Question for those with 12v fans

[TomWhite]

Here is a question or two for those of you who have mounted a fan to your canopy or ROPS.

I have a TC30 that I recently put a canopy on (Firebird Fiberglass) and now would like to put a small fan on either the underside of the canopy, or mount it to the ROPS.

Would any of you who have done this please give me some help with the following?

1. What brand fan did you buy, and where did you buy it?

2. Where and how did you mount it?

3. How did you wire it up?

Question number 3 is a big one for me as I am an electical moron. For example, I know what an in-line fuse is, but if you start talking about a relay, I'm lost!

Thanks for any help and guidance.

Tom

 

[Soundguy]

A relay is nothing more than a remotely controlled switch.

In other words.. imagine this.. a big gauge power wire from your battery over to your load... say it is a um.. big spotlight.. doesn't matter what it is.. The power wire would go to one side of the relay, the other side of the relay to the load.. then the load will have a wire to ground. Now.. from the relay, there will be two small gauge wires that run.. say.. into your operator area where you have a small dinky switch. Those small wires may only carry 1/2 amp of current.. and that small switch may only carry 1/2 amp.. but it controlls that relay that can switch and handle 20-30 amps. It saves you from running those big wires up to a big switch int he operator area.. then back. For one thing.. the longer run of wire would cause you to use an even heavier gauge wire to prevent voltage drop and loss.. and big hi-current switches are expensive.. as is heavy gauge copper wire. In the end.. you save more money by buying less and smaller copepr wire.. and a smaller switch and relay.. than you would save buying a large amount of large gauge copper wire.. and a hi-capacity switch.

For situations where remote access is not needed.. a manuay switch is ok.. unless you want to keep it neat and tide and use the relay and small switch idea.

Think of wireing and electricity in plumbing terms. The battery is the 'source'.. the wire is the pipe.. switches are valves.. think of the load device as a rotating sprinkler, and the water leaving the sprinkler as going to 'ground'.

If you have a break in the 'pipe' before the load.. the water will leak out to the ground.. and bypass the load.. that's a 'short' circuit.. and that blows the fuse.. think of the fuse as a flow rate restrictor.. oce a certian flow rate is exceded.. the fuse 'functions'.. or fails... Electricity is 'lazy' it will always try to take the path of least resistance. For instance.. the current won't flow thru your load to ground, if it can flow thru a break in the wire that may be touching ground. it's 'easier' for the electricity to flow directly to the ground and not thru the load..

That's as complicated as it has to be.

All that said.. most common 12v fans like you see mounted in trucks.. etc.. use such small gauge wire as to not need a relay... just get an appropriately sized switch and wire and go for it. Fan will specify amps.. buy wire and switch based on those amp ratings.. Unless you get a monster.. 14awg is probably gonne be fine+

Soundguy

 

[TomWhite]

Thanks for the reply, Soundguy!
Your explanation about the relay clears things up a bunch for me. I'm also giving some thought to buying a cigarette lighter add-on for the tractor so that it might be used for the fan or various items, so that is another route I could go, as well.

Thanks again.
Tom

 

[Boomerang1]

You can buy a fan from a semi truck. They are about 8" in dia. and have a swivel base and 2 speeds. Most trucks have them mounted on the overhead counsle. Any truck salvage yard would have one.