PT woes..... 1850 wiring

[MossRoad]

Yeah, if you're still running incandescent lights, get rid of them. Mine came with two of the standard old tractor lights. I think 35 watts each. Mounted down low, about operator waiste height. I mounted two more of the same up under the ROPS and thought that was just great. Then several years ago I got a deal on some little LED floods. Put two of those under the ROPS and WOW!!!

I promptly rempoved all 4 of the incandescents and just went with the two LEDs under the ROPs. Two of those pull less than half the AMPs of one incandescent. Plus, they are smaller and don't get knocked around/off/damaged as much.

 

[AVIVIII]

LEDs are going to be one of the first mods I do once I get all the other garbage sorted out.

I was actually thinking about running a power line up overhead the ROPS to a switch bank up high to control high forward facing LED floods, amber strobe on top of the canopy (so I don't have to see it every time I turn around), and a small LED light under the canopy so I can find the stuff that I drop at night. I'm thinking about an LED light bar or LED fog lights for the rear.

 

[ponytug]

I love my LED lights under the ROPS, and I recently added two rear facing, inside the engine hood. Night and day. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. It is great.

Unless you have no overhanging trees or brush, I am not sure that you want a beacon on the top of the ROPS. I pretty regularly drive my tractor under overhanging branches. How about some aluminum foil, or paint, inside the existing dome, so that you don't have to see it?

I have found more than a few PT wires that fail just at the crimp, which is why I switched to low temperature solder/heat melt adhesive crimps. They make a better bond to the wire and to the insulation, and provide better stress relief. (I get mine from DelCity, or West Marine). I also ran bonding straps/ground wires to the front dash, the rear tub, the hood and the engine, and the battery and pulled them all back to a single ground point. It is cheap and helps make sure that every circuit has a good ground.

I'm glad that it is working now. I suspect that solenoid was just jammed on a particle of dirt, or from inaction, and manually moving it up and down freed it up. I have an air powered fan on one of my big diesels that is an end run, and gets sticky with inaction. A little driving and it vibrates free.

All the best,

Peter

 

[woodlandfarms]

Do not put anything on the top of the rops. Its not that it is bad, it is just goingto be on the ground sooner than you think. So the yellow flashing light. At first i was quite excited about it, then I was bummed about it as you said, when you turn around welcome to being blinded. I put in a piece of aluminum foil so it only projects back (and not toward the cab). but honestly, if you are using it for just your farm and are not on a road, chuck it. I too have a little LED light to illuminate the dash.

Do some searching here on wire running for the ROPS. I use Silicone to hold the wires in place. A lot of good ideas on LED lights and wire running if you search.

 

[AVIVIII]

Thanks guys.

Unfortunately, the town is pretty strict about anything in the road having hazards/beacons. I have about 1400' of road frontage to maintain and 2 driveway cuts, so I will be in the road a fair amount. Even through its only a 25mph town back road, they still treat it like the highway. The only time I plan on being out in full night darkness is plowing snow, so I'll probably just forget the beacon and put a magnetic one on the ROPS in the winter.

I love my LED lights under the ROPS, and I recently added two rear facing, inside the engine hood.

I was looking for more places to put lights, and actually considered putting one under the hood that will face down at the engine bay with the hood open.

 

[MossRoad]

Maybe get a magnetic mount rotating beacon with a curly cord. Then install a 12V socket up under your ROPs, next to your future switch box.

 

[SpringHollow]

I just turn on the yellow light when I am near the road.

Ken

 

[jfh28]

I had a magnetic one....it didn't last the first winter.......to much vibration on the machine and the circuit board inside the beacon split and came loose......wasn't made to withstand the shocks that run thru our machines......Jack

 

[twin50]

Hello, I am in the process of replacing my cooling fan. Keith sent one with a re-wire kit and solenoid to hook it up. 230 degrees is what the machine is supposed to run at according to Tazwell.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Does the Solenoid have a part number? And what machine are you working on?