[ggsteve]

I bought a pair of 10w LED flood lights off of Ebay for about $42 shipped. They came with no documentation so I waited until the company emailed me with hookup directions. It took a couple days for them to get back to me because of the weekend but I finally heard from them. Here is a closeup of the light:

Here the two are installed:

And another angle:

While I was at it I added a $20 LED Caution beacon I picked up at Walmart:

I ran the coiled cord from the light along the roof.

Here is some of the wiring. I tapped into the Craftsman headlight circuit with one of those self piercing connectors you all hate. The flood lights ground to the OTC cab frame and the beacon is connected through the cigarette style plug it came with because I wanted to save the on off switch on the back of it. I also figure I could run a fan or other 12v appliance from there too:

Here are the lights on:

Here's a view out in the driveway. The lights aiming down from above greatly increase visibility:

Bear with me on this one, this is my JD 317 under a brown tarp in the dark. Trying to show how it lights stuff up:

Here's a view from the side. The lights really spread the light nicely, an arc about 170 degrees:

This is a shot from the back when I caught the beacon on:

 

[Hugh-SS/16]

Nice!!

 

[Cat385B]

Does the extra light help find blown away tarps?

 

[[email protected]]

They do look like they work, but I hope it's next season before you find out for sure.

 

[ggsteve]

Does the extra light help find blown away tarps?

:sidelaugh I imagine it will, but I already found the tarp! In the garden next to the frozen koi pond.

 

[ggsteve]

They do look like they work, but I hope it's next season before you find out for sure.

Sounds like you will be using your stuff over the next couple days. Both storms are missing us for the most part. Between the two of them I might have 3" to clean up, but that should be after dark tomorrow!

 

[peteleft]

If you direct-wired the LEDs to the headlights you may want to consider rewiring under the hood using a relay. This way you can use the factory lighting circuit to trip the relay and wire and draw power from the battery for the new LED lights. A quick disconnect somewhere leading to the new lighting will also help when if/you remove the cab, making it plug-n-play for next season. Of course this is assuming you have done none of this, but you are thorough.

 

[ggsteve]

If you direct-wired the LEDs to the headlights you may want to consider rewiring under the hood using a relay. This way you can use the factory lighting circuit to trip the relay and wire and draw power from the battery for the new LED lights. A quick disconnect somewhere leading to the new lighting will also help when if/you remove the cab, making it plug-n-play for next season. Of course this is assuming you have done none of this, but you are thorough.

What is the advantage to drawing power direct from the battery? They certainly seem bright enough. I did put in a quick disconnect so the lights and wiring will come off with the cab easily in the spring.

 

[peteleft]

The factory light switch is only rated for so much amperage. Adding the extra load may put it over the top. In addition there is the extra amperage drawing through the factory lighting fuse. Relays allow one circuit to switch a second circuit which can be completely separate from the first. There is no electrical connection inside the relay between the two circuits. This is a common SPST wiring diagram. You can easily get a relay for a few bucks in the auto section by the lights. With a few additional small lengths of wire and connectors you're done.The switch can be the factory headlight switch without loading the factory circuit.

 

[peteleft]

Also, if you were to pull the power to pin 85 anywhere in the wire marked "switched power" before the factory switch AND added a new switch in the line coming from pin 87 before the new lights you could operate the LED lights independently from the headlights yet still have them turn off when you shut down the tractor with the key - just the same as the headlights.

 

[Mike X485]

Lights look good and nice job on the install. :trink39::trink39:

 

[slkpk]

Good luck with your night blowing. slkpk

 

[Cat385B]

I already found the tarp! In the garden next to the frozen koi pond.

Nice that you found the tarp, but I'm sorry to hear about your fish. raying:

 

[peteleft]

ggsteve, do you think the lights are bright enough to use singly? I was going to wait until next year for additional lighting but the price is right. The reason I ask is that I was going to add a vertical post to the tractor attached at the blower chute crank plate near the dash and mount the light there.

 

[ggsteve]

ggsteve, do you think the lights are bright enough to use singly? I was going to wait until next year for additional lighting but the price is right. The reason I ask is that I was going to add a vertical post to the tractor attached at the blower chute crank plate near the dash and mount the light there.

I'll have to get a little more experience with them. I only drove around for a couple minutes last night after the install. From what I've seen so far I think one would provide decent light.

 

[engine2quarters]

Do the lights have a certain 'pattern', that is, light as a spot, a flood, or what?

 

[ggsteve]

Do the lights have a certain 'pattern', that is, light as a spot, a flood, or what?

Definitely a broad flood pattern.

 

[engine2quarters]

So you could 'point' one down infront close into the blower inlet and other one out ahead abit further to watch for rocks and stone walls. With the high up positioning you got you should get next to 'perfect' coverage.

 

[peteleft]

Did you get any play time .......... errrr ....... ummmmmm .... I mean working time in with the new lights?

 

[ggsteve]

So you could 'point' one down infront close into the blower inlet and other one out ahead abit further to watch for rocks and stone walls. With the high up positioning you got you should get next to 'perfect' coverage.

You could point one down but it is not necessary. I have the lights pointed pretty much straight ahead and they light up the hood brightly.