Any tips to setup a light mover?

I got a 6' light mover I want to use in an 8x4 tent to light it up with 1000W HID and was wondering if the rail should be mounted to something then hung up or just hang the rail up from the metal bars on the roof? Seems stiff enough to support the light and shade on it's own as long as it's securely fastened to the roof and I can handle that OK.

I won't be setting up the tent right away as I still have a month or so before I need the extra space and just getting everything ready and put together enough so it's a faster install. Bigger problem is cutting the 6" vent hole into the current grow room when it's ceiling is about 8" lower than the rest of the basement as there's a false ceiling in there. And the damn tent is an inch too tall so I have to shave an inch and a bit off 4' of a triple 2x12 beam that runs across the roof in the basement. Fun with hand and power tools!

Dude!!! DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT SHAVE OFF AN INCH FROM YOUR MAIN FLOOR JOIST BEAM. ESPECIALLY IF IT IS ONLY A DOUBLE 2X12 AND NOT A GLUE LAM BEAM

Why even bother with a light mover? Not worth it.

legallyflying said:

Dude!!! DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT SHAVE OFF AN INCH FROM YOUR MAIN FLOOR JOIST BEAM. ESPECIALLY IF IT IS ONLY A DOUBLE 2X12 AND NOT A GLUE LAM BEAM

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It's not really holding up much weight so I'm not concerned about it's structural integrity but thanks for your concern. And it's a triple beam as stated in my post.

HandyGringo said:

Why even bother with a light mover? Not worth it.

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I wasn't really looking for opinions about the worth of a light mover but the best way to install the one I already have. Cheaper to run one of those with the 1000W system I've had for years than go out and buy a couple 600W ballasts and bulbs to do a proper job in that tent.

And don't start with LEDs, COBs etc as I'm a hardcore HID grower with a lot of plants in his past.

Is it possible to cut the bars inside the tent to make it a bit shorter instead of shaving the beam?

torontoke said:

Is it possible to cut the bars inside the tent to make it a bit shorter instead of shaving the beam?

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That is a possibility I have explored Torontoke and is easy enough to do, prolly easier than cutting the beam, but then I got a saggy tent tho an extra inch of slack in the walls shouldn't be that big a deal. The uprights are steel tubes that separate half way up so I can saw an inch or so off the big end of each then de-burr the inside of the pipes with my de-burring tool so it all fits properly again.

Be a month before it needs to be set up so I have time to think about it and can always install a 4x4 post under the beam right in the center of the basement floor for extra support tho I doubt very much I have anything to worry about. It's just a single floor above the beam that supports the shop which has a solid floor made of 2x4s spiked together on their sides across a 17x34' shop. Could park a loaded water truck in there if you could fit it thru the roll-up door.

The shop, just like the mobile it's attached to, is built with 6" thick walls for our frigid winters and both sit on 10" concrete piers sunk deep into the clay that goes down a mile below us according to the oil patch guys we have dealt with over the last 13 years here. Highway expansion will be taking this place eventually so I can do basically whatever I want with it.

I may just set up the bare frame down there to double check it before doing anything. I took the measurements of the tent when it was still set up at my buddy's place and always measure twice so I only have to cut once.

Yes sir
I'd say your way better off cutting and inch out of the tent height then doing anything to the beam.
1" of height shouldnt make that much difference to the tent except maybe make it easier to set up.
Might be able to pull all the slack down to the bottom.
good luck

You might pull more weed just using the 1000w without the mover. My buddy tried the same thing to increase yield but he didn't increase yield with the light mover, it actually decreased his yield with a lot of fluff bud. Too be fair he was an idiot and couldn't grow weed for crap, so that could have something to do with it.

As far as hanging one in a tent I'm not sure but in one of my tents I had the air-cooled hood and a huge 3 ft carbon filter that was like 40+pounds with the can fan sitting on top of the tent so them little poles will hold some weight if reinforced right.

I'll be running a very light batwing reflector I just bought for this and the carbon filter will be in the adjoining grow room where it will be out of the way.

It's my first time growing with a tent and I'm sure I can do better than fluffy buds but it will be a few months before I manage to pull a tent full of plants out of it. 1 - 1000W won't light up the whole space on it's own. 2 - 600s would do it for stationary lights but I have a 1000W so I'm going with that. Have 3 - 400W hps and a 400W mh that can and will be used elsewhere.

I'm using 2 1000w on light movers in an 8 x 9 space. They are in their 8th week of flower and look great. It will be interesting to see if I get more or less bud than I did in 2 5x5's without the movers. I can't offer you any advice on installation, but I thought I would throw that in anyway. I will post my results when they finish in about 2 weeks.

cindysid said:

I'm using 2 1000w on light movers in an 8 x 9 space. They are in their 8th week of flower and look great. It will be interesting to see if I get more or less bud than I did in 2 5x5's without the movers. I can't offer you any advice on installation, but I thought I would throw that in anyway. I will post my results when they finish in about 2 weeks.

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Great! I'd like to hear your thoughts on that.

I'm looking forward to putting mine to work. Mine is made by Gualala Robotics in the US so hoping to get a few good years out of it.

I'm pretty sure that it won't be a problem to install and level the rail off properly. I'm handy with any tool and worked in a two man machine shop for 5 years and have about 5 more working in carpentry and with electricians. I feel sorry for folks that can't tell a Robertson from a Philips screwdriver at a glance much less which size is needed.

I just looked in the box and there's an instruction manual that recommends mounting to a board first. DOH!

I mounted mine on 1 x 4's first before attaching them to the ceiling. Mine are lightrail 3.5's. I bought a hydrofarm mover with chain drive the first time and it didn't work nearly as well.

I was thinking of going to the building supply and finding a nice piece of molding about 6" longer than the rail and securing it to that. Then I can screw in a hook at each end and adjust them in or out to get the rail dead level. Be easy to slide the whole thing to the back or at least further back when I want to work in there. The moldings are planed off dead flat so that will keep everything nice and square.

I just came up with that idea as I was typing it and now it seems perfect.

This better work to grow shitloads of pot or I wasted almost $300 but I think it's gonna work fine.

movers are bunk. it's all about light energy ergo.. watts. Moving the same wattage around yields just the same or LESS depending on the strain.

it's neat, and looks money and all that but experience showed me it's a waste of time and money.

OldMedUser said:

It's not really holding up much weight so I'm not concerned about it's structural integrity but thanks for your concern. And it's a triple beam as stated in my post.

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atually the light mover it self is pretty heavy, i was given 3 light movers and thought i am going to do well actually i lost yield and i am being straight up don't waste your time

legallyflying said:

movers are bunk. it's all about light energy ergo.. watts. Moving the same wattage around yields just the same or LESS depending on the strain.

it's neat, and looks money and all that but experience showed me it's a waste of time and money.

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There's a lot of commercial growers using them so maybe their experience is different than yours.

MynameisSolo said:

atually the light mover it self is pretty heavy, i was given 3 light movers and thought i am going to do well actually i lost yield and i am being straight up don't waste your time

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Having the light hit the plants from different angles has got to be better than just from directly overhead unless you're growing very short plants.

Bottom line is I already have the mover so it'll be getting used.

This thread wasn't started to debate the pros and cons of movers but to ask for tips about setting one up and that's been decided on.

I know people would chim in a say they were bullshit I'm about to get one for 6 cobs that will run 12 buckets no way 6 cobs can do that without a rail