Hey guys I started collecting the parts for my Train Horn set-up on my F-250. I got K5LA horns with covers, 1/2 line, 8.5 air tank and I’m gonna order the oasis compressor soon but I’m undecided on which manual valve to use 353-100 or 353-200. The 353-200 has double the size internal air passage then the common 353-100 has which means more air to the horns, Right? plus I like the fact that the 353-200 has a black handle and that the 1/2 ports are both facing down. Any Help or options on this would be great. Thank You…
I don’t think that’s right. As far as I’ve read, and from any technical drawings I’ve seen that show internal construction, the only difference is the body of the valve. Both designs have 1/2" inlet and outlet, plus the same valve assembly. See below for a 1:1 image of both internals. You can overlay them to see where the differences are.
The 200 was an older design and I don’t think is available from Graham White any longer (replaced by the 100 series), so if you’re buying new, you’ll get the 100. You can get modulating and non-modulating variants for the 353. Metered variants are distinguishable by a groove identification on the tip of the valve stem.
[ul]
[li]No Groove 1/8" Metered (24 cfm @140 PSI)[/li][li]1 Groove 1/16" Metered (12 cfm @140 PSI)[/li][li]2 Grooves 3/16" Metered (30 cfm @140 PSI)[/li][li]3 Grooves - Non Metered[/li][/ul]
All of the valves will flow 70 cfm @140 PSI in the fully open position. According to the charts, if you have a K5 it’ll sound about 112dB @100 feet and a K3 would be 2dB louder given the same air flow.
Yeah… I figured. He’s about the only guy who’s claiming it too. He sells a lot of good stuff and has many happy customers but he also specialises in refurbished gear so I’m not surprised there’s a sales pitch for the older design on his site.
Have a look at the drawing and overlay them if you have doubts.
Ok Thank you DBO… I’m alittle new with this and I just want to install it once and correct with the best parts.Thank you for the pictures and I just checked out your videos they’re really cool.
So what your saying is If I buy the 353-200 I’m just paying more for a 353-100 with a black handle and different direction ports.
Yeah, look the real point I wanted to make is that you shouldn’t shy away from either variant. The 353 is arguably the best train horn valve out there and from a performance angle it won’t matter at all whether you get the 100 or 200 as long as the internals are all OK. The stuff from Jackson performance is all good gear as far as I’ve heard so if you’re getting a good deal, don’t be afraid to buy there.
I should add, that if you like the idea of “feathering” your horn, then don’t get the metered variant (or buy a ball valve). It’s basically two stages (Loud and Damn Loud). I’ve got the 1/16" metered and it’s very difficult to get just a little flow before stage 1 hits. I think the non-metered variant will give you bit more feel between the open and closed positions.
Ok thanks again for the info.