Kubota M7040 LED Worklight Addition

[Rancher Ed]

This project will greatly benefit from the information in these three previous threads, all started by sixdogs:
"Worklights added to my Kubota M7040" https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/372671-worklights-added-my-kubota-m7040.html?highlight=M7040+Lights
"Rear work light problem on M7040---left side only." https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/372576-rear-work-light-problem-m7040.html?highlight=M7040+Lights
And "Can't find rear worklight wires for Kubota M tractor--picture" https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/369483-cant-find-rear-worklight-wires.html?highlight=M7040+Lights

My father has a Kubota M7040 and increasing has to use if after dark. This is mainly for putting out large round bales but also some occasional dirt work and other general farm chores. The tractor is an open station but has a Kubota fiberglass canopy. The canopy has two approximately 1" square tubes running forward from the ROPS supporting it which I plan to use to mount the lights. The tractor has one rear work light mounted on the left fender, and from the above linked threads I know there should be a wire under the right fender I can use to power the new lights. I plan to use an inline switch mounted somewhere on the right fender and then run a wire up the ROPS and to the new lights.

I will be doing the majority of the wiring/setup and then shipping the lights and wiring harness to my father for instillation. As a result this will all be done based on pictures and measurements. I know there are several members on here with M7040s and hope you will be able to help with some of my questions. I will take pictures of my progress and the final instillation to hopefully help anyone else looking to add some additional lighting.

Questions:
1. Does anyone have a picture showing the pigtail on the right side of an M7040? I assume I will need a short length of wire to run from the pigtail to my switch before running from the switch to the lights.
2. Does the ROPS have holes near the base and at the top I could run the wire though, or will the wire need to run along the outside of the ROPS?
3. I am working on getting measurements for the width of the ROPS and the length of the support bars, but if someone has a similar canopy and knows these measurements that would be very helpful.

Attached are a couple general picture of the tractor and a picture showing the canopy and support bars. I will update with pictures as I go and then of the final instillation. EDIT: I cannot get the picture with the large square bale to upload right-side up... This picture was taken right before placing the bale in a feeder - the bales are carried lower when traveling.

 

[Rancher Ed]

I plan to use a round 12VDC switch rated at 20amps like the one pictured (20mm mounting hole, snap-in design). Attached are two pictures of the controls and fender on the right side of the tractor. The second picture shows my tentative planned location for the light switch. I believe the switch would be reasonably protected in this location, the wires will be clear of both the 3-point hitch and the rear remote controls, and installation should be easy.

Any downsides to this spot or suggestions for a better switch mounting location?

 

[Dave M7040]

My comment has nothing to do with your question and if you already know about this feature on your loader great.

I notice you are using the boom cylinder fulcrum position "A" which is for greater lift height but will lift less weight.

Dave M7040

 

[Rancher Ed]

My comment has nothing to do with your question and if you already know about this feature on your loader great.

I notice you are using the boom cylinder fulcrum position "A" which is for greater lift height but will lift less weight.

Dave M7040

Dave,
You are correct about the boom position we are using. The primary use for the tractor is handling round bales and using pallet forks to access a storage loft, both applications where we utilize its maximum lift height. On a couple occasions when doing serious dirt work or moving a 3,000 lbs pallet of wood pellets we switched to the power position but generally keep it set for height.

I believe you have a cab model, but do you have any feedback on my proposed switch location?


***** Note for myself/anyone else with this canopy *****
The metal bars supporting the canopy are 48" long and the flat brackets bolted to the sides of the ROPs are 32 inches apart.

 

[ovrszd]

I run my FEL on the height position all the time. Reduces stress on the loader frame.

 

[Rancher Ed]

Richard,
Any input on my proposed switch location? Your M9540 is pretty similar and also an open station model.

The lights and switch were delivered yesterday so hopefully I can get started on the wiring later this week.

 

[ovrszd]

Looks like a good location to me. Hopefully the switch is an "all weather" switch so water won't hurt it?

 

[sixdogs]

I plan to use a round 12VDC switch rated at 20amps like the one pictured (20mm mounting hole, snap-in design). Attached are two pictures of the controls and fender on the right side of the tractor. The second picture shows my tentative planned location for the light switch. I believe the switch would be reasonably protected in this location, the wires will be clear of both the 3-point hitch and the rear remote controls, and installation should be easy.

Any downsides to this spot or suggestions for a better switch mounting location?

You might also be able to put the switch right in the light itself. I did that with mine, and have posted pics here but have been unable to find them. It saved me from running lots of wires and made life easier.

 

[oosik]

Ed - I tried responding to your PM - no joy. I think it was because I tried to attach these two pics. So, I'll do it right here. My pigtail was never under the fender. It was coiled, nylon wire-tied and tucked up under the back of the seat. It's a single hot lead. See it coming out from under the seat. It has a small diameter "corrugated" sheath protecting it( vertical pic ). The metal "hoop" over the turn signal provides the ground for the rear light. The switch is a small, chrome double throw - horizontal pic. Occasionally the chrome switch will get a tad of corrosion. Flip the switch up/down a few times and it's back to working.
View attachment 631965View attachment 631966

 

[Rancher Ed]

Looks like a good location to me. Hopefully the switch is an "all weather" switch so water won't hurt it?

Correct, it is "waterproof" and marketed for boating, so whatever rain gets on it should be fine.

You might also be able to put the switch right in the light itself. I did that with mine, and have posted pics here but have been unable to find them. It saved me from running lots of wires and made life easier.

sixdogs,
Your threads are linked at the beginning of this thread and have been very helpful in my planning. My project is slightly different in that I am powering front facing ROPS/Canopy mounted lights from the "rear worklight" pigtail. I am putting the switch in the right fender area to minimize the additional wiring required. The wire will then run up the ROPS, split, and run forward along each support bar to power the work lights.

Attached is a crude photo-shop showing what it should look like when finished.

 

[Rancher Ed]

Ed - I tried responding to your PM - no joy. I think it was because I tried to attach these two pics. So, I'll do it right here. My pigtail was never under the fender. It was coiled, nylon wire-tied and tucked up under the back of the seat. It's a single hot lead. See it coming out from under the seat. It has a small diameter "corrugated" sheath protecting it( vertical pic ). The metal "hoop" over the turn signal provides the ground for the rear light. The switch is a small, chrome double throw - horizontal pic. Occasionally the chrome switch will get a tad of corrosion. Flip the switch up/down a few times and it's back to working.
View attachment 631965View attachment 631966

oosik,
Thank you very much for your response! This is very helpful. To clarify, the pigtail is only a hot wire, and the light must be grounded through the tractor frame, correct?

 

[Rancher Ed]

***** Note for myself/anyone else with this canopy *****
The metal bars supporting the canopy are 48" long and the flat brackets bolted to the sides of the ROPs are 32 inches apart.

Additional Information:
My switch mounting location is about 15 inches from the base of the ROPs.
The top of the ROPs is about 48 inches above the gray surface where my switch, the three-point hitch, and cup holder are located.

As a result, the wiring from my switch to the split at the top of the ROPs will be 15" (back to the ROPs) + 48" (up the ROPs) + 12" (slack for routing, etc.) = 75"
Wiring from the split to the right light will be 48" (along support bar) + 6" (adjust light, etc.) = 54"
Wiring from the split to the left light will be 32" (width of ROPs) + 48" (along support bar) + 6" (adjust light, etc.) = 86"

Because I do not know the exact location and length of the powered pigtail on the tractor, I will make the power and ground wires for the switch long (~36" I think) and they can be trimmed shorter if appropriate when installed.
I've purchased the lights and switch and will be wiring them up later this week or this weekend. I will take pictures of the wired lights before sending them to my father for installation (and will hopefully get pictures of them installed).

 

[sixdogs]

For your consideration here's how I mounted some lights. I ran what I recall as one wire up to the light with a switch in the light and the ground there. You can see the switch in each of the lights on the top. This seemed like the easiest way to me. Just an FYI. Here are the pics.

. .

Let me ask if you are running LED lights?

 

[ovrszd]

Six, what year is your 4300??? She's a Queen!!!!

 

[sixdogs]

Six, what year is your 4300??? She's a Queen!!!!

That's an older photo. Here is a recent one and it still looks almost as nice.



It's in great condition but I think I'm going to sell it and replace with a cab model. It's a planter tractor, in that I pull a six ft Brillion seeder with it. Long days make a cab a better idea. If you see a 40ish HP Kubota or Deere for sale with a cab and in exc condition that is 2013 or older, let me know.

 

[ovrszd]

That's a beautiful older Kubota. Still has many, many hours life left. Someone is going to get a great tractor.

 

[sixdogs]

I run my FEL on the height position all the time. Reduces stress on the loader frame.

Does using the upper hole --height--reduce stress by a lot or a little?. I don't use a loader much at all but anything to reduce stress is good.

 

[Rancher Ed]

For your consideration here's how I mounted some lights. I ran what I recall as one wire up to the light with a switch in the light and the ground there. You can see the switch in each of the lights on the top. This seemed like the easiest way to me. Just an FYI. Here are the pics.

View attachment 632275 . .View attachment 632276

Let me ask if you are running LED lights?

sixdogs,
Those are some very clean light installs, very nice!

And yes, I am using LED lights. The ones I have would be very hard to directly add a switch - I'll look up the details and post them below.

 

[Rancher Ed]

I got the lights all wired up and shipped off to my father. Sometime after Christmas I should get an update on how the installation goes and hopefully some in-use pictures.

For the lights I used inexpensive LEDs from Amazon. They are in the 6 to 7 inch size and advertised as 36W each with good reviews. Attached is an image of the lights with my wiring attached. Also included is a picture of the switch which also shows the split from a single wire running up the ROPS to two wires to run out to the front of the canopy, one for each light. I left about 36 inches of wire on the power side of the switch to attached to the tractor pigtail and ground. All the wiring is 14 gauge stranded I already had from previous projects.

Let me know if anyone has questions, and I'll update with finished pictures once I get them.

 

[sixdogs]

I got the lights all wired up and shipped off to my father. Sometime after Christmas I should get an update on how the installation goes and hopefully some in-use pictures.

For the lights I used inexpensive LEDs from Amazon. They are in the 6 to 7 inch size and advertised as 36W each with good reviews. Attached is an image of the lights with my wiring attached. Also included is a picture of the switch which also shows the split from a single wire running up the ROPS to two wires to run out to the front of the canopy, one for each light. I left about 36 inches of wire on the power side of the switch to attached to the tractor pigtail and ground. All the wiring is 14 gauge stranded I already had from previous projects.

Let me know if anyone has questions, and I'll update with finished pictures once I get them.

That is a clean looking job.