Can't find rear worklight wires for Kubota M tractor

[sixdogs]

Can't find rear worklight wires for Kubota M tractor--picture

I have an M6800 and would like to hook up a rear work light with the supplied wires under the rear fender. I have done this before but can't remember how. I can see three connected wires running to the rear taillights and one male pigtail hanging loose but that one is not hot. I'm at a loss.

It seems there were two wires hanging down before but I don't find that. Where is the hot wire? Is it part of the three connected wires? This setup must be the same on all M Kubotas and probably all Kubotas. Any advice helpful.

EDIT--Here's a picture. Just three wires and something hanging down that is not hot. I now the hot would be a female connector but not sure where it is or if I tie into something else or?

 

[bdhsfz6]

Re: Can't find rear worklight wires for Kubota M tractor--picture

The wiring on my MX5800 is different. There are two wires hanging down under the right fender, an orange one with a female connector and a black (hidden by the orange in the pic) with a male connector.

The manual illustration seems to indicate the orange wire is for remote use but doesn't mention the black wire. I haven't tested the MX yet but on my L3430, the orange wire was only hot when the tractor was running. Hope this helps.

 

[sixdogs]

bdhsfz6--very helpful. Suppose that male connector is a ground? No info like that in my owner's manual.

I found two wires taped together between the fender and the roll bar and tucked waaay down there. That must be intended for the work light since one is hot all the time, key or not. There is a hole in the fender near there so my guess is that these wires were intended to be run through the hole and under the fender but just never were.

Now I have to find a light I like that doesn't trip the Kubota 10 amp fuse. I know LED's would be OK but not sure if I'll use them. Maybe halogen because I think I have some and that would be plenty of light. Thank you again.

 

[bdhsfz6]

The black wire likely is a ground. I know from experience that the chassis ground is notoriously unreliable on 3 PT or towed implements.

I built a ROPS mounted halogen light bar for my L3430 but had to make a new 20 amp circuit to feed it. The worklight circuit on the L and MX are only rated at 5 amps. ROPS Lights, ROPS Lights | Tractor LED Worklight Kits , makes a set of dual LED's with switch and mount rated at 4.5 amps which has been recommended by others here. I plan on ordering a set soon since the 5 amp circuit on my MX will handle them.

I suppose I could modify the halogen bar to fit the MX but the rig needs work since I took the tractor in the woods and forgot to remove it. I'd also have to run a new 20 amp circuit.

 

[Threepoint]

[snip]
Now I have to find a light I like that doesn't trip the Kubota 10 amp fuse. I know LED's would be OK but not sure if I'll use them. Maybe halogen because I think I have some and that would be plenty of light. [snip].

Sixdogs, you probably know this, so apologies, but I throw it out just in case. If you already have a halogen fixture of the right wattage for the 10 amp circuit, you might as well use it. An LED work light will draw just as much current as a halogen work light rated at the same wattage. It just produces a few more lumens of light per watt. Color temp of the light produced is another issue, though, and can be a matter of personal preference. Some of the LEDs are too cool in color temp for some folks. Others say the lower, more blue, temperature gives better contrast. So need to keep in mind the claimed Kelvin rating. I love the four 45W LED work lights from China that I retrofitted on my Kioti, and the prices seem to keep dropping.

Assuming nothing is already on that 10 amp circuit, I'd limit the total wattage to 90w max (e.g. two 45w fixtures). At 12V, Ohm's law technically says 120W at 10A, but that's in theory only. I've heard that automotive-style fuses are often designed to blow at around 80%-85% of their rated capacity, as a safety margin. The OEM circuit for the four OEM 35W halogen work lights on my Kioti was fused at 15A. Theoretically that would support the four 45W LED retrofits (12V x 15W = 180W). But I kept blowing the fuse after 30 minutes or so, even with the higher operating output of 12.7V - 13V. So ended up putting two of the new 45W on a new circuit, and added two new, additonal, 18W LED side work lights to the original 15A circuit. FWIW

 

[sixdogs]

Threepoint--Thank you. I did not know that since lighting is something I never got involved with or have forgotten.


bdhs--My picture is the top one and the wire with the male pigtail is the one I wonder about being a ground. What do you think?

 

[ovrszd]

And, sounds like you need a light with it's own switch since your hot is hot all the time. That's how my M is.

As for LED. If you are concerned about amp draw, you can get much, much more light from an LED than halogen per watt of draw. I've swapped LED into several Jeep projects. The draw is minimized so much that the flasher on a turn signal circuit thinks a bulb is burned out and blinks rapidly.

Edit: Forgot to mention the suspected ground wire. Using a tester, with hot wire on, use the suspected ground wire to complete the circuit and see if the tester lights up or registers voltage?? If so, it's a ground circuit. If not, it's not.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Threepoint--Thank you. I did not know that since lighting is something I never got involved with or have forgotten.


bdhs--My picture is the top one and the wire with the male pigtail is the one I wonder about being a ground. What do you think?

The wiring for the full size M's is obviously different than the MX series. If your green wire is a ground, it appears to be a heavy enough gauge to handle a 10 amp circuit. As ovrszd suggests, it should be easy enough to test if you have a volt or ohm meter. In any case, a ground is far easier to come by that a spare hot lead.

I tapped into the parking light circuit on my old B7100 to add a fender mounted work light. The light was only rated at 1 amp though. I doubt it would work for something drawing more current.

 

[sixdogs]

Good advice. I'll find one of my lights tonight and post a picture.

 

[varmint]

All three of my Kubotas, from a 1987 to a 2007 model came with a 10A spare circuit for a rear work light, in some cases only one wire, under the left fender, I think. The fuse blocks are switched by the ignition, so you have to add a switch for the light(s). I would strongly suggest looking into LED lights- they won't burn out, and give the most light per watt. I have used floods, since I don't drive all that fast going backwards, they provide plenty of light.

If you want to know if a wire is a ground wire, just pull out a volt-ohm meter and see if goes to ground, with the tractor off. Plus, you can easily see if it's hot, and when. Pull the fuse for the rear light circuit (you surely have one?) from the fuse block to isolate the wire, if you still aren't sure.