ROPS~ Wiring to Battery 4 floods and strobe on DK-40

[Coyote machine]

I was going to use my old boat cables from the battery to the rollbar,(ROPS), but I can't find the old, still usable cables
My question to those like 'Eepete' is: Can I use two of the three conductors from some 8/3 W/G Type NM-B I have left over from some work at my house?
I don't see any reason not to use it to supply a hot and ground cable to the ROPS area directly from the factory mounted battery under the hood. I can then tie in my floods, etc. with their own fused wiring at the point of juncture on the underside of the ROPS top horizontal bar.

Any thoughts on this idea?

Thanks in advance.

CM

 

[kennyd]

I am certainly no Pete, but I will offer my opinion anyway:laughing: Using solid wire is not a great idea due to the vibrations on the machine, stranded wire is preffered. Also #8 wire is a little big, you can get away with #12 but #10 would be a little better.

 

[VTFireftr]

I agree with Kenny. Solid wire on a moving vehicle will not last very long.

Go to your local harware store/home center and get some 12/3 or 12/4 stranded wire used for extension cords.

This wire is well insulated and well suited for outdoor use. Thats what i used for my ROPs lights.

I suggest the 12/4 because you can then seperate the front spots from the rear, and the strobe.

Hope this helps.

marc

 

[Coyote machine]

Am I mistaken in believing the 8/3 IS twisted wire with multi strands?
I want to use it, if possible, because I already have several hundred feet of it taking up space.
To clarify further, my thoughts are to run whatever wire directly from the battery to the ROPS area, and then using a terminal block provide the power to each light set with it's own 15 amp fuseable hot wire and ground. The wiring harnesses which came with each pair of lights are not long enough to reach the battery on their own, and are supplied with an inadequate gauge to carry the current to the back of the tractor with an extension of the supplied harness. They come with a 15amp fuse built into an ATC fuse holder several inches from the hot wire's 'battery end', so my thought is to use the 8/3 to bring the power supply closer to where the light will be located and thus be able to use the supplied harnesses as if the battery were located at the ROPS. I hope that clarifies my thinking?
Further discussion/replies appreciated....

Thx,
CM

 

[grsthegreat]

8/3 nmb will probably already be stranded wire, but way overkill. It would probably work, and it is rated for 40-45 amps at 120 volt. ive never used it on a 12 volt system. the proper wire is available at Napa, and real cheep.

Remember, 12 volt systems will carry a higher amperage than a 120 volt system. thats why a 1000 watt , 120 volt rated wire only needs to carry 8.3 amps of current, but a 1000 watt, 12 volt wire has to carry 83 amps of current.

Also, those lights should be controlled by a relay or contactor just like OEM installed wires, and not just hooked directly to the battery. Most tractors have an existing lighting relay available and installed if additional lights were ever offered as an option when the tractor was new.

I have a sop model for the DK40 tractor, and it shows a plug already available in the rear fender area for work lights. i assume that this can be used. let me attach a drawing

the book has a huge section describing layout with a cab, but not much for open station. i dont know if there is a place reserved for adding a rocker switch to control the rear lights. i have a cluster available for switches, and have 4 additional spaces available with some control wires already in place.
im not sure if there is a similar place for the open stations.

 

[Coyote machine]

grsthegreat,
Let me explain what I'm trying to do. My light kits are for 7" burner lights that run an H3 55 watt lamp in each housing. They are supplied with a complete harness that includes a 15 amp ATC fuse holder on the hot wire lead which is supposed to attach directly to the battery hot terminal. The harness also includes a relay to allow the built in switch to not get fried by the current traveling through the circuit.
So my plan is to use the 8/3 to essentially bring the battery ends to the location where the factory supplied harness of the light manufacturer will connect with its fuseable hot wire and ground- INSTEAD of splicing into the light's harness to extend the wires to the battery.
I'm already using the work lite wire end to energize a separate work/ backup light as intended for that use by Kioti.
I understand 8/3 is overkill for the load (current) generated by the lights use; i just want to know if it will work without causing problems, since I already have the wire on hand.

 

[grsthegreat]

grsthegreat,
Let me explain what I'm trying to do. My light kits are for 7" burner lights that run an H3 55 watt lamp in each housing. They are supplied with a complete harness that includes a 15 amp ATC fuse holder on the hot wire lead which is supposed to attach directly to the battery hot terminal. The harness also includes a relay to allow the built in switch to not get fried by the current traveling through the circuit.
So my plan is to use the 8/3 to essentially bring the battery ends to the location where the factory supplied harness of the light manufacturer will connect with its fuseable hot wire and ground- INSTEAD of splicing into the light's harness to extend the wires to the battery.
I'm already using the work lite wire end to energize a separate work/ backup light as intended for that use by Kioti.
I understand 8/3 is overkill for the load (current) generated by the lights use; i just want to know if it will work without causing problems, since I already have the wire on hand.

ok, 55 watts x 2 - 110 watts devide by 12v = 10 amps....so the wire will more than carry the load.

 

[JonKioti]

The wire will carry the load, however 8/3 for household, while made of several smaller strands is not as flexible as the 12 or 10 gauge wire you would get for automotive/tractor use. You could use it, but you may find it a little cumbersome. It would be great for running power out to your tractor shed, however.

For the amount you need, I would be inclined to buy the correct stuff. However, if you can make a neat job of it and you have some decent sized terminal blocks to use where you make the connections, it is unlikely there would be enough vibration to break it for the time you will have the tractor.

Keep the cable well secured along its length and make sure your connections are tight. It would be worth checking any screw connections after the setup has been in place for a period of time to ensure they are still tight. I have seen such connections work loose in such circumstances.

Bear in mind the current from a battery with that heavy wire is almost enough to weld with, so a loose connection accidentally hitting the chassis will create some serious sparks. You may wish to put a 10 amp fuse at your connection to the battery just to be safe.

 

[Scrambler82]

The wire size will more than carry the 20 amps but the wire type is not flexible enough for that application.
For the short run you are talking buy some new stranded automotive wire.
4 lights @ 55 watts is 220 watts total and that equals 20 amps.
Best way is to wire in sets of two light, fused 12 gauge power wires to relays for each set of two with switches by the operator.

 

[Coyote machine]

I have since picked up 20' of red and 20' of black 'primary' wire and some ring connectors to connect each individual wire to the battery. I will likely use some 'Blueseas' (marine grade) terminal blocks to connect the power leads to and then each pair of lights will be fed off the block by a cigarette plug holder that will allow me to use the fused harness with built in 15amp ATC fuse to send power to the light pairs. I will have, when it is all wired: 1 strobe, (LED type), 1 pair of H-3 driven 7" Blaster lights to the front, and 2 H-3 floods to the rear. AND an old style mechanical orange swirl light (magnetic base), plus a separate circuit work light mounted on the frame behind the seat. AND a couple of license plate lights located on either side of the steering wheel housing to light up the switches below( 4x4 switch, hazard warning, cruise, pto, etc. These license lights will be wired to the hot wire of the light switch low beam position.