Rear Lights

OK, thanks Shaker, question answered

If you want to get picky and get out the rule book ....... yeh there is.

Passenger cars are only supposed to have on single set of functioning tail lights

trucks and busses can have two sets.

BUT I have never heard of anybody getting pinged

cheers

Great to see you take up the caravan/ safety weigh check. Would be nice if many others did the same.

The lights on your rack won’t be legal, due to their height.

Macca, fully agree with what you have done,I have done the same. Increases safety by 500% if that's possible, mathematically.

simple reason lights in rear bar close to ground can't be seen by heavy vehicle drivers, i was having this convo with one whilst we were lined up waiting at gate. driver said nice setup but geesh as i got closer i couldn't see your indicators, all tucked up under the spare wheels.

Was enough to prompt me to install a pair.

Had a TEG (highway patrol officer) behind me one day in a private convoy and simply loved how mine was set up.

@ Shaker can you advise where under ADR mounting additional combination lights is illegal please.

If what you are saying is correct then why do all pantechs 4.3m high and transperth buses all have high level tail and/or brake indicator lights ?

As well as the stop/tail/indicators, I have also installed a pair of work lights that can also be switched on when reversing to increase my ability to see what is behind

A friend was pulled up near Mansfield in a road block testing purge, he was told if he could have turned on his rack mounted work lights from the drivers seat, he would have been booked.
Before you ask, I don’t have the policeman’s name, number or the relevant law, just passing on a factual incident.

DeanK3, in answer to your question the relevant ADR is:

6.5.4.2.1. The height of the light-emitting surface of the side direction-indicator lamps of categories 5 or 6 must not be:

less than: 350 mm for M1 and N1 category of vehicles, and 500 mm for all other categories of vehicles, both measured from the lowest point; and

more than: 1,500 mm, measured from the highest point.

6.5.4.2.2. The height of the direction-indicator lamps of categories 1, 1a, 1b, 2a and 2b, measured in accordance with paragraph 5.8., shall not be less than 350 mm or more than 1,500 mm.
—————————————————————————————————-

Clearance or Marker lamps are permitted but must be a minimum 600mm above the fitted tail lights.

Shaker the part of the ADR to which you refer concerns Side Indicator Lamps which as their name implies are mounted on the side of the vehicle, not at the rear.
Hi mounted rear lamps and hi mounted front park/indicator lamps are NOT illegal provided the original lamps are mounted in the ADR specified preferred height positions. The ADR also provides that where a vehicles structure is such that the lamps cannot be mounted at the heights specified, then other height mounting positions are permitted. Every mining light vehicle in WA as well as mining contractors light vehicles are fitted with hi mounted rear lamps and many are fitted with hi mounted front park/indicator lamps as well. The reason is so the dump truck & FEL operators, which are obviously much higher, can see these vehicles. The lights on these vehicles are not restricted to mine site use and can be seen daily on public roads as are many 4WD enthusiasts similarly modified vehicles. If you are improving vehicle visibility hence its safety, provided the mounting of the ADR required lamps complies in terms of height and does not present a distraction or confuse other road users then no copper with an ounce of common sense is going to be interested. That said, you always get the over zealous few who are usually wrong anyway.
The hi mounted lamps up to 4.3m in height at the front and rear of pantechs, omnibuses and other large heavy vehicles are not stop/tail/indicator lamps but are correctly called End Outline Marker Lamps (formerly Clearance Lamps) They are required to be mounted at the extremities of width and height to heavy vehicles with this type of body structure to indicate to oncoming/following drivers the size and presence of such vehicles which are wider and sometimes slower (sometimes not) than light vehicles. ADR13 specifies different mounting positions for lamps on various vehicle categories such as passenger, off-road, light/medium/heavy commercial motor vehicles, light/heavy trailers, light/heavy omnibuses, motor cycles, etc. You cannot compare or justify the rules that apply to one vehicle category to another because each is specific to that vehicle type. It is also common to see on heavy vehicles additional rear stop/indicator lamps to make them more visible in conditions of poor visibility such as fog or spray caused by wet conditions or because the lower lamps become dirty with road grime or diesel fumes and this is quite legal provided as with light vehicles the original lamps are mounted within the correct height range as specified in the ADR.
McLaren3030. You state: "Basically all the commercially produced rear bars that include wheel/Jerrycan carriers have extra lights fitted in the bars to conform to the ADR as can be seen in the attached photo" The commercially produced bars sold in VIctoria must be better than those sold in WA because most here do not comply insofar as lighting is concerned as mentioned in my earlier post. Not criticising but I beg to differ that yours is compliant (TBC by tape measure) as the red reflectors appear to exceed the maximum 400mm from the outside edge of the vehicle as ADR13 specifies and this has resulted in the LH red reflector being almost impossible to see below the spare tyre.

Hi Blown4by, just went out to measure the reflectors, and guess what, not only were they outside the legal limit being as they were at 600 mm from the edge of the vehicle, they have also fallen off & are no longer there!!!
Guess I will be making a trip to SuperCheap Autos tomorrow to buy a set. :-)
Macca.

Nicely worded Blownby : As per what I was thinking in a abridged format every mine spec has them fitted.

I did mean to refer to clearance outline markers but have noticed and why I mentioned it. Transperth buses have hi mount indicators even on the front, and fairly certain seen them at rear as well. not a full 4.3m otherwise they won't fit under Bayswater subway -its close I can tell you that much.

Tad concerned about the reflector issue nothing mounted on my rear bar period, however I do offset this by having a strip of flouro hi vis/green yellow on rear bar just in case - better than nothing.

Mansfield, famous for carrying out purges on non compliant 4wds.