Vehicle safety is always the most important thing to be aware of any time you are driving. If you are driving a large vehicle like a Freightliner Cascadia it is probably even more important. One of the most important parts of safety is to have properly adjusted headlights.
Properly adjusted headlights should enable you to see what is in front of you and the sides of the road. If you find that your Cascadia headlights are not properly adjusted, do not worry, there is a simple way to fix it without having to take it in anywhere. Read on to find out how and a way to figure out if you adjusted them to the right level.
How Do I Adjust My Freightliner Cascadia Headlights?
If you have noticed that whenever you drive your Freightliner that you have a hard time seeing signs on the side of the road or other vehicles are honking at you, it is probably time to adjust your headlights.
All you will need is a Phillips head screwdriver and to take the following steps as they are listed below.
Locate the Adjuster Screw On Your Headlight
The adjuster screw for your headlight will be on the bottom outer edge of each of the headlights. So, if you are facing the front of your truck, the screws should be on the bottom left of the headlight on the left side, and the bottom right of the headlight on the right side.
Insert the Screwdriver Into the Screw
You should not have an issue with inserting your screwdriver into the adjuster screw as there should be enough space for the screwdriver between the casing covering the headlight and the edge where the screw is located.
Adjust the Headlights
Whichever way you turn the screw from this point will point the headlights in a different direction. So, if you have found that your lights are too high and blinding other drivers, you will need to turn them down. To turn them down, turn the screw to the left.
If, on the other hand, you find that you have a hard time seeing much of anything on the sides of the road, then you will need to turn the lights up. To turn them up, turn the screw to the right.
How Can I Tell If my Freightliner Cascadia Headlights Are Properly Adjusted?
If you have adjusted your headlights but you are still not sure if they are in the ideal position, there is a way to test it out and keep adjusting as necessary.
Gather Your Materials
To test it out your headlights, you will need a few things.
Gather these things:
- Wheel chocks
- A flat surface
- A wall
This is best done in an empty parking lot or behind a store. Just make sure the store allows trucks to park behind them to avoid legal issues.
Test Your Headlights
Now that you have what you need, you can finally test your headlights.
Do the following:
- Park the truck. Make sure that it is parked evenly, facing directly toward the wall.
- Turn off the truck. Make sure that you not only set the parking brake but that you put chocks behind the wheels to prevent the truck from moving.
- Take measurements. Measure the distance from the ground to the center of the low-beam headlight bulb, which you can identify by a transparent ring or circle. Next, measure the distance from the low-beam bulb to where that spot would land on the wall. (Make sure to write down both of these measurements).
- Next, mark the spot on the walls. Turn on the low beam headlights and see where the beam falls. If it is on or near the marks on the wall, then the headlights are properly adjusted, and you are good to go.
Now you know everything about adjusting your Freightliner Cascadia headlights to allow you to see everything on the road without blinding drivers on the opposite side of the road or in front of you.
Conclusion
Knowing how to adjust your Freightliner Cascadia headlights is incredibly important for your safety and the safety of others on the road.
The process for adjusting your headlights is fairly simple. Take a Phillips screwdriver and use it on the screw located on the outer bottom side of each headlight. If you turn it clockwise it will turn the lights up, if you turn them counterclockwise it will turn the light down.
To make sure that you have properly adjusted the headlights, park in front of a wall and see if the beam falls where the center of the low-beam bulb falls.