LED headlights and light bar for YM2620D - pics and summary

[doctorwho00]

I was hoping to get some extra light for working at night, particularly to make it a bit safer. I ended up fabricating a light bar frame as well as a headlight replacement frame and buying some off the shelf LED lights. I'm very pleased with the end result. This is also my first welding project, so welds are not pretty looking, but they worked and are strong. It looks pretty decent, and the amount of light it produces it pretty stunning. It lights up my field like a high school football field on a Friday night. I can do a lot of work after dark now when needed. I just thought I'd pass this along, as I wasn't able to find any ready-made, after-market options to speak of.

Lightbar
- Purchased a 13" 1800 lumen, 72w LED lightbar off of eBay
- Fabricated a frame to mount it to (and mainly keep it from getting beaten up by limbs, etc) Welded up some tube stock and flat stock.
- Painted the frame, then mounted to my ROPS with a couple of painted u-clamps
- Wired up a switch on my right fender

Headlights
- Purchased some 15w LED lights from NorthernTool. (two for each headlight)
- Fabricated a frame for each pair of LEDs that matched the mounting holes of the OEM headlights. Welded on a nut to match the OEM headlight bracket.
- Painted the frames
- Used the existing wiring harness plugs from the OEM headlights and wired them up to my new LED pairs. In order to support a "low beam/high beam", I wired them up so that one light in each "headlight" comes on when turned to "low", and then both lights in each "headlight" turn on when turned to high. In order to make this work, I put a 1amp diode between the two wires (low and high) on each wiring harness plug so that the electricity would only flow one direction. I then used heatshrink around the bare wires that I soldered to protect it and finish it.

Pics of Headlight Project
Headlights

Wiring harness

Mounted from inside hood

Finished product

Low Beam

High Beam


Pics of Lightbar Project
Initial frame (without paint)

Finished Product


Before (with old headlights on only)

After (lightbar on with old headlights)

[284 International]

Wow, what an outstanding first post! Welcome to the forum!

Your lighting look excellent. I have never done work at night because I can't see well, this may be the solution.

Did you buy the tubing as pre-made bends, or do you have that equipment already?

[winston1]

Well, hot diggidy dog, what a post. You must be a doctor! Welcome to the forum. I must ask the brand of your loader and maybe get you to explain that removable bar across the front of the frame.

[YM1720D]

Great job! Very well done. Wish I had a ROPS to mount lights on.
Its funny I was just at Northern Tool today looking for more lighting for my tractor.

[284 International]

Do you have beam shots of only the LED headlights?

[careyo63]

I bet thats bright! I don't think my neighbors would care to much for them though. I'd check your voltage when everythings on. May be putting a strain on your Alt. No harm in checking it.

[kenmac]

WOW ! That's 1 way to light up the night !! Welcome to the forum . Winston,That's a Koyker loader.Mine is made with this bar /plate /brace across the front.The hyd lines down the loader frame/arms are also steel

[doctorwho00]

Thanks 284-international! The tubing is just some thin wall electrical conduit from the electrical aisle at Lowes. I got a fairly cheap bender kit at NorthernTool and made the bends.

[doctorwho00]

Careyo63, good thought on the alternator load. Fortunately, since the lights are all LED, the load is pretty small. The headlights on low are 30w (2.5 amp) and 60w (5 amp) on high. The OEM bulbs are 100w (8.3 amp). The light bar is 72w (6 amp). So, when the light bar is on and the headlights are on low, the power draw is about the same as the OEM headlights only. LEDs are really nice for that, and the end result is like night and day literally in terms of how much light I get. I probably put more money and time in this than makes sense, but it was a fun project for me to learn with my new welder and metal equipment, so I figure it was worth it. I had a lot of fun.

[kenmac]

Doctor, Is that by chance a Fredricks tractor ? It looks like it. From the looks, you haven't had it long.Too clean