Headlight bulbs - ouch...

[jcri]

I think I just paid through the nose for a couple of replacement headlight bulbs at my local dealer. $36 and change for 2 bulbs. I had no luck finding replacements at the auto-parts stores and similar. Does anyone know what a compatible alternative for this bulb would be? It's just hard to swallow paying over $16 plus tax PER bulb for what appears to be a simple little incandescent headlight bulb? Maybe I'm missing something in this bulb is far more precious that I realize...

 

[Greenfield Dave]

You may have paid a little much.. $27 for 2 on ebay, Messicks are $12.99 ea. I/ve been looking for an LED replacement and can't find one.

 

[Thomas]

That's about the going rate even at my dealer,hope you never need complete rear light fixture..OUCH.

 

[sandyc]

Cheaper to buy led floods/spots on Amazon and wire up to existing wires on rops or cab......just saying

 

[Industrial Toys]

I always get other compatible bulb numbers and run them by my regular electrical/lighting guy.

Single LED cab marker light for my GMC is a hundred bucks! VS the old style .39 cent bulb!

 

[jcri]

I always get other compatible bulb numbers and run them by my regular electrical/lighting guy.

Single LED cab marker light for my GMC is a hundred bucks! VS the old style .39 cent bulb!

I guess I need to find a electrical/lighting resource!

 

[moship]

Single LED cab marker light for my GMC is a hundred bucks! VS the old style .39 cent bulb!

I feel your pain! Did a precheck of the annual PA safety inspection on my Ram 3500 and discovered the LED Turn Signal lens/assembly integrated into the side mirror is a discounted $97. It's crazy they even fail since they are LED. The dealer claim everyone complains about them. It's crazy it fails and they charge so much for a $3 part.

 

[PILOON]

I discovered that some of those tractor bulbs are actually best found at motorcycle suppliers as they don't show up in automotive cross reference books.
While I did find close matches I had to make a minor mod by filing away a tab or something,
All that said I have converted to DEL lighting now .

LOL, DEL is french for LED

 

[mikester]

$16 per bulb sounds pretty reasonable considering I see car headlight bulbs running up to $50+ each. Try buying a bulb for a motorcycle they run for over $60 each.

Walmart, ebay and amazon have spoiled us with expectations of free shipping and throw away Chinese junk quality products. We are somehow expecting top quality from dollar store products that come with zero quality, zero support, and tail light warranty.

I complain more about cell phones with $100 in parts being sold for $1000 that become outdated and unsupported the day after we buy them. Would you buy a tractor that after one year goes from running 12 hours down to two hours and now lifts only half its original capacity? Or being told you need a security software update that slows your tractor motions down 50 percent to improve operator experience?

 

[Industrial Toys]

Someone that thinks like me. That current system of things only works because consumers are so easy to manipulate. The next time a salesman is showing off some gimmick, excuse yourself, go down to parts or service and find out what that gimmick costs to repair or replace! Then go back and say you want to buy the vehicle, but without the LED lighting or so forth.

 

[oosik]

My neighbor had to replace a rear taillight fixture and bulb. Accidentally backed into a board on his coral fence. $367 and change. My seven year extended warrantee on the Taco Wagon DOES cover all bulbs and fixtures.

It's no wonder new pickups cost so darn much. If the manufacturer is paying anywhere near that amount for parts.

 

[jcri]

$16 per bulb sounds pretty reasonable considering I see car headlight bulbs running up to $50+ each. Try buying a bulb for a motorcycle they run for over $60 each.

Walmart, ebay and amazon have spoiled us with expectations of free shipping and throw away Chinese junk quality products. We are somehow expecting top quality from dollar store products that come with zero quality, zero support, and tail light warranty.

I complain more about cell phones with $100 in parts being sold for $1000 that become outdated and unsupported the day after we buy them. Would you buy a tractor that after one year goes from running 12 hours down to two hours and now lifts only half its original capacity? Or being told you need a security software update that slows your tractor motions down 50 percent to improve operator experience?

Thanks for your reply and I can certainly appreciate the gist of what you're saying here... Automotive headlights these days are certainly pricey, but most that I've seen are far more state of the art than this simple looking bulb from my 18 year old tractor. Sort of what drove me to post this originally was that I needed to replace 1 tail light and both headlight bulbs. The tail light bulb was $14 and change at my dealership, HOWEVER, I was lucky enough to find a match for the tail light bulb in a Sylvania product at my local AutoZone in a 4 pack for $3.99. It was almost exactly like the headlight bulb, but not exact enough unfortunately. So... Still, for the type of bulb technology that it is, I'm just saying that it's hard to wrap my head around some of these prices. I did of course pay the nearly $40 for the two bulbs and would do it again if I had to... I am inclined to install some LED work lights on the ROPS or similar location for sheer usefulness. Replacing these dim OEM headlight bulbs is really just so that everything is 'correct' and working on the tractor, like it should.

 

[RGAZ]

Here is what I do when I have a bulb like that.

Take it to a bulb place like batteries plus. Have them figure out the "base style" of the bulb and voltage and wattage. With those three pieces of info you can search your favorite online distributor (i.e. amazon) for an equivalent or even a LED version. (batt plus will try to sell you the bulb at the market price you probably paid)

I have done this with many tractor bulbs, antique car bulbs, classic cars, etc. Only occasionally will you find something specifically unique, but its not often.

For fun, give it a try!

RGAZ

 

[Fallon]

Cheaper to buy led floods/spots on Amazon and wire up to existing wires on rops or cab......just saying

Yup. I put some full width LED bars on the front & back of my cab. WAY more light from a better angle & not shining on the back of my bucket. Bars were under $75 each. I rarely use my headlights at all anymore. Mostly when roading the tractor at night. I turn off the LED bars whenever I see other vehicles to avoid blinding them.

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/376458-let-there-light-l4060-light.html

LEDs are very sensitive to heat. Lots of light & heat in a halogen fitting will cook a LED. You can put fans & heatsinks on the back of the halogen fitting, but it's a poor design & moves less heat than all the fins on the back of a proper led bar or spotlight.

Not a tractor issue, but LEDs in a halogen housing blind oncoming drivers badly. The LEDs emit light at different spots on than a halogen bulb. The focus of the reflector is off & it gives you poor lighting while making the roads more dangerous. Properly designed LED (or HID) headlight assemblies are fine, but they dont use halogen sockets due to the heat & focus issues.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I was reminiscing a little. I remember when I had a used collection of scavenged 1156 and 7 bulbs, a few rectangular high and low beam headlights, plus some of those push in dash bulbs with the wires. Used to fill my pockets at the wreckers. If someone had told me that in the future, things would be much better and you would have to buy an electronic clearance light for a hundred bucks, I would have thought they were sniffing glue!

 

[JWR]

My neighbor had to replace a rear taillight fixture and bulb. Accidentally backed into a board on his coral fence. $367 and change. My seven year extended warrantee on the Taco Wagon DOES cover all bulbs and fixtures.

It's no wonder new pickups cost so darn much. If the manufacturer is paying anywhere near that amount for parts.

The automotive industry has gone utterly berserk on certain things. One is out of control hyper-expensive certain things -- like headlights. Most people will not believe it but go price a set of headlights for a 2014 Lincoln MKZ top of the line sedan. The headlights are linked to the steering and turn left and right, they are super bright and have razor sharp lines from dark above to bright below when you lower your headlights -- a visible straight line across left-right. Over $1500. I had a neighbor owning one who blew all his fuses, so to speak, and went to the highest levels of Lincoln raising cain... that's how he got it under $1500. No kidding.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Was that by any chance Abraham,that he went to? The ballasted headlight system prices are insane as well.

 

[Shutesbury]

I found LED bulb replacements here:

LED Lights, Bulbs & LED Lighting Accessories | superbrightleds.com

 

[dstig1]

I solved this issue several years ago. Here is the thread: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums.../262942-headlight-bulb-source.html?highlight=

Even if your bulb is different, you can probably track it down the same way.

 

[Blondie70]

I still have my collection of 1156 7 and multiple others. I have thrown all the headlites….round and rectangular away...ha ha
Ya never know when some of this old stuff will come in handy. I hate to throw anything away as I know it costs $$$$$.