Need to add front lights to B7800

[sixdogs]

I have a B7800 that is prety much just a lawnmower. Since I added a grill-guard, however, I can't see to mow at dusk and want to add lights up front.
I have added lights to a roll bar in the past but was not happy with the shadows it created and have added to grill guards but still had some shadows.
Has anyone added lights to the front weight bracket? Seems like it might be a better idea. I use lights with an on-off button and just run a wire to the battery with a fuse in the middle so it's an easier hookup. On-off switch is the button itself. I have few trees so not really worried about hitting anything.
I see farm tractors with lights often mounted like this and wonder if anyone has any thoughts on this idea. Seems like it would give better light and no shadows?

 

[Dyer retired]

sixdogs,

Sounds like you're having the same lighting problems that everyone has. My BX 1800 headlights were completely obscured when I mounted my front snowblower, so I had to add spots to the top of the ROPS bar. I tried mounting them underneath the top of the ROPS, but had an 8 foot shadow of my head in front of the tractor and it felt like I had the sun burning a hole in the back of my hat. I've seen several postings where people have picked up a cheap magnetic mount spot light (10 or 12 bucks) and tried it in several locations before deciding where they'd get the best light from it....and then go the creative fixed mount route with lots of ideas and suggestions from this forum. I wouldn't mind seeing what you come up with...my lights on the top of the ROPS work great, but create minor clearance problems when pulling in and out of the garage, and of course, I'm constantly straightening them after a low hanging branch latches on. Good luck. Dyer, retired

 

[AMR]

these are the lights I have on my B3030, I love them, I have mowed at 10 PM and have removed snow at 3 AM, they don't get in your eyes and there are no shadows, I have one each side forward and one each side facing backword, I think that the key is that they are at about your eye level

 

[Dyer retired]

AMR,

Very nice set up and looks like you would get light not matter where the implements were pointing. I think the eye level comment is pretty much on target too. I thought about side mounting, but got nervous after having the tractor delivered I ripped off one of the amber flashers within, no kidding, 5 minutes. I'm not even sure if the delivery truck had made it completely out of the yard at that point. I am convinced though that the provided headlights on just about any of these tractors are good for lawn mowing purposes and that's it? I also mounted a round spot light facing to the rear, which I can have beneath the ROPS bar and that thing is a "must have" addition. Thanks for the pictures. John

 

[sixdogs]

sixdogs,

Sounds like you're having the same lighting problems that everyone has. My BX 1800 headlights were completely obscured when I mounted my front snowblower, so I had to add spots to the top of the ROPS bar. I tried mounting them underneath the top of the ROPS, but had an 8 foot shadow of my head in front of the tractor and it felt like I had the sun burning a hole in the back of my hat. I've seen several postings where people have picked up a cheap magnetic mount spot light (10 or 12 bucks) and tried it in several locations before deciding where they'd get the best light from it....and then go the creative fixed mount route with lots of ideas and suggestions from this forum. I wouldn't mind seeing what you come up with...my lights on the top of the ROPS work great, but create minor clearance problems when pulling in and out of the garage, and of course, I'm constantly straightening them after a low hanging branch latches on. Good luck. Dyer, retired

Dyer, retired--
Thanks--I'm going to mount to the front weight bracket as I described. I have researched and experimented and will send photo when complete. May not work with your terrain but it could. I spent 25 years north of Bangor so understand your terrain pitfalls and alders.
I will post photos when done. I also put lights on the top of the grill guard for an L4300 and will try to post that photo when I can get back in the barn. The ROPS light does not work in most cases for field work.
I'll bet you have way more snow than you care to admit. Ft Fairfield is OVER 200 inches for the year! sixdogs, soon to be retired

 

[Dyer retired]

sixdogs,

I won't try to impress you with snow amounts then now that I know you know what Maine is like. I was born and raised in Caribou. I hate to sound old, but I really do remember when the neighborhood mothers would yell at the kids to get down off the snowbanks because we were getting too close to the power lines. Just spent another hour out cleaning up snow, so when it rains it will drain in the right direction....away from the house. Take care. Dyer, retired

 

[sixdogs]

Sounds like a Maine story coming on here, don't you know, and I really miss them.
Like " I'm not saying we had bad winters but the kids couldn't wear pullover hats after February cause mom was afraid the ball on top might touch the wires".
Or, "The true story of the "spruce budworm" came out after a real bad winter. Seeing of a high demand for Christmas trees out-of-state, we decided to just cut the tops off the woods trees at ground level. Trouble is, the snow melted and we realized the snow was nearly 50 feet up in the air and that's when the trees started to fork. Wasn't the budworm after all".
I really miss this stuff and the midwest is OK but the humor here is too obvious.
No snow here and starting to green up just a bit. This is sort of hard to believe but I would like to have about two months of winter again. Just January and Feb--no March or April. And I would like to plow snow for a few hours, assuming I knew where the buried objects were.
Caribou is one of the nicer places but Ft Fairfield is a personal favorite. Might like to retire to there or Machias for four months of the year.
Do you know there is a Caribou web-cam?

 

[Dyer retired]

sixdogs,

The budworm story is accurate and the snow banks were that high. Someone tried once to convince me that the line poles were shorter back then. They haven't been changed since I was a kid, so they must have shrunk instead, ha! I also remember that in the summer, they used to bring in those old 4 engine Continental Airliners converted for spraying and then liberally spray DDT over millions of acres of North Maine Woods. We would jump over the yellow foam and dead fish on shore to go swimming. It's a wonder any of us survived, ha! Fort Fairfield is a nice town and much nicer now that they built up the river banks to stop the spring flooding down town. If it looks like the ice jams are going to exceed the banks now, they bring in a rig that goes out on the ice, breaks it all up, floats a little further up and breaks it up some more, etc. etc. It's expensive, but cheaper than the flooding that was absolutely guaranteed every spring before that. Plus, Fort Fairfield was the home of Governor John Reed, I think the only Governor ever to come from Aroostook County (don't quote me on that, but I think that's true.) Thanks for the thread again and keep me up to speed on any other solutions you come up with. John