Need Advice For Off Road Lamps

[Eric_Whitney]

This time of year we are forced to ride our mountain bikes at night. I use the Nite Rider HID system, this thing is only 15 watts but it daytime when it is running. Runs for about 4 hours fully charged. I wear it on my helmet and this is nice because you have light where ever you are looking. Night rider makes a headband strap for the lights. Just a thought and here is a link to the web site. Nite Rider

 

[Darren]

I bought two of the 13V landing lights off J.C. Whitney over thirty years ago to use as the high beams in a 69 Chrysler. I figured there was no way I could overdrive them. When I first installed them they literally lit up the tops of trees until I cranked them down. Later I went to the wide spot on the a local river and adjusted them again. They lit up almost all the cars of a freight train about a 1/4 mile off.

That should tell you something. They were too bright. On the interstate drivers were flicking their highbeams up and down as soon as they popped over the hill and got blinded. If there was any oncoming traffic no matter what the distance, I couldn't use them. On top of learning that they where just too bright I also learned something else. The bulbs were designed for short term intermitant use not for the long periods of time you might drive at night. They burnt out in a few months.

I wouldn't spend a lot of time cobbling together a mount for your ROPS unless you have a constant source for the bulbs. They won't last long for what you're going to use them. FWIW, you may also find the close distance glare blinding. If brighter was better we'd all mount carbon-arc lights on our tractors.

 

[JJT]

If you've already got the lghts why not try them? I put 2 cheapo fog lights on the rear of my tractor 5 years ago for night time snow blowing and they are still going strong.

3 years later I added 2 forward mounted trapezoids for night work, (mowing, bucket work etc), they are fantastic.

 

[PineRidge]

Veeeery interesting information guys! All but the lights on the helmet that is. I may be a self-proclaimed gadget freak but this kid is not wearing any lights strapped to any of my body parts, nosireebob!

The KC lights that I mentioned must have kinda dated me, as they were the best in my 4-wheeling days.

The PIAA web site has a wealth of information including the beam patterns of their lamps. I can choose what I need and not have to worry that the beam pattern may not be correct for my application. Plus the light relay is included with their products that alone save me another trip down to TSC. And every time I go there it costs me an extra $75.00 for the wife’s birdseed.

No she doesn't feed it to me, it's for her wild birds in the back yard. She also has a $60.00 birdbath de-icer, and I'm looking out the window right now and the Blue Jays are setting up a diving board in the birdbath. I guess they know a good thing when they see it..... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Wildman1]

I put a pair of Hella auxillary low beams on my pickup. They are 55w and throw a similar pattern as the low beams. They fill in and intensify the existing low beams and have a wide pattern. I thought about using them on the 2210 but felt they might be too much for the alternator so went with standard work lights. My alternator is 20a and believe I'd need a 35a to carry the higher output lamps.

 

[PineRidge]

What is the formula for figuring the correct wattage lamps for a specific alternator output? Don't want too much of a good thing.

 

[kevincook]

Wattage = Volts X Amps

So if you put two 55 watt lights on your tractor you will be drawing about 9 Amps.

110 Watts/ 12 Volts = 9 Amps.

Your battery is actually putting out about 13.2 Volts so the Amperage is slightly less. Still more than 8 Amps.

Kevin

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

IF you really want to light things up and money isn't a big consideration, take a look at high intesity discharge (HID) lights. They can make midnight on a moonless night in the woods look like high noon at the circus. They're great for off road use because you have no filament to damage and the light is daylight bright (or, if you're in Indiana in November, WAY brighter than daylight). /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Good luck with whaever you decide. I hope this helps. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[PineRidge]

Kevin my TC-40D uses a 40 amp aternator. As long as I stay well below that figure on the lamps I have no concerns correct? I would need some serious aux. lighting to overtax a 40 amp alternator I would think.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Even if you go above the ability of your alternator's capacity you will probably be fine IF you don't go too far above the capacity and IF you don't run your lights for too long. Basically what will occur is you will draw down your battery slowly. When the lights are off, the alternator will begin to recharge the battery. So if you work for an hour or two at night, maybe a night a week, then you are drawing down your battery slowly you should not have any problem, but if you work mostly at night and seldom in the day, then you will draw the battery down too much.

Now, if you are trying to land aircraft by the light of your tractor, you will really draw down the battery quickly and your best option would be to upgrade the alternator.

My preference is to throw off just enough light to blind the young men who call on my daughter so that I can run them down and bury them in the back yard, BUT not throw off so much light that the local believers in alien landings comes around the homestead looking for their mothership.