Wiring up lights on Ford 2000

[Soundguy]

very likely was sparex.. I have been getting less tisco and A&I parts latelty. I know the grill was sparex.. so nose must have been too.

that's why I mounted the headlamps on my 3000 on the bumper.. i couldn't bring myself to drill that 400$ nose..

soundguy

 

[twoone]

Try tractor house and all it's links. They have a large avenue of outlets to parts new and used. Have you tried wanted in our own forum????

 

[twoone]

Soundguy: You might check to see what the switch is rated at this is the reason or one of the reasons for using a relay

 

[whodat526]

Soundguy: You might check to see what the switch is rated at this is the reason or one of the reasons for using a relay

The factory switches never had a relay

 

[twoone]

this may be true I haven't seen the factory diagram and I do not know what lights he is going to install the way he is talking he might go after mart. however it still does not change things if the combined amp's draw exceed the switch rating and there is a wire run he should use a proper rated fuse and relay of course he can make a direct run but???

 

[Soundguy]

Soundguy: You might check to see what the switch is rated at this is the reason or one of the reasons for using a relay

a relay is good when you have a large load that needs a shortest run of heavy wire as possibly, like a big heavy winch that needs a 4' run of 1/0 cable from t he battery to the front of the truck where the winch is, and the relay, then a piece of thin 14 awg wire to the lil flip switch in the truck cab that has to go thru 25' of car wireing harness to get there.

on a tractor, the battery and dash are right there... and the load in question.. a lmap.. is within the wire gauge tolerance for the rest of the harness.

ford didn't use a headlamp relay because it was simply not needed.

i don't buy any headlamp switch rated under 20a. in fact.. havn't seen one on the shelf rated UNDER 20a. I'm guessing you could special order them.. but napa has a 20, 30 and 50 switch on the shelf. ysc has 20 and 30 etc. those ar e the common ones.

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

this may be true I haven't seen the factory diagram and I do not know what lights he is going to install the way he is talking he might go after mart. however it still does not change things if the combined amp's draw exceed the switch rating and there is a wire run he should use a proper rated fuse and relay of course he can make a direct run but???

again// you gain NOTHING using a relay !!!!!! the wiring is so short.. if needing heavy wire for lotsa lamps.. use heavy wire and a large switch and correct fuse!!! adding a relay just adds cost and more wireing.

we are talking about a tractor here.. not a corvette.

the wireing is at most a FEW FEET long..... if he had a 80' yacht and a battert astern and lights up front and wanted a flip switch inthe control towere, yeah.. use a relay and cutr the large wire run neede din half.. go direct battery to lamp, add relay, then small run of wire to co tower.

on the tractor where all wire ends are what? 4' apart? likely is not needed.

use the correct wire, fuses for that wire, correct load rating switch.. correct lamps.. etc.

at some point if he goes big enough he will be overloading his charge system.. oem genny on a 3 cyl of that era was 22a MAX and you don't want to run that at max for long.. more like 80% for duration..



soundguy

 

[Bobby R]

Look, I really appreciate all your replies and your obvious concern about my question, but to be honest, I'm so confused now I may not even put any lights on the tractor. I just mainly wanted them for looks because I don't plan on using it after dark anyway, unless I have to go pull someone out of a mudhole or something. As I stated in a previous post, I rewired the original lights to a new switch on an International 404 I had and it blew the fuse and new switch as well. That's why I was asking if a relay was needed. I don't know what amperage the switch I bought was or even what gauge wire I used but I can tell you what ever it was, it didn't work! So I'm still confused about it.

 

[twoone]

As I said I do not know what he is going to or use and as for ford not using a relay I guess they built my tractor some ware else my battery is in the nose. all said I know that if he uses lights that draw more than the switch is rated and uses a system that above that it will blow the fuse and will than eat the switch. yes your correct most switch,s are as you called out the most common switch you find are 20 amp but I do not know what he has do you?and as I said if he goes after mart and installs lights that have a draw that exceeds the 20 amp switch and is not protected by the correct fuse it's going to blow the system. again you all do as you want because I don't know what you all decided to install however if it were my equipment I protect it the best I new how,and not the cheapest.

 

[Soundguy]

and if you have lemons, and have sugar and have a glass and have water you can have lemonade.

IF he used lamps that are a higher wattage than his wire, and the wattage exceeds the switch rating, and the fuse is too small for the wattage h'e have a problem/

and if he runs over a nail with a tire it will leak.

at least 2 of those situations are controlable via operator intervention.. IE.. the lemonade and wireing.. not so much the nail.

to the op.

get a switch rated for your lamp load. use wireing rated for the load.. use a fuse rated to protect the wireing.

wire it.

be done with it.

or do whatever.. buy 30 relays and stick them all over the tractor.. will make the electronics house happy.. they need money too. sounds like it will make twoone happy I guess.

actually hold on.

I'm gonna go buy stock in a relay co. I'll send you their online shopping page.

THEN go buy the relays

soundguy