Date sent: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 15:45:24 -0800 From: "Karl Bohn" Organization: Hamilton Partners Inc. To: TLCA Mailing List Subject: Stuck at red lights Send reply to: landcruisers@tlca.org Has anyone come up with a creative solution for getting the light to change to green on those frustrating signal lights that have sensors of some kind. I can sit for three or four rotations of the lights until someone finally pulls up behind me to get the light to change. It reminds me of my motorcycling days when I had the same problem and I would eventually get up enough nerve (after looking for big brother in every direction) to just run the light when it was clear. What is it about the 40 that is causing this dreaded phenomenon? Karl Bohn 77 FJ40 From: Scarabeyes@aol.com Date sent: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 18:48:30 EST Subject: Re: Stuck at red lights To: landcruisers@tlca.org Send reply to: landcruisers@tlca.org Maybe it is that your cruiser is far enough off of the ground to not be caught my the sensor under the road? I always wondered what those lines with tar over them were in the road.. one day I finally asked! sensors! duh! I think it jsut takes a certain amount of metal mass clsoe enough to trigger it.. one of those things you must encounter in the air! __________________________ David Lau Vancouver, Washington TLCA Someday 196Something Fj40 Full Cage, Stock Running Gear, Mostly stock everywhere else.. From: "Rullman, John E" To: "'landcruisers@tlca.org'" Subject: RE: Stuck at red lights Date sent: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 16:05:02 -0800 Send reply to: landcruisers@tlca.org From my motorcycle days. The majority of the lights have metal detectors embedded in the pavement. When on my motorcycle I used to put down the kick stand and tap it on the ground; it would usually trip the sensor. LandCruiser? Maybe yours is too high to make the sensor trip. Carry a long metal rod and drop it out the door?! Also, I asked a few traffic officers about the hang up w. motorcycles and they all indicated that they would ticket for running the red. Even if it was 4 A.M. and there was no other traffic. They suggested that it is legal to make a right turn from the far left lane (as long as it is clear) to avoid the red light but to run it was not. HTH, John From: "Nathan Kofahl" To: Subject: Re: Stuck at red lights Date sent: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 17:12:11 -0700 Send reply to: landcruisers@tlca.org I have a problem like this when i go to most drive through windows. Some of the sensors are set up much better for Low Riders than for my slightly taller than average cruiser. Just the price you pay for 35 inch tires and 6 inches of lift ;) From: "Lino" To: Subject: Re: Stuck at red lights Date sent: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 16:23:18 -0800 Send reply to: landcruisers@tlca.org > From my motorcycle days. The majority of the lights have metal detectors > embedded in the pavement. When on my motorcycle I used to put down the kick > stand and tap it on the ground; it would usually trip the sensor. I could never get the kickstand thing to work on my motorcycle. I also have problems, though less frequently, with my FJ40. My motorcycle solution was to put down the kickstand, get off, and go to the crosswalk button and push it. I guess that could work for the FJ40 too. Yet another reason to carry a passenger 8^) lino 76 FJ40 "Matilda" TLCA pending Date sent: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 23:21:38 -0500 From: Dave and Mysti Plummer Organization: Beeline Delivery Services To: landcruisers@tlca.org Subject: Re: Stuck at red lights Send reply to: landcruisers@tlca.org never had this problem in my 40. Seems to be plenty of weight there. Are you running all fiberglass body? years ago, though... 4am... BMW 2002 at a light I new very well. Sat there for nearly five minutes. I could see most of a mile in each direction....no cars coming. Finally motored on through. Flashing lights out of nowhere. Completely sober...explained myself to the kind officer. "Sure, tell the judge that". Prick still gave me a ticket. : ( -- Dave Plummer, mailto:davemyst@ix.netcom.com '76 FJ40 -'83 FJ60 - '78 M416A1 Trailer - Ypsilanti, MI, USA President-Great Lakes Land Cruisers TLCA 6091, WCLC, NRA Life Member http://pw2.netcom.com/~davemyst/enter.html Visit GLLC: http://www.innoves.com/gllc/ From: thedad@satx.net Date sent: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 22:47:48 -0600 To: landcruisers@tlca.org Subject: Re: Stuck at red lights Send reply to: landcruisers@tlca.org Dave and Mysti Plummer wrote: > > years ago, though... 4am... BMW 2002 at a light I new very well. Sat > there for nearly five minutes. I could see most of a mile in each > direction....no cars coming. Finally motored on through. Flashing lights > out of nowhere. Completely sober...explained myself to the kind officer. > "Sure, tell the judge that". Prick still gave me a ticket. : ( > -- > Dave Plummer, mailto:davemyst@ix.netcom.com Same thing happened to me on a motorcycle, but in the middle of the day. I gave up after 3 or 4 lights and took off to turn left. As I angled over for the turn, I saw the cop in the mirror. I pulled over. he pulled up behind me and turned on his lights. I explained the situation to him, and he protested "but I'd pulled up right behind you, I would have tripped it!" I countered, "well, it should be obvious that I hadn't noticed that". Didn't keep me from getting a ticket. -- Dan Johnson mailto:thedad@satx.net San Antonio, Texas TLCA # 6713 / '65 FJ45 Shorty / '84 FJ60 - libertas habitat, ibi nostra patria est - - nulla tenaci invia estvia - Date sent: Tue, 16 Nov 1999 11:28:13 -0700 From: Dave Aley Organization: Lee Ranch Coal Company To: landcruisers@tlca.org Subject: Re: Stuck at red lights Send reply to: landcruisers@tlca.org Karl Bohn wrote: > > Has anyone come up with a creative solution for getting the light to > change to green on those frustrating signal lights that have sensors of > some kind. I can sit for three or four rotations of the lights until > someone finally pulls up behind me to get the light to change. It > reminds me of my motorcycling days when I had the same problem and I > would eventually get up enough nerve (after looking for big brother in > every direction) to just run the light when it was clear. What is it > about the 40 that is causing this dreaded phenomenon? A solution that works well on my motorcycle, and would probably work with a Cruiser, is to shut off the engine and restart it. Apparently the magnetic field caused by the starter's windings is enough to trip the inductive sensor for the light. Regardless of why it works, it does work! (Actually, on the bike I just hit the starter button without shutting off the engine, since the starter has a sprag clutch to engage it to the crank gear. Not a recommended technique on the Cruiser! ;-) ) -- Dave Aley | mailto:aley@7cities.net Mechanical Engineer | ASME #6363402 TLCA #8419 DoD#0454 Lee Ranch Coal Company | http://www.lechugilla.com/ Grants, New Mexico, USA | '87 VFR700FII '71 FJ40 From: s0ulja@collegeclub.com To: Subject: Re: Stuck at Red Lights Date sent: Tue, 16 Nov 1999 16:11:20 -0800 Send reply to: landcruisers@tlca.org I know that where I went to school, in York, PA, if you flashed your headlights repeatedly very fast, they would change to green within 10 seconds. They had sensors that reacted to flashing light. IE: Ambulances and Police cars. I figured this out once while riding in a cab at 3:00AM and the cabbie was doing it. Date sent: Wed, 17 Nov 1999 20:16:50 -0700 To: LandCruisers@tlca.org From: John Subject: traffic lights Send reply to: landcruisers@tlca.org From: "Karl Bohn" Subject: Stuck at red lights Has anyone come up with a creative solution for getting the light to change to green on those frustrating signal lights that have sensors of some kind. I can sit for three or four rotations of the lights until Howdy!! Karl, here in the Phoenix area the current plan of attack on such intersections is to sit back from the crosswalk one car length. Theory has it that the sensor will think there are at least two cars waiting in line, so it will trigger the lite to cycle. Just be prepared to igore those other drivers that sit and stare and?or honk at you to wake up and pull forward. Sometimes ya just can't win. JoHn JoHn Bricker,Chandler, Az., 76 FJ-55, 350, Ranger Underdrive, Lockrite, inboard Saginaw PS, SO, SR, SOR HD Springs, Desert Kooler radiator, BFG A/T 35 X 12.5, and lots more to come---Commonly referred to as the Flyin Rhino, aka the One Workin Wagon. Date sent: Wed, 17 Nov 1999 08:44:12 -0500 From: "David T. Beattie" Organization: Avant Immunotherapeutics To: landcruisers@tlca.org Subject: Re: Stuck at red lights Send reply to: landcruisers@tlca.org I don't know if this is still relevant or not, but here goes...When I was a kid in Atlanta, there were sound-activated sensors at the lights, presumably for ambulances and cops. We learned to honk at intersections and get the light to change for us. Are these types still around? They were pretty obvious devices mounted on the poles...looked sort of like horns. More reminiscing than helping, I suppose... Dave Beattie Boston MA