If you’re gonna go with real locomotive horns, I recommend Nathan/Airchime model-K or model-P only. Both of these are user friendly and if the horn has a dead bell, then easily taken apart, diaphragm replaced, or power chamber cleaned etc. When finished just bolt it together and toot away!!
I do NOT recommend the model-H or model-M. These will always be heavily worn when available on eBay, or if restored, major bucks to buy, and these are air hogs. Plus these require manual tuning, and diaphragm preload. Honestly, I should not include the model-H at all, because these are very rare, and to a collector, worth far more than your truck or car!! The horn in my avatar is an H5.
I also do not recommend any Leslie SuperTyfon locomotive horn. These are always worn out when purchased from eBay.
Air pressure. I know nothing about the black plastic Lifeguard horns (Shockers), but real locie horns should not be run over 150lbs. Never go 200PSI as that kind of pressure will simply lift the diaphragm off its seat and the air will whoosh out through the nozzle into the throat of the horn (s) However some K-horns had the available adjustable caps, offered in 1958, and these can be preloaded to 200PSI right down to 10 PSI. When I set my MK5H to 10 PSI, I was able to blow it with lung power!!!
Thanks for the long reply, sorry I never replied earlier. Just got back on the forums again to look around for Nathans, had no luck at all since last post. Lot of people want 1k or more for K5, no thanks. Finally installing my air tank kit in a week, gotta be a set of K5’s are a good price and not overpriced sometime.
K5LA’s can be found on eBay for less than $1000, I have seen them as little as $600. Keep your search up, you will definitely find one. Let us know when you find one. K5LA’s are the most common and user-friendly 5-chime horns.
I recently switched out the “Shocker s4’s” for the real deal k5’s…IMO the Shockers really are a great horn for the money. I blew them lots on 10gallons of air, @ close to 200psi for 2 months, and no problems…The Nathan k’s are better sounding, but take up lots more space, and you really shouldn’t run them above 140psi., and they cost way more than the Shockers…Also, I probably would not recommend buying a kit…Get the biggest tank you can live with in the vehicle, then get the best pump you can afford…Get the wire, and switches @ the local auto store.
According to the sound samples I’ve heard, I’m pretty sure I want a K5HLA.
I have a couple newby questions. Is there a particular desire to have raised letters over non-raised letters? What’s the deal? I’m sure it’s probably just a personal preference right?
What about mounting hardware? Is the original hardware still available for these train horns? I’ve always been an OEM man.
One last question. Is there a way to remotely operate the horns without having to route the actual air lines into the cab of my truck?
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I own an F-350 super duty and I am going to buy one and hook it up to my alarm system with a perimeter system, so if they get within 2-3 feet of my truck those thieves will get their fu%king eardrums blown out! I’ve been broken into twice and it starts getting expense to have to do repairs. By the time you hear the factory alarm it’s too late, the damage has been done, they are in and gone in 30-60 seconds! I am going to fix that problem. I am going to buy one of the loudest air horns I can buy and hook it up to my system. But I need to set this up so that my truck will run the compressor when the air starts to run low without the truck running.
