Electric “train” horn

[DIG]

I want an option for a louder horn for use with an upfitter switch. I opted for an arb dual portable compressor instead of onboard air. Is there a good quality loud electric horn option out there that anyone knows of?

 

[Potato Wilson]

I want an option for a louder horn for use with an upfitter switch. I opted for an arb dual portable compressor instead of onboard air. Is there a good quality loud electric horn option out there that anyone knows of?

I want to upgrade my horn too. Stock horn is a joke. I had a self contained electric air horn on my Harley that worked good.

 

[Forever & Ever Woods]

Bump

 

[Modman]

You can try here:

Electric Air Horns for Trucks, Cars, Boats & More | HornBlasters

Explore our compact and powerful Electric Horns and Public Address Units, designed for a range of automobiles including motorcycles, cars, trucks, and boats.

hornblasters.com

 

[5.8 Venom]

You can do a search on here, some folks have gone a couple of different routes. I had threads marked to watch, but the site upgrade wiped em. However I did have these saved in my browser list.

https://kleinn.com/air-horns/

https://hornkings.com/products/150db-train-horn

 

[Modman]

I finally got mine installed today. I'll get a few things out of the way before anyone asks... No, it's not as loud as an air tank driven "train" horn, but it is louder than the OEM horns with a deeper tone. Kleinn claims 118dB but I will take some measurements in the next few days to get some quantifiable data between these and the OEM horns.

The horn kit I went with is the Stainless Steel self-contained marine horns from Kleinn:

Kleinn Automotive Accessories | #TooLoudTooBad

Kleinn produces the loudest air horns, train horns, onboard air systems and accessories for all vehicle types. #TooLoudTooBad

kleinn.com

I opted to wire this directly to Upfitter #6 vs. using the Limitless horn relay. Possibly down the road I may do something different.

For the installation I fabricated a bracket using the leftover pieces from my Wavian fuel can mounts. I mounted it in the open space next to the driver's side battery:

The bracket is retained by an M6 nut on the battery stud, and an M8 bolt in the unused battery tray ear (two circles). It wedges into the metal slot/opening at the bottom (large rectangle) and then rests against the rear of the tray (square).

I had to weld up a franken-bracket since I didn't have one piece large enough to cover all four points:

The position of the horn also dictated the shape of the bracket. Once it was made It was easy to finalize and then mark/drill the mounting holes:

The horns have a downward attitude in vehicle and the end of the trumpets nest instead the pocket in the grill next to the cooling module.

I did add some of the plastic pieces that originally came with the Wavian mounts. I added one on the front and one on the rear to take up the extra space at the bottom and provide for a slight interference fit:

The entire assembly can be installed or removed without removing the horns from the bracket which is definitely convenient. Overall I'm happy with it, but will watch for any movement as I drive the truck...

I think this strategy could be used for other items as it is very solid. The load is mostly projected into the steel pocket - the fasteners mainly handle the lateral position.

@TheBeerFather recently did a similar, bit more elegant, machined aluminum piece for his ARB. @Devil's Advocate was also inquiring into possible alternative ARB mounting solutions so I tagged him here...

Let me know if anyone has questions I didn't cover.

 

[MiTremor906]

I finally got mine installed today. I'll get a few things out of the way before anyone asks... No, it's not as loud as an air tank driven "train" horn, but it is louder than the OEM horns with a deeper tone. Kleinn claims 118dB but I will take some measurements in the next few days to get some quantifiable data between these and the OEM horns.

The horn kit I went with is the Stainless Steel self-contained marine horns from Kleinn:

Kleinn Automotive Accessories | #TooLoudTooBad

Kleinn produces the loudest air horns, train horns, onboard air systems and accessories for all vehicle types. #TooLoudTooBad

kleinn.com

I opted to wire this directly to Upfitter #6 vs. using the Limitless horn relay. Possibly down the road I may do something different.

For the installation I fabricated a bracket using the leftover pieces from my Wavian fuel can mounts. I mounted it in the open space next to the driver's side battery:

View attachment 129206

The bracket is retained by an M6 nut on the battery stud, and an M8 bolt in the unused battery tray ear (two circles). It wedges into the metal slot/opening at the bottom (large rectangle) and then rests against the rear of the tray (square).

I had to weld up a franken-bracket since I didn't have one piece large enough to cover all four points:

View attachment 129207
View attachment 129208

The position of the horn also dictated the shape of the bracket. Once it was made It was easy to finalize and then mark/drill the mounting holes:

View attachment 129209
The horns have a downward attitude in vehicle and the end of the trumpets nest instead the pocket in the grill next to the cooling module.

View attachment 129210

View attachment 129211

I did add some of the plastic pieces that originally came with the Wavian mounts. I added one on the front and one on the rear to take up the extra space at the bottom and provide for a slight interference fit:

View attachment 129212

The entire assembly can be installed or removed without removing the horns from the bracket which is definitely convenient. Overall I'm happy with it, but will watch for any movement as I drive the truck...

I think this strategy could be used for other items as it is very solid. The load is mostly projected into the steel pocket - the fasteners mainly handle the lateral position.

@TheBeerFather recently did a similar, bit more elegant, machined aluminum piece for his ARB. @Devil's Advocate was also inquiring into possible alternative ARB mounting solutions so I tagged him here...

Let me know if anyone has questions I didn't cover.

Nicely done and great write up. Excited to hear how it sounds at the next meet up.

 

[TheBeerFather]

Sick setup! That area near the second battery just seemed perfect!

 

[AZsurveyor]

I finally got mine installed today. I'll get a few things out of the way before anyone asks... No, it's not as loud as an air tank driven "train" horn, but it is louder than the OEM horns with a deeper tone. Kleinn claims 118dB but I will take some measurements in the next few days to get some quantifiable data between these and the OEM horns.

The horn kit I went with is the Stainless Steel self-contained marine horns from Kleinn:

Kleinn Automotive Accessories | #TooLoudTooBad

Kleinn produces the loudest air horns, train horns, onboard air systems and accessories for all vehicle types. #TooLoudTooBad

kleinn.com

I opted to wire this directly to Upfitter #6 vs. using the Limitless horn relay. Possibly down the road I may do something different.

For the installation I fabricated a bracket using the leftover pieces from my Wavian fuel can mounts. I mounted it in the open space next to the driver's side battery:

View attachment 129206

The bracket is retained by an M6 nut on the battery stud, and an M8 bolt in the unused battery tray ear (two circles). It wedges into the metal slot/opening at the bottom (large rectangle) and then rests against the rear of the tray (square).

I had to weld up a franken-bracket since I didn't have one piece large enough to cover all four points:

View attachment 129207
View attachment 129208

The position of the horn also dictated the shape of the bracket. Once it was made It was easy to finalize and then mark/drill the mounting holes:

View attachment 129209
The horns have a downward attitude in vehicle and the end of the trumpets nest instead the pocket in the grill next to the cooling module.

View attachment 129210

View attachment 129211

I did add some of the plastic pieces that originally came with the Wavian mounts. I added one on the front and one on the rear to take up the extra space at the bottom and provide for a slight interference fit:

View attachment 129212

The entire assembly can be installed or removed without removing the horns from the bracket which is definitely convenient. Overall I'm happy with it, but will watch for any movement as I drive the truck...

I think this strategy could be used for other items as it is very solid. The load is mostly projected into the steel pocket - the fasteners mainly handle the lateral position.

@TheBeerFather recently did a similar, bit more elegant, machined aluminum piece for his ARB. @Devil's Advocate was also inquiring into possible alternative ARB mounting solutions so I tagged him here...

Let me know if anyone has questions I didn't cover.

If its anything like the sound clip found in their website, for the price this is certainly a steal!

I was actually just going to pull the trigger on a hornblasters kit and albeit not a huge increase in price but if you do not have onboard air, this is the way to go, no doubt!

Thanks for the write up!

 

[McGTremor]

Kleinn claims 118dB but I will take some measurements in the next few days to get some quantifiable data between these and the OEM horns.

I opted to wire this directly to Upfitter #6 vs. using the Limitless horn relay. Possibly down the road I may do something different.
Let me know if anyone has questions I didn't cover.

Thanks for the write up! A few questions for you:

1. Have you had a chance yet to get the data between your Kleinn horn and the OEM horn?

2. Now that you’ve had it installed for a couple weeks, how are you liking this specific Kleinn horn?

3. Pardon my ignorance, but for my clarification, am I understanding correctly that in order for the Kleinn horn to sound/function with the way yours is wired with the Limitless switch, the upfitter switch must first be in the on position and then subsequently depress the horn button on the steering wheel? If that is correct, are you typically turning the upfitter switch on whenever you are driving so that the Kleinn horn will sound when you need it by simply depressing steering wheel horn button? Or when you find yourself needing to use the Klein horn it’s a two step process (flip the upfitter switch on and then depress the steering wheel horn button)?

4. I suppose if someone desired, this could also be wired opposite so that the Kleinn horn is the default with the upfitter off, and the upfitter switch when on disables the Kleinn horn and allows for the factory horn to sound when the steering wheel button is depressed?

Thank you!

 

[Modman]

Thanks for the write up! A few questions for you:

1. Have you had a chance yet to get the data between your Kleinn horn and the OEM horn?

2. Now that you’ve had it installed for a couple weeks, how are you liking this specific Kleinn horn?

3. Pardon my ignorance, but for my clarification, am I understanding correctly that in order for the Kleinn horn to sound/function with the way yours is wired with the Limitless switch, the upfitter switch must first be in the on position and then subsequently depress the horn button on the steering wheel? If that is correct, are you typically turning the upfitter switch on whenever you are driving so that the Kleinn horn will sound when you need it by simply depressing steering wheel horn button? Or when you find yourself needing to use the Klein horn it’s a two step process (flip the upfitter switch on and then depress the steering wheel horn button)?

4. I suppose if someone desired, this could also be wired opposite so that the Kleinn horn is the default with the upfitter off, and the upfitter switch when on disables the Kleinn horn and allows for the factory horn to sound when the steering wheel button is depressed?

Thank you!

1) Unfortunately not... got wrapped up in trip preparation shortly after I finished this, then taking the kids back to college, camping, etc. I'll try to get it done next week.

2) I like it. If anything it has a deeper tone than the stock horn and doesn't sound as wimpy. I'll try to get some sound bites as well.

3) Your understanding is correct. I chose not to use the Limitless switch, however, and wired directly to an Upfitter. I wasn't comfortable with the wire gauge on the Limitless relay since this is powering the entire horn, not just a solenoid. I put it on #6 and it is easy to find when needed. It would be nice if the Upfitter could be changed to a momentary config but it works fine as-is.

4). Yes, just swap the horn feed wires and this should be possible.

I'm actually wondering/thinking of powering both horns when I hit the Upfitter switch and may try that to see how it sounds. The idea is to get someone's attention quickly after all.

 

[AZsurveyor]

Here is a new product on the market for those wannting to avoid the air system hassle by going to air horns.

MotoHorn™ — The World's Loudest Motorcycle Horns

The original and the world's loudest motorcycle air and dual horn systems.

motohorn.com

I am actually considering these next since for the time being, I will not be adding an on board air system to my rig after going with the Thor's lightening bolt dual air compressor that works like a madman on viagra!

Anybody here looked into these?

Looking to pull the trigger soon and possibly wrap a few of these with christmas paper for my Santa buddy!

 

[Blade420Play]

I finally got mine installed today. I'll get a few things out of the way before anyone asks... No, it's not as loud as an air tank driven "train" horn, but it is louder than the OEM horns with a deeper tone. Kleinn claims 118dB but I will take some measurements in the next few days to get some quantifiable data between these and the OEM horns.

The horn kit I went with is the Stainless Steel self-contained marine horns from Kleinn:

Kleinn Automotive Accessories | #TooLoudTooBad

Kleinn produces the loudest air horns, train horns, onboard air systems and accessories for all vehicle types. #TooLoudTooBad

kleinn.com

I opted to wire this directly to Upfitter #6 vs. using the Limitless horn relay. Possibly down the road I may do something different.

For the installation I fabricated a bracket using the leftover pieces from my Wavian fuel can mounts. I mounted it in the open space next to the driver's side battery:

View attachment 129206

The bracket is retained by an M6 nut on the battery stud, and an M8 bolt in the unused battery tray ear (two circles). It wedges into the metal slot/opening at the bottom (large rectangle) and then rests against the rear of the tray (square).

I had to weld up a franken-bracket since I didn't have one piece large enough to cover all four points:

View attachment 129207
View attachment 129208

The position of the horn also dictated the shape of the bracket. Once it was made It was easy to finalize and then mark/drill the mounting holes:

View attachment 129209
The horns have a downward attitude in vehicle and the end of the trumpets nest instead the pocket in the grill next to the cooling module.

View attachment 129210

View attachment 129211

I did add some of the plastic pieces that originally came with the Wavian mounts. I added one on the front and one on the rear to take up the extra space at the bottom and provide for a slight interference fit:

View attachment 129212

The entire assembly can be installed or removed without removing the horns from the bracket which is definitely convenient. Overall I'm happy with it, but will watch for any movement as I drive the truck...

I think this strategy could be used for other items as it is very solid. The load is mostly projected into the steel pocket - the fasteners mainly handle the lateral position.

@TheBeerFather recently did a similar, bit more elegant, machined aluminum piece for his ARB. @Devil's Advocate was also inquiring into possible alternative ARB mounting solutions so I tagged him here...

Let me know if anyone has questions I didn't cover.

Need some video! Also, they're out of stock as of this reply

 

[Maverick11]

Here is a new product on the market for those wannting to avoid the air system hassle by going to air horns.

MotoHorn™ — The World's Loudest Motorcycle Horns

The original and the world's loudest motorcycle air and dual horn systems.

motohorn.com

I am actually considering these next since for the time being, I will not be adding an on board air system to my rig after going with the Thor's lightening bolt dual air compressor that works like a madman on viagra!

Anybody here looked into these?

Looking to pull the trigger soon and possibly wrap a few of these with christmas paper for my Santa buddy!Bump- interested and if anyone had pulled

 

[Maverick11]

Don’t know what happened with first post sorry. … bump, interested if anyone pulled trigger on these as I am heavily considering. Air compressor is out of budget. Bueller ?…

 

[BuckeyeF350]

I finally got mine installed today. I'll get a few things out of the way before anyone asks... No, it's not as loud as an air tank driven "train" horn, but it is louder than the OEM horns with a deeper tone. Kleinn claims 118dB but I will take some measurements in the next few days to get some quantifiable data between these and the OEM horns.

The horn kit I went with is the Stainless Steel self-contained marine horns from Kleinn:

Kleinn Automotive Accessories | #TooLoudTooBad

Kleinn produces the loudest air horns, train horns, onboard air systems and accessories for all vehicle types. #TooLoudTooBad

kleinn.com

I opted to wire this directly to Upfitter #6 vs. using the Limitless horn relay. Possibly down the road I may do something different.

For the installation I fabricated a bracket using the leftover pieces from my Wavian fuel can mounts. I mounted it in the open space next to the driver's side battery:

View attachment 129206

The bracket is retained by an M6 nut on the battery stud, and an M8 bolt in the unused battery tray ear (two circles). It wedges into the metal slot/opening at the bottom (large rectangle) and then rests against the rear of the tray (square).

I had to weld up a franken-bracket since I didn't have one piece large enough to cover all four points:

View attachment 129207
View attachment 129208

The position of the horn also dictated the shape of the bracket. Once it was made It was easy to finalize and then mark/drill the mounting holes:

View attachment 129209
The horns have a downward attitude in vehicle and the end of the trumpets nest instead the pocket in the grill next to the cooling module.

View attachment 129210

View attachment 129211

I did add some of the plastic pieces that originally came with the Wavian mounts. I added one on the front and one on the rear to take up the extra space at the bottom and provide for a slight interference fit:

View attachment 129212

The entire assembly can be installed or removed without removing the horns from the bracket which is definitely convenient. Overall I'm happy with it, but will watch for any movement as I drive the truck...

I think this strategy could be used for other items as it is very solid. The load is mostly projected into the steel pocket - the fasteners mainly handle the lateral position.

@TheBeerFather recently did a similar, bit more elegant, machined aluminum piece for his ARB. @Devil's Advocate was also inquiring into possible alternative ARB mounting solutions so I tagged him here...

Let me know if anyone has questions I didn't cover.

After looking into this more, I think I can bolt this horn directly to the battery box, similar to how a user mounted their ARB compressors in this thread.

Couple questions for you, if you don't mind...

1. Still giving any thought to using the Limitless relay?
2. Any issues having it wired to an always hot upfitter?
3. Do you think it would be obnoxious if it was tapped directly into the factory horns?

 

[Modman]

After looking into this more, I think I can bolt this horn directly to the battery box, similar to how a user mounted their ARB compressors in this thread.

Couple questions for you, if you don't mind...

1. Still giving any thought to using the Limitless relay?
2. Any issues having it wired to an always hot upfitter?
3. Do you think it would be obnoxious if it was tapped directly into the factory horns?

My bracket was used to get the right angle and position, not just for structure - more of an adapter... I wanted it angled down for water intrusion, but still forward as much as possible.

Answer to your questions:

1. What I realized after I received the Limitless relay and looking at the factory horn wiring is that it is pretty small gauge. Low on my priority list to look at what the electric horns draw and if that is compatible with the existing wiring. Since they aren't fired from a separate air system w/tank, they will have a higher electric load to power the direct drive compressor.
2. No issues. The only reason I wired to #6 is that it is easy to find. #1 is already wired to reverse lighting for the same reason. If I ever have a need for a higher load Upfitter I may swap things around.
3. No, not in a bad way at least... What I've thought about doing is leaving the factory horn triggered by the existing wheel switch and then wiring a parallel power feed to the factory horns with a diode. When I hit the Upfitter both horn systems will fire but the factory can still be fired individually.

 

[BuckeyeF350]

My bracket was used to get the right angle and position, not just for structure - more of an adapter... I wanted it angled down for water intrusion, but still forward as much as possible.

Will it not fit without a bracket similar to yours? I'm sure I could probably find a shop to make me something along the way somewhere, if it's necessary.

Answer to your questions:


1. What I realized after I received the Limitless relay and looking at the factory horn wiring is that it is pretty small gauge. Low on my priority list to look at what the electric horns draw and if that is compatible with the existing wiring. Since they aren't fired from a separate air system w/tank, they will have a higher electric load to power the direct drive compressor.

16A is what I saw somewhere, but I can't find that now, so might have been one of the others I was looking at.

2. No issues. The only reason I wired to #6 is that it is easy to find. #1 is already wired to reverse lighting for the same reason. If I ever have a need for a higher load Upfitter I may swap things around.

I picked up the Limitless harness to make all 6 upfitters constant hot. Plan is to wire a front plate light bar to #1 and the reverse lights (Limitless harness) with another license plate light bar to #2. I think I'll throw the horn on #6 as well.

3. No, not in a bad way at least... What I've thought about doing is leaving the factory horn triggered by the existing wheel switch and then wiring a parallel power feed to the factory horns with a diode. When I hit the Upfitter both horn systems will fire but the factory can still be fired individually.

I'm still thinking about how I'd want it to work. My main use for it would be to let someone know they have 20k lbs coming at them. I might also want it to go off with the alarm. Was thinking I could wire it into the factory horns with a relay powered by the upfitter. But, then I'd have to flip the upfitter, then hit the horn if I wanted to use it. My wife might not mind that option.

 

[Modman]

Will it not fit without a bracket similar to yours?

I couldn't see a way to do it when I initially held it in that area, but I also didn't want it rubbing/vibrating against anything else. I had the plate left over from another project so maybe it was an excuse to bust out the welder again...

 

[BuckeyeF350]

I couldn't see a way to do it when I initially held it in that area, but I also didn't want it rubbing/vibrating against anything else. I had the plate left over from another project so maybe it was an excuse to bust out the welder again...

Gotcha. Maybe I'll just order it and see how it goes.