Alternative to Renting Light Towers

The marching band at my son's school needs lights for the practice field. We've been renting lights for about $2600 for five weeks, not including fuel for the generators. This is for two 4000 watt lights (4 x

1000W bulbs).

We'd like to find an alternative, even if we have to spend three-four times as much as five weeks of rentals cost. We don't actually need 8000 watts worth of light. We need lights for two hours a day, two days a week. There is no electricity available at the practice field.

My idea is to purchase sixteen 4000 lumen 75W 12V HID flood lights, four

90AH deep cycle batteries, and eight 18' light towers. This would cost about $4000. The batteries would probably need to be replaced every 3-4 years.

I was looking for some other ideas on how to do this.

Reply to
sms
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We've been renting lights for about $2600 for five weeks, not including fu el for the generators. This is for two 4000 watt lights (4 x 1000W bulbs). We'd like to find an alternative, even if we have to spend three-four times as much as five weeks of rentals cost. We don't actually need 8000 watts w orth of light. We need lights for two hours a day, two days a week. There i s no electricity available at the practice field. My idea is to purchase si xteen 4000 lumen 75W 12V HID flood lights, four 90AH deep cycle batteries, and eight 18' light towers. This would cost about $4000. The batteries woul d probably need to be replaced every 3-4 years. I was looking for some othe r ideas on how to do this.

Park automobiles/trucks in a circle around the practice field and use the c ar/truck headlights.

Reply to
hrhofmann

Inverters for the vehicles to power the tower lights? Generators with super muffler systems? Used RV generators?

Reply to
Dean Hoffman

Put in permanent lights and buy a generator. You can use the generator for other things.

Reply to
gfretwell

They did that on one episode of MASH.

My gut sense is that the marine battery route might work. Need to find someone who is competent to charge them correctly. I've killed a marine battery by leaving it on a Harbor Freight float charger, which dried it out and it never came back to life.

I wonder if a couple halogen lamps from Harbor Freight, and one or two small gasoline generators would do the trick? Have the advantage of being backup power for someone during the next power cut.

You're using generator and lights on towers -- so buy your own?

. Christ>

practice field and use the car/truck headlights.

>
Reply to
Stormin Mormon

With a good vehicle and maybe a trolling battery in series with the starting battery, that might work. 12 volt lights will need some hefty cables, lot of amps. When I'm a bit more awake, I'll run some numbers, and see how that works out.

Never know, might get by with two batteries instead. Who can tell?

My ETQ generator, 1200 watts, is quiet enough I can stand next to it, and have a conversation with it running. Hondas are better than that.

. Christ>>

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

It's for a marching band practice, not a gang fight. O_o

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

Why don't they just practice during the day?

Reply to
Ashton Crusher

After the band practice, they could have a Klan meeting.

Reply to
bubba

I bought a perfectly good diesel light tower with 4- 1000 watt fixtures on it, used, with only 500 hours on it, for $2000

Reply to
RBM

Might turn into both?

I have a couple concerns. First, the 12 volt DC lights probably more expensive than 120 volt AC lights. (You know, it is so much harder to manufacture DC filaments...)

The batteries also promise to be a huge expense. Golf cart batteries may be more forgiving. Designed to be driven around, and deep discharged by golfers. Trying to sneak in another nine holes on the same charge.

The wiring for 12 volt will be heavier cables.

. Christ>> Park automobiles/trucks in a circle around the practice field and use

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

It sounds like you live in a rural area (as I do). In your situation, what we would do here is cut down a number of cedar trees and strip them into poles. We would plant the number of poles we need around the field in appropriate locations, and then mount lights such as this

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on the poles, with a wire running down the pole to a 3-prong 120v mail plug such as this

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then all you need is a generator or two with extension cords. I don't see how you can avoid the generators.

Reply to
CRNG

I wonder if fluorescent lighting would be better than high intensity filament? More energy efficient.

And if you use the right laundry soap, those Klan robes will be whiter than white. Not necessarily a bad thing for Klan rally.

. Christ>>> Park automobiles/trucks in a circle around the practice field and use

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Which Klan? There are thousands of them. ^_^

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

Get every member of the band and their families to get a free LED flashlight from Harbor Freight, dismantle the lights, put the LED and reflector assemblies in several frames, wire them up and power them off a few car batteries. ^_^

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

I hereby wish to nominate this as post of the year. Do I hear a plus one?

. Christ>

Reply to
Stormin Mormon
16 x 75 watts is 1200 watts. Since you mention four batteries,I'm guessing you figure to set up four lamp poles with four lights each.

4 x 75 watts is 300 watts. At 12 volts, that makes for 25 amps. I guess you could run 10 gauge copper wire, that's not too awful.

I remember from some where, it's not wise to discharge trolling batteries lower than 50% at most. So, the

90 AH batteries would provide "about" two hours of run time before damaging the cells.

If you rigged a cable from the trolling battery to the battery (charging system) of a running car, you could extend the light time, a LOT. Might not run till you were out of gas, but it should extend the runtime.

Sounds like a fun project. Hope you tell us how it all works out. I'd still be thinking in terms of gasoline generator, some how.

. Christ> The marching band at my son's school needs lights for the practice

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Get every member of the band and their families to get a free LED flashlight from Harbor Freight, sell them as a fund raiser and buy the $4K worth of equipment that you have been looking at.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

We'd do that, but I've been unable to find any used ones for sale.

Reply to
sms

I thought we'd give each kid a 500 lumen LED head lamp.

Reply to
sms

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