless. The standard backup lights just aren't all that bright.

[AbdRahim]

Originally Posted by JFXG

You could do like some truckers do, and run about fifteen along each side. [emoji6]

Actually, I would love to. Not knowledgeable enough to feel confident adding. I might buy some and take to the factory and see if they will replace the existing with the larger or give me direction on how to do it. Very reluctant to drill holes in the fiberglass.

[Stonehands]

I just replaced all the incandescent bulbs in the marker and side lights on our 2007 Revolution LE 40E with LED units. Took the only one out and with some fiddling I was able to put nice chrome side marker lights all around. Love them. Also swapped out the dock lights with LED white lights and WOW,,, talk about bright.

[Dutch Star Don]

Have you actually viewed them at night. The lens is small, but the LED's are super bright. You won't get t-boned on a freeway and when you're driving around town with intersecting traffic, everyone is driving slow enough that their headlights are very effective at illuminating traffic, lighting up the side of your RV like a billboard.

[photopilot]

I didn’t add marker lights, but I did add two directional lights on each side. Once a car passes your rear lights, I doubt many notice the little arrow high up on the mirror.

Walt

[AbdRahim]

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

Have you actually viewed them at night. The lens is small, but the LED's are super bright. You won't get t-boned on a freeway and when you're driving around town with intersecting traffic, everyone is driving slow enough that their headlights are very effective at illuminating traffic, lighting up the side of your RV like a billboard.

No sir, I haven't. It is a Bay Star and I have not picked it up yet.