John Deere 2305 Strobe / Work Light Project

jsygrovehpi · Apr 17, 2010

Hi everybody!

I plan on adding some strobe and work lights to my 2305. Unfortunately, it is not in my possession right now and I need to take measurements of the ROPS for light placement. Can somebody measure the underside of the top of the ROPS on their 2305 from where the curve ends on one side to where it begins on the other? This would be a great help to me.

Now for details on the project. I plan on buying 2 of these LED light bars off of ebay (amber). New High Power16 LED Emergency Strobe Light Amber : eBay Motors (item 290424559908 end time May-12-10 19:37:10 PDT) They are 38cm long (15"), 4cm (1.6")high, and 5cm (2") deep. What I plan on doing is making a mount that utilizes the 2 existing holes on the top of the ROPS and mounting the lights underneath the top with one facing forwards and one facing backwards. It appears that there is a red button in the back that changes the flashing pattern which means that the only wires coming into the unit should be the power which would make it easy to lengthen the power wire and install a different type of switch than the one that is supplied with the unit if I so desired. I have a question in to the seller right now asking if the lights will keep their last strobe setting or if they default to one every time the power is turned on.

I really haven't made a decision on what to purchase for work lights but I was leaning more towards LED since I dont want to draw too much power from the alternator which sounds rather undersized for the unit. (I could upgrade to a 35 amp unit but its over $400 not including labor) Although, I believe that standard halogen / incandecent give off a much more usable light over most LED. I dont plan on doing much night work so it doesnt need to be like daylight. I have been using "LED fog lights" in a search on ebay and I found several promising units for less than $20 a pair. This unit: 2 X Car Truck Universal Day Fog Aux 28 LED White Light : eBay Motors (item 270518383082 end time Apr-20-10 06:19:17 PDT) seems like it could work. I was thinking of mounting them on the aftermarket brush guards that surround the side signal lights and can be purchased for $42 from John Deere.

Anyone have any suggestions or pictures from their strobe / work light installs?

:thumbsup:

jsygrovehpi · Apr 20, 2010

I just heard back from the strobe light seller. Apparently the lights will keep the last strobe setting after the power is shut off. Now to get up the courage to put $120 on the line for something that isnt a necessity.

VTFireftr · Apr 20, 2010

Jays,

I just mounted some work lights on my Kioti tractor's ROPS. I bought some aluminum flat bar at the local home center and a couple of u-bolts at the local Fastenal store. The lights I bought from Northern Tool. I had the switches at the house (Carling waterproof).

If you really want a good warning light, I reccommend a Whelen Connecticut based company) amber LED beacon. They make several different models that range in price from $50 to $350. If you want a mini-lightbar, they also make those, but they are pricier. Feel free to contact me for several suppliers that are cheaper then eBay.

For wiring, I ran sone 14/3 cable (available at the home center also. One wire for the front lights, one for thr rear. And the third wire for the ground. Since you have a Deere tractor, I don't know your electrical system so I won't try and offer advice on powere sources. I'm sure a fellow Deere owner can help there.

Since I'm at work, and don't have access to my picutres, I'll tell you to go to the customization thread and look for the post about adding lights to a Kioti tractor to see my pictures and others.

Good luck,

Marc

jsygrovehpi · Apr 21, 2010

VTFireftr said:
Jays,

I just mounted some work lights on my Kioti tractor's ROPS. I bought some aluminum flat bar at the local home center and a couple of u-bolts at the local Fastenal store. The lights I bought from Northern Tool. I had the switches at the house (Carling waterproof).

If you really want a good warning light, I reccommend a Whelen Connecticut based company) amber LED beacon. They make several different models that range in price from $50 to $350. If you want a mini-lightbar, they also make those, but they are pricier. Feel free to contact me for several suppliers that are cheaper then eBay.

For wiring, I ran sone 14/3 cable (available at the home center also. One wire for the front lights, one for thr rear. And the third wire for the ground. Since you have a Deere tractor, I don't know your electrical system so I won't try and offer advice on powere sources. I'm sure a fellow Deere owner can help there.

Since I'm at work, and don't have access to my picutres, I'll tell you to go to the customization thread and look for the post about adding lights to a Kioti tractor to see my pictures and others.

Good luck,

Marc

Marc, I found the pictures of your worklight setup. It's very professional looking. Those marine switches look great, too. I suspect you did the u-bolts on the ROPS was to avoid voiding the warranty by drilling holes in it? Do you get any vibratory rattles with that setup? I would love to install the switches for my project in the dash although the dash is quite small and the switches might not fit. So I will have to find another place to install them as a backup plan. Yeah, not so sure on the electrical. I'll have to post a thread about where to wire the lights to or maybe just tell the dealer what I was looking to do and have them wire it up for me.

Yes, I am familiar with Whelen. My aunt works at a company that installs communications and emergency lights in police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances so maybe i should swing by there on friday when I am off of work and talk to them about seeing what they can do for me. I would rather pay a little more to support a local company rather than sending my $120 to China.

VTFireftr · Apr 21, 2010

So far no vibration or any problems. If they do start to rattle, I can always tighten the u-bolts up, or put a piece of an old bicycle inner tube around the ROPS. I chose not to dill or modify the ROPS because it could weaken the ROPS, and that would be avery bad thing if I ever had to rely on the structural integrity of the ROPS.

I also wanted to mount my switches in the dash, but due to a lack of space and not wanting to run the wires under the tractor, where they can get snagged or entangled on something, I chose the light mount on the fender.

Good luck with the wiring and happy tractoring!

Marc