Lights

varmint · Jun 18, 2015

I've added 27W LED light to three Kubotas so far, and for the $15 each light has cost, eBay or Amazon, I can't complain. No failures, no problems, and best of all, low current draw, so leaving all four on at once isn't a big deal. No issues with blowing snow blocking the lights, either. Waterproof LED switches work well, for me. For an open station tractor, the ROPS seems like a good place for them. I like spots towards the front, floods for the back. Photos are my second tractor- now I have four lights on my third. Why not? Kubotas come with wiring for rear lights, which makes it easy.

gwstang · Jun 19, 2015

I just ordered a pair of these. I need them for evening bush hogging as it is way too hot on an open station tractor this summer. Been pushing 100F the last week and is supposed to be at 100F the coming week. Whew, too warm for me in the afternoon. A little more bearable at dark. I forgot to add that they are $11 something apiece on amazon and free shipping for the 27 watt lights. Cheaper than the ebay same lights.

GreenYellow · Jun 19, 2015

Those look great Varmint. Thanks for the detailed pics. I'll update soon when I pull the trigger.
Then I'll post another update when I'm mowing at 10:00pm at 75 degrees, vs mowing at 5:00 at 98 degrees!

Jim Timber · Jun 20, 2015

Yesterday I got my side lights in. These are 18W and work really well as I intended.

I also got my switches for the front and rear lights installed. Now I just need to put the lights on and be done with darkness.

chim · Jun 21, 2015

Decent lights are a must for me. Several years ago the combination of my schedule and the weather prevented any daytime yard work for the start of the mowing season. Snow removal has always been something that is often done after dark.

Even with LED's there were insect flying around my head with the lights mounted on the ROPS. I wear glasses and the glare/reflection of the lights from shining from behind was beyond annoying. That led to mounting the lights on the loader frame of the B7500 I had. When I replaced that tractor with the current L3200 in early 2012, I did quick and dirty ROPS mounts for the lights for the first Summer. Then when I built the cab at the end of 2012 the first lights were re-purposed plow truck lights for the front and a pair of LED's that faced the rear. The pattern of the plow lights wasn't satisfactory, so they were replaced with LED's. That provided plenty of light for snow removal with white background everywhere. When the snow went away it wasn't as bright around the tractor, so side lights were added.

gwstang · Jun 21, 2015

Nice! Are those the 27 watt led's?

chim · Jun 22, 2015

gwstang said:
Nice! Are those the 27 watt led's?

I think the fronts are 27, rears 18 and one 9 on each side. They light things up pretty well. It's hard to get an picture that is representative of how they look in real life. The one taken from inside the cab is closer. The bright lights shining toward the camera seem to trick it into underexposing the shots.

Chain rated · Jun 23, 2015

There's lots of led lights for sale out there. Most of the good ones are cree. But cree doesn't make the complete light, only the led inside. Cree makes thousands of different leds. I've have several different led lights from several different brands. OffRoden Powersports are the only ones that perform better than expected. I've found that lumen ratings on led lights mean nothing. OffRoden Powersports doesn't have a website just word of mouth, Facebook, or craigslist. Great prices too.

varmint · Jun 23, 2015

I don't generally use my tractor at night, only for snow removal... so bugs aren't the problem they might be otherwise. I had mounted lights on posts on the loader frame on my first Kubota, and that worked pretty well, but higher seems better, since I am often working in a confined area- brush and trees on both sides of the lane I plow. I like the idea of 18W sidelights, too... maybe another project.