Adding led lights...relay or not

   / Adding led lights...relay or not #41  
Wow! That's a lot of forward facing light on that ROPS! 25 amps on 12volt LEDS will give you ~20,000 actual lumens. Or about 10x brighter than your average car head lights. Does it ever blind you if you turn around with the front lights on?
It's bright. When you turn and look to the side or behind you want to direct your eyes down...

I really liked the center light. I put one on my RTV first for plowing snow. But for mowing after dark I wanted to make sure I had some more light out to the sides so I could see where my line of cut grass was when I'm turning. The additional floods pointed outward work great for that.
The weird thing is that after looking/driving forward for a bit, when you look behind you the lights back there look really dim. But they are not...

To your last question, I don't feel that adding a relay would do anything more than complicate the system given your draw and switch rating.
 
   / Adding led lights...relay or not
  • Thread Starter
#42  
It's bright. When you turn and look to the side or behind you want to direct your eyes down...

I really liked the center light. I put one on my RTV first for plowing snow. But for mowing after dark I wanted to make sure I had some more light out to the sides so I could see where my line of cut grass was when I'm turning. The additional floods pointed outward work great for that.
The weird thing is that after looking/driving forward for a bit, when you look behind you the lights back there look really dim. But they are not...

To your last question, I don't feel that adding a relay would do anything more than complicate the system given your draw and switch rating.

Those look like the same lights I'm putting on this Gator. And I as you will mount the ones on the end so they are flooding light more to the side...led bar will be dead ahead.
 
   / Adding led lights...relay or not #44  
To add to my previous post, 6 50w LED flood lights draw 12.5 Amps on a 24 volt system. In a 12 volt system, these lights would draw 25 Amps! That's a lot of current. Better plan for it.

I used 10 gauge wire for my lights and 6 gauge wire for my trolling motor.
 
   / Adding led lights...relay or not #45  
The purpose of the relay in this thread (as I understand it) is to protect the IGNITION KEY CIRCUIT if you are interlocking the LED lights with it. It is not to protect a 20+ amp toggle switch. Interlocking with the ignition key or existing headlight circuit automatically will shut off the LED lights. A simple toggle switch straight to the 12V battery/alternator accidentally switched on in daylight hours could drain a shut off tractor's battery real quick.
 
   / Adding led lights...relay or not #46  
Now ya'll have me really wanting to add light's to the new Gator, problem is, i'm an electrical dummy. Is there anywhere that has actual pics of an installation instead of drawings that i can't comprehend?

Ronnie
 
   / Adding led lights...relay or not #47  
check your fuse block. There may be a fused circuit on it that is labelled aux or spare. i had one on mine and ran my led aux head lights to it. I mounted a waterproof push button switch on my dash to control them separately from the regular head lights. This 'spare' is factory wired thru the key switch. Since all my lights go off with the key, I'm guessing there's already a relay in the key circuit. It was an easy install.
 
   / Adding led lights...relay or not #48  
The purpose of the relay in this thread (as I understand it) is to protect the IGNITION KEY CIRCUIT if you are interlocking the LED lights with it. It is not to protect a 20+ amp toggle switch. Interlocking with the ignition key or existing headlight circuit automatically will shut off the LED lights. A simple toggle switch straight to the 12V battery/alternator accidentally switched on in daylight hours could drain a shut off tractor's battery real quick.

I see. I must be wired through the ignition switch also because my lights only go on when the key is on. I'm wired through the fuse box "aux work light" fuse which had nothing on it so I used it. I do not know how it is wired upstream of that fuse. I do not know if there is already a relay or not. With max 6 amp draw, is there any risk of damaging the ignition circuit if there is no relay?
 
   / Adding led lights...relay or not #49  
If you wired it into the fuse box there must be a relay that controls it. That and the circuit is there. They must plan on a decent draw for aux lighting. 6 amps is fairly low. I think you are just fine. If you were up around 15 or 20 I would start looking into it a bit more.
 
   / Adding led lights...relay or not #50  
Now ya'll have me really wanting to add light's to the new Gator, problem is, i'm an electrical dummy. Is there anywhere that has actual pics of an installation instead of drawings that i can't comprehend?

Ronnie
Look on YouTube.
 

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