pole light

I’d try clear l.e.d.’s off of big trucks. They’re quite a bit more expensive but If I’m not mistaken they draw a lot less power. You can get 4” rounds and 2”x4″ ovals that I have seen.

LED’s would be a good choice. They not only use much less power, they hold up better under vibration and general abuse than incandescent bulbs do. Bob

Mark , I use the tractor utility lights from auto parts store ,they fit inside a 6″ diameter X 4″ long pipe protected ,at the end of the pole . They are rubber mounted take abuse and you can change the bulbs without to much trouble . With a 2 bob sled it takes a little doing to have enough wire slack for turning but not too much to get caught under, I use a bungee to keep it in place . I use a deep cycle battery with a cheap charger mounted there too .
I am sure the LEDs would be slick needing a smaller pipe for protection etc.,but this works for me . some of my drivers leave them on the whole time i like to alternate going in the darkness and as you said using the light where it is trickier driving .
I tried treelights on the sleigh with an inverter , they drew a lot of power and I thought it was tacky in the end . I figured out a light on the end of the pole but can’t get photos on to this site , I guess it takes all kinds to make the world go round . I can email photos if that would help ? Karl

I have used incandescent bulbs in simple flashlights on a stoneboat at night before. They produced enough light for my purposes, but I am sure LEDs would be better. I have used an LED headlight on my bicycle quite a bit and am very happy with it. Interestingly, it has a strobe function that I really like. The road is just as visible with a fast strobe as it is with the light constantly on, and it cuts down on battery drain dramatically (maybe 50%). It also makes the bike more visible, which might be a useful feature for your sled too. I am not sure how one would set up a system for strobing your lights, but I thought I would throw the idea out there none-the-less.

Mark –

Might be time for a trip down to Radio Shack to see what they’ve got. Is lighting the trail a real option? That would be cool. Strobes or blinkers could be a little crazy but back in my youth we used to by these current interrupter discs from RadioShack that fit in a light socket – voila! Home made flashing lights -groovy:cool:

Good luck – don’t you need some snow?

Rope lights might be an option too if that hasn’t been discussed. We have rechargeable batteries and use them for led headlamps. Wonder what we ever did before without them…..

Hey Mark,

Strobes AND a Travolta leisure suit? I thought part of your reasoning for using lights was to “keep customers from freaking out”? That leisure suit will destroy any chance of that happening.

We have some of those cheap solar lights – they sort of glow more than light up. Could be we bought the cheapest kind.