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04-20-2020, 10:58 AM
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#1
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Almost There
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Pensacola
Posts: 77
Year: 2001
Engine: DT466
Rated Cap: 71
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Can I Delete This Rear Light?
Hey all! Our MiniSplit is coming in soon and I was wondering if it was legal by DOT standards to omit one of the small red brake light that also shines down a white led toward the ground (like for lighting up a license plate). If we can delete on of these (probably the left side) it would open up a perfect space for the outdoor unit of our mini split to be mounted.
I do not want to mount under the bus or on top, but we are also don’t have our mind made up regarding the final tow package/cargo hitch we will end up with. This would be a temporary mount for the outdoor unit.
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04-20-2020, 11:07 AM
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#2
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Athens, TN
Posts: 1,573
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Amtran
Chassis: International RE
Engine: International T444e
Rated Cap: 76
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rydawg3000
Hey all! Our MiniSplit is coming in soon and I was wondering if it was legal by DOT standards to omit one of the small red brake light that also shines down a white led toward the ground (like for lighting up a license plate). If we can delete on of these (probably the left side) it would open up a perfect space for the outdoor unit of our mini split to be mounted.
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I think this would be fine, as long as you're not covering a plate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rydawg3000
I do not want to mount under the bus or on top, but we are also don’t have our mind made up regarding the final tow package/cargo hitch we will end up with. This would be a temporary mount for the outdoor unit.
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You probably want to get the permanent mounting position in place before you install the split, if possible. Usually these use copper lines which will not flex very much, you'll have to redo the gas work if you want to move it.
Here's where my condenser ended up, you have a rear door so this exact position is probably a no-go for you. Note that I don't even have the lights you're talking about- I took em off. The inspector that converted my title didn't care one bit, nor did the shop that did the state inspection.
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04-20-2020, 11:07 AM
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#3
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: So Cal
Posts: 3,244
Year: 1935
Coachwork: Superior
Chassis: Chevy
Engine: 317 ci/tid / Isuzu
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You will need to have a plate light so just move the plate and light where it can be seen from directly behind the bus and you'll be good to go. Also, some states dictate a particular height for plates.
Jack
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04-20-2020, 12:26 PM
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#4
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 7,030
Year: 2003
Coachwork: International
Chassis: CE 300
Engine: DT466e
Rated Cap: 65C-43A
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Here are the NHTSA requirements for lights: Trucks, Buses, MPVs: Federal Lighting Equipment Location Requirements | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) (area 8 ).
The lights you want to remove are your "Tail Lamps" (with one of them also serving as the "License Plate Lamp") and are legally required, so you can't just delete them entirely. You can move them to an unobscured location, however, or replace them with new lights in a new position.
I deleted my original tail lamps (actually, rust had already deleted one for me) and replaced them with these external ones meant for trailers: https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f11/r...tml#post351227 (end of the post). They're close to the same spot as the originals, but they could easily be moved so as not to obscure a minisplit.
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04-20-2020, 12:27 PM
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#5
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,829
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
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MusicGenesis is right^
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04-20-2020, 12:42 PM
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#6
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 7,030
Year: 2003
Coachwork: International
Chassis: CE 300
Engine: DT466e
Rated Cap: 65C-43A
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I think this would be legal:
You could delete the original tail lamps and the amber flashers, and repurpose the red flashers as your new tail lamps. I'm not sure of the legality of this, however, at least in all states. The location would be legal for tail lamps, but many/most states have regulations for former school buses requiring removal or deactivation of the flashers and I'd be worried that because of their positioning they might still be regarded as flashers even though they'd be wired to the tail lamp circuit.
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04-20-2020, 01:28 PM
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#7
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Athens, TN
Posts: 1,573
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Amtran
Chassis: International RE
Engine: International T444e
Rated Cap: 76
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Quote:
Originally Posted by musigenesis
... repurpose the red flashers as your new tail lamps.
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In NH: I made the top lights into brakes, the state wanted them gone. As in, no lights up there period. I even asked if I could paint over them so I didn't have to cover up the holes other ways, nope.
Some people get away with the original lights, some don't. I've seen at least a couple videos showing off the original lights up top flashing, pretty sure its a federal crime to either sell a bus to someone with working, flashing top lights or enable them on a privately owned bus where they've been disabled.
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04-20-2020, 02:01 PM
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#8
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Almost There
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Pensacola
Posts: 77
Year: 2001
Engine: DT466
Rated Cap: 71
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Hmmm, I like the idea, however those top lights are only for school bus aesthetics- the wires have been snipped and taken out long ago, they are now spray foamed over form the inside lol. I don’t foresee rewiring anything if possible as we already have some rear walls up and the closed cell spray foam.
So I could take the plate from the left side and move it underneath to the tail lamp to the right and should be in legal requirements?
Thanks for the quick replies
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04-20-2020, 02:11 PM
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#9
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 7,030
Year: 2003
Coachwork: International
Chassis: CE 300
Engine: DT466e
Rated Cap: 65C-43A
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rydawg3000
So I could take the plate from the left side and move it underneath to the tail lamp to the right and should be in legal requirements?
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It's not clear what you mean, here. The tail lamps need to be symmetrical, same distance from the sides and same distance from the bottom.
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04-20-2020, 04:30 PM
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#11
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Traveling
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Virginia
Posts: 2,302
Year: None
Coachwork: None
Chassis: None
Engine: None
Rated Cap: None
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Not having a license plate light is a no-no, and while inspectors generally don't care and most cops won't mess with you for it, it IS against motor vehicle code. I would consider relocating the plate elsewhere with an LED strip, shrouded to keep it from blinding others behind you. That way, you get what you want, and you're not in violation.
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04-21-2020, 11:35 AM
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#12
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Almost There
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Pensacola
Posts: 77
Year: 2001
Engine: DT466
Rated Cap: 71
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Thanks for the replies!
I think we have decided that all the lights can stay if we can find a way to mount the outdoor unit in front of the window to the left of the back door and if space provides for it.
We have to now find out which method will work best for us as for mounting the outdoor unit because I know the standard "L" supports that are sold by the manufacturer probably wont work. I will probably have to tap into my welder/engineer/ future landlord's brilliant mind as far as a solution. He figures out everything. Lol
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04-21-2020, 07:23 PM
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#13
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Skoolie
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Rochester NY
Posts: 209
Year: 1986
Coachwork: Blueburd
Chassis: International S1800
Engine: 9.0L International Diesel NA
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kazetsukai
Where did you get your led tail lights?
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04-22-2020, 08:20 AM
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#14
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Athens, TN
Posts: 1,573
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Amtran
Chassis: International RE
Engine: International T444e
Rated Cap: 76
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04-22-2020, 08:35 AM
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#15
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 7,030
Year: 2003
Coachwork: International
Chassis: CE 300
Engine: DT466e
Rated Cap: 65C-43A
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kazetsukai
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I got the Grand General brand for all of my rear light replacements. They seem good although I have no long-term data for them, of course. One odd thing about them (which might be true of all of these LED lights, I dunno) is that they come with a thick gasket that gets pressed into the back of the light when you install them, BUT they also have four slightly raised posts on the back of the screw holes which raises the light up just enough that the gasket doesn't completely seal. For all of my lights I filed these projections flat with a flap disk and now they're all sealed perfectly.
The original lights on the back of my bus had all had their gaskets fail - like, literally all of them - and the metal around the holes was still intact but thinner and floppier than normal because of the rust. I was worried that the gaskets for the new lights would not seal well against this, so I backed the openings with a 1/8" plate of galvanized steel so the lights would have a solid surface to screw into: https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f11/r...tml#post349739.
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04-22-2020, 09:32 AM
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#16
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Athens, TN
Posts: 1,573
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Amtran
Chassis: International RE
Engine: International T444e
Rated Cap: 76
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Quote:
Originally Posted by musigenesis
One odd thing about them (which might be true of all of these LED lights, I dunno) is that they come with a thick gasket that gets pressed into the back of the light when you install them, BUT they also have four slightly raised posts on the back of the screw holes which raises the light up just enough that the gasket doesn't completely seal.
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None of these had the raised portion you mention. They came with a big foam gasket that seals up nicely around the entire hole.
I have quite a few extras thanks to the NH inspector telling me to remove the flashers. Whites and Reds. I was going to send them out to someone here but didn't want to pay shipping.
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04-25-2020, 05:57 PM
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#17
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Skoolie
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Ohio
Posts: 224
Year: 2008
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: 0908S
Engine: Cummins 5.9
Rated Cap: 28' 9 window
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I’d unplug both first and see what happens. I unplugged mine and an intermittent alarm went off.
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04-26-2020, 04:19 PM
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#18
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New Member
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Toronto/Canada
Posts: 6
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I just kept the cap
Working like a fake light... has nothing there, just the caps! I think is ok!🤷🏽*♂️
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04-26-2020, 06:08 PM
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#19
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Picton,Ont, Can.
Posts: 1,956
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: GMC
Engine: Cat 3116
Rated Cap: 72
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Brake lights and tail lights up top, no running or backups? Good luck with that.
John
__________________
Question everything!
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04-26-2020, 07:39 PM
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#20
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New Member
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Toronto/Canada
Posts: 6
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I think you got me wrong!
I'm not finished yet but all the lights work! Just those 4 on the rooftops is fake. I'll keep on even those 3 red at the high top.
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