LED light bars install (planning stages)

Fallon · Dec 15, 2016

I'm going to be installing some light bars on my new cabbed Kubota L4060. No stock headlights are worth much with a loader & the halogen lights on the cab arent that great. I wasnt going to pay $150 for another pair of low light halogen lights & a switch for lights on the rear. I put some a pair of 9 led units on the ROPS facing front & rear on my old L3200. Lots of light with a pretty low amp draw. Cant wait to see what kind of daylight some big bars bring.

The plan:

Battery
80@ or so fuse
10 gauge wire (puts me at a between 50@ & 100@ depending on how long it actually is to pull wire from the battery to the cab Wire Gauge Amps Ratings for 12 volt Automotive Systems)
Fuse/relay box Amazon.com: Auto fuse box 6 relay relay holder 5 road The nacelle insurance car insurance: Automotive (To be mounted in the roof near the radio if it fits, possibly under the dash on the right fender)
30/40@ relays Amazon.com: 1 Pack - OLS 12V 3/4 Amp 5-Pin SPDT Bosch Style Electrical Relays: Automotive
Appropriate fuses, probably 20-30@
10 or 12 gauge wire
Deutsch DTP connectors (have a parts case of them & a crimper already)
Rear 52" curved 300 watt light bar Amazon.com: Led Light Bar, Senlips 52 inch 3W Curved Light Bar Off-road Light Bar Flood Spot Combo Beam IP 67 Waterproof for Off-road Vehicle, ATV, SUV, UTV, 4WD, Jeep, Boat- Black (52"): Automotive (will need to custom fab some brackets to mount it to the hazard brackets, 53" clarance, 57" on center)
Front 43" curved 240 watt light bar Amazon.com: Led Light Bar, Senlips 43" 24W Curved Light Bar Off-road Light Bar Flood Spot Combo Beam IP 67 Waterproof for Off-road Vehicle, ATV, SUV, UTV, 4WD, Jeep, Boat- Black (43"): Automotive (will need to custom fab some brackets to mount to the 48" wide rear view mirror brackets)
Front & rear light switches (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0105IKXMG & a different labeled one for the rear)

I'm planning on just ditching the stock lights, switch & abandoning the stock wiring harnes. It's got tiny wires & I think a 15@ fuse for both front & rear circuits. Hopefully the switches will fit in the existing slots.

Debating trying to find an 80@ relay for the input on the box, or just use one of the small relays tied to the ignition to run the switches. I figure this whole setup will easily handle the 50@ setup the 2 light bars will draw & give me room don the road for some hazard lights or other accessories.

Thoughts or suggestions are welcome, especially if i'm missing anything.

Plas62 · Dec 15, 2016

Everything you spec'd look's like it would be more than capable of handling the theoretical load.

I think you will find that even though the light bars are spec'd to 300 and 240 watts that they actually draw less than that as they are rated to run at 10v - 30v and we are using them on a 12v system.

When I installed my 126w lightbars the watt to amp calculator I used showed a 10.5 amp load for each light bar. I fused each circuit for 10amps and have not had any issues.

I think 12g wire for your run from the relay to the lightbar should be fine. If you wanted to be sure you could buy the light bars first, test hook them up to your battery and check the actual amp draw with a amp probe or meter in watts.

If the stock lights you currently have don't interfere with where you plan to mount the light bars. I would leave them in service instead of abandoning / disconnecting them, since from your description it didn't sound like you would be using any part of the existing system.

Good luck with your build from what you have spec'd I think it will turn out nice.

dragoneggs · Dec 15, 2016

Wow... light up the night! Plan looks good to me. Don't think you need 10AWG wire but it can't hurt if you that is what you have. I would go with 12. If I read you right you will have separate rear and front switches. This is what I did... not the wattage though. Jealous. Just used my tractor tonight to move some stuff around in pitch black. Nothing like LED's on your ROPS (or cab) to make it day!

s219 · Dec 15, 2016

Some of the amp numbers and wire gauges seem too heavy to me, just intuitively. So try to focus down to get the right specs. Sure, heavier wire (overkill) is fine, but it creates many extra headaches when running and connecting wire. It's stiffer/thicker and just plain more ornery to deal with, and can put more stress on connectors, switches, etc. So if you can go thinner, life will be easier all the way around.

Edit to add: if you can, get some tinned marine wire. Long run, it will be better for you. I used standard copper when wiring my tractor LED lights, and when moving them to a new tractor a couple years ago, I noticed the copper had begun to tarnish inside the insulation. That won't be a problem with tinned marine wire. You can buy tinned Ancor wire in bulk on Amazon at reasonable prices, or even go to a West Marine store (maybe not in Colorado though). Ancor makes a red/black pair that is great for 12V applications, and comes in several gauges. I bought a 100' spool of 16 ga. for boat wiring and it is great to have around. I'd use the same stuff when wiring tractor lights next time around, in whatever appropriate gauge is needed for the tractor lights.

rustyshakelford · Dec 15, 2016

I bought a 30" from Amazon. Cut the factory cab light plug off and wired it into it. Light bar comes on with the brights. Fabbed up a mount and used the factory mounting holes. Works real nice and gives off a ton of light. Didn't do anything else to the wiring.

Brett

Fallon · Dec 15, 2016

Ya the ratings on those bars has always seemed a bit high. I kept pawing through piles of reviews & questions on many of them to see if anybody had reported actual amp ratings in the real world, but I couldn't find any. So without better data I'll build it to the OEM ratings. Will stick an amp meter in the loop once it's hooked up & fuse each light just above amp draw.

We actually have a West Marine store here in the Denver area less than 5 miles from my office. ;-)

If you want heavy wire headaches I have 20' of 1 gauge 4 wire SOOW cable for my generator hookup & 25' of red & black 2/0 welding cable for a winch & jumper cables sitting in my living room. :0 Now picking up & moving that mess much less crimping connectors really sucks. Might hook things up before installing to see what the amp draw is & how small a gauge I can safely get away with.

The stock lights will be behind or in the way of the front bar I expect. May end up re-mounting them or replacing them with a small LEDS unit pointing off to the side if the curved bars dont illuminate off to the sides enough.

CCWKen · Dec 15, 2016

Put your primary circuit protection (80A) as close to the source as possible. I would even consider a fusible link for that. I would not depend on that fuse to protect the cab/light wiring. Use a separate fuse buss/box in the cab to accept your primary feed then use a fuse there for each light or light group. You could have a fire in your cab if you depend on the single 80A primary circuit fuse and one of the light circuits short out. Smaller wire used for light circuits will glow like a light bulb before it will pop an 80A fuse. And 16-14ga wire is plenty for all but the monster light panels. I doubt if the light itself has pigtails that gauge.

The job of a fuse is to protect all down-stream wire so put all fuses as close to their feed source as possible. That's why they make fuse busses (fuse box).

dragoneggs · Dec 15, 2016

CCWKen said:
Put your primary circuit protection (80A) as close to the source as possible. I would even consider a fusible link for that. I would not depend on that fuse to protect the cab/light wiring. Use a separate fuse buss/box in the cab to accept your primary feed then use a fuse there for each light or light group. You could have a fire in your cab if you depend on the single 80A primary circuit fuse and one of the light circuits short out. Smaller wire used for light circuits will glow like a light bulb before it will pop an 80A fuse. And 16-14ga wire is plenty for all but the monster light panels. I doubt if the light itself has pigtails that gauge.

The job of a fuse is to protect all down-stream wire so put all fuses as close to their feed source as possible. That's why they make fuse busses (fuse box).

That's what I did. In line fuse near battery. Installed an aux fuse box and relay and wired so ignition switch needs to be 'on' for light switches to be powered.

Fallon · Dec 15, 2016

Yup. That's why I noted battery, fuse, then 10 gauge. I looked a fuseable links but there isn't any easy rating on them like there is a fuse. Most just say replace with the same gauge & length as OEM. If you have better info or pointers to some info on figuring out the right fuseable link install it would probably be slightly easier & cleaner than a fuse.

I'm probably going to use smaller gauge from the fuse & relay box to the lights. And I do have that fuse & relay block in my list above. There are slots for a fuse on each circuit so I'll wire it up that way. I'm well aware fuses & breakers are there to protect your wiring, not the stuff connected to the wiring.

powerscol · Dec 16, 2016

Some of the light bar kits come complete with wiring, switches, and fuses. Search under my user name for how I did my Bobcat with a kit. Lots of options out there, but be careful on choosing lights. Check out the lumens, not just the watts and what LED's are used and how water tight the housings are. This is where I got my system. Moto Alliance Good customer service too.