JoeL4330
Platinum Member
After years of use and intimate encounters of the worst kind with branches, my work lights needed rehab. I note, as do all of you with FELs, that the tractor's OEM lights must be there for some purpose other than nighttime visibility.
My requirements, this time around, are to have fore and aft lighting that can duck out of the way, do the job whether the ROPs is up or down, and install using readily available (e.g., Home Depot/Lowes, etc) hardware. Also, front illumination has to shoot over my canopy.
As the pictures show, the lights are mounted on gate strap hinges, which are attached to the ROPs with Gate-Latch "Closed Bar Holders". I drilled and tapped the Bar-Holders (but you could use washers and nuts) and drilled matching (slightly over-sized) holes in the hinges. The fasteners are all 1/4 - 20 hex-heads and 1/4 "fender washers" (because the holes in the hinges are over-sized to give some adjustment ...and make up for the fact that I'm notoriously bad at measuring).
The lights are mounted as shown in the farthest (existing) hole of each strap hinge ...I used a taper reamer to get the required fit (if you're not familiar with this shade-tree mechanic's best friend, I recommend one for your toolbox).
The pics show the variety of configurations possible for the lights (which are symmetric, side to side). There are 3 pairs of lights, then, controllable from 3 switches (which, in fact, are double-throw, so I could get fancier, if/when). I can't imagine using all 6 lights at one time (although I have upgraded to the larger "cab" alternator). Note that, if I want to be in electro-conserve mode, I can run just one pair of ROPs lights, one facing front, the other facing rear.
And, did I mention that each light is designed to fold away when brushed by a branch. The last pic shows all the lights tucked away for safe travel.
The discerning among you may have noted that wires are not yet hooked up and there's some excess strap hinge to be cut off ...but that's for tomorrow
My requirements, this time around, are to have fore and aft lighting that can duck out of the way, do the job whether the ROPs is up or down, and install using readily available (e.g., Home Depot/Lowes, etc) hardware. Also, front illumination has to shoot over my canopy.
As the pictures show, the lights are mounted on gate strap hinges, which are attached to the ROPs with Gate-Latch "Closed Bar Holders". I drilled and tapped the Bar-Holders (but you could use washers and nuts) and drilled matching (slightly over-sized) holes in the hinges. The fasteners are all 1/4 - 20 hex-heads and 1/4 "fender washers" (because the holes in the hinges are over-sized to give some adjustment ...and make up for the fact that I'm notoriously bad at measuring).
The lights are mounted as shown in the farthest (existing) hole of each strap hinge ...I used a taper reamer to get the required fit (if you're not familiar with this shade-tree mechanic's best friend, I recommend one for your toolbox).
The pics show the variety of configurations possible for the lights (which are symmetric, side to side). There are 3 pairs of lights, then, controllable from 3 switches (which, in fact, are double-throw, so I could get fancier, if/when). I can't imagine using all 6 lights at one time (although I have upgraded to the larger "cab" alternator). Note that, if I want to be in electro-conserve mode, I can run just one pair of ROPs lights, one facing front, the other facing rear.
And, did I mention that each light is designed to fold away when brushed by a branch. The last pic shows all the lights tucked away for safe travel.
The discerning among you may have noted that wires are not yet hooked up and there's some excess strap hinge to be cut off ...but that's for tomorrow
