Will my tractor run a couple of off road fog lights?

shop_rat45 · Jun 15, 2007

I've been told that the headlights on my NH TC30 are not the greatest and I would like to add to them. I would like to mount a set of off road truck lights (kinda like the KC Daylighters) onto my ROPS bar. Would my electrical system be able to handle and run them or will it be too much on the system? IIRC, I have a 20 amp alternator on it. (heck I won't even have the tractor until tomorrow and I'm already wanting to mod it.

) So, would I be OK?

Thanks,
Kris

ToadHill · Jun 15, 2007

It should work fine. I can't picture you using them on a constant basis, even if the alternator can't keep up, the battery will operate the lights for several hours by itself.

RonMar · Jun 15, 2007

Power in watts = current times voltage Conversley power in watts divided by voltage = current. 100 watts divided by 14VDC(voltage provided by alternator) = about 7 amps of current draw per light. The 130 watt bulbs that the daylighters can come with would each draw 9.2A. 14-18 amps is a lot of draw for a 20A alternator. That alternator was that size for a reason, to feed the factory lights and charge the battery with a margin for a reasonable ammount of longevity. If it has to supply other systems on the tactor at the same time as these lights, It is going to run hot. Depending on the make, it may not survive as long as it should. You might want to consider a set of lights with 50 Watt halogen bulbs(both lamps together would pull 7 amps). This might be a little better for your alternator.

Just went thru something similar with my daughters truck. I gave her the truck(88 Toyota 4X4) last year. The alternator packed it in so I got her another one and we went to put it in. It was then that I noticed she and her boyfriend had wired in a rather large stereo amplifier. I told her to disconnect it after I read the label. She was running at better than 85% of the alternators capacity. I told her that if she re-connected it, the next alternator was on her...

dtd24 · Jun 15, 2007

It most certainly will. I did the same thing to mine. Here is a link to the thread.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/93641-let-there-light-question-3.html

I ran an aux fuse panel powered from battery with in-line fuse in between the battery and panel (extra cautious). All electricial components from Napa Auto, and the lights are from Harbor Freight.

Soundguy · Jun 21, 2007

55w beams are a standard 12v lamp that you can get at farm stores.. etc. Adding a couple of those would be plenty of light and way ewasier ont he charge system than the others you were looking at.

As the previous messages point out.. Yes.. the storage battery would run them.. an dthe charge system would be at or near max... If you didn't use the bigguns long.. it would probably be ok. if you wanted something for 100% duty cycle.. I'd opt for the lower wattage.. just in kindness to the charge system... though it would/should certaintly do it for a decent length of time. as with anything.. take 2 similar devices and run one at low laod and the other at max load.. the one loaded the most will wear the fastest... Not saying it will die a flaming death.. but i'd expect it to have a shorter service life.. how short? dunno... might be negligible.. might not be.

hard to tell with electronics.. depends on what tolerances they built the charging system to.. and how much 'margin' was built in... If you ar ein for some emperical data gathering.. let us know (wink).

Soundguy

sandman2234 · Jun 23, 2007

Another way to help you make the decision is to call your tractor dealer and price a new alternator. That should help you make up your mind real quick.
I wouldn't run it at more than 80 percent of the capacity, but that is just me.
David from jax

dtd24 · Jun 24, 2007

i just switched my front and rears sepeartely so it wouldn't tax the alternator.

BXRICK · Jun 25, 2007

I think answers to the asked question have been given, some going with a "yea", and others with a "nay". It was a yes/no question - I can't give a different answer than those already given...

Some thoughts about lights on tractors, though:
- Tractors don't go very fast. You don't need lights that send a beam a mile out.
- It depends on what you do at night (with your tractor, I mean), but I've found having lights in both the forward and reverse direction that come on together to be very useful. Changing direction is common, and switching them manually would be a pain. Also, if towing an implement, it's nice to have light on it even when going forward so you can better monitor it.
- You'll tend to want wide angle lights - again, you're not going very fast, but you will likely want to see to the sides more than you do in a car.
- If you have a FEL, think about light placement. There's no perfect answer, since the bucket will block the light almost no matter what you do, but it's worth considering.

milkman · Jun 25, 2007

BXRICK said:
Some thoughts about lights on tractors, though:
- Tractors don't go very fast. You don't need lights that send a beam a mile out.- You'll tend to want wide angle lights - again, you're not going very fast, but you will likely want to see to the sides more than you do in a car.

That's my thought also, there used to be 35W tractor lights that put out plenty of light and don't kill the electircal system. I could put 2 forward and 2 rearward and no more than I use them, I still wouldn't kill the little dynamo/alternator on the Kubota. The trouble is I haven't been able to find the 35W lights anywhere I've looked.