BX23s Headlight Question

[BX23S-1]

Any of you guys replacing your OEM headlight bulbs in your BX23s tractors with LED bulbs...?
If so, would you mind posting what you used and what you spent, where you got them from...?

Thank you

 

[unbidden]

Any of you guys replacing your OEM headlight bulbs in your BX23s tractors with LED bulbs...?
If so, would you mind posting what you used and what you spent, where you got them from...?

Thank you

I thought about going the above route but the FEL gets in the way of the headlight beams, best to just add a ROPS / cab lightbar.

 

[BX23S-1]

I thought about going the above route but the FEL gets in the way of the headlight beams, best to just add a ROPS / cab lightbar.

Yeah i believe you`re right. I`m actually shopping around today for some bar type LED lights to mount on the ROPs.
Just not sure what the best LED bar to go with, because there are so many out there on the market.
And i`m trying to figure out what kind of power it will use. Dont want to over TAX my alternator.

 

[Roadworthy]

Many do not list current draw and your alternator is rated by the current it can produce. If you take the wattage rating of a given light bar and divide by twelve (your tractor voltage) you'll have the current draw for the light bar in question. Be sure the circuit which powers your light bar is capable of sourcing the required current.

 

[BX23S-1]

Many do not list current draw and your alternator is rated by the current it can produce. If you take the wattage rating of a given light bar and divide by twelve (your tractor voltage) you'll have the current draw for the light bar in question. Be sure the circuit which powers your light bar is capable of sourcing the required current.

Yes sir, thank you, thankfully i do know how to figure out the current draw. :thumbsup:
I don`t see me going over 5 amps with all the lights i want to put on this tractor.
Most of the LED lights i`m looking at are only 1.5 to 2.0 amp draw, so i`m probably pretty safe at that point.

Just found out the alternator output specs are rated @ 40amp on the BX23S.

 

[RaydaKub]

Yes sir, thank you, thankfully i do know how to figure out the current draw. :thumbsup:
I don`t see me going over 5 amps with all the lights i want to put on this tractor.
Most of the LED lights i`m looking at are only 1.5 to 2.0 amp draw, so i`m probably pretty safe at that point.

Just found out the alternator output specs are rated @ 40amp on the BX23S.

I started out with a pair of car fog lights, but they were hot up near my head in summer, I have to believe they drew quite a few amps. After a couple years, I decided to upgrade. I added 6 small square LEDs, one on each fender, mounted to the ROPS bar bolt, 2 on the top of the ROPS, and 2 on the rear end crossbar behind the seat. I bought a soft cab last year and moved the top ROPS lights to the front top of cab. Again, an improvement. I just finished hooking up a 3pt 56 inch snowblower yesterday and decided I wanted more rear lights. The same small square lights were on sale for 2/$14. So now I have 8 of them, plus the 1156 bulb LED replacements. For the speed that a BX travels, this combination will work fine and the draw will only be about 9 amps load on my 15 amp dynamo.

 

[BX23S-1]

I started out with a pair of car fog lights, but they were hot up near my head in summer, I have to believe they drew quite a few amps. After a couple years, I decided to upgrade. I added 6 small square LEDs, one on each fender, mounted to the ROPS bar bolt, 2 on the top of the ROPS, and 2 on the rear end crossbar behind the seat. I bought a soft cab last year and moved the top ROPS lights to the front top of cab. Again, an improvement. I just finished hooking up a 3pt 56 inch snowblower yesterday and decided I wanted more rear lights. The same small square lights were on sale for 2/$14. So now I have 8 of them, plus the 1156 bulb LED replacements. For the speed that a BX travels, this combination will work fine and the draw will only be about 9 amps load on my 15 amp dynamo.

NICE!!!! I can`t believe how nice the LED lights work on these little tractors!!! I like your idea of moving the light bar to the front of the cab. I hope to have a cab by next winter...with HEAT!!! lol.
I finally added a 21.5in LED light bar to the under side of my ROPS today. I then added a small 55watt utility tractor light to the left rear of my BX. (i`ll switch the rear to LED next summer when i have more time, and its warmer out)
Took it out after dark, wowwwww, what a HUGE difference with these LED lights! I think i`m around a 8amp draw with my added lighting. (wired to its own circut with a switch installed just ahead of the factory headlight switch on the dash)

All my wiring is routed to the original factory wiring harness with zip ties. Took about an hour to install the full harness. (i used 7/16 fuel hose from the inner dash exiting down next to the radiator to protect the LED wiring harness & zip tied)
I went with Harbor Freight, bought two 95lb rated magnets to attach my light bar for now. I do have some 1/2in squared U-bolts, but still need to make some brackets. That`ll be a project for summertime. That way i can paint the brackets Kubota gray.

Later next summer, i`m adding two 50cal ammo boxes to the ROPS so i can keep my chains and some tools in them. I`m thinkin Kubota gray color for the tool boxes.

I`ll add some pictures of mine in the next post below so you can see my light bar install. I really enjoy making/doing MODS for this lil BX tractor.

 

[BX23S-1]

My light bar on the ROPS with magnets, and a the rear (temporary) utility 55watt light.

 

[RaydaKub]

NICE!!!!

I'm not a welder, so my fab skills have to rely on a hacksaw and drill. So here's how I mounted my fender lights. I did basically 2 pieces like this with bike innertubes stretched around the pieces to prevent scratches and 4 long bolts with wing nuts and lock washers on each pair to make a sandwich around the ROPS. I offset the actual light hole so that it allows a little more flexibility on position. For winter, I flip the sandwich so the lights are up top and for summer, I put them inside the ROPS facing forward for mowing.

Here's the results, first just stock lights (well, 1156 LED replacements):

No point in even shooting the drivers view with this.

Now add the fender lights and rear bar lights (which are magnet mounted). These first 2 show that the headlights do help some as the sidewalk comes into view:




Or the ROPS / cab lights:




Or run the whole lot of them...

 

[BX23S-1]

I'm not a welder, so my fab skills have to rely on a hacksaw and drill. So here's how I mounted my fender lights. I did basically 2 pieces like this with bike innertubes stretched around the pieces to prevent scratches and 4 long bolts with wing nuts and lock washers on each pair to make a sandwich around the ROPS. I offset the actual light hole so that it allows a little more flexibility on position. For winter, I flip the sandwich so the lights are up top and for summer, I put them inside the ROPS facing forward for mowing.
View attachment 629239
Here's the results, first just stock lights (well, 1156 LED replacements):
View attachment 629243View attachment 629244
No point in even shooting the drivers view with this.

Now add the fender lights and rear bar lights (which are magnet mounted). These first 2 show that the headlights do help some as the sidewalk comes into view:
View attachment 629248View attachment 629249

View attachment 629253View attachment 629245

Or the ROPS / cab lights:
View attachment 629250View attachment 629251

View attachment 629246View attachment 629247

Or run the whole lot of them...
View attachment 629254View attachment 629255

View attachment 629256View attachment 629257View attachment 629258

VERY NICE JOB!!!! Have you run this in the snow yet...? Where did you get your cab at? Was it really expensive?

 

[RaydaKub]

VERY NICE JOB!!!! Have you run this in the snow yet...? Where did you get your cab at? Was it really expensive?

Thanks PaPow. I just got the blower a week ago, cut the driveshaft on Saturday. I was only missing the rear ROPS lights last year (6 lights instead of 8 now). It was ok for using a blade and bucket. Of course the bucket isn't mounted on any of these shots and does tend to render the headlights useless. I might still build a pusher for the bucket so I can still use my horse mat squeegee w/o changing over to the blade. We got about 5 inches of snow a couple weeks ago, but haven't seen a flake since I got the blower. Yes, it really must be that good! :cool2: :shocked::laughing:

The cab is from Original Tractor Cab company. It was new in box, but several years old and dusty as heck. Found it on eBay or CL, can't remember. Cost me about $650, but here's a link for what I have. Hardtop Cab for Kubota BX 183, 223, 15, 18, and 222 Sub-Compact Tractors 11486 I did have the front panel altered where the diagonal rods reach down to the dash. It was all black vinyl and I had more lexan put in this summer. I don't know if it was worth the $40, but I'm going to pretend it is.

 

[BX23S-1]

Thanks PaPow. I just got the blower a week ago, cut the driveshaft on Saturday. I was only missing the rear ROPS lights last year (6 lights instead of 8 now). It was ok for using a blade and bucket. Of course the bucket isn't mounted on any of these shots and does tend to render the headlights useless. I might still build a pusher for the bucket so I can still use my horse mat squeegee w/o changing over to the blade. We got about 5 inches of snow a couple weeks ago, but haven't seen a flake since I got the blower. Yes, it really must be that good! :cool2: :shocked::laughing:

The cab is from Original Tractor Cab company. It was new in box, but several years old and dusty as heck. Found it on eBay or CL, can't remember. Cost me about $650, but here's a link for what I have. Hardtop Cab for Kubota BX 183, 223, 15, 18, and 222 Sub-Compact Tractors 11486 I did have the front panel altered where the diagonal rods reach down to the dash. It was all black vinyl and I had more lexan put in this summer. I don't know if it was worth the $40, but I'm going to pretend it is.

Wow Ray, i hope to see your rig in action.
Yeah i hear that on the bucket pusher, i`m looking into doing something similar myself. I bought some stuff already, just haven`t really spent much time on how to go about it yet. I have some idea`s, just nothing concrete yet.

I went to tractor supply and bought some of that thick rubber flooring that they sell on a big roll. Cut quite a few strips for my blade to use as a squeegee on my driveway. I was sort of thinking of building some sort of adapter edge`s for my bucket where i could switch it up when i want a cutter edge, tooth edge, or the rubber edge.

I`ve been playing around with the idea too, to build my own cab. I think $5/$6 grand is way to much money for a cab. I dont know, maybe the soft cab is the way to go... i only need a cab for winter weather, in the spring summer fall the cab would be removed. I like the hard cab that Kubota offers, but i`m not spending that kind of money when i can build one just as good, and for a heck of alot less money.

Hardest part about all this... finding the time to do it all... lol. So many projects, so little time... lol.

 

[RaydaKub]

I hadn't grabbed a shot of the sandwich I mentioned earlier. This let's me move or flip the lights around any way I need for different seasons, out and high for snow, in and protected for mowing, when it's more likely to hook branches.

 

[BX23S-1]

Ray, that is a heck of a great idea!!! Thinking ahead keeps more money in your wallet...lol. My kinda thinkin...sometimes...lol

Utttt ohhhhh, now i`m looking into those rear LED lights for my BX again. Your set-up has got me thinking

 

[RaydaKub]

Ray, that is a heck of a great idea!!! Thinking ahead keeps more money in your wallet...lol. My kinda thinkin...sometimes...lol

Utttt ohhhhh, now i`m looking into those rear LED lights for my BX again. Your set-up has got me thinking

These are the lights I used. The web lists them at $20 a pair, but when I went in to get the last set, there was a price on the shelf of $13 a pair through November I think. Each light draws 1 amp. When I bought the first 6 a couple years ago I spent around $75.
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200648983_200648983

 

[BX23S-1]

These are the lights I used. The web lists them at $20 a pair, but when I went in to get the last set, there was a price on the shelf of $13 a pair through November I think. Each light draws 1 amp. When I bought the first 6 a couple years ago I spent around $75.
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200648983_200648983

Hey thank you so much for the link! I`ll check it out!
Let me know if any of your LED lighting has flicker issues in the cold weather. Seems i read quite a few complaints about LED lights flickering in cold temps.

 

[RaydaKub]

Hey thank you so much for the link! I`ll check it out!
Let me know if any of your LED lighting has flicker issues in the cold weather. Seems i read quite a few complaints about LED lights flickering in cold temps.

Well, unless the load of 8 is too much for the 15 amp dynamo. The first 6 of them have been in use for 3 years now and I have no complaints yet. And even if there is a flicker, it's better than 2-1156 bulbs that came with it. :thumbsup:

 

[BX23S-1]

Well, unless the load of 8 is too much for the 15 amp dynamo. The first 6 of them have been in use for 3 years now and I have no complaints yet. And even if there is a flicker, it's better than 2-1156 bulbs that came with it. :thumbsup:

Thats GREAT to hear Ray! I`m very happy to hear they are working good for you after that amount of time. I hope mine last for awhile. Fixed income sucks let me tell yah, i can`t afford to waste money on stuff that wont last...lol.

I`m still kind of a greenhorn when it comes to LED lighting, kinda learned a bunch, but i still think i have alot to learn about them yet. I`ve read a few complaints that LED`s can flicker during cold temperatures, but not due to the voltage, but due to the quality of the LED lights themselves. I dunno Ray, i`m no expert on LED`s by a long shot.

Are you going to do a video of yours when you get some of that darned ugly white stuff?

 

[check]

I thought about going the above route but the FEL gets in the way of the headlight beams, best to just add a ROPS / cab lightbar.

Me too!

 

[BX23S-1]

Me too!

Did you add a light bar to your ROPs?