Our HOME BASE
Our
INVENTIONS
… Our
CAPABILITIES
Our
TECHNICAL
& LEGAL KNOWLEDGE!
LOCATION & CAPABILITIES
Sierra Design Manufacturing, Inc. (formerly Sierra Products, Inc.) is
headquartered in Livermore, CA next to the Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory with a second facility in Sonora … near Yosemite Valley.
Our Livermore facility
houses our Management, Sales, Engineering and R & D Operations plus our “in
house” Tool Making and Injection Molding Machinery. We have
twelve, 100 Ton to 500 Ton* Plastic Ejection Molding Machines along
with all necessary complimentary equipment for designing, tooling and
manufacturing any kind** of Trailer, RV or Truck Lighting and Reflectors
(except headlights) that we guarantee are compliant (legal) to all
“Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard #108” (FMVSS #108) mandated
requirements.
*Clamping force
capability
**Including Custom Designs
Further, we are able
to brag that we’re the only bona fide U.S.A. Vehicle
Lighting and Reflector Manufacturer in the 22 Western States that is
actively … in house … Designing, Tooling and
Molding Vehicle Lighting and Reflectors to all Federal FMVSS #108
Mandated Standards. Further, we believe we are the only Lighting
Manufacturer in the U.S.A. that molds its Trailer, RV and Truck lighting
from authentic Tough GE® “Fade Proof” Lens Grade Lexan™.
With our capable
Tooling and Manufacturing facilities, “Sierra” maintains total control
over all product details, resulting in the ability to quickly solve any
related problems and fill orders rapidly.
25+
YEARS of FEDERAL "COMPLIANCE" & actual ROAD TESTING
In the 1980’s, our people had to learn "from scratch" all applicable
Federal, State and SAE Laws and Standards applicable to Vehicle Lighting,
and since then, we’ve daily monitored the "Federal Register" to keep
up on the latest changes and legal interpretations relating to FMVSS #108*
Law. Over the years, we have also collected and officially commented
on most of NHTSA’s “NPRMs” (Notices of Proposed Rule Making) and have
documented and saved all of NHTSA's “Legal Interpretations” that
cover a wide variety of Vehicle Manufacturers and Public Questions on
Lighting issues, including NHTSA's responses to these questions.
*FMVSS #108 = Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard #108
Over the years, we
have also made routine trips to Washington, D.C. to keep up with FMVSS #108
“Docket"* entries and therefore, are able to share this wide range of
knowledge with our customers (and their Lawyers) when legal and technical
problems arise. We’ve also been instrumental in trying to
update and improve FMVSS #108 Laws using NHTSA’s official “Petition”
and “Legal Interpretation Request" systems. However,
from NHTSA's documented replies … and recent lack of meaningful replies
… we have found that common sense seems to be a missing virtue at NHTSA.
*The Docket area has in
its Records material not available on NHTSA's website
Many years ago, our
Founder, Dennis G. Moore*,
set up a complete (in house) FMVSS #108 qualifying Vehicle Lighting Test
Lab** … using Equipment Traceable to the U.S. Bureau of Standards, which
is still used to routinely check and update our designs using current FMVSS
#108 Mandated Standards as well as applying additional “Road Endurance
Testing” and Augment Light Testing that NHTSA doesn’t require … but
should.
*B.S.M.E.
Bradley University, Peoria, IL **Our Lab
Testing Facilities were “California Highway Patrol Approved” at the time
"NEW
LOOKS" Continuing and New FEATURES
"Sierra" has spent 25+ years molding, primarily GE Lexan™
(Polycarbonate) for all our Tough Duty, Submersible and CHMSL* Lines
of Lighting products. *Center
High Mount Stop Light
In addition to
Designing, Tooling and Manufacturing the Newest "See Thru" Lighting for use
on all kinds of Trailers, RVs and Small/Large Trucks, we also have
developed and introduced New Looks, "Modularized" 3rd Brake Lights
that can replace the million plus of 10” and 16” LED Chinese/"Cheapo"
failures that can be seen daily.
Our original #400
and #500 Series CHMSLs can be seen on Domestic and Work Truck
Caps/Toppers/Shells/Canopies all over the U.S.A. and Canada.
Under the brand name
DRY LAUNCH®, we have been marketing our popular Submersible
Boat Trailer Lighting that is widely recognized throughout the Marine
Aftermarket and with Boat Trailer Manufacturers for quality, value, and
customer satisfaction.
We believe our latest
"NEW LOOKS!" SPLL Multi Function Design is indeed revolutionary
as it provides the first 7 Function Trailer Light with “See
Thru/Chrome” and “See the Bulb” Styling. This design
perfectly complements the latest “See Thru” Auto, SUV and Pick-Up
Tail Light Styling now routinely used by Detroit, Japan, and European
Designers. Look around and start enjoying all
these "Cool" and ongoing New Tail Light Styling changes, which are
helping sell more vehicles that would not have been sold using
only Same Ol', “Plain Jane” Tail Light Designs that have been around
for 40+ years!
Additionally, this new
design still retains our famous, “No Tools”, “Snap out, Bulb Slide”
including and our popular “Hi & DryÒ
Termination feature*",
neither of these unique features are offered by any of our competitors.
*on most 7 function models
OUR
REPUTATION and GOALS
Most 7/8 Function "Incandescent" Trailer Lights being offered today
are composed of "cheapened" Chinese or Mexican made Same Ol' Plain Jane
copies of lighting originally designed many years ago by American Lighting
Companies. These designs have been used on millions of Trailers, RVs
and Trucks over the past 40+ years. Our designs are based on
quality and uniqueness and not on copying and cheapening
of antiquated designs.
Further, we are
dedicated to improving Public Safety by designing products with
grief reducing, safety enhancing, and driver serviceable features
that … sooner or later … are appreciated by all involved OEMs,
Distributors, and Dealers, and … eventually … by the End User as well.
Ask around
… you'll find we have a reputation for trail blazing New Innovations, New
Looks! and New Safety enhancements. We always comply to all
FMVSS #108 and Common Sense Safety requirements, contrary to Chinese
cheapened "Look A-likes" of our products, which are generally unqualified,
unreliable, untested and … in general … "Illegal Liability and Grief
producers”.
Our
“TECHNICAL and LEGAL CLARIFICATIONS” (TLCs)
We address many common Vehicle Lighting subjects in our website's
"Technical and Legal Clarification" (TLC) writings. We try to call
attention to the history and reasoning behind each Vehicle Lighting
requirement and compare this knowledge to the current Mandates spelled
out in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard #108 (FMVSS #108) while
also comparing common sense reasoning, so that responsible Distributors,
Dealers, OEMs and ultimately the Trailer Driver use only Lighting
that can be “proven” to be compliant to all facets of FMVSS #108 that
qualify to the “1966 Vehicle Safety Act” reasoning.
The
"SOCIETY of AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS" (SAE)
All Trailer, RV and Truck Manufacturers as well as Distributors of
Aftermarket Vehicle Lighting should realize that indirectly, the
“Society of Automotive Engineers” (SAE) wrote most of the initial and
still existing Federal FMVSS #108* Mandates and nearly all of SAE
members are only "Automotive" Lighting orientated and are not
obligated to provide Trailer, RV and Truck Lighting subjects the required
attention they should be given. This almost exclusive
Automotive attention can still be seen in practically all NHTSA
"Rulemaking", "Compliance" and "Crash Avoidance" personnel
decisions.
*Found on website -
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2008/octqtr/pdf/49cfr571.108.pdf
No, this Website is not a joke; this gets you straight to
FMVSS #108 without starting at NHTSA.GOV plus seventeen steps later!
Our
CUSTOMER BASE
Over the past 25 years, we have supplied Mail Order organizations and
Chain Stores like Cabela's®, Northern Tool®, Sears®, Grand Auto®,
etc. We have also reliably supplied many well known Trailer
Manufacturers like ShoreLand’r® and E-Z Loader®, as
well as many other quality Trailer and RV Motor Home manufacturers,
including Airstream®. We have also reliably served practically all
Major Marine Distributors and several RV Distributors (like "Coast®")
who can verify that our products sell well …
are routinely praised* … make grief proof profits …
and generate virtually Zero Returns!
*See
attached Testimonials
“LED”
COSTS … PERFORMANCE … and LIABILITIES
We have deliberately avoided becoming involved with "LED" Trailer
and RV Lighting due to the many obvious (and not so obvious) problems
associated with LED use on Trailers, RVs and Trucks. Today’s
average LED 7/8 Multi-Function Tail Light Assembly has limited output
… poor outdoor resistance quality and heat and Legality problems
that can’t be ignored. We find these problems are most apparent with
regards to Brake/Turn and Lane Changing Signal Lights when cheap
materials, poor quality “LEDs” and poor sealing methods are used for
submersible and outdoor, “fully exposed to sun and actual weather”
applications.
Other writings
regarding LEDs can be seen on our website, which specifically addresses
Quality, Legal, Technical and Value considerations for
Incandescent or "LED" Multi Function Light Assemblies. As to
the high prices of "quality" LED Lighting … we only know of one Competitor
making an Aftermarket Trailer (7 Function) LED Assembly that we believe to
be "probably" fully FMVSS #108 Compliant; however, we have not tested it for
Submersion and long term Heat Expansion/Contractions nor long term Road and
Weather exposure. It's a nice looking Assembly made by Cequent®, but
it Retails for ≈ $100/Pair.
All other 7/8 LED
Multi Function Designs we know of violate FMVSS #108’s most important
requirements and/or have failure histories.
Our
QUALITY results in "NO" COME BACKS and NO UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCES
Since our beginning, we’ve specialized in using Fade Proof, Tough! GE
Lexan™ Polycarbonate in practically all our components and always
in our Main Lenses and associated Reflectors. We try to
convince OEMs and Distributors contemplating selling or using our Tough,
Driver Serviceable Lighting … that they will save enough in being
involved in virtually zero Legal and Replacement grief's* to give them more
than adequate "payback" for the slight initial extra cost we ask for.
*Time
is money and dealing with complaints and any resultant Replacement also
costs money
Yes, Lexan™
does break when smashed, but it doesn’t shatter and it doesn’t fade.
Further, Lexan® absorbs "hits" and withstands hot and cold
applications where Acrylics fail. When a driver smashes one of our
Lights* … the driver will likely realize what a beating it took to make it
totally unusable and likely realize he was supplied a stout product, and
feel the loss was his fault instead of blaming the Trailer
Manufacturer or the associated Distributor/Dealer for supplying him an
inferior product.
*And being fully outdoor "exposed" … as they are
designed to be … they do occasionally get smashed
Americans sense when
they’ve been furnished inferior products
…and don’t forget who supplied them.
Our lights have
“built in” Toughness, Grief Reducing and Owner Serviceability features
that … sooner or later …end users appreciate and will actually thank
those who supplied them with our special products.
Our
PRODUCTS SATISFY most DEALER REPLACEMENT NEEDS
It should be realized that the typical potential "Trailer Driver" seeking a
"single" "Replacement Multi Function faces a hard time finding a
source for an "exact" needed Left or Right Replacement.
Therefore, these kinds of potential customers are susceptible to the idea
of using our "SPLL" Pair Kit for the replacing as well as the Updating
of "both" their right and their left with New Looks! Multi
Functions while.
All sorts of Dealers
that could carry our SPLL Pair Kit would satisfy most Utility, Horse,
Boat, etc. Trailer Replacement needs and by adding a couple of our other
"Old Reliable" products … significant profits with virtually No Returns
can be recognized. Further, there
are millions of our "SP", "203" and "327" Products already in daily
use all over the U.S. and Canada, therefore providing a huge, already
existing Replacement Market
that can be taken advantage of.
GIVE US A TRY
- Distributor/Dealer pricing upon request!