Chris (and the OP especially)....

Sorry I didn't get back sooner. I never had the opportunity to cite a driver for being idiotic enough to blow a train horn mounted on their vehicle at other motor vehicles, so I wanted to research a little before posting.

I could NOT find any statutory language stating (in so many words) that 'thou shalt not mount a train horn on anything but a train'....But there IS language against 'harsh' or 'unreasonably loud' sound emitting from horns being applied as a warning on the roadways. This gives the LEO all the language he or she needs to cite a driver for using something unreasonable as a frickin' train horn on the roadways.

(I have a traffic officer checking up on this. There are also issues with decibel levels of the noise being applied. I'll get back to you all here if further information arises)

Everything you need is in the first paragraph:

North Carolina General Statutes § 20-125 Horns and warning devices - North Carolina Attorney Resources - North Carolina Laws

Now. Let's apply a little GD common sense, please. Your truck is NOT a train. Only a train should have a train horn mounted on it. Train horns are applied at specific locations, and for specific purposes only. Applying a train horn on a truck at whatever location for no reason other than to get revenge on some driver that pissed you off will do nothing but put that other driver, and any OTHER driver at danger when a train horn goes off in an unexpected place. It might ALSO put YOU at danger when you blow that stupid thing at the wrong person, they almost run (or run) off of the road, then speed up to catch up with you and start firing hot lead at you.

Keep in mind, even at some RR crossings, some authorized 'quiet' zones can preclude EVEN A TRAIN from applying their horn during certain hours.

In short, a train horn should NEVER be used on a motor vehicle. Ever. And there's enough language in the statute I cited to write the offender a ticket. And if it causes an accident? Tack on even more charges.

Use common sense please. It's a public ROADWAY....Not your personal playground.

Thank You.

 

Keep in mind "train horn" is often used as a generic term for an air horn. If an air horn is put on a pick up that is no louder than the air horns found on most 18 wheelers driving the same roads, what's the difference? How is it too loud for a pick up but acceptable for a larger truck?

I think the decibel levels will be key here. After all, train horns are there to keep people from getting hit by a train. The whole point of this thread is to keep people from being hit by a Super Duty.

 

I was speaking of train horns specifically, but I get your point.

I suppose I could say that the sound of an air horn like those found on big rigs is NOT an unexpected sound....no matter WHERE you are. We do, after all, share the road with the big rigs. The louder air horn illustrates the bigger imperative of NOT being hit by a big rig (grossing 80000 lb), versus not being hit by a super duty (even one pulling a trailer).

Let's extend the argument and up the ante. There's an even BIGGER imperative for a motor vehicle (or a pedestrian for that matter) to NOT be hit by a train....which, I think we can all agree, is ALWAYS going to have an unhappy ending. Hence, the much louder, much more obnoxious (and distinct) sound of the train horn. The train horn, versus the standard air horn, WILL be an unexpected noise in most places, making them much more dangerous when abused.

Add into that braking distances.

 

And I think this brings us back full circle to the OP's issue. A Super Duty pulling a trailer kind of needs BIGGER warning than let's say a Prius. I agree a train horn should be louder than a horn on a golf cart due to weight, stopping distances, etc. I also think a Super Duty with a trailer deserves a louder horn than your typical sub compact car for the exact same reasons.

So if you'll be kind enough to share that info with all the LEO's in NC, our OP can install her horns.

 

Hey, Steve, thanks so much for your info, I really appreciate you posting it! And thanks, Chris for tracking him down.

I really don't want the full blown train horn as I really don't want to see the inside of the county pokey and frankly, I'd probably scare myself into the ditch knowing my luck, but I DO, like Chris, think an air horn (within non-brain-bleed decibel levels) could be totally appropriate for a loaded rig. Instead of saying, "Hey, my lil Explorer might crash into you and dent your trunk," I need to say, "HEY, 14,000 LBS OF STEEL WILL DEMOLISH YOU IF YOU DON'T PAY ATTENTION AND I DON'T WANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR KILLING YOU."

 

If you're interested in an air tank and possibly pressure switch for an air horn setup let me know, i've got air horns on my truck and just upgraded my tank and the old one(~6 gallons) is just sitting in my garage

 

You upgraded from a 6 gallon tank? What do you do, run impact wrenches off of it? That's a lot of air. I'm almost scared to ask how big your new tank is. Is it mounted in the bed or did you relocate your spare tire?

 

I actually had 2 6 gallon tanks with 2 compressors and don't regularly run air tools but have the ability to, i "upgraded" to a single 8 gallon tank, less ports so less chance to leak. it's in a tool box in the bed

 

That's appropriate, AND legal......In that case (and even in cases with a REGULAR horn), inappropriate application is what gets you in trouble......

And is slightly less noisy than an approaching 2-engine Norfolk-Southern train pulling 80 cars full of phosphates or coal.......

 

ROFL, I don't think my tow capacity would accommodate all 80 cars...maybe just 42.... ;-)

Thanks for the heads-up, hhowell -- I will keep that in mind. I don't think I'll be hopping on anything in a hurry, I have to find someone who wants to buy it for me and wait for an appropriate buying-things holiday to occur, LOL.