Adding LED work lights to B7800

[twodogs]

I received some LED work lights as a gift to add to my tractor. I have 2 rectangular, and 2 square, but I don't plan on using all 4 at this time. I think I will mount the rectangular on my front bumper, and the square on my bracket for the slow-moving vehicle triangle.

Rather than add new wiring and a switch, I would like to set it up on my existing headlight switch (front), and turn signal switch (rear light). Is this a feasible option? Admittedly, I know nothing about wiring, which is why I am here asking the question.

Thanks in advance for the information!

 

[RjCorazza]

As long as the added amperage doesn't exceed the fuse rating you should be able to use the existing headlight circuit. The turn signal will likely have a flasher installed, which would not play nice with the rear light.
I rarely tie into existing wiring, and run separate circuits for most accessories.

 

[bdhsfz6]

The B7800 has an aux work light circuit with a separate fuse. The connector is usually taped to the wire bundle leading up to the right rear fender. The circuit is hot when the ignition key is turned on.

The fuse block should have a slot marked "work light". It usually has a 5 amp fuse. If you use this circuit, check the amp rating on your new LED lights. The wiring may not be able to handle much more than 5 amps.

 

[twodogs]

Thanks for the replies!

 

[MTGreen]

I would be hesitant to add to the front bumper unless it's very well protected, especially if you have a loader

 

[orezok]

The B7800 has an aux work light circuit with a separate fuse. The connector is usually taped to the wire bundle leading up to the right rear fender. The circuit is hot when the ignition key is turned on.

The fuse block should have a slot marked "work light". It usually has a 5 amp fuse. If you use this circuit, check the amp rating on your new LED lights. The wiring may not be able to handle much more than 5 amps.

Correct. I use that connector to power the tank sprayer on my B7800. The pump draws 10A so it should not be an issue.

 

[chim]

The intended after dark usage of the tractor would affect the mounting locations of the lights. If you have a loader or front snow plow, the grille wouldn't be my first choice. ROPS (and front of cab) mounted lights for loader and snowplowing were OK, but were less than desirable for mowing. For mowing, the higher-mounted LED lights, although VERY bright*, lack the definition that my old halogens had. There's a pair of LEDs in my grille for mowing. The light from them rakes out over the grass making it easier to see the cut/uncut line.

With the ROPS I had glare from the lights shining on the backs of my eyeglasses. They made the hood too bright and that interfered with seeing out in front.

* Floods are best, but regardless of the chosen pattern, LEDs are annoyingly bright to anyone who isn't on the tractor. You can blind zombies a mile away

 

[twodogs]

Thanks again folks!

I do have a FEL that I use to move snow in the winter. Mounting the lights to the ROPS facing forward was a bit blinding to me.

The rear racing lights actually contain an amber signal light too, so I may be able to use that work light as a signal light too.

 

[5030]

As long as the added amperage doesn't exceed the fuse rating you should be able to use the existing headlight circuit. The turn signal will likely have a flasher installed, which would not play nice with the rear light.
I rarely tie into existing wiring, and run separate circuits for most accessories.

Additionally, make sure your alternator or dynamo (whatever you have) is of sufficient output to cover the additional load.

 

[Gordon Gould]

The intended after dark usage of the tractor would affect the mounting locations of the lights. If you have a loader or front snow plow, the grille wouldn't be my first choice. ROPS (and front of cab) mounted lights for loader and snowplowing were OK, but were less than desirable for mowing. For mowing, the higher-mounted LED lights, although VERY bright*, lack the definition that my old halogens had. There's a pair of LEDs in my grille for mowing. The light from them rakes out over the grass making it easier to see the cut/uncut line.

With the ROPS I had glare from the lights shining on the backs of my eyeglasses. They made the hood too bright and that interfered with seeing out in front.

* Floods are best, but regardless of the chosen pattern, LEDs are annoyingly bright to anyone who isn't on the tractor. You can blind zombies a mile away

You have a lot of experience with light placement and I don't so a question. I am thinking of getting some LED lights for snow plowing. Most of my night time plowing is limited to times when I have to keep up with a big storm and it is snowing. I know what it is like using high beams during a storm and all you can see is big flakes coming at you. I am wondering where you think the best mounting place would be on my tractor for plowing during a storm at night. Just picture a plow on it instead of a grapple. I am lucky in that I can put them most any height out in front of me. Thanks.

gg

 

[RjCorazza]

For night snowplowing I like them high. I run (2) 55w LED combo flood / spots front and rear. Anything short of a whiteout blizzard they turn night into day.

 

[CADplans]

I just got a tractor, and I noticed the red lights aimed towards the rear were not very bright,,
(this check was done with the engine not running)
I checked the voltage at the light,, 10.5 volts
I checked the voltage at the battery, 12.5 volts,,

There was a 2 volt drop from the front of that tractor, to the rear.
I think most of the drop is due to the tractor having SO MANY lights,, and most of them are filament type lights.
By changing 4 of the filament type lights to LED,, the voltage went up to 11.5 volts at the light.

That was better, PLUS the LED type bulbs are at least 4X brighter.
The light level seems to stay the same, not changing if more lights are turned on, or the engine started.

So, I do not think these tractor companies are wasting much money on excess copper in these wiring harness assemblies,,

 

[chim]

Gordon, it would tempt me to mount a pair of floods on either the front of the canopy or the top of that mesh grille guard. The best coverage might actually be pointing them a bit "cross-eyed" to minimize some possible blocking by the loader frame. It looks like that would put them almost 3 feet higher than the top of your plow?

My earlier statement regarding the grille guard not being my first choice was directed towards grille guard mounting that might end up with the added lights being lower than the factory headlights and hitting the back of the plow.

Sometimes things work out better than they should. The pics below are the added lights on the B7500 around 2010. They were mounted between the hood and the loader frame and lower than the headlights. They worked remarkably well year round. You can see that when the loader was at a certain height they hit the back of the bucket. The main reason for adding them was for mowing. The factory headlights were the typical worthless variety. These were old school Tractor Supply halogen floods. The spread was such that two of them gave a nearly 180° of lighting in front of the tractor.

 

[Gordon Gould]

Thanks chim and RjC.., I will go with what you and others have said and try the top of the canopy. Less clutter in my already cluttered view. My question came from plowing with my p/u in a storm where low beams were much better than high. Maybe the light being angled down makes the difference. View from the seat

gg

 

[chim]

The view from the seat does seem to be a bit busy

Around here we rarely get storms that drop feet of snow, so there's no rush to "keep ahead" of the snowfall. Most of the time I don't go plow till the storm is subsiding.