LED light questions.

[DuckSlayer1017]

Is the toggle switch waterproof? Where's a good place to mount it? I saw where a guy mounted them inside a waterproof mini-tackle box

The IP67 rating means it is water proof. I drilled a hole in my dash and mounted it next to my factory light switch. It took a couple hrs to fish the wire through the tractor and make it look good. I tried to follow the factory wire runs to keep everything neat.

 

[alltherage]

thanks. I will probably drop a 15 amp fuse into the harness so that it's all consistent, but my understanding is the draw on these LED lights is very small. I think watt=volt x amp, so that would put each 27watt light at 2.25 amps, or 4.5 amps on the harness in total.

 

[DuckSlayer1017]

I was just reading the Opt7 Sw Harness specs. They are built with 14 gauge wire and include a 30 amp fuse, this sounds good but, 14 gauge wire is rated for 15 amps not 30 amps. What can happen if there is a shorted condition is the 30 amp fuse won't blow and the wire will melt and then a fire. I am not sure what the draw for two 27 watt LED Lights is but you need to use a wire sized for the amperage,or a larger gauge than needed and a fuse rated for the components on the circuits. Think about building your own harness, an easy task and cheaper. Me thinking out loud again.

Scrambler I think you are right about the amperage but I did find this chart online that shows for a 12 v application 14 ga can carry 40 a.
Wire Gauge Amps Ratings for 12 volt Automotive Systems

All I can say is I haven't had any issues with mine and I have around 50 watts of led in three lights.

 

[varmint]

Not familiar with the OP's tractor, but I mounted similar lights on my L3130, without compromising the ROPs... ditto for the L3400. Here's some photos- the hinge brackets had holes in them which I utilized, and the switches, waterproof, are eBay items, around $6 ea. I used relays in both cases (probably overkill), and took power from the "work light" fuse circuit on the tractor's fuse block (switched) for the switches and ran a 14 gauge power supply, fused, direct from the battery to the relay to make a separate system from the tractor lights.

 

[alltherage]

Nice setup

 

[Mendonsy]

Scrambler I think you are right about the amperage but I did find this chart online that shows for a 12 v application 14 ga can carry 40 a.
Wire Gauge Amps Ratings for 12 volt Automotive Systems

All I can say is I haven't had any issues with mine and I have around 50 watts of led in three lights.

50 watts is only about 4.2 amps. You could easily get away with 18 gauge wire for that, maybe even 20 gauge if you're brave.
That link you posted refers to two other charts for wire size and current in 12 volt systems. All three are different so automotive wiring clearly isn't an exact science!!

 

[alltherage]

Figured out a way to mount them in the preexisting holes. Won't be able to fold rops up but that's fine for my purposes. Now just need to wire

 

[PILOON]

Scrambler I think you are right about the amperage but I did find this chart online that shows for a 12 v application 14 ga can carry 40 a.
Wire Gauge Amps Ratings for 12 volt Automotive Systems

All I can say is I haven't had any issues with mine and I have around 50 watts of led in three lights.

That chart is for voltage drop and not protection.
14g at 40 amps and shorted you will have a melted mess if not a fire.

 

[Scrambler82]

Amperage is amperage... 40 amps calls for fine stranded 10 ga or 8 gauge wire.
It is better to over build than under build and worry about a fire.
I use the following wire gauge amperage rating.
16 ga wire = 10 amps
14 ga wire = 15 amps
12 ga wire = 20 amps
10 ga wire = 30 amps
There ratings cover safety factors and extended draw which can lead to problems if not accounted for.
There is the length of the wire to take into account but for most automotive/tractor uses base ratings for wire use is safer.

Alltherage's idea of lowering the fuse value is a good one, yes the draw of the LED lights is low and that is good, so change the fuse value for the lowest value needed; over build the circuit but under fuse it for safety.
54 watts calls for a 5 amp draw, lower the fuse to 10 amps.
You fuse the circuit for the lowest amperage draw component.

I would rather be safe than sorry.

 

[newbury]

Amperage is amperage... 40 amps calls for fine stranded 10 ga or 8 gauge wire.
<snip>.

It would also allow you to weld!