lights for ROPS

uhmgawa · May 27, 2003

( You need to go to a dealer that deals in ag. equipment. Wally Mart lights will not last.

J.W. Speaker lights are sold at TSC. Forget the stainless mounts. Stainless is brittle and will vibration crack.
)

Walmart is a retailer not a manufacturer. The manufacturer
of the lights in question is Peterson which I've found to
fabricate some of the more durable vehicle lighting commonly
available.

You may notice J. W. Speaker uses stainless mounts in their
9700 Series HID Work Lights. Let's keep perspective here.
The glass halogen bulb and tungsten filament within are a
tad more susceptible to vibration than the stainless mounting
hardware.

varmint · May 27, 2003

You're probably right about the Walmart light quality, but I wouldn't categorically state that "stainless is brittle and will vibration crack"- the aircraft industry uses a lot of stainless in high-vibration installations, without cracking. Like exhaust systems, and various engine components.

Darren · May 27, 2003

I'm not sure you want the brightest. Those IMNSHO are aircraft landing lights. I've seen them in automotive use and they light stuff up at least a mile away. I think you need something well built that gives you a widespread light rather than the long distance you need doing 70 mph on an interstate highway.

Take a look at the dual bulb Hella Halogen worklights. You'll have intensity and more light spread than the inexpensive units which is what you need when you're working and maneuvering at night.

I think they also have a xenon worklight.

Trev · May 27, 2003

Just a word of warning to folks.. don't make the same dumb mistake I made.

I needed to travel on the road quite a bit locally, so I got a rotating light setup that would hook magnetically to the top of my ROPS. Was great.. nobody could possibly fail to see me. Then one day I needed to lower the ROPS to clear something.. left the light on, and when I raised the rear implement the light got crushed by the top link bar! oopsey! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Make sure your light arrangement works in both ROPS-UP and ROPS-DOWN positions without getting clobbered by something like mine did. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

Charliebrn · May 28, 2003

Do you have any info on these worklights? I haven't seen them around here at all! Any pictures would be great too...

Thanks!

Anonymous Poster · May 28, 2003

heres a link to the hella work light site
hella work lights

and a link to the lighs I put on the BX I tow it in an inclosed trailer so on top of the bar was ruled out

bx lights

box for turning them off with 12 volt aux outlet

switch and outlet

If I had the room I would have went for the xenon or HID lights. HID is next for the front of the Suburban /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Cheers
Tony

Darren · May 28, 2003

Here's a link to a source for the dual bulb units. http://www.awdirect.com/awdirect/catalog.cfm?dest=itempg&itemid=8109&secid=68&linkon=subsection&linkid=99
I think these are the work/flood light units as opposed to the long range spotlights.

Anonymous Poster · May 28, 2003

Thanks for all of the great ideas from everyone. I went with two 55w halogens (trapezoid pattern) for the front from TSC. I also added a light for the back of the tractor. Its a 50w halogen (flood pattern). I mounted them to the underside of the ROPS. (Yeah, I drilled holes in the ROPS) Have not tried them out in the dark yet, so cant say anything good or bad! I will post some pics as soon as I get a chance.

Charliebrn · May 29, 2003

Thank you!!! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

rockyridgefarm · May 29, 2003

FWIW WallyWorld has a $17 magnetic base 55W trap worklight with a long cord. I plan on trying one to see how it holds up. I like the Hella double bulbs, but for this price, I'll try these...

5030 · May 30, 2003

Perspective being is that any manufacturer will use the least expensive material for fabrication purposes. There are at least 50 different grades of stainless, the cheaper grades are more prone to cracking as they are more brittle. Mounting lights on the ROPS amplifies the vibration problem from the inherent vibrations being produced by the motor. That's why the internal parts of J.W. Speaker lights are encased in a synthetic rubber, just to dampen that vibration. The actual mount, whether stainless or mild steel will be prone to vibration fatigue, it's just that mild steel has more elasticity than a more brittle stainless. I could get really techinical and include the ASTM specs for various grades of stainless versus mild steel for hardness and elasticity as pertaining to fatigue, but it is not germane to this discussion. The important point is that in general, a stainless mount, while virtually maintenance free, is more prone to cracking that a mild steel one.

icat · May 30, 2003

Add a rubber washer. That should dampen the vibration and eliminate the problem.

rockyridgefarm · May 30, 2003

I have LOTS of trees. A limb is likely to hit any light on my ROPS. A $45 Light may last a little longer than a $11 Peterson from Wally World. But, not much. The next user might not have to worry about limbs. That's when other factors mght come into play.

uhmgawa · May 30, 2003

( Add a rubber washer. That should dampen the vibration and eliminate the problem. )

I agree. The true issue is optimizing return on investment.
I could design a $5000 toaster which would last forever and
except for price is superior to any other toaster. I doubt
if I'd see much sales volume.

Quality of an item in excess of that usable in a given
application lowers return on investment.

5030 · May 30, 2003

A $5000.00 toaster is a Freightliner with wiring problems. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Chief · Jun 12, 2003

Does anybody have the John Deere work lights with the brush guard installed? Would love to see some pictures and some feedback as to how well they work and hold up. I encounter alot of brush and tree branches and am afraid of breaking pretty much any light unless it is really built heavy duty.

Anonymous Poster · Jun 14, 2003

I was checking out the light thing lastnight, my new 2210 has holes predrilled in the rops.

chim · Jun 14, 2003

Maybe I just didn't notice, but has anyone with ROPS-mounted lights said anything about bugs in the Summertime?. One of the reasons my lights are down (and inboard of the framing) is to keep the annoying bugs away from my head. The other big reason is they are protected from damage via the FEL frame.

My BIL bought me a neat strobe for the tractor. I rigged up a magnet mount with a tether to catch it when it got whacked. It got whacked often enough the tether got worn out and ripped. This is one item that really oughta be mounted high. Going back to the drawing board on that one..............chim

Mike_S · Jun 21, 2003

Chief--I have the brush guards on my turn signals/blinkers on my 4400, but the rear work lights are mounted on the inside of the ROPS and are not bothered by tree limbs. The other lights have been saved numerous times thanks to their armor. However, if a limb strikes the front of the blinker(inside the armor) it will easily break the lens and as much as sthese lenses cost, they could easily be made of polycarbonate or Lexan and not be so subject to breaking. Is the armor kit worth it if you mow around branches--you bet it is. The graphic that I hope gets attached (have not tried this before) shows the armor with lots of wear from tree limbs, but in two years, there have been no broken lenses. Hope this helps. Michael S.