I think a lot of people look at wattage and think the MORE THE BETTER when it comes to lights. IMHO the better way to look at it, at least from the compact tractor point of view, is WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SEE and once you figure that out, then find the appropriate lights for that job.
In my case, I wanted more light for mowing the lawn and I found the factory lights throwing an uneven light pattern with lots of dark spots mixed in with bright spots. Those spots may be inconsequention on FLAT lawns, but I have bumps, hills and ruts. Given the slow speed of mowing, installing spot lights or on the road driving lights that throw pencil thin beams didn't make any sense to me. I opted for fog lights that throw a wide angle beam and keep it fairly close, because the ground around the tractor is what I needed to see, not 500 feet in front of me. I settled on 35 watt PIAA lamps. Partly becuase I have a small tractor and did not want to draw down the battery and over tax the alternator. I won't know until next summer if I made the right choice because the mowing is done for the year.
For my rear facing lamps I did the same analysis and chose the same lamps. But I chose them for a different reason. I chose fog lamps to light the area AROUND where I am working. I have the factory AUX light on the rear and it is a bright white light that casts a black shadow on some of the work area because the light hits the implement. Mounting the wide angle fog lamps high up lights up the whole area I am working in, and lets me see anyone or anything that is approaching or that I am backing up too. The lights hitting the work area from different angles minimize the shadow effect and help light the work area better.
We each have our own needs and how we use our tractors, but I think that too often people will pick a cheap lamp that is high wattage and think the wattage is what they need. The thing that determines the light performance more than the wattage is the shape of the reflector behind the bulb and the quality of the lens in front of it. Wattage will give you a bright light, but if the reflector and the lens are dispersing the light pattern UNEVENLY or if they are aiming it into a bright SPOT then the addition of the light won't really do what you need done.
Decide if you want to see a long distance or if you want to light just the work area or what you want to do, then pick lights that are designed for those purposes. There is a HUGE difference in the light patterns that many of these lights throw out, and a $19.99 special from Harbor Freight might be your answer, but on the other hand you really may be looking for $100 floodlamps. You and your budget need to decide what is the correct solution for you, for your tractor, and for the jobs you do.
