The importance of a rear dust light in the southwest.

[Trophycummins]

I ran the mojave rd this past weekend with some buddies.

I would like to stress to the expo community the necessity of a dust light in the southwest, as well as some forward facing visibility lights.

We ran into a few "overland" rigs moving at a slower pace than we were, and we could not find the vehicle in the dust cloud, or see any of their lights. Therefore we could not make a safe pass until the rigs in front of us were aware of our presence and pulled over.

At one point we pulled up behind a light gray suburban which was the exact color of the dust and we couldn't see him at all.

A dust light should always be running any time you're driving in an ohv area and a faster rig might come up behind you to overtake. It's safety.

A couple examples.

A time lapse of a friend I followed to show how much a simple $10 Amber amazon light helps in the thick dust.

https://vimeo.com/192403355


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[Bbasso]

I like that... I also have never heard of this either. I have seen/ heard of rear facing red fog lamps.
Would a red light be suitable for a dust lamp?

 

[Trophycummins]

I like that... I also have never heard of this either. I have seen/ heard of rear facing red fog lamps.
Would a red light be suitable for a dust lamp?

My truck has Amber running, and red brake "dust lights"

The brake light only works when the Amber running lights are on.


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[rayra]

Why are you crowding up on someone's *** on a dust-filled road / track like that? Especially on a public road / trail and not in a race on an established track.

 

[Robert Bills]

Why are you crowding up on someone's *** on a dust-filled road / track like that? Especially on a public road / trail and not in a race on an established track.

Its not always a situation where excess speed or "crowding up on someone's ***" is involved, although I agree that all too often people play desert racer and drive much too fast for safety on the trail.

That being said, I have become a firm believer in visibility lights in dusty condition, even at slow speeds. Its easier to see the rig you are following and oncoming vehicles as well. Rear facing "dust lights" are also self-preservation against speeding yahoos overtaking from behind.

Dust lights were quite helpful on group runs I participated in to the Black Rock Desert last spring, in the Western Sierras during the summer, and to Saline Valley over Veteran's Day weekend. None of us were speeding.

As far as color for rear facing lights, I found amber to be easier for me to see from distance so that's what I plan to install before my next trip.

 

[Trophycummins]

Why are you crowding up on someone's *** on a dust-filled road / track like that? Especially on a public road / trail and not in a race on an established track.

On public trails in ohv areas, there are no speed limits. In rough sections, more capable vehicles MUST keep speed up in order to smooth out the ride. It's how high dollar suspension systems work, going to slow could cause a the vehicle to lose control.

Growing up in the desert it's always been common knowledge that the faster trucks have right of way and your *** will get nerfed(rear run into to let you know a faster truck is behind you) if you don't get out of the way.

It's only recently where people have started taking their stock vehicles onto trails previously only used by off-roaders. And I believe that public land is for everyone to enjoy, and in order to do that safely, people need a dust light.




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[FJOE]

I carry a magnetic light that i can put on the tailgate, bumper, or roof. the magnet is super strong, and if I remember correctly wasn't that expensive. Has a 30ft 12v plug, so can be used in camp as a general utility light as well.

https://www.etrailer.com/Lights/Wesbar/54209-017.html

 

[MagicMtnDan]

Good topic to post on - thanks for addressing this.

Having spent a good amount of time off roading in the desert's dry, very dusty conditions, I know well what you're talking about.

The dust clouds can be thick and, depending on if there's wind, can stay in one place for quite some time making driving into and through them tricky (think tule fog in the Central Valley of CA if you're familiar with that).

An amber light should be required on all vehicles in the desert (but don't tell the State of California that or we'll soon be spending $300 for a permit and a State approved light). Unfortunately not knowing if people have a light means caution must always be exercised when driving in the dust clouds.

The best driving conditions in the desert are when there's a nice cross breeze which often moves the dust off the trail making forward visibility good-to-excellent.

 

[BigSwede]

If nothing else you could put on your flashers. People around here do that sometimes in very heavy snow events, really helps you be seen.

 

[doug720]

On public trails in ohv areas, there are no speed limits. In rough sections, more capable vehicles MUST keep speed up in order to smooth out the ride. It's how high dollar suspension systems work, going to slow could cause a the vehicle to lose control.

Growing up in the desert it's always been common knowledge that the faster trucks have right of way and your *** will get nerfed(rear run into to let you know a faster truck is behind you) if you don't get out of the way.

It's only recently where people have started taking their stock vehicles onto trails previously only used by off-roaders. And I believe that public land is for everyone to enjoy, and in order to do that safely, people need a dust light.

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That is about the dumbest justification of stupid behavior I have ever seen posted on a public forum!

Seriously, you are going to "Nerf" another vehicle because they are going slower than you on public roads and lands? Hope you have good insurance and lawyer.

This is a sad commentary of what off-roading has become!

 

[Robert Bills]

On public trails in ohv areas, there are no speed limits. In rough sections, more capable vehicles MUST keep speed up in order to smooth out the ride. It's how high dollar suspension systems work, going to slow could cause a the vehicle to lose control.

Growing up in the desert it's always been common knowledge that the faster trucks have right of way and your *** will get nerfed(rear run into to let you know a faster truck is behind you) if you don't get out of the way.

It's only recently where people have started taking their stock vehicles onto trails previously only used by off-roaders. And I believe that public land is for everyone to enjoy, and in order to do that safely, people need a dust light.

Your original post references a trip on Mojave Road, which is in a National Preserve administered by the National Park Service and which is designated as a road rather than an offroad trail. It is not in an OHV area where there are no speed limits. There are speed limits for the Mojave Road and other areas within the Mojave Preserve which have been in place for more than 10 years, codified in 36 CFR sec. 421. In addition, the Preserve Superintendent recently lowered the maximum speed on all paved roads within the Preserve to 45 mph on a temporary basis pending repairs to certain areas. The area hasn't been the wild west for quite some time and recent executive action by President Obama has made it less so.

The "common knowledge" that "faster trucks have the right of way" that you refer to may apply in OHV parks or in unregulated desert areas (which are becoming few and far between), but has no application in the Mojave Preserve. Actually, such "common knowledge" is a relatively new development in the scheme of things.

Before trophy truck racing and pre-runner trucks became popular (yes, there are those of us old enough to remember those days - I was already an avid offroader when the first Baja 1000 took place in the mid-1960's, a test of endurance rather than speed), the "common wisdom" was to have respect for all others on the trail, the adjoining property owners, and the desert dwellers by keeping speed down to reduce dust. There was no such thing as "faster trucks have the right of way" nor was there any special dispensation for "high dollar suspensions." The common courtesy back in the day was to let faster rigs get by at the next wide spot on the trail, and for the faster rigs to wait patiently for the opportunity and slow down to a crawl while passing or even stop to say hello.

The Tread Lightly principle that now guides offroad use on government land is much more akin to the old common wisdom than the desert racer mentality. Its the desert racer mentality and the "I can do whatever I want" attitude that fuels the efforts of the environmentalists to close the deserts to vehicle use for everyone. Thinking that it is acceptable to "nerf" someone to get them out of one's way in any situation other than an officially sanctioned race is not only juvenile, its dangerous.

We can agree on two things, however: Public lands are for everyone to share (even the city dwellers in the slowest of stock rigs), and dust lights are an important safety feature in conditions with poor visibility.

 

[eggman918]

That is about the dumbest justification of stupid behavior I have ever seen posted on a public forum!

Seriously, you are going to "Nerf" another vehicle because they are going slower than you on public roads and lands? Hope you have good insurance and lawyer.

This is a sad commentary of what off-roading has become!

Even where there are no posted speed limits the 'basic speed law" still applies and "nerfing" someone could well get your @$$ fed to the crows....$.02

 

[calicamper]

Thinking you guys just got fooled with gorrilla marketing. Really poor marketing but all the same.

 

[Robert Bills]

Thinking you guys just got fooled with gorrilla marketing. Really poor marketing but all the same.

Nah, the first photo in the original post is just a better photo of the mount on OP's truck that OP lifted from the supplier's website. OP may be a customer, but I doubt that he's shilling for the bracket supplier.

 

[EMrider]

Incredible how fast these threads go into the weeds.

Lots of assumptions made, soapboxes dragged out, etc........

The OP simply wanted to recommend the use of a "dust light" to improve safety when driving in dusty conditions.

A good idea even for those who meticulously follow all laws and practice good trail courtesy. An even better idea for knuckleheads who don't.

The "gotcha" mentality here is a bit much IMHO.

R