Side Lights for Dusk Mowing

FastFrau · Sep 19, 2005

I added the round License Plate Lights to the fenders of my JD they don't take up much wattage, but lite up the edges of my mower deck. They don't stick out from the side much, and you can rotate them in the hole you drill for the best illumination You just bend the little tabs around the edge to keep them in place. it adds a little bit of lite to a dark edge ........Cathy /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

HomeBrew2 · Sep 19, 2005

Yeh, kinda like mood lighting /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Cool idea. I got the same effect by de-laminating the red lens on my tail lights and replacing it with clear, works good but yours sounds easier /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

hobbyfarm · Sep 19, 2005

Cathy,
Nice mod, and a great idea. I've often thought of doing something similar. I love to mow at night, but I hate the dark spot on the trim side (actually both sides) of the mower.

I came across these LED lamps from TruckLite. They are about 1" in diameter. I'd like to have a couple on the rear fenders just so I can be seen as I mow along the rightof way.
Too bad they don't make one in a white model.

FastFrau · Sep 20, 2005

Very Cool little lites but, I think LED lites have a problem with being unidirectional,where the others are omnidirectional. You get too much to the side of an LED lite and they are hard to see..some states used to have regulations against them because of it (Truck Lites on the Highway).
Cathy

hudr · Sep 27, 2005

I have found replacement bulbs (1157, etc.) in LED that mount the bulbs in a "fan" arrangement to spread out the light more. check LEDs out. I would like to replace all my stop/turn/marker bulbs on the tractor and my old Bronco II. Problem w/ LEDs and newer cars is the "bulb out" detection. It works off of amp draw usually, so the low draw LEDs make the car think a bulb is out and it does the fast blink to let you know. They sell a "load adapter" but then that negates the low draw feature of LEDs.

hobbyfarm · Sep 27, 2005

hudr,
The only problem with that is - some lights like the ones in my John Deere are some sort of proprietary lamps with a bayonet flange. They don't change into any other number as far as I've been able to find out. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

hudr · Sep 29, 2005

Yeah, I have some applications that aren't covered as well...yet. I am sure LEDs will soon be made for them as well. I know we started putting LEDs on our big trucks and lighting and grounding problems just went away.

hobbyfarm · Sep 29, 2005

( I am sure LEDs will soon be made for them as well. I know we started putting LEDs on our big trucks and lighting and grounding problems just went away...)

When I worked in the oilfield in the 70's, any time there was moisture, there was problems with lighting on those trucks.
LEDs need to get a lot cheaper so they can be used in a wider application.