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Trucks getting hit by lightning? Now common? - Waterloo - 12-28-2018
I was up at the dealer yesterday (Michigan) getting that bumper of mine installed... There was a brand new LT (ProStar) in one of the bays... I asked what was wrong with this one, it is so new, still had that new truck smell. It was a Byrum truck, out of Florida. Mechanic said it was hit by lightning. Fried every electrical component in the truck, and I mean everything. The bill on that one was already over $30,000.
This is the third ProStar/LT these guys have had in their shop for lightning hits in the past year and a half. The last truck sustained over $50,000 in damage. The first one they did, had to have harnesses made by Navistar as it literally melted the motor and cab harnesses, that bill was over $60,000! These were all 2015 and newer trucks.
The purpose of this post is to ask, does anyone know why these trucks are getting hit like this? Is it all of the electronics onboard these things? Some sort of static output or frequency that attracts lightning hits?
To note, the claims adjuster stated that this is getting to be a common event. I''ve been driving quite awhile and have been hit more than a few times with lightning, and never experienced anything like I am seeing in these new trucks. Worst case was a fried CB radio.
Any thoughts? Prevention? Just find this all odd, as I have seen these three trucks myself in this shop. Only one of the trucks had any evidence of a direct lightning hit, and that was just a slight burn in the paint.
RE: Trucks getting hit by lightning? Now common? - flatbed94kid - 12-28-2018
I would have thought the rubber tires would repel the lightning. That has got to suck.
RE: Trucks getting hit by lightning? Now common? - Waterloo - 12-28-2018
No one there had any answers, other than this was becoming common... Left me scratching my head... One truck I can see, a freak, but three trucks? All within a short period of time?
RE: Trucks getting hit by lightning? Now common? - Hammerhead - 12-28-2018
Pulling a lowbed, lightning freaks me out. Unless I'm empty, my trailer is usually within 6" of the ground, and I'm almost always hauling equipment...which of course has no shortage of steel in it. It's like a rolling lightning rod.
So far I haven't been hit, knock on wood!
Years ago one of our guys got a direct hit. Killed the ECM, and other electronic stuff in the truck, CB, satellite, etc., also welded the drive axle wheel bearings. They changed the steers and trailer bearings as well, but they didn't show damage.
He said he was just driving along in the rain, and BOOM...then dead silence. He coasted over to the shoulder.
When the wrecker got there to tow him, they couldn't get the truck to roll, and that was when they knew something was wrong in the drives/diff's, but they "welded" after he stopped, cause it didn't skid the tires.
This was one of the early electronic Cat motors, back before cab controllers n such like nowadays. I don't think I'd wanna know how much there is to get screwed up in one of these new ones.
RE: Trucks getting hit by lightning? Now common? - Rawze - 12-28-2018
Lightning is a strange thing. It is unpredictable where it will hit but there are things you can do to help prevent being its target.
First of all,.. it is not like what most people think.
Metal,.. especially GROUNDED METAL that has a decent amount of continuity to the ground actually, most of the time, makes a negative ion "umbrella" during a lightning storm that repels most lightning. That is why you see lightning strike something nearby and it does not even get close to the radio tower down the street. The radio tower has spiked balls on top of it for amplifying this negative ion umbrella effect. On the other hand, sometimes (far less often but still happens) the lightning has a charge that is directed TOWARDS such ion fields, but this is far less common.
I.E.> "Lighning rods" are NOT for attracting lightning, but repelling it.
One thing known for sure to attract lightning is anything that will build a static charge on it. Plastic truck components + poor grounding + drag in the wind = a static charge. Fiberglass components seem to be exceptionally good at this. - It Makes sense to me that newer trucks with all their fake chrome and plastic/fiber-glass hoods, + lead-free paint etc. and poorly protected/grounded wiring would be a high attractant for lightning. Here is an example...
I have helped many people over the years with radio towers and antenna systems. I can tell you for sure that people who use fiberglass antenna at the top of a tower will attract lightning like mad and have lots of lightning issues. Put a grounded metal antenna up there and the problem stops. Paint the outside of the fiberglass antenna with a diamond pattern of conductive paint so that it discharges static buildup and the problem also stops.
Just some FYI on lightning by someone who dealt with it on radio equipment and towers for many years -- ME.
-- You want a vehicle less prone to lightning? -- Prevent it from getting static buildup on it. The wiring can also be designed to not build a charge and fry things during as lightning strike, but no one bothers to think that far ahead at the truck makers these days. A direct path to ground on the outsides of the vehicle is the first prevention. For the EMP that accompanies that massive discharge on the outside of the vehicle, a simple ground wire connected only at the end you want to protect, leading outward in all directions that the wiring goes, ending to nothing at all will stop the EMP from hitting the thing you want to protect. In the case of an ECM, simply putting a decent ground at the casing, feeding it to all parts of the wring harness with it NOT CONNECTED TO ANYTHING at its far ends will build an opposing charge during an EMP of a lightning strike and dissipate/cancel out the buildup that takes place in the other wires 180 degrees out of phase. I have used this trick for many years to protect my own radio equipment and have seen many direct hits to my tower(s), it not harm my radio gear one damn bit.
lightning protection ==
* making sure stuff cannot build a static charge.
* making a way for it to pass directly to ground on the outside of what your protecting, preferably a very short direct path.
* grounding wires that fan outwards away from what you want to protect, ending to nothing at all, so they can build a 180-deg out of phase emp wave during the hit.