LED light install... BUT look mom, no holes!

[dragoneggs]

Well almost. There has been a lot of talk about drilling holes especially on the ROPS. My solution involved no drilling of holes for the entire project... except for two. I just couldn't get around drilling a couple of holes in the plastic dash of my BX for a couple of lighted switches. A debt of gratitude must go out to 4shorts for his inspiration and help. I hope this thread provides some ideas on a novel way of doing things on your tractor, boat, RV, airplane, or any other toy you all might have.

The start of the project involved mounting of the lights. I purchased the 27W Tuff LEDs. TUFF LED LIGHTS 4 X 4" Inch Square 27watt LED Work Lamp Light 1550 Lumen, Off Road, Atv, Utv, Polaris Ranger : Amazon.com : Automotive For the money hard to beat these for brightness and build quality.

So... here is how I mounted the lights...

Location was definitely considered. I wanted the lights to be as high up as possible but also needed them protected by the ROPS. I have a lot of trees and branches that would catch on them if I went on top or the outsides so I mounted them underneath. Now the novel part... I used Click Bond fasteners (disclaimer here... I work for the company). Actually I used several types of CB parts throughout the project but these in particular are stainless steel studs adhesively bonded to the ROPS. I am going to go into a little detail here because there are a few simple but important steps if you go this way. Pics coming very shortly... if anyone really wants to see another lighting mod that is!

 

[k0ua]

Well almost. There has been a lot of talk about drilling holes especially on the ROPS. My solution involved no drilling of holes for the entire project... except for two. I just couldn't get around drilling a couple of holes in the plastic dash of my BX for a couple of lighted switches. A debt of gratitude must go out to 4shorts for his inspiration and help. I hope this thread provides some ideas on a novel way of doing things on your tractor, boat, RV, airplane, or any other toy you all might have.

The start of the project involved mounting of the lights. I purchased the 27W Tuff LEDs. TUFF LED LIGHTS 4 X 4" Inch Square 27watt LED Work Lamp Light 1550 Lumen, Off Road, Atv, Utv, Polaris Ranger : Amazon.com : Automotive For the money hard to beat these for brightness and build quality.

So... here is how I mounted the lights...

Location was definitely considered. I wanted the lights to be as high up as possible but also needed them protected by the ROPS. I have a lot of trees and branches that would catch on them if I went on top or the outsides so I mounted them underneath. Now the novel part... I used Click Bond fasteners (disclaimer here... I work for the company). Actually I used several types of CB parts throughout the project but these in particular are stainless steel studs adhesively bonded to the ROPS. I am going to go into a little detail here because there are a few simple but important steps if you go this way. Pics coming very shortly... if anyone really wants to see another lighting mod that is!

Yeah, I wouldn't mind looking at your pictures, and I would especially like to learn more about click bond fasteners.

James K0UA

 

[dragoneggs]

Most important in adhesive bonding, you must understand the materials and finishes that you are bonding and select the proper adhesive. Environmental conditions such as temperature, vibration, contact with various fluids, etc. are important in selecting the adhesive. I used a fast curing two part modified epoxy/acrylic blend. It has the quick cure of methacrylate with the toughness of an epoxy. Clean surfaces are paramount. Removing any oxidation, mold release, dirt, grease, oils is a must for a structural bond. Scuffing and solvent wipe to clean.



Then the handy dandy Click Bond parts... these are installed with self fixturing pressure application fixtures (PAFs).

 

[k0ua]

Most important in adhesive bonding, you must understand the materials and finishes that you are bonding and select the proper adhesive. Environmental conditions such as temperature, vibration, contact with various fluids, etc. are important in selecting the adhesive. I used a fast curing two part modified epoxy/acrylic blend. It has the quick cure of methacrylate with the toughness of an epoxy. Clean surfaces are paramount. Removing any oxidation, mold release, dirt, grease, oils is a must for a structural bond. Scuffing and solvent wipe to clean.

View attachment 351150 View attachment 351149

Then the handy dandy Click Bond parts... these are installed with self fixturing pressure application fixtures (PAFs).

View attachment 351151 View attachment 351152

How much straight pull and then how much shear strength are we looking at on a piece of that size?

 

[dragoneggs]

These fixtures are temporary holding devices. Like a spring loaded clamp. Almost all adhesives cure as a result of an exothermic process. Okay maybe starting to dive too deep here but simply put the adhesive tends to shrink as it cures. The CB fixture continues to apply pressure during the cure so a thin and controlled bond line thickness is achieved thus preventing any air/moisture to penetrate the join. This means no corrosion will migrate under the bond thus resulting in a lifetime connection.

 

[k0ua]

These fixtures are temporary holding devices. Like a spring loaded clamp. Almost all adhesives cure as a result of an exothermic process. Okay maybe starting to dive too deep here but simply put the adhesive tends to shrink as it cures. The CB fixture continues to apply pressure during the cure so a thin and controlled bond line thickness is achieved thus preventing any air/moisture to penetrate the join. This means no corrosion will migrate under the bond thus resulting in a lifetime connection.

No, I am with you so far.. keep going.

 

[dragoneggs]

How much straight pull and then how much shear strength are we looking at on a piece of that size?

Good question... this totally depends on your adhesive and bonding surfaces. In this case I bonded 316 stainless to the painted ROPS so I am at the mercy of the Kubota paint. I did not want to remove the paint as I am trying to preserve the stock condition (there is a way to remove this without damaging the finish... more on that later perhaps). But to give you an idea of capability... these are 2in base studs. If I were to have bonded to bare metal, I could expect about 1700lb tension and 4000lb shear! On paint, hard to quote as I haven't tested Kubota paint process, but a good quality industrial quality primer/paint (Shell Oil) would be around 500lb tension (straight pull).

 

[k0ua]

Good question... this totally depends on your adhesive and bonding surfaces. In this case I bonded 316 stainless to the painted ROPS so I am at the mercy of the Kubota paint. I did not want to remove the paint as I am trying to preserve the stock condition (there is a way to remove this without damaging the finish... more on that later perhaps). But to give you an idea of capability... these are 2in base studs. If I were to have bonded to bare metal, I could expect about 1700lb tension and 4000lb shear! On paint, hard to quote as I haven't tested Kubota paint process, but a good quality industrial quality primer/paint (Shell Oil) would be around 500lb tension (straight pull).

In any case way more than than those lights are going to put on the fasteners.

 

[dragoneggs]

So... the lights are mounted. No holes and I could probably hang on them. Well I guess I would surely bend the mounting bracket. Nice thing is I can angle and swivel the lights 180deg. The one concern I had about mounting these overhead and under the ROPS was head clearance. I have to admit here that for short jobs, I have a bad habit of occasionally working the BH on my knees without swiveling the seat around. So, my head does fit between them but barely.

 

[dragoneggs]

Next, the wiring down the ROPS, under the fender and deck. Again, I didn't want to damage the ROPS so I used some composite cable tie mounts. Now these are not the sticky backs that people are familiar with... these are glass filled thermoplastic mounts that are capable of about 100lbs or more. These guys mount a little differently than the studs. They have an internal fixture that 'sucks' down the mount during cure. Sorry no picture of the clever mechanism (maybe later). Trick here is to have your route figured out and clean the locations prior. Then using the adhesive dispenser, you can quickly apply the 'glue' (we say structural adhesive) and install all of the parts in an efficient manner. The adhesive cures quickly so it is important to plan out and stage the work to keep the adhesive flowing. No smoke breaks here unless you want to replace the mixing tip (no big deal though).