Aux Lighting Hookup...

[Scrambler82]

I noticed a few people asking about hooking up backup and work lights so this is a simple schematic to help.
Do not use the 12V Outlet to power Backup or Work Lights for extended periods of time, it was not designed for long term use or for higher amperage draws.

Things to remember:
Always use a relay when hooking up aux lighting, rated for total circuit draw (+), one pair of lights per relay.
Always size the wiring according to total circuit draw, 12-ga wire = 20 amp, etc.
Alway fuse the main power wire coming from the battery, sized properly either for the smallest component or total draw.
Always solder all of the joints.
Always use Heat Shrink with adhesive inside and shrink it ONLY after you have verified the circuit works and cleaned all of the soldered joints with alcohol.
Switches and indicator lights can be lower amperage components because the relay draw is minimum.

The schematic was provided by JeepForums.com

 

[srs]

Scrambler, thank you for this. Would you by any chance have a schematic to hook up a simple horn on a tractor?

 

[Craig Clayton]

On the supplied drawing another change could be from the fuse holder take the postive lead to the toggle sw and not feed the toggle sw from the fuse block. In that way you can turn on the work lights without the tractor in the run mode. In time yes it will kill the battery, lets say the tractor quits in the dark then at least you can find your way around. Been there.
Craig Clayton

 

[Craig Clayton]

On the horn hookup you could take a lead off of the fuse block at a 10 amp fuse to a switch then to the horn and connect the negative to the chassic.
Craig Clayton

 

[pat32rf]

And make sure that you use FLEXIBLE wire, not the 7 strand industrial stuff....(Industrial wiring with a TEW rating is normally OK if you have an electrician friend).

 

[srs]

Craig and Pat, thank you for the additional info!

 

[Scrambler82]

Sorry for the late reply and if you haven稚 got the Horn in, haven稚 been around for a while, Key West and So Cal for some of the bad weather but got back for the last string of snow storms in New England.

On the supplied drawing another change could be from the fuse holder take the postive lead to the toggle sw and not feed the toggle sw from the fuse block. In that way you can turn on the work lights without the tractor in the run mode. In time yes it will kill the battery, lets say the tractor quits in the dark then at least you can find your way around. Been there.
Craig Clayton

As Craig has mentioned yes you can wire thing differently and his idea is a good one so take the schematic and mod it as needed. I way might be to have an Over-Ride Sw to by-pass the fuse panel, On-Off-On, up is manually on by passing the fuse blk, down is with the key and cntr would be off.

Scrambler, thank you for this. Would you by any chance have a schematic to hook up a simple horn on a tractor?

Watch on the horn how you wire it, check the total current draw of the horn and size all components accordingly. Make sure the components have the correct current rating and I would use a relay for that too. Actuate the relay with a Temp On Toggle Sw or a Horn Button and run the fused main power from the battery to the relay to the Horn.

 

[Train]

And what would this post be without a few questions from a dummy?:confused2: What exactly does a relay do? Next, I'm confused over the power supply. It looks to me like there are two power supplies here. One from the battery and one from the fusebox. I've been meaning to ask how to hook up auxiliary lights properly so this is a good post to get my questions out of the way.

 

[Scrambler82]

And what would this post be without a few questions from a dummy?:confused2: What exactly does a relay do?

A relay controls the higher amperage loads allowing a lower amperage via the switch to control the relay.
When the component is not in use the relay keeps the power shut off close to the battery and under the hood instead of in the passenger area where if shorted can cause a fire.

Although you can buy a switch that can handle most loads, you will need the added wire and a switch that will add resistance to the circuit and reduce the effectiveness of the circuit.

Next, I'm confused over the power supply. It looks to me like there are two power supplies here. One from the battery and one from the fusebox.

There are two, as you said battery and fuse panel, although it is still one the battery
The relay controls the high load from the battery to the component, allowing for less loss in power, lower resistance in the circuit and in turn in case of lighting more light from the Lighting Unit.
The Fuse Panel is just a more convenient way of getting a fused line to the switch which in turn will control the relay. If you wanted you can take a fused line from the battery to the switch.

I've been meaning to ask how to hook up auxiliary lights properly so this is a good post to get my questions out of the way.

I hope this answered your questions, ask if not and I am sure if I can稚 answer them then there are people on this site that can.

 

[Train]

So in simple terms, the relay is the 'gate' between the battery and the lights. The switch opens that gate, and the draw through that line is less than what the battery to light is. Is that correct or am I hopeless?