Solar lighting for tractor shed

   / Solar lighting for tractor shed #1  
L

lantxinNETX

Bronze Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2012
Messages
83
Location
NE Texas
Tractor
Mahindra 4035 HST, Bradco 485 Backhoe
Has anyone had any success using any off-the-shelf solar light kits for a tractor shed? My new shed is 20 x 20, open on two sides. Way, way too far to consider running any 110v power out to it right now. I've looked at the solar motion detector lights but they don't seem like they would do the trick. (And motion detection is not my desire - I want to turn it on and off when I want.) I'm not trying to create perfect lighting for 12 hours a day in the thing - I just want to be able to pull in to the shed as it is getting dark and have an hour (or two) of light a day - good enough that I can put up tools, do a little maintenance, etc.

I'm trying to stay away from buying all of the separate components (solar cell, battery, controller, lights, etc.) which I know would probably be superior, but would also come with a superior price tag.

Thanks!

Martin
 
   / Solar lighting for tractor shed #2  
Why not just plug in a couple of LED lights to your tractor?
/edit - and run it off the battery.
 
   / Solar lighting for tractor shed #3  
You could put a marine battery out there and run some 12v lights off it. My buddy has a solar cabin and he's got a few 12v lights inside to use when he has problems with inverter or other electronics. They're not bad for just general lighting. When battery is dead bring it back to house for charging.
 
   / Solar lighting for tractor shed #4  
Seems quite a few people are having success with this Solar Kit from Harbor Freight. I may get myself a kit to have some lights in my equipment shed.
 
   / Solar lighting for tractor shed #5  
I have a deep cycle battery charged by a 15 watt solar cell on the roof of the shed. It's original purpose was to power a diesel fuel pump. Later, I added two 27 watt led lights. Usage is about what the OP described, plus 5-10 gallons of fuel pumped each week. It has worked well. Cost: battery $80, solar cell $60, controller $10. The most costly items were the 27 watt LED
 
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   / Solar lighting for tractor shed #6  
hosspuller said:
I have a deep cycle battery charged by a 15 watt solar cell on the roof of the shed. It's original purpose was to power a diesel fuel pump. Later, I added two 27 watt led lights. Usage is about what the OP described, plus 5-10 gallons of fuel each week. It has worked well. Cost: battery $80, solar cell $60, controller $10. The most costly items were the 27 watt LED
Click to expand...

This is the way to go. Get a deep cycle battery from Walmart or Costco. Get a solar panel from a place like Solar Blvd. You can get a cheap controller off eBay, Amazon or Solar Blvd has some, too. I buy the 48 LED panels from Ebay and they are surprisingly bright.
 
   / Solar lighting for tractor shed #7  
Northern tool has a 18 watt panel for sale for $70 right now

NPower XRP Series Amorphous Solar Panel — 18 Watt, Model# 59080
 
   / Solar lighting for tractor shed #9  
Why not just get the battery and the lights and charge with jumpers from tractor? It would take a long time to use $70 worth of diesel charging the battery.
 
   / Solar lighting for tractor shed #10  
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