Wow, such hate for the guy all over a lightbar. At least he bought a quality light (Sho-me is decent but I prefer Whelen) and not a cheap ebay chinese POS. I think it looks good, real simple and not whacked out like some of the chasers I have seen. If I were to tear anything apart about your install it would be the placement of your interior electronics. I would personally rip out the middle seat and put in a console but its your truck and your life, do what you want with both. Now to address a couple of the members concerns:
got permits for the emergency lighting? (guess not)
No permit required for MN or several of the states around him
Not all states regulate Amber. Some do, which can create a problem when crossing state lines.
This answers the question above. If the OP is staying in state, he should have no trouble.
I live in GA and this is one of the States that regulates the use of Amber warning lights. I have such a State Permit, it is a sticker that is affixed to the inside of the windshield and is the color of the lights authorized.
In other words, the sticker is Amber or Red or Blue. (governmental owned vehicles and UC vehicles have some obvious exemptions). The procedure of securing a Permit is spelled out in Regulations. I don't recommend using lights without a Permit or a really good explanation at hand and some supporting documentation.
Well, for the most part, the Midwest does not care about Farmer John using amber lights on his tractor without a permit to try to prevent an accident. I think that is what the OP is doing here.
I agree, loose the amber lights. Amber lights=Trouble, period! There is no legit reason to have them on the roof of your vehicle.
Does the OP work construction when he is not spotting/chasing? I wouldn't own a 1 ton truck if I weren't a welder, construction worker, or someone who routinely towed equipment over 10,000 lbs. I'm sure the OP has a reason for owning the 3500 but perhaps he uses the amber light for reasons other than watching storm clouds. An Amber light is to indicate caution and it is the BEST color for traffic control. See below in my post for a presentation about that.
Storm spotters are a valuable asset to the NWS, but whacker chasers are not. Let's see what happens when those lights are on and your speeding past a LEO or worse yet crashing due to either excessive speed for the conditions or distracted driving. What's next, chasers adding strobes, sirens, red & blue lights. Wait a minute, that's already happening.
This is where community policing comes in handy, either report the whackers to law enforcement or politely show them what the laws are and they might think twice about it. I know several people who have been ticketed or just had a nice butt chewing from the Highway Patrol for reckless driving or using the wrong color for lighting and they have since changed their habits so to speak.
Storm Chasers also dont use there own money to a point to outfit there vehicles. They are sponsored by a local news station to do storm chasing for them.
Few people get sponsored. There is not enough money made at the news media to employ 60 chasers to go get a few storms. Thus most chasers buy their own equipment and either do it as a hobby, or sell their video to pay for expenses. The fact that the media stations are paying big bucks for the footage is what has attracted more people into the hobby and has made it more dangerous on the roads.
Multiple studies show flashing lights attract OUI and FATIGUE drivers is correct, know from personal experience, not just once, 31 years as a FF have had equipment, pumper, ladder truck struck several times in my career, in all of these situations the driver was one of the two.
studies show that flashing lights on the side of the road attract drunks and sleepy drivers.
This is very true.
How many DUI drivers are you going to run into while storm spotting though? I know that DUI drivers can strike anywhere at any time and any day (I would know, I was almost killed by one at 330 PM on a Sunday), however most of your DUI arrests occur at night usually shortly after the bars close.
Unfortunately DUI drivers are attracted to red/blue lights but not so much to Amber. I'm not sure where I heard that but here is a presentation that will help explain my point.
http://www.i95coalition.org/i95/Por...nt-toolkit/documents/Guide/Guide_Clear_RF.pdf
why do you need lights on your vehicle?
It is to indicate the presence of a traffic hazard requiring unusual care in approaching, overtaking, or passing. Lets see, a person (or persons) standing outside a parked car
5 feet off the roadway looking at a Tornado heading this direction. Presence of a traffic hazard? I think so.
As long as the OP is being responsible with the usage of his lighting and the operation of his truck, why dog him about it? If you want to beat someone up about their lighting setup, look no further than here:
Official "Whacker" or "Screwed Up Install" Thread
I will probably get s@!# on for making these statements but that's just my 2 cents. Trust me, there are worse out there.