any input is appreciated (-:

stewzoo wrote:The full motion bench seat fires by pneumatics
thanks for all the great advice, much appreciated. I will definitely bring plenty of spare everything.Captain Goddammit wrote:Nah, ride height looks fine.
Of course you got pre-approval to bring it, because IT"S FREAKIN' COOL!!! You're a first-timer really hitting the ground running!
There's not much you can do about the dust. As a long-time playa M/V maker and driver, the best advice I have for you is spare parts!
Spare parts have saved me many times. Bring spare everything you can. Motor brushes, relays, cables, every possible thing that could take you out of service. Definitely spare tires, more than one. Mounted on wheels if possible. I've seen many a bent or broken wheel. I had one of mine crack and fail around the lug nuts last year. A spare battery charger is even a good idea. If that fails, you're out.
I just can't stress it enough, bring spare everything you can. This is your one shot at driving it on the playa, don't let one failed part ruin it.
Too true, people will just bike or walk straight at you. It is almost worse during the day than at night. Make sure you can see all around your vehicle (Especially just before you start moving). Having some sort of horn is not a bad thing either.Token wrote:String a bunch of chains between the TV and the trailer so folks can't stumble in between them.
Make it so there is no way for anyone to get in there on the fly.
People will try.
Get a real powerful handheld spotlight that is not to heave. Always have a co-pilot whose job is the shine the light at people that might become suicide bunnies.
Have fun.
wow all gospel to my ears, and yes thank you, I do have major lighting plans, and your ideas and previous experience are invaluable to me !Captain Goddammit wrote:Let there be light!
If you built that train I'm sure you can figure out ways to light it. Here's what I did in case any of the ideas are useful for you:
I find that those 250-watt halogen work lamps are a LOT more effective for moving through crowds at night than handheld spotlights. I use three! They're cheap, too.
Shining a spotlight at someone doesn't do much but piss them off. Lighting up the whole area lets people know that something big is coming up from behind. Of course horns are great too but you don't always want to be laying on the horns. I don't even have the big lights on full-time, I just use them when approaching a people-crowded area. They notice.
The bottom "glow" lighting on the boat is done with four foot fluorescent lamps mounted end-to-end. They are cheap, bright, and use relatively little power. Fluorescents come in plenty of sizes and sometimes I wrap my bottom ones in blue cellophane.
Make sure to put those clear plastic protector sleeves on any fluorescent tubes you use, so if one gets broken it will be contained. I haven't had any break.
My silhouette lighting is LED rope light. If you use any of that, Don't use the little attachment clips they come with. Out in the sun they go brittle and break. Mine are attached with clear zip ties every foot or less. Where I could drill holes I push a zip tie out from the inside of the hull, wrap around the rope light, and back into the hole then zip tight. The holes are small enough that the tie can't pull through. Where the other side isn't accessible I just used those zip ties with a mounting ring molded into them and a screw.
My left and right side "navigation" lights are porch-light fixtures, with a red CFL to port and a green CFL to starboard. Again cheap, effective and relatively low power for a lot of light. The really cheap fixtures I used needed a little spot welding to not fall apart. They make all sorts of porch light fixtures that would be cool train lights.