MackayMark

Hello everyone,

I'm new to this forum. I purchased a 2016 Ford F150 (4X4 of course) to use to drive back and forth from a main house in Sun Valley Idaho to a fly-fishing ranch in Mackay ID. The access is over a large mountain range through dirt forest service roads.





At night it gets pitch black and there are lots of curves and blind turns with unprotected drop offs (out in the middle of no where).

I'm constantly wishing I had more light. My old rig was a 2000 Ford Excursion with a bull bar with a pair of Piaa amber fogs on the lower portion and a pair of KC daylighters on the upper portion. Not enough light.




The Ford dealer is coordinating the front lighting upgrade and has recommended the following:

Big Country 3” black powder coated bull bar
Big Country mounting bracket kit
Fabricated lamp mounting bar
Rigid Industries D2 driving lights (pair)
Rigid Industries Dually spot lights (pair)
RaceSport illuminated driving & spot switches (chrome w/blue light accents)
Wiring harness
Labor and fabrication

Any off-roaders out there that would be so kind to review this proposal and bless it, or suggest an alternative?

Thank you all for your time.

Mark Holmes
Trout Haven
Mackay, Idaho

MackayMark

Here's some of the terrain and obstacles I deal with, not only brutal weather, but all kinds of wildlife (and cattle on the open range stretches).

130428

by wildlife, you mean the cop behind you?? when do we get invited to visit, that's spectacular over there!

you seem like a good guy, so i'll just link to the lighting section here: https://www.f150forum.com/f83/

LED light bars it seems is where it's at...

STingray1300

LED lightbars, like Rigids are good for flood light/short distance lighting - which is important for mountain roads. But I also HIGHLY recommend some distance lighting. I recommend a pair of Light Force 170 HIDs for distance (without going to the 240s) The combination will serve you well.

Mackay, ID, eh? Love it. Heck of a place for the North American Moose Assoc.! Drove by their ranch on the way over to Ketchum. Gates closed. I let my wife drive over the road to S.V., past "Papa's" memorial monument. We always head up to Stanley to stay though... away from the crowds.

Enjoy your new ride! Did you get the HID optional headlights?

MackayMark

Hi Stingray, Yeap, the Big Lost River Valley, my God, it's heaven over there!!!! I live in WA most of the time, but we have a place in Sun Valley as well. Mackay is my favorite though (my wife prefers the SV home). If you go North of SV, which it looks like you have, you'll pass Robinson Bar. I'm doing a pretty cool thing related to that right now. I purchased the old 1902 Iron Truss Bridge that was at Robinson Bar a few years ago (the Forest Service had condemned it). I got it re-fabricated down in Pochatello, got permission from all kinds of government agencies (three year process) and am now in the middle reconstructing that bridge to place across the Big Lost River on my ranch. Freakin' cool dudeski





Thanks for the info, so here is what we've come up with so far:

1. Big Country Bull bar (powder coated black textured)
2. Rigid E2 10" Combo light bar (mounted in the center of the bull bar)
3. Rigid Separates (on each side of the light bar) STILL DON"T HAVE THIS AREA FIGURED OUT
4. Replace the Stock Fog lights with a pair of Rigid D Series on each side (there is a OM Kit for mounting these pairs into the original area) STILL DON"T HAVE THE D-SERIES LIGHT SELECTED YET

If you could lend a hand on which lights to mount on the side of the 20" light bar and which lights to go in the original fog areas, that would be great!

Thanks for your time

MackayMark

oh, and I couldn't get the Quad LED Headlights because I only got the 501A package and the LEDs are only offered with the 502A package. Thanks Ford

Scarlet

Absolutely beautiful country you live in. Love it. For distance lighting, HID is the way to go. They have the best reach and brightness. Only draw backs are - Warm up time. The bulbs take a minute or so to warm up to full intensity. But when they do it's game on. Also, they are best used in rural areas where on coming traffic is minimal. Constant on/off cycles shorten the bulbs lifespan. You also need to consider the Kelvin, or color temperature of the light. HID's are typically in the 4,000K-4,3000K. LED's are usually at 5,0000K and above. The higher the Kelvin the bluer the light. Anything above 5,500K has that blueish tint. Some like it, I don't. LED is improving. The best LED lighting is getting close to HID lighting, but still has a ways to go to match HID. A combination of both would be best. Get a good set of HID Pod spot or driving beam lights for distance. Then a good set of LED for closer/wider range. Places to look are www.visionxusa.com. www.kchilites.com. www.bajadesigns.com. www.piaa.com. www.rigidindustries.com. Myself I have PIAA RS600 HID driving lights (4,300K), and PIAA LP570 LED driving lights (5,000K). I use the HID on back roads, and the LED when I'm anticipating traffic. Here are some comparison pics. First is the LP570 LED lights. Then RS600 HID lights. Hope this info helps. It's not dead on accurate, but should give you a guideline.

sigma pi

This post brought to you by the Mackay ID tourism board.


WOW that place looks great!

STingray1300

Totally cool! I built bridges, but as an ironworker, I could never afford to own one
.
So, Robinson Bar... pretty close to Stanley. Are you neighbors of "Carole"?
.
I would tend to limit the number of LED light bars, and add the Light Force lights. The combination fills your periphery with the light you'll need.

Brokemillwright

I spent a few days out there trying to narrow down my hunting spot, gorgeous country. Funny that that's out in the middle of nowhere and I had full bars of 4g, yet as I sit on my couch at home right now I have 2 bars and I live in a big city