Blizzard 2015 What I Learned about LED Lights

[nybirdman]

thanks to the OP...i'm interested in getting lights too...and am wondering what the best kind is and what is the easiest/best way for wiring them in. I researched last night alot and see that many lights don't come with a wiring kit/harness at all. keep the LED info and experiences coming!!

Check Ridgid Industries;top flight lights and wiring harnesses.Expensive but very good and USA made.

 

[Coyote machine]

Try Strobes-n-more, I have one of their dash type strobes facing rearward under the canopy on my Kioti. And they have the CREE LED lights, the best quality, made in USA lights. These guys are law enforcement suppliers, and know their stuff, backwards and forwards. Out of R. Island.

Whelen, Federal Signal, Able 2, Sho Me, Feniex, Axixtech -

 

[DeereMann]

Thanks for field report, Tractor Tom.

I installed a winter cab over the holidays, and couldn't decide whether to install incandescent or LED cab lights. So I ordered both. The LED's were markedly brighter, and they used much less electric current, so I installed those.

Side benefit....we haven't had a big snow since

I decided to go with electric cab heat instead of engine coolant, as we remove the cab for summer and it was a hassle breaking / making the coolant connection twice a year, every year. Of course, the amps really add up, so saving amps with the lights allowed me to go to a 300W electric heater, which is plenty good to keep the chill off. Doesn't have to be a sauna in the cab.

Well see if the lights get covered with the wet stuff during the spring snowstorms.

 

[Tractor Tom]

Thanks for all the great comments. These LED's are just a cheap E-Bay, Amazon type light, they all said they are a Cree LED...But Who knows if that's true or not?? Someone asked about wiring, I simply cut into the existing wiring for the Kioti Halogen lights that came on the beast. The large rectangular lights front and back are 36 watt, the square ones on the front at 27 watt and the 2 small rectangular ones on the back are 18 watt. Yup, they light up the night.

 

[Tractor Tom]

I assume the issue is that the LEDs don't get very warm..so snow doesn't melt off? This storm, at least down here in CT, had very fine, dry snow..so not very sticky to begin with. Have you been out in any heavy wet snow, or snow with sleet/rain mixed in? Maybe you'll see a difference...?

Yes, I've been out Snow Blowing in freezing rain, I couldn't keep the windshield clear, but the LED's seemed OK. They did get a glaze on them, but no more then the Halogen head lights on the front. Didn't seem to affect brightness at all. In fact i didn't even notice until I parked the tractor and got out of the cab.

 

[Pillager]

Here's my .02 on LED's. I've had them on my tractor I blow snow with for 3 years, have not had any real problems with icing. They as has been said are much brighter than incandescent, even halogen and use much less current. My experience with a blower & the snow dust they can be too bright, similar to driving your vehicle in a heavy snow and using high beam vs low beam. So to solve the problems with my setup I went with 30 degree spot beam not 60 degree flood, they still cast a pretty wide beam but the narrower beam seems to help limit the amount of reflection back off the snow dust. I also had a problem with too much light reflecting back off the back of the snow blower itself with floods and adjusting them up to compensate made the snow dust reflection problem worse. I also separated the 4 LEDS I had facing the blower from all hooked to the factory light switch to now having 2 on the factory light switch and 2 on a separate toggle switch so I can run either 2 or 4 lights depending on conditions. Overall I know there are a lot of variables in setups and conditions but this is what works best on mine.

As far as wiring, I'm using 18 watt LEDs, very low current draw so relays or fancy harnesses aren't required IMO. I just used a bonded 2 wire lead to the light with the positive attached to either the factory switch(already fused) or the added toggle switch with a correctly sized in-line fuse and the negative of each lead properly grounded.

 

[MikePA]

thanks to the OP...i'm interested in getting lights too...and am wondering what the best kind is and what is the easiest/best way for wiring them in. I researched last night alot and see that many lights don't come with a wiring kit/harness at all. keep the LED info and experiences coming!!

Bought my LED light bar, and wiring harness and switch, at Super Bright LEDs.

 

[alltherage]

Where are you guys mounting these? Rops?fenders? Are you finding you have to drill holes in the tractor? I was looking at harnesses with dual hookups and am wondering if these typically have enough wire to do both lights on a compact tractor

 

[MikePA]

Where are you guys mounting these? Rops?fenders? Are you finding you have to drill holes in the tractor? I was looking at harnesses with dual hookups and am wondering if these typically have enough wire to do both lights on a compact tractor

I mounted the LED light bar on the ROPS and went with a light bar to reduce the wiring which made for a cleaner install when compared to the 2 halogen lights the light bar replaced.

 

[MikePA]

Where are you guys mounting these? Rops?fenders? Are you finding you have to drill holes in the tractor? I was looking at harnesses with dual hookups and am wondering if these typically have enough wire to do both lights on a compact tractor

I mounted the LED light bar on the ROPS and went with a light bar to reduce the wiring which made for a cleaner install when compared to the 2 halogen lights the light bar replaced. No drilling. I used square U bolts.