Diode Dynamics combo bar vibrations

Love the output and eaze of installation. What really bothers me is the vibration light flicker when driving on dirt roads. I feel like I’m going to have a siezure sometimes! Anyone have a fix?

 

you can put a pool noodle under the bar, or add a center support bracket, to stiffen the lamp. mine didnt have locking washers on the lamps ends, and would come loose, even with loctite on the bolt.

when it would loosen a bit, it started allowing the lamp to move, up and down, out of alignment. when it did that, the flickering actually looked like the lamp is getting brighter, and then dimmer. I thought I had a bad lamp, until I started looking at the fit of the lamp, in the bracket, and how loose it was.

I added star lock washers to the ends of the lamp side, and this stopped that. the bonus was, it did stiffen the lamp and bracket more too so, my flickering has been cut down, a lot. Ski

 

I got a reply from DD and they have no reports of this condition. I replied with a video of my finger flicking the bar and it easily wiggles. They came back and said check mounting brackets. No shit! Worthless support from @DiodeDynamics . Pool noodle sounds interesting. Zip tied in place? Like a six inch piece? Thanks for the idea.

 

One of my brackets is completely warped and I somehow don't have an issue with mine wiggling

mine isnt a dd product though

 

I'm kinda with DD on this. Should be fairly easy to tighten down or make up something to stop it.

 

Here’s what I’m talking about. All bolts are tight.

https://imgur.com/a/DT0kiwK?s=sms

 

What size lightbar? I current run a 32" lightbar in that area, but its hard to find high quality 32" lightbars so I'm thinking about downsizing to a 30".

 

30”. I bought closed cell foam pipe insulation at the home big box store. Wedged it in top and bottom and now it doesnt vibrate. Need to check on the dirt.

 

Thought maybe my light bar was defective. I get the same vibration/flicker that you get when going over any kind of bump. It only seems to be the center part of the bar that really is affected assuming that the outer parts are more “rigid” since they are closer to the mounts.

 

old post, but since DD said they had no reports of this I just wanted to chime in also -
Mine wobbles too, not as much as your vid but even after re-torquing all the bolts mounting points etc it wobbles a bit on dirt roads, it's definitely noticeable
Did you try the pool noodle? Seems like a good idea
I love the light bar though otherwise, it works great... will be switching to a new bumper soon and mounting it in there, I think it will cure the wobbles

 

I've posted here in another thread about the Diode Dynamics "Stealth" light bar kit, and how much the mounting brackets SUCK like nobody's business. Others have done the same on this forum, and elsewhere, and yet there are multiple reports of Diode Dynamics stating that they are unaware of any complaints or problems. Many people recommend tightening the bolts and/or sticking a "pool noodle" underneath it to stop it from shaking so badly it can induce epileptic seizures.

Forgive me, but having spent good money on what I thought was a quality product from a reputable brand, I don't think pool noodles, duct tape, Loctite, or any other solution that didn't come from the manufacturer itself is really a viable option.

So a few days ago when I was coming out to my truck after work, I noticed my light bar sitting askew behind the grill. It's not the first time. The first time was on a dark FSR near some mountain approaching bed time on New Year's Eve. One of the mounting bolts shook loose and is still out in the woods somewhere. Fortunately I had plenty of tools with me, but I had to steal a bolt from my tail lamp, shorten it with a hacksaw blade, then file the rough edges so it would install into the light. I did it up as tight as I dared into the aluminum end plate without stripping anything.

It seems to have held for a number of months - in fact, it never failed really. The end of the light bar that was hanging free, to my shock and surprise was still bolted on! The 6 or so small bolts holding the end plate on had loosened and are god-knows-where now. The donor bolt that I installed on that cold and dark night was still holding the end plate tightly to the flimsy mounting bracket!

So that's my rant. What's the solution?

I'm not sure, but having to remove everything at least temporarily, I decided to scan the bracket in hopes that I might have time to design an improvement and send it to some fab service to get manufactured.

I've posted the 3D scan file in the thread related to scanning Tacoma parts here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/hosting-3d-scans-on-tw.822742/page-3#post-29788790

 

My noodles have fallen out. No issue with the bolts and DD should add a middle bracket. Still vibrates like a seizure waiting to happen on dirt.

 

I wonder if just making a much thicker bracket with the same mounting surface dimensions would do the trick? I think what I have is stainless steel, powder coated black.

Making a replacement out of 3/16 aluminum should be pretty damn rigid. After having to remove the air dams that night it first came loose, I never put them back in so I don't have to worry about space.

Thicker and perhaps with a stiffening web or two. Also, I wouldn't hesitate to add some holes and put some self-tappers into the top of the aluminum crash bar mounts.