So, when working under a car, whether on a lift or up on jackstands, you always need more light. I've used numerous corded hand-held work lights in the past, but before LED technology, dropping one almost always resulted in a broken bulb. I do have a few rechargeable lights, but they all seem to die just when I need it the most. I was searching the interwebs for a new light and not coming up with any great solution. The following day I was under a car on the lift and needed more light than my headlamp could provide when I began looking around for something to use. In the corner were a few 8' Barrina LED tubes that I'm going to be installing in the shop when I get to it. Since they come with a 4' cord and an in-line on-off switch, I grabbed one to give it a shot. HOLY CRAP, more undercar light than I've ever had. Now it was just a temporary thing because 8' is a bit much, but it got me thinking. When I got home I jumped on Amazon, went to the Barrina store and looked for their 4' T5 lights. Sure enough, they had them in a quantity of 6 lights for under $50. I ordered them and in 2 days they were at my door. The next day at the shop I unboxed them and grabbed 2 lights and plug cords. I propped them up on the lift pointing them upward and WOW, all the light I need. My plan is to mount 4 of them, one on each side of the lift pointed at an angle which leaves me 2 to use as needed. That's 6 work lights for the price of one of the "good" ones. They also come in 2' and 3'.
Link to the Barrina lights I used.
Great idea!
I've used these before for this exact reason.
That picture was taken almost 5 years ago and I still have those same lights, so they hold up well!
Looking forward to seeing how you mount them to the lift.
I looked at the lift and unfortunately nothing can be drill thru the side and protrude where the mechanism rides inside, so bolting any sort of bracket is not happening. I did have some heavy-duty 2-sided tape and decided to give that a shot. Works decent for now since the lights don't weigh much at all. Some 1-1/2"x1-1/2"x1/16" aluminum angle(8 pieces), a few 10-32x3/4" button head bolts, washers and nuts and we have some semi-permenant undercar lift lighting. I need to wire both sides together so all 4 work off of 1 switch, but I think it will be decent general lighting. If I need anything more specific, I still have 2 bulbs that I can use.
In reply to lotusseven7 (Forum Supporter) :
The metal is thick enough that you can drill and tap it. I have installed plenty of convenience outlets on lifts like that for automotive shops before.
My son and I used those in his shop. We daisy chained them together so they all plugged into 1 plug, and he found a wireless switch with a remote that he controlled them all from.
I think there are ones that work with Alexa.
I put Barrinas on my lift a few years back, copying JG. They're great.
Another option is to attach them to strong magnets with pivots so you can adjust the angle. Then you can stick them to the posts, arms, under the car, tool cart, etc.
I was also just about to make a couple of DIY work lights with loc-line and a Y fitting attached to a magnet, so three led lights on one base. Still haven't decided if it'll be a strong magnet or a cheap dial Indicator magnetic base, but probably the latter to make it easy to move around.
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