Cheap cheap light bar

[TKF]

Did you use the supplied brackets and attach them to the Rigid brackets, or did you just use the Rigid brackets and remove/discard the supplied brackets?

I installed mine last weekend using only the Rigid brackets. I did have to loosen the front of the bump stops to be able to get it in there (its just slightly too tight) but all came back together perfect and it sits beautifully under the FORD and is secure.

 

[ZBoater]

I installed mine last weekend using only the Rigid brackets. I did have to loosen the front of the bump stops to be able to get it in there (its just slightly too tight) but all came back together perfect and it sits beautifully under the FORD and is secure.

That looks awesome! Thanks for sharing. I'll be doing mine next week so I'm trying to learn as much as I can about the install before that. I ordered the Rigid brackets. Did you have to drill any holes?

 

[TKF]

That looks awesome! Thanks for sharing. I'll be doing mine next week so I'm trying to learn as much as I can about the install before that. I ordered the Rigid brackets. Did you have to drill any holes?

No drilling at all. Just used the existing holes. The only tough part was the wiring which I've seen you are well acquainted with (I'm still nursing my cuts)

 

[ZBoater]

Awesome! I've got the wiring all done, so I'm hoping the rest is easy!

Picked up a Rigid mounting bracket for the 20" bar used at Amazon for $20. Hopefully that will make it easier.

Amazon.com: Buying Choices: Rigid Industries 42010 Cradle Mount for E-Series 20" LED Light Bar

 

[jackrook]

And for anyone who says Rigid is worth it. Blah blah blah. Everything you spend on is always price vs value. $50k for a honda? No. $50k for a Raptor? Yes.

40 inch rigid for $1000? And it's 20,000 lumens

Or

40 inch knockoff for under $200 and it's 14,000 lumens?

Is it worth it for you to pay $800 extra for an extra 6,000 lumens? Or do you do what ZBoater did and but another cheapo bar to counteract that? Dude spent under $300 for two light bars.

Then people say oh well Rigid has a warranty. So do the knock offs. Well Rigid is made in America. Well, they made me ASSEMBLED in the US but from Chinese parts.

I'd like someone to tell me the knock offs aren't worth it. You RARELY use the light bars. Is it worth it paying that much for something you'll use a few times a year? Once again it comes down to price vs value.

slowest member of WCPR

 

[KaiserM715]

And for anyone who says Rigid is worth it. Blah blah blah. Everything you spend on is always price vs value. $50k for a honda? No. $50k for a Raptor? Yes.

40 inch rigid for $1000? And it's 20,000 lumens

Or

40 inch knockoff for under $200 and it's 14,000 lumens?

Is it worth it for you to pay $800 extra for an extra 6,000 lumens? Or do you do what ZBoater did and but another cheapo bar to counteract that? Dude spent under $300 for two light bars.

Then people say oh well Rigid has a warranty. So do the knock offs. Well Rigid is made in America. Well, they made me ASSEMBLED in the US but from Chinese parts.

I'd like someone to tell me the knock offs aren't worth it. You RARELY use the light bars. Is it worth it paying that much for something you'll use a few times a year? Once again it comes down to price vs value.

slowest member of WCPR

The difference is in the optics. The more expensive lights have much, much better optics than the cheap lights. What good is all of that light when it evaporates 10 yards in front of your truck? Take a look at the lighting shoot-out results from TRR:
http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f81/lighting-shootout-results-33574/

PS: In this test we also showed that having a light behind the grille cuts the output in half. Something to keep in mind.

 

[ZBoater]

I got my cheap cheap light bar today from Amazon. $169.

It did not bring a harness, but for that price I won't complain. Just a short length of cable.

But I lucked out with the Rigid brackets I got. They brought the extra length of cable that I needed. Saved me a trip to the auto parts store.

I installed It wrong, I know. I wasn't able to use the supplied brackets so I could do adjustments of the angle and it ended too low. I may go back and fix it. The two rubber bump stops would not allow the base of the light to fit, and I wasn't patient enough to figure it out. I set aside the supplied brackets and used just the Rigid ones.

So the light ended low but I think still illuminates plenty. That grill is going to soak up a lot of light anyway.

Aaaaaaaand.... Let there be light!

If someone can share pics on how they attached their light using the supplied brackets, that would be nice. I didn't have to drill holes or anything, so I'm kinda liking the way it turned out.

The 20" light shows up tomorrow, so I ended up wiring this one to aux 1 and ill wire the 20" to aux 2. I'll need to get a 20 amp and a 10 amp fuse to replace the 30 amp fuses of the upfitter switches 1 & 2, but that will be tomorrow. Now to install my Weathertec mats and Raptor Embroidery leather visor covers...

 

[BearLeeAsian]

I wonder how far that tuff stuff light reaches

 

[ZBoater]

I'll go for a short test drive later tonight and see what it does in my alley.

 

[BearLeeAsian]

Have to get into the country and light it up..