We can change the LightRail light mover rail length for our grow light system. And, we can make this grow equipment change in a number of ways. First, the LightRail light mover rail is two meters long or 6’6”. That’s the length for LightRail 3.5 IntelliDrive and for LightRail 4.0 AdjustaDrive. And, it’s double that length in the LightRail 4.20 grow light setup. which is designed to move two grow lights inline. And, the rail comes in two slide together sections of one meter or 3’3”each. So, those details apply to the Light Rail 3.5 indoor grow kit, and the Light Rail 4.0 indoor grow kit. And, it’s a double version of that indoor grow system in the Light Rail 4.20 grow light setup. So, those are the grow light system basics for the light mover rail. And, from this point, we can customize any grow lighting setups.
Also, the photo above shows the grow light system custom strut channel compatible rails that are available. They also come as 6’6″ lengths but can be made to a variety of lengths. So, they are different than the standard LightRail light mover rail as to how they mount. They are available for the strut channel application.
Recommended grow light distance of travel
The easiest way to change the length of the LightRail light mover rail is to simply adjust our Switch Stop stoppers on that rail. That grow equipment adjustment sets the length of the run. So, if we want the grow lamp to move three feet, we put those stoppers three feet apart. And, here is a grow light setup detail that’s important to know. That stopper setting correlates to the middle of the indoor grow light with half the grow lamp frame going beyond that setting.
Also, that is true for both ends of the grow light system run. So, a 3’ long indoor grow light that moves 3’ in distance will overhang 1 ½’ on both end of the run. Visualizing the indoor grow kit that way, we can see that a 3’ switch stop setting is likely doing this. It’s filling up about 6’ of area with indoor grow light. And of course, grow lighting will spread a little even farther in our indoor grow system. So, that will get that grow lighting even beyond those settings.
A LightRail light mover rail can fit into tight spaces by simply using a half rail
The LightRail light mover rail can be shortened or extended.
For adjusting the light mover rail to fit into tight indoor grow system spaces like smaller grow tent setups, there are two ways to go. If we have a LightRail light mover indoor grow kit with two slide together rail halves, we can simply use a half rail. And, that’s a one-meter rail or 3’3”. Or, we can cut the light mover rail to whatever length we want to fit in our indoor grow system. The rails are extruded aluminum so are very easy to cut.
For making the light mover rail longer, that can also be done very easily. That’s done with 3’3” or 1 Meter Extender Rails light mover rail for light rail system that are designed to extend the grow lamp run. And, this is possible because they can pin into the end of the existing light mover rail. That detail allows the grow light mover to cross the seam. So, this specific grow equipment addition will then give a total rail length of three meters or 9’9”.
For light loving plants, we want to be at about 30-35 watts per square foot to have success
Now would be a good time to mention that typically we would not want to have an indoor grow light travel that far. So, maybe that length of a grow equipment travel distance within a rail is ok for seedlings or certain low light plants. But, we do not want the plants waiting too long for the grow lamp to come back. And, for light-loving plants, we want to be at about 30-35 watts per square foot, at a minimum, to have success. That means keeping the grow light setup within the 6’6” rail at maybe a 3’ distance of travel, depending on that grow light setup. Larger LED grow lights, of course, can travel farther. Take a look at this grow lighting article that talks about this: The three biggest myths for the grow light system.
The LightRail light mover rail is adaptable and can adjust to a variety of situations. And, we can change the length of the grow lamp travel distance easily enough and in multiple ways. Whether in a greenhouse or grow room, and whether for indoor farming or cannabis cultivation, LightRail light movers are the perfect solution. And, the adaptable Rail length and Switch Stop stopper settings make the moving light system very versatile.
