tail light ground clearance - how much?

[pohukai]

In order to save my shins while walking around the camper at night, I'm thinking of mounting the tail lights under the frame or recessing them in the bumper. I'd like to use what I have as far as lights, which would mean mounting them under the frame. I'm not sure if 10" of clearance is enough here in So. Calif while in-tow. At least where I live, there aren't many deep gullies but I don't plan to camp in my 'hood'. How much clearance is really needed?

clearance.JPG (20.07 KiB) Viewed 1786 times

[down under tech]

Hello Jim: I have added a link to this info. It is a minimum of 15" to a maximum height of 72" from the ground. It is the same for Federal mandates as well. I mounted my tail/brake lights in my hatch to keep from "shinning" them or breaking them off while backing up the trailer. And this keeps them in other drivers view instead of only seeing one at a time when they view the trailer from an angle off to the side.

I like the look of them in the hatch.

http://www.ehow.com/list_7570564_traile ... -code.html

http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/standar ... rpstr.html

[Bogo]

Mounting a center middle light at the average auto drivers eye level would also be good ffor safety reasons.

[bobhenry]

My biggest fear was being rear ended because the driver behind didn't see the lights so I added clearance lights and a center brake light on the barn.



oops wasn't installed yet ! Let me look !

[S. Heisley]

Look here:

http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/standar ... rpstr.html

...Far right side of chart.

[pmowers]

In order to save my shins while walking around the camper at night, I'm thinking of mounting the tail lights under the frame or recessing them in the bumper. I'd like to use what I have as far as lights, which would mean mounting them under the frame. I'm not sure if 10" of clearance is enough here in So. Calif while in-tow. At least where I live, there aren't many deep gullies but I don't plan to camp in my 'hood'. How much clearance is really needed?

One tip that I found when I went to install my stabilizer jacks, was to stretch a string from the bottom of the wheel to the bottom of the rear frame. Anything extending below that is likely to get scraped off when going up a steep incline or a speed bump(same idea applies to the front). The light mounted below the frame in the picture looks to be a likely candidate.

Like others have mentioned, follow the NHTSA guidelines to keep youself out of hot water with the local gendarmerie.

[Colemancooler]

I made these guards with 3/16 steel flat bar, They stick 1/2" back from the frame so if I back into something the lights most likely wont break, and if the trailer ends up tongue up, the tail lights will not break the fall