2210 needs more light

rlcowder · Jan 25, 2005

Have any of you added more lights to your 2210? I was going to add 4 driving lights to the rops. Will the electrical system handle this extra load?

Tippett · Jan 25, 2005

I have added two KC lights to the top of the ROPS. I did not use the supplied feed wire located under the seat (purple wire) is ran 2 heavier gauge wires directly to the + terminal and then used 2 relay switches to connect into the ignition to prevent the lights from being left on when the tractor is off.

It took some time, but I fed the wires down through ROPS by using the holes that come factory drilled for a canopy. If you run directly off of the battery terminals, I don't see why you couldn't connect 4 lights.

Jim

texastomtom · Jan 25, 2005

If your totall draw exceeds the capacity of your alternator you will eventually drain your battery.

Check your alternator capacity and then add up the total amount of current you will be using.

You can certainly exceed the alternator for a period of time (short) without problem but you will not want to run more power than your alternator can supply for too long.

tom

I have 4 extra lights on my 4720, it has 75 amp alternator which is more than enough to power 4 extra plus all the factory lights.

If you know you want 4 lights, find out how much extra power you have available now - divide that by 4 and buy lights that will draw that amount of power (or less ).

fgross335_2210 · Jan 26, 2005

I added 2, 55 watt lights on my ROPS, plus one JD rear work light on my 2210. I wired the ROPS lights into the same circuit that the rear work light taps under the seat.

I have run them along with the headlights several times for snow removal and also for twilight moving and have not run my battery down. Since my connections are through the wiring harness I would expect the battery discharge light to come on if I am pulling more juice than the 20-Amp alternator can produce, but this has not happened. When I did the calculations I recall that 5 lights was about the max. When mowing I also have the electric PTO engaged and the discharge light is not on which I have found surprising.

The additional lights make a huge difference in visibility......

rlcowder · Jan 26, 2005

Thanks everyone. Going to buy some lights.

LBrown59 · Jan 28, 2005

( Than
1*Have any of you added more lights to your 2210? I was going to add 4 driving lights to the rops.
2*Will the electrical system handle this extra load?
rlcowder
<><><><><>
1*Lots of folks have added lites to their tractors.
2*If you don't use to many watts and don't keep them all on at once.

See the thread still another thread about adding ROPS lights.

ks everyone. Going to buy some lights. )

Bob_Skurka · Jan 28, 2005

rlcowder, remember you have a 20amp alternator on that tractor. 4 lights at 55watts each will drain your battery even while your tractor is running. This may or may not be a problem, it really depends on how you use the lights and for what durations you use them. If you only occasionally run them, and then run them for fairly short time spans, you should not have any real problem because the alternator will recharge the battery when you run it without the lights. However, if you draw the battery down too low too often, then you'll end up replacing the battery prematurely.

If I recall correctly, WATTS divided by VOLTS = AMPS. So each 55 watt light will draw about 4.6 amps. If you mount 4 lights and 2 are front facing and 2 are rear facing, then logically you'd probably only power 2 at a time. So you'd be drawing about 9amps for 2 lights. Assuming you have 2 headlamps, and those are 55 watts also, then those are drawing 9amps and your current draw will be just a shade over 18amps. Assuming you also have some tail lamps/running lamps then you will have to add those to the current draw figures. But assume they use another 5 to 7 total amps? At that point you are drawing about 25amps but only recharging at a rate of 20amps.

If you are mowing the lawn for hours on end, then you are going to pull down the battery and cause yourself some grief. If you are mowing for an hour after sunset every once in a while, or if you are pushing some snow after sunset every once in a while, then I would not really be worried about assuming you also run the tractor during the day to charge up the battery. Just keep it in mind. You will shorten the lifespan of the battery, but if a battery is good for a few years and you shave a few months off its lifespan that is not a bad trade off for increasing the usefulness of your tractor.

I would also strongly suggest you spend a few dollars and get WATERPROOF switches. They only cost a few dollars more than regular switches but they don't short out or rust out. Waterproof marine switches mounted on my tractor.

fgross335_2210 · Jan 28, 2005

Bob,

Shouldn't the alternator/battery discharge light come on if the alternator isn't keeping up? I added one rear light to my 335GT and the charge light DOES come on with the lights and PTO engaged if I'm not running full RPMS.

I have 5, 55-watt lights on my 2210 and the discharge light has never lit up. So either I'm pulling just under 20 amps, the alternator is a little hotter than spec, or else the gauge just flat-out doesn't tell me what's really going on?

I have used the 5 lights many times for 30 minutes to an hour while clearing snow and have not noticed any drop in battery charge or cranking speed. Maybe I'm just lucky?

mhalla · Jan 28, 2005

( I would also strongly suggest you spend a few dollars and get WATERPROOF switches. They only cost a few dollars more than regular switches but they don't short out or rust out.)

Bob,

Where did you obtain your switches or is the answer a secret?

They really look good on the picture you directed us to view.

Mike