If you are installing the lighter by screwing its housing into something metal, that will possibly provide the ground...if it does not, then just run a black wire ( color does not really matter, other than to ID it) and find a screw or bolt going into the chassis and use that for ground by connecting a wire to it with a crimp on connector to keep it neat...for power, check if there are any empty slots in the fuse box....check that they only have power with key on, and just be sure to connect to the side that becomes activated by inserting the fuse..if you are going to pick up from the existing lighter wire, make sure you have a separate fuse for that line...also @Cat385B just installed this on his new tractor...this looks nice!

 

Could you put up a photo of that on your tractor? The one I'm going to install is very close to that - it's a double socket, but the 2nd one is two USB connectors instead of one and a switch. I actually thought of putting it on the bonnet, but it's too much of a pain to cut through there, so I'll do it on the plastic housing and use some waterproofing insulation just to be sure.

What AWG did you use?

I completely missed the obvious - look for an empty fuse socket! Now I feel like such an idiot. Okay, I'll check to find one that's controlled by the ignition switch.

I'm SO glad I didn't stick to trying to run a wire all the way back from the included lighter!

 

I'll check to find one that's controlled by the ignition switch.

I deliberately wanted mine to be always live so that I could plug a battery tender into it so I ran the wire through an inline fuse to the starter solenoid.

 

I am not the one who did it Cat385B did it to his...he was doing it to control some lights on his ROPs, and I think he installed it on the underside, overhead on the cross bar

 

I installed a 12v power port in the factory location, which is a tool cubby on the right side of the fender pan, using an extra 12v keyed spare power wire on the rear of the tractor.

The dual port power socket will be installed using the seat belt mounting post.

My Brother-in-law made a box to mount the outlets into, using a 3D printer. It has not arrived here yet.

 

If you just need charging why not just straight to USB socket?

These also have rubber plugs attached to seal the ports when not in use but since this one is in Mrs. Ronin's rig I deleted them. 12v to 5v conversion done internally, ie. they wire up to 12v.

 

Tango,

All you need is +12VDC and ground (ground is the -12VDC part of a DC circuit). As mentioned in a previous post, you can get ground from a bolt or anywhere there is direct contact with the metal frame of the tractor. You may need to scrape away some paint to get a good electrical connection. Alternatively, you can get ground from the negative/ground terminal of the battery, which is convenient if you are going to mount a cigarette outlet and/or USB in the vicinity of (IVO) the instrumentation panel.

Suggest mounting the cigarette outlet or USB terminal on the side of the instrument housing. Highly suggest not mounting it with the outlet facing upwards at all. Even with a "waterproof" housing, if the outlet is facing up in the least you are inviting rain to get into the outlet. If there is a way for rain to get in somehow, it will. Mounting the outlet face in a horizontal configuration will help minimize the chance of water getting into the innards of the outlet, which can cause a short and pop the fuse.

I run a lot of accessories directly off of the battery +12VDC terminal. Use crimp lugs that are attached to the battery under the nut that tightens the battery terminal. Use an appropriate fuse on the +12VDC wire coming off the terminal as a safeguard should something happen. I have a homemade cab on my BX23 (see my avatar) and currently have 6 LED floodlights, some LED Strobes and a windshield wiper on the cab. All are powered from the +12VDC Battery terminal and protected by fuses and work fine.

My 2003 BX23 did not come with a cigarette lighter. Not sure if the BX25 had one or if you or someone else installed the outlet under the seat. Many people install a cigarette outlet IVO the seat using the +12VDC accessory pigtail that is located under the seat and above the fuel tank. If that is where the current outlet gets its +12VDC there is something you need to be aware of.

The +12VDC pigtail on top of the fuel tank is on the same circuit as the fuel solenoid shutoff for the tractor. Meaning... If the fuse on the +12VDC accessory blows it disables the fuel shutoff solenoid and you can't turn off the tractor. On a BX Kubota, the engine is shut off by applying +12VDC to the fuel shutoff solenoid that in turn shuts off the flow of diesel when the key is turned off. If the fuse on the shutoff circuit blows, there is no way to shut off the engine except by activating the manual fuel shutoff level on the side of the fuel injector pump housing, which is inaccessible under the air cleaner.

For this reason, many BX owners install a long piece of stiff wire connected to the manual fuel shutoff lever and have that wire stick out the front of the engine shroud. It's a very easy thing to do and provides an option to shut off the engine if the fuse blows on the +12VDC accessory circuit.

Good luck

 

So the trickle charger is coming with a USB plug instead of clamps to go on the neg and pos battery terminals?...I haven't seen that

 

No, the trickle charger has three connection options. Clamps, ring terminals, and cigarette lighter plug. I use the clamps on one battery, the ring terminals on another, and the plug on a third that gets Winter use so more connections/disconnections without having to pop the hood.

 

Thank you for the picture...I don't think I have seen that set up

 

I have a similar option on my MF as you do on your Kubota. I have a fuse panel with unused spots.

But, there is no contacts in the unused portions. I don’t know where to order the metal tabs that would hold a fuse. I don’t know if I added tabs if it would be powered. I need to remove the whole thing and see if there is a manufacturer’s info on it.

 

I don’t know where to order the metal tabs that would hold a fuse. I don’t know if I added tabs if it would be powered. I need to remove the whole thing and see if there is a manufacturer’s info on it.

Here's a start.
Amazon.com : Wire Terminal Connectors for Fuse Block
You will be able to see the type you need when you remove the box and them match to correct ones.
MikeC

 

No need to over-complicate things... a simple inline fuse holder will suffice, or if you must, mount a small auxillary fuse panel and wire your accessories from that.

 

I agree. Here is a blurry pic of mine. It connects to the battery side of the starter solenoid on one end and a heat-shrink crimp on the other end.

 

Not sure what kind of charger you are using. A trickle charger - well the old fashioned kind, is simply battery charger that doesn't quit, it simply charges at a fairly low level. For smaller batteries, like motorcycles and some tractors, these will cook the battery over the winter - by that I mean overcharge them. A smart charger - Deltran, Accumate, etc. will charge, desulfate, equalize and hold the battery at full charge without killing it. In fact, these will lengthen the life of a lead acid battery. Google Battery University and read about lead acid batteries. This guy literally wrote the book on batteries. Be sure to fuse that cigarette lighter somewhere, even if it goes directly to the battery.

Check out this chart. I copied it from a marine website - the info has been all over the web for years. You can use your #12 wire, no problem at all. It will simply carry way more current than you will ever use.

 

Not sure what kind of charger you are using.

It is an automatic charger and maintainer suitable for a wide variety of equipment. Granted, it is only capable of 1.5A so it would not be able to bring an AGM battery back from the dead but then I have a more suitable charger for that. I mostly use this in Winter to keep some OPE batteries topped up and to keep the battery warm in the tractor I use to plow snow.

1.5 Amp Battery Maintainer | STANLEY

The 1.5 amp battery charger and maintainer is perfect for charging 6 volt and 12 volt batteries. You can use it to charge the batteries of RVs, motorcycles, lawn mowers, ATVs, boats or jet skis, ...

www.stanleytools.com

I posted a pic of the inline fuse earlier. Aside from using the outlet to plug in the trickle charger, it also is used to power the remote control for my LED safety strobe lights.

 

The advantage to slightly heavier wire is that it holds up better in a rough environment too. For the extra buck it sure won't hurt.

 

All done!

I always hate it when someone asks how to do something, gets answers, and never lets people know if it worked or not. I seem to find a lot of threads like that when I search for how to do things, so here's the info on it!

You can see the phone cradle on top of the dash. The box to the right is what I added. The lighter socket and USB socket are on the bottom of the box, along with a switch. You can see a USB to lightning cable coming out from the box.

Here's the underside of the box. On the front (top of pic) is a lighter socket, then an on/off switch, then the USB sockets. Sorry for the darkness - that's as bright as I can make the photo.

I drilled only 2 holes in to the side of the dash, then put in some 1/4" screws:

Notice the silicone cement I used on these connections. I did the same with washers on the inside. These screws are wired, the top one is positive, the other is ground.

I used #12 stranded wire inside and used one screw terminal on each screw:

I also used these on the bolts on the clips that go on the battery lugs, but for those, I had to use a 5/16" drill to make the holes wide enough for the bolts on the battery connectors:

I don't have the wires in the connectors at this point and haven't moved the connectors into their final position. I've also used an inline 10A fuse for safety and protection.

I forgot to take a photo of the interior of the box. Basically I have the wires crimped so I could slide the crimped ends over the screw, then put a nut over them.

I really like this. With it hooked up directly to the battery, and with my switch, I can keep it off when not in use (just a precaution, since I don't know if this is as waterproof as I hope!). The other advantage is that I find I often am working with the tractor and have to stop and do a lot of "muscle work." That can go on and on for hours and I have an older phone that can't go but so many hours while playing music. Since it's wired to the battery, if I have to stop the tractor for a few hours, I can still power my phone with the ignition off. Also, with those screw-tight terminals on the lugs, I can add another circuit or two with in-line fuses as I need them.

One other note: I always figured it would be a royal pain in the rear and cost a lot of money to put on work lights, but from the comments on this thread, I realized it wouldn't be too hard, so I looked them up and was surprised at how low the cost for work lights are. I'll be posting another question soon about that, soon, since I can't find good clamps to fasten the worklights to the ROPS and I'm interested in recommendations for lights. (I figure I'll place them inside the ROPS, as I see some others do, so they will be protected, to an extent, from branches and other threats.)

 

Well done.

 

Use magnets to mount your lights on the rops. No drilling, easy to adjust, and the ones I used......well, those lights will still be there even if I have to drive upwind into a hurricane.
WF 2 Pcs Magnetic Light Bar... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073W8SXWJ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

What about when I have to drive through tight places where tree limbs thwack the ROPS?

 

Thank you for updating us....glad it worked out for you

 

Those magnets I believe are strong enough that you can put them on upside down pointing inside the ROPS...or if you want them on top, you can just grab them when you are coming to a "low bridge" until you pass and then just pop them back on

 

Yes, I was planning on putting all lights on the inside of the ROPS.

I have a BX23 that I wanted to add a cab circuit to and wanted to use the provided fuse block I found that GM female terminals work and pretty reasonable on eBay @Cat385B. My old Toro had a common hot side which made things way easier than having to track down a hot.

I posted a pic earlier of my current fuse box, which has one fuse block, but the other looks like sockets. It's on the 1st page. I'm wondering if that is the kind of connection you're talking about.

 

I have a BX23 that I wanted to add a cab circuit to and wanted to use the provided fuse block I found that GM female terminals work and pretty reasonable on eBay @Cat385B. My old Toro had a common hot side which made things way easier than having to track down a hot.

 

I tried to find my old pictures so you could take a look but was unsuccessful and can't get a picture with the air intake cover on.

From what I can tell your fuse block looks similar to mine, I also have the mini fuses. I don't remember how I decided that those were the ones that I needed. You can measure the opening to make sure that they will fit.

Here is a picture of the connector with the fuse installed.

 

I tried to find my old pictures so you could take a look but was unsuccessful and can't get a picture with the air intake cover on.

From what I can tell your fuse block looks similar to mine, I also have the mini fuses. I don't remember how I decided that those were the ones that I needed. You can measure the opening to make sure that they will fit.

Here is a picture of the connector with the fuse installed.
View attachment 2486788

Okay, I see -I thought it would use something entirely different, but this makes sense. Thanks!

 

I redid this because I made errors the first time around. I also got a new box for several reasons.

Changes:
1. Ran the ground line to a screw on the chassis, nearer to the box with the chargers than the battery ground and it's stationary, it doesn't get pulled out and moved when I move the battery. Also changed the connector to use a crimper with an eyelet on it than a screw-on connector.
2. Changed the connection to the positive on the battery to use a crimper with an eyelet than a screw on terminal.
3. Added an inline fuse near the battery and removed the one in the box. This way if the power line to the box I added shorts out, the fuse is protection. With the fuse in the box, I realized that there was a lot of wiring before the fuse that could short out and cause problems.
4. I changed the box:
A. I moved the chargers to the top. I have a friend who has used almost identical connections on his boat and has never had a water issue with them, so I figured I could do that.
B. Added a USB charger that includes a voltmeter so I can check on the battery easily.

I now have three devices along the top:

This is looking down from the top. Note the on/off switch on the back side. Since this isn't powered through the ignition, I can turn it on and let it power my phone for a good while if the tractor is off and I'm doing non-tractor work in that area.

Here it is with the tops open:

The new feature on the frontmost socket is my way of blowing off steam. It's a normal lighter socket behind it and I can remove the button if I want. I just see it and wish I had that firepower to take out rocks and logs!

The voltmeter has a button next to it to turn it on and off. The problem is the switch turns the chargers on that socket on and off as well. So if I don't want the voltmeter on, I can just plug right into the middle charger.

 

Interesting setup. You can connect a bubble gun to the missile socket. It'll give the neighbors something to talk about.

 

Nicely done ...thank you for the update

 

I'm close to finishing the work lights. (I measured, but forgot I'd be running positive and ground wires along the ROPS, instead of just one wire!) When those are done, I'll post photos on that thread.

Interesting setup. You can connect a bubble gun to the missile socket. It'll give the neighbors something to talk about.

That would be good for a laugh! Although only 2 people are ever close enough to see anything like that!

I just like the Fire Missile because there are a lot of times I have to move big things out of the way or dig through reconstituted concrete (from using recycled concrete crush and run) and just wish I had something like that!