Becoming more Visible

Magicman · February 27, 2012, 01:54:00 PM

Zopi's recent accident along with seeing the new flashers on long logs plus a couple of road trip saw jobs caused me to review my traveling visibility.

On my local crooked country roads I use a "slow moving" triangle, but that is not suitable for highway travel. Hence, the FLASHER Link

For highway travel.

For country road travel.

dchiapin · February 27, 2012, 02:06:01 PM

when I bought my new TK B-20 I had Timberking install DOT tape all around the frame and the rear of the machine.
Sure can see it at night when headlights shine on it.

Jeff · February 27, 2012, 02:11:34 PM

Hey! It works!

terrifictimbersllc · February 27, 2012, 02:17:18 PM

first sawmill to be seen from outer space

Magicman · February 27, 2012, 02:45:27 PM

I'm Blinking :D You da man Jeff.

dchiapin, you will notice that I have reflective tape on the rear as well as up on the mast. My concern has been a lack of depth perception when being overtaken by a fast moving vehicle. At least with this flasher, I feel better.

dchiapin · February 27, 2012, 02:58:52 PM

I can see it all the way from Melrose

POSTON WIDEHEAD · February 27, 2012, 03:44:29 PM

Quote from: Jeff on February 27, 2012, 02:11:34 PM
Hey! It works!

Don't ya just hate a smarty pants! :D

DanG thing blinded me just as I scrolled down.

eastberkshirecustoms · February 27, 2012, 04:22:34 PM

That is awesome! Good job MM. I've been thinking about adding reflective beads to my paint when it comes time to shoot some color on the mill. The same stuff the highway signs use to make them glow.
Again, Zopi's thread got all kinds of ideas stewing in my brain for increased visibility.

CalebL · February 27, 2012, 04:30:27 PM

Magicman, what does your bumper sticker say?

Magicman · February 27, 2012, 04:55:06 PM

Quote from: CalebL on February 27, 2012, 04:30:27 PM
Magicman, what does your bumper sticker say?

"Trees are America's Renewable Resource"

inspectorwoody · February 27, 2012, 07:46:03 PM

Good idea Magic.

I like the idea of the DOT tape and the slow moving vehicle sign.

You wouldn't think you would need any of it.

terrifictimbersllc · February 27, 2012, 08:29:10 PM

No doubt it's much more visible now. But I'd be a little concerned that the new lights might distract a follower from seeing the brake light go on. I used to keep my orange cones on the rearmost jack but stopped carrying them there for that reason. It would be great if the orange lights could go red when the brakes are applied.

Dan_Shade · February 27, 2012, 08:38:14 PM

i have DOT reflective tape on pretty much everything I can put it on from behind. It's not on the vertical mast.

My mill's not as pink as your's, Magicman ;)

eastberkshirecustoms · February 27, 2012, 09:33:25 PM

It's called 'salmon', not pink.

Magicman · February 27, 2012, 10:27:08 PM

That poor old LT40 has never seen a shed. I guess that I could give it a good waxing and remove the oxidized paint. Na, reckon what color it will fade to next. :D

Dan_Shade · February 27, 2012, 10:29:01 PM

i kind of liken it to wearing a pink tie, it's not for the faint of heart...

Magicman · February 27, 2012, 10:31:02 PM

It takes a real man to wear Pink. :D

backwoods sawyer · February 27, 2012, 11:59:37 PM

A few years ago I almost got clipped out on the freeway and added this afterwards. It connects directly into the trailer lights, and removes during set up. Getting more visibility on the back end of the mill makes me feel a lot better when towing the mill down the road, as the other tail light is tucked way up under the saw head yet they look side by side until you get right up on the mill and realize that there is about 6' sticking out behind the saw head.

Half the problem is the salmon color fades away into the background, changing to Contrasting colors also has help with visibility along with 10' of refletive tape for side and rear visability ;D

Cutting Edge · February 28, 2012, 05:28:51 AM

Quote from: terrifictimbersllc on February 27, 2012, 08:29:10 PM
It would be great if the orange lights could go red when the brakes are applied.

A person could always wire in either a flashing light like MM's, or build their own using either a basic bulb flasher or a "cyclic timer". That way the only time it would be on is when the brake is applied. LED technology is becoming much more affordable, and current required is almost nothing. A cheap 4-way trailer plug and couple magnets and mount it anywhere. Could even have it work with the turn signals and double, triple flash per turn/brake signal cycle. My .02 worth.

Can't put a price on safety! DOT regs are sketchy, depending if mill is liscensed or not.

red oaks lumber · February 28, 2012, 06:50:03 AM

any day time hours i always run with parking lights on, if im pulling a trailer or just driving my truck.

John S · February 28, 2012, 01:21:51 PM

MM,
Any problems with the magnets holding on during transport?

Magicman · February 28, 2012, 01:50:45 PM

Actually, this came in while I was gone so I have not been able to use it on the road yet. It has "rare earth" magnets which is that flexible stuff. I know that it is designed for travel, but I always over-design everything. I'm whirling my head around figuring out a more secure attachment. Those metal magnets would certainly work and I have a couple.

rmack · February 28, 2012, 03:08:23 PM

Magicman;

not trying to be disrespectful, but i thought that the rule of thumb was, running lights you see from the front are supposed to be amber, running lights you see from the rear are supposed to be red.

could just be my imagination though. :D

Dan_Shade · February 28, 2012, 06:28:47 PM

my understanding is front and sides are amber....

same with reflectors

Chuck White · February 28, 2012, 06:39:08 PM

Lots of new vehicles now have RED tail lights, RED brake lights and AMBER turn signals.

I'm not sure if the same would hold true for trailer type vehicles.

rmack · February 28, 2012, 07:02:36 PM

just checked my '09 tractor, haven't seen it much the last 4 months :

, amber and red on the flashers/signals on the back side, amber only on the front side.

i have an 18' foot trailer that has the lights on the fender sides, the light fixture is split into amber on front, red on back... no amber on the back end of the trailer.

customsawyer · February 28, 2012, 07:17:00 PM

Red oaks I would recommend driving not running. ;D

red oaks lumber · February 28, 2012, 07:33:45 PM

you havent seen my driving skills yet have you? running might be better :D

Ianab · February 28, 2012, 08:34:37 PM

Quote from: Chuck White on February 28, 2012, 06:39:08 PM
Lots of new vehicles now have RED tail lights, RED brake lights and AMBER turn signals.

I'm not sure if the same would hold true for trailer type vehicles.

That's the norm for pretty much all the world apart from the US. You can always tell a US import car here by the Red turn signals at the back. European, Japanese and Australian all have orange turn / hazard lights front and back.

Otherwise Red at the back, White at the front.

Ian

Magicman · February 28, 2012, 08:39:35 PM

Quote from: rmack on February 28, 2012, 03:08:23 PM
not trying to be disrespectful

Not at all. I researched as best as I could and I can assure you that it is crazy. The guy at the truck store that sells the flashers to loggers to attach to extended logs, sells Amber to Mississippi haulers and Red to Louisiana haulers ?? Then a Mississippi logger on the Forestry and Logging board said that he is using Red. ??

The turn lights and flashers on my truck are Amber and the brake lights and turn lights on the sawmill are Red.

This flasher that I bought blinks much faster than my turn signals and I'm thinking that the Amber color will be seen simply as an alert and not confused with my turn signals.

I hope that none of the above made any sense to anyone, because if it did, then I surely am whacky. smiley_dizzy

My objective is to minimize the depth perception "problem" with that small part of the sawmill extending rearward which is why I have used that triangle on the rear outrigger. I saw my first long log flasher a few weeks ago and asked a question in the Forestry and Logging Board. LINK

Magicman · March 03, 2012, 06:05:42 PM

Quote from: John S on February 28, 2012, 01:21:51 PM
Any problems with the magnets holding on during transport?

I really do not think that it would vibrate loose, but I handled that possibility today. The flasher now has it's own lanyard. Actually it is my WM 25th Anniversary lanyard. Anyway, I can just loop it over the rear stabilizer and if the flasher does jar loose, it will not be lost. It now has it's own safety belt. ;D

trapper · March 03, 2012, 09:31:13 PM

I saw one like that at our local fleet farm for around $15.
Had 2 magnets on it.

Magicman · March 22, 2012, 10:36:50 PM

Quote from: John S on February 28, 2012, 01:21:51 PM
Any problems with the magnets holding on during transport?

I was never comfortable with the magnets that were on the flasher. Those that are design for a log end has a plate attached, so I just modified mine so that it now has a plate.

I removed the "earth magnets" and screwed the plate to the back of the flasher. I drilled a hole for my pin.

The pin goes through the attached plate and the rear outrigger and the on/off switch is still accessible. It is easily detachable before setup. The flash rate is very fast and will not be confused with a turn signal.

DR Buck · March 22, 2012, 10:59:51 PM

Quote from: backwoods sawyer on February 27, 2012, 11:59:37 PM

Half the problem is the salmon color fades away into the background, changing to Contrasting colors also has help with visibility along with 10' of refletive tape for side and rear visability ;D

That sure looks like a John Deere Green Wood-Mizer. ;) Florida Dead Header had a homemade (Homey) mill that looked like a Wood-Mizer and it was green.