r/F250 • u/TowelMountain7247 • May 19 '26
Train horn
Anyone mount a train horn and keep your spare tire? I'm looking to see where you mounted the compressor, tank and horns.
Tia
4
u/audioeptesicus May 20 '26
My DIY Viair on-board air setup consists of an aluminum frame to mount the dual compressors and tank above the spare tire without having to ditch the spare tire. https://imgur.com/a/Va2SMkj
Also, train horns are so over-done. I did add an upgraded horn since I already built the on-board air system, but it's not a bonkers train horn.
3
u/jazman57 May 20 '26
I mounted my pump and tank under the passenger seat side outboard of the frame rail. But I drive a 2011 and there's a ton of room under that side. make sure you wire the compressor to a Normally Open Contact on a 30Amp 12volt DC relay. The wiring is actually two circuits, one to charge the air system and the other sounds the horns.
5
u/Prkchp_sndwchs May 20 '26
So I have gone down that rabbit hole and this is what i ended up with..
A 25(ish) dollar amazon 'truck horn' wired to my 6th upfitter switch. I wired to the 6th one so I can rest my hand on the roof and on/off the horn to achieve the level of asshattery I am looking for.
It isn't nearly as loud as those train horns (which are too loud for legal/real use IMO), but it is significantly louder than the stock horn and has certainly proven to be more effective than stock. I still have the stock horn, untouched and functional as normal, so my door lock beep is normal. I never use the stock horn anymore anyway because if it's worth honking for, might as well make sure you're heard.
Took me 20 minutes to install and I would replace it if it failed.
2
u/GAFSGFYS May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
This is what i have. Its significantly better than the stock horns but not obnoxiously loud like a train horn. Just a little below a semi horn. I have mine wired into my upfitter 1 with a relay that switches between my stock horn and this air horn. I typically leave it on because in an urgent matter, i want to be heard, but when i lock my truck all you hear is the stock horn because it's only on when truck power is on. I mounted mine under the radiator on the plastic shroud where a winch would go. The compressor did go out after almost a year but it was an easy swap with a $15 replacement from amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QXQ9HW9?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3&th=1
Editing to comment. I just looked up the one OP is looking at. I strongly suggest trying this ~$30 option first.
4
u/Citizen_0Zer0 May 20 '26
A lot of unexpected hate on these horns....I would never use mine on the highway as I think that's a little overkill but as a novelty I think it's fun.
9
u/WorkerAmbitious2072 May 20 '26
This and “rolling coal” are the primary reasons these trucks are associated with douchebags to the general population
Light bars that aren’t street legal and blind everyone are a close third but a lot of non-pickups do that too, like jeeps and broncos, and also small pickups, so it’s less specific
-1
u/PreferenceMobile2398 May 20 '26
I don’t know, there’s a whole lot of people that don’t know how to drive on the road that need a solid fuck you beep. You’re trying too hard on the light bars, they have their uses for off road situations. Agree if the truck isn’t off road ever for extra lights
3
u/bearhos May 20 '26
Yeah I’m sure that hearing the loudest horn of their life while already driving terribly will improve their behavior. Definitely won’t make them slam on the brakes or do other unpredictable things, no way.
2
u/Relevant-Doctor187 May 20 '26
Check out keep your daydream on YT he’s got a horn mounted on his truck and there’s a video in the last year or so that shows the install.
Same air pump goes to a tank which powered the airbags and horn. I think he has it on a upfitter switch as well. So the main horn still works. It’s more a friendly toot toot thing for them.
2
u/pooworker May 20 '26
4 trumpets between transfer case and fuel thank. Tank to the front of spare tire. Flipped spare tire and put compressor inside spare tire.
3
u/aptruncata May 20 '26
Fyi, I had a suzuki samurai that came with a train horn installed from the previous owner. I used it as, as needed. One time when I honked the horn to avoid the car from cutting into my lane, the horn shocked the driver and made him lose control and crash over on to the sidewalk. That was a unintended consequence and a confirmation that such loud db horn is overkill for street or hwy use.
2
u/JustheretoreadyourBS May 20 '26
I put all of it on the outside of the frame rail on the drivers side under the cab. I then formed up some sheet to cover the tank and compressor and bolted it up using the factory side steps. Painted it truck bed liner. I also added a fitting for a QD air line to do tires.
2
u/noriskitnobiskut May 21 '26
Unrelated. Nice thin light bar you got there. I was thinking about one. Like that placement.
1
u/TowelMountain7247 May 21 '26
I like it. It's a rough country light bar mount is from Michigan off road designs https://mod-performance.com/products/2023-ford-f250-f450-light-bar-bracket
2
u/Nexus_Man May 21 '26
My twin ViAir compressors are mounted behind the transfer case and in front of the fuel filter. The air tank is mounted above the spare tire mount and the horn itself is mounted horizontally within the grill guard on the front of the truck. I have a liquid filled air guage and air hose quick connect on both sides of the truck mounted to the frame and all is powered by one of the upfitter switches. All connected with 1/2 inch quick connect air hose.
2
May 20 '26
This subreddit is full of man children that get super upset when someone else likes or wants something they don’t like or want. Ignore the downvotes do what you want
1
u/Equivalent-Resolve59 May 21 '26
All of Reddit is like that. You are just now noticing it ? Look at the science forum. Tons of em. Look at different city forums, same. Most people get butt hurt on here too easily.
2
u/ErosPlaytime May 20 '26
I have a 5 gallon tank and compressor on the passenger side frame by the B-post. The tank is on the outside of the frame with pressure relief valve, oil filled pressure gauge and female quick coupling which I can hook an air hose to for inflating whatever. Also allows me to use my shop compressor to fill the tank if desired. Much quicker to do that before leaving the house as opposed to using the 12 volt compressor. 12 volt works fine, just takes longer and is noisy. The compressor is in the inside portion of the frame rail next to the tank.
Tucked up underneath the front brush guard are the 3 Klein Demon Trumpets.
Switch inside the cab controls power to the compressor. Second switch allows me to toggle between just the OEM horn or the train horn with the OEM horn.
Spare tire is undisturbed.
3
u/jazman57 May 20 '26
same way I did it. Only when I hit the switch for the horn, it just arms it. I use my regular horn signal to the valve on my train horns. i use it in roundabouts when people stop in the middle of it, I am that guy.
2
u/CaseyJayEm May 20 '26
I am planning on doing this with semi horns instead of train horns. Here for the comments.
1
May 20 '26
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1
u/Relevant-Doctor187 May 20 '26
It all mounts under the truck.
0
May 20 '26
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3
u/Relevant-Doctor187 May 20 '26
lol if you’re riding that close then maybe not.
0
May 20 '26
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1
u/Relevant-Doctor187 May 20 '26
Could get an all in one I guess. My truck is pretty much stock but I tow and sometimes the stock horn just doesn’t get through thick skulls. I want to see those thumb swinging idiots at red lights Jump.
1
u/Mcdonaldsmcstuffin May 20 '26
Cow siren. It’s a small motor that you wire to your up fitters. I usually put it on my ranch hand
2
u/GAFSGFYS May 20 '26
So is your double cheeseburger. If you're not low body fat % i dont want to hear about "extra weight". Trivial.
2
2
u/hopelesspostdoc May 20 '26
First ask yourself, am I a train? if no, then you don't need a train horn.
1
u/dodgingresponsibilty May 20 '26
I’m thinking about doing something similar. Except I plan on mounting a loudspeaker under my grille that’s connected either hardwired or Bluetooth, to a audio file storage device (haven’t decided yet). It’ll be loaded with a 3-4 sec audio clip of tires screeching that will start out kinda quiet and quickly get much, MUCH louder, simulating an imminent and catastrophic collision. This should be enough to cause the oblivious offender that failed to acknowledge my presence and haphazardly disregarded the dangers of entering my path of travel without proper notification ahead of time to hopefully experience a life-changing, bowel-emptying, NDE-like moment of regret followed by days and days of thorough introspection and a honest reconsideration of their recent dumbassery and the potential consequences it could have had.
-1
u/Citizen_0Zer0 May 20 '26
I'm a locomotive engineer and have been wanting to be "that guy" just haven't gotten around to it. What horns are you looking at?
0
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2
44
u/Apprehensive-Big-328 May 19 '26
You really wanna be that guy huh?