Installing Led cab lights on a Grand L 3240 cab

[WaxMan]

I wanted to put some cab marker lights on my tractor. The problem was the angle and curve of the top, it's hard to get any light to fit on it. I found the smallest led marker lights I could find. Unless I wanted them pointing up to the sky, I had to make some back spacers to be able to mount them facing forward.

I used plastic brick moulding, the trim that goes around the outside doors and windows. I ripped the moulding close to the angle I needed. The top is slightly rounded (both ways) so then I had to fit each piece by hand sanding them the same contour as the top. The top of the plastic spacer and the front face of the spacer where the light mounts to had to be level. Did the same in the back of the top but only three red lights.
Then a little plastic trick I know. I spray the plastic with black lacquer paint, then right after spraying I hit the piece just enough with my heat gun, the paint and the plastic melt together leaving a hard factory like wrinkle plastic finish. The finish matches the backs of the plastic mirrors and the black portion of the roof, With a little practice you can match the wrinkle exactly, spray another coat, do it again until it's the look you want. You don't have to worry about the paint coming off it's melted right in.
The last two pictures, before and after.

 

[kcender]

Very nice job,looks like factory made.

 

[Hdoilcan]

Very nice!!
About how much time do you have invested in this project?

 

[CanuckPT]

Another outstanding project WaxMan! Your attention to detail & the quality of your work is second to none!

Sent from my iPhone using TractorByNet

 

[xring100]

Looks good WaxMan.

 

[aczlan]

Neat trick, I'll have to remember that.

Aaron Z

 

[AStanton]

Nice job. Your tractor is beginning to look like a 18-wheeler tractor. The DOT might start making you buy green diesel for it.

 

[WaxMan]

Very nice!!
About how much time do you have invested in this project?

Thanks guys,
Good question, So thinking back, Last Sunday morning I figured out the angle that I needed for the spacer and made one spacer block out of wood. Later my son and I went to Home Depot to get the plastic moldings, came home and ripped one of them lengthwise. Not counting the HD trip and lunch. 1.5 hrs

Monday late afternoon after I plowed the driveway. (Snowed all day) I cut and fit the blocks to the roof 2 hrs.
Wed late afternoon after work sanded, drilled, fit the lights to the blocks and got them ready for paint. 3 hrs
Thursday morning before work I painted them. Spray bomb and heat gun 1/2 hr.
Thursday late afternoon I removed the roof, attached the bases to the to roof with silicone and SS screws. 3 hrs.
Friday night (wife out Christmas shopping) I removed the SS screws from the bases and mounted the lights to the bases that were already mounted to the roof 1.5 hr.
Saturday morning I wired them up, put the roof back on and posted the pictures. 4 hrs
So 15 1/2 hrs give or take an hr or so, only because there was some experimenting going on and I kept getting interrupted. Otherwise the job does not take that long and is not that hard to do.
But I have been thinking about how I was going to do it for a couple of months, does that count?

 

[wmonroe]

Awesome job, it looks factory. Extra lights and a stack should be options from Kubota.

 

[BIGTOOLRACK]

Very nice job!

I wanted to put some cab marker lights on my tractor. The problem was the angle and curve of the top, it's hard to get any light to fit on it. I found the smallest led marker lights I could find. Unless I wanted them pointing up to the sky, I had to make some back spacers to be able to mount them facing forward.

I used plastic brick moulding, the trim that goes around the outside doors and windows. I ripped the moulding close to the angle I needed. The top is slightly rounded (both ways) so then I had to fit each piece by hand sanding them the same contour as the top. The top of the plastic spacer and the front face of the spacer where the light mounts to had to be level. Did the same in the back of the top but only three red lights.
Then a little plastic trick I know. I spray the plastic with black lacquer paint, then right after spraying I hit the piece just enough with my heat gun, the paint and the plastic melt together leaving a hard factory like wrinkle plastic finish. The finish matches the backs of the plastic mirrors and the black portion of the roof, With a little practice you can match the wrinkle exactly, spray another coat, do it again until it's the look you want. You don't have to worry about the paint coming off it's melted right in.
The last two pictures, before and after.