Adding work lights

[agford4x4]

Well, i thought about that. then i figure, if i was using two 55w lights in the middle of teh daylight, then i deserve what i get.

OH...BTW, if i later decide i want to wire this to the ignition switch, then i pretty much need this exact setup, except there will be a relay and a wire to the ignition inline, correct?

 

[canoetrpr]

Note that you don't have to get the trigger voltage for the relay from the ignition swtich. Any wire coming out of the fusebox which is hot when the key is turned will do you just fine.

 

[agford4x4]

Well, ive just about got the wiring wrapped up. It took 20' of wire. I followed the existing wiring harness exactly and it worked out well. I ended up using 14AWG wire instead of 16, mostly because thats what is coming out of the light and i was worried about it getting hot. So, we shall see. All i have to do now is hook the wire to the lights and flip the switch.

 

[mjncad]

I used 14AWG for my lights too.

Although it sounds like you are near done, the work lights I did on mine may help you out with yours.

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[agford4x4]

OK, they are up and running. I have two issues.

1.) i couldnt find a hot wire to wire the switch to for the relay, the wiring is wrapped pretty tight. The ONLY wires i could find are a green with a yellow runner that seems to run to every switch, and is only hot when the key is on. I don't know where all of these wires go, but they go somewhere and must split off a larger wire. I didnt want to cut into it since i dont know if it can handle what i want it to do if all the other switches are on.

2.) The lights work well, they do, however, light up the dash A LOT, they are very bright. No kidding, its a FLOOD light, however, it is bearable, but it woulf be nice if i could focus more light out front and shade the part that shines on teh dash.

 

[Squeak n Itch]

Under each rear fender of my tc55 i have a hot wire for a lite i would say two would be easy to hook up. The wires work by using the switch already mounted on the dash.

I would have liked to see same on my Kubota L3130. Does anyone know of a similar tap-in point on this tractor?

 

[aczlan]

I would have liked to see same on my Kubota L3130. Does anyone know of a similar tap-in point on this tractor?

my FIL's L3830 and B7510 have them, it looks like a loose plug by the bottom of the lower right side of the rops, it comes from the bundle that runs to the lights on the fender.


Aaron Z

 

[agford4x4]

Well, i couldnt stand it, i rewire the lights, adding my relay. I just tapped into a wire that i found with the wiring diagram in the manual. So, the lights only work when the key is on.

So, thats good.

Now, how can i address the problem of light placement? Can i get less light on the instrument panel? Will a trapezoid light help this?

 

[3RRL]

Where have you placed them, or not yet?
Did you look into making some brackets like mine?
If you keep the lights out of the cab area, they should not reflect on the instrument panel.

 

[agford4x4]

They are on the ROPS, hanging, on the top, rather than on the sides. The problem is that the ROPS is about 1 foot BEHIND my head, so the lights, while placing a lot of light out in front of the loader, place a LOT of light on the instrument cluster as well. This is just about unbearable if im wearing my glasses, because the light comes in and glares into my eyes. They are just about useless without glasses as well. Im not sure what to do here. I dont have any more options for mounting them. I want them to hang UNDER the rops to pretect them from trees and limbs. I think the only way this will work is if i had a canopy and could get the lights mounted up and in front of the cab.

Sure wish i would have figured that out before i spent 6 hours wiring and rewiring.


Plus, the $#%&@ things blew the 10A fuse, so there is a dam short somewhere, that i have to trace tomorrow.

 

[3RRL]

Can you make a visor for the lights in the form of a ledge?
A ledge that sits below the light, but sticks out enough to keep the bottom from shining on your glasses or instrument panel. Sort of like if your lights were sitting on the ledge aways back from the front of the ledge? You could rig something up with cardboard to test it out and then make a nice metal or plastic visor like that.

 

[mjncad]

Plus, the $#%&@ things blew the 10A fuse, so there is a dam short somewhere, that i have to trace tomorrow.

Are there two 55w bulbs being run off this 10amp fuse? If so, that is about 9.16 amps at normal load. If the fuse is blowing when you turn on the lights, the inrush current may be blowing the fuse. However, check to make sure you don't have a short before putting in a higher capacity fuse.

I just looked at my wiring diagram I made for my work lights, and I use a 10amp fuse to protect two 55w halogen lamps that are powered via a relay using #14AWG wire.

 

[agford4x4]

3RRL, laying in bed last night, that is the exact design i came up with. Im not sure HOW im going to do it, but im sure thats what im going to do.

MJNCAD, the lights are wired EXACTLY as you describe....14awg wire, and a relay. I stuck a 15A fuse in thinking i just got to close to the 10A and it blew immediately. There is a short somewhere, although i have no clue where. its NOT in or around the lights themselves, so it must be under the tractor or in the dash. Can relays short out?

 

[Squeak n Itch]

my FIL's L3830 and B7510 have them, it looks like a loose plug by the bottom of the lower right side of the rops, it comes from the bundle that runs to the lights on the fender.


Aaron Z

I finally located an outlet on my L3130 after talking to the Kubota dealer and found it under the seat. The power is active when the key is on. Looks to me as though it has perhaps 20 ga wire. Dealer says it was supposed to be used for trailer lights. Seems like the wire is way undersized for that. Any input?

 

[Mike058]

I finally located an outlet on my L3130 after talking to the Kubota dealer and found it under the seat. The power is active when the key is on. Looks to me as though it has perhaps 20 ga wire. Dealer says it was supposed to be used for trailer lights. Seems like the wire is way undersized for that. Any input?

20 ga would probably be ok for running/clearance lights. Not work lights though.

 

[mjncad]

MJNCAD, the lights are wired EXACTLY as you describe....14awg wire, and a relay. I stuck a 15A fuse in thinking i just got to close to the 10A and it blew immediately. There is a short somewhere, although i have no clue where. its NOT in or around the lights themselves, so it must be under the tractor or in the dash. Can relays short out?

I would assume relays can short out by being defective, so that would be a good place to start your diagnostics by putting in a spare relay. I'd also start looking for anyplace where the wires could have damaged insulation, especially around sharp metal parts or various levers that could pinch and damage the wires.

You might look for a loose connection as that will cause fuses to blow due to added current and heat. I had this happen with a bathroom circuit that kept popping the breaker. Once the wire connection for that circuit was tightened in the box, the problem went away.

Could you have a connection connected to ground instead of the load (e.g. lights)? I always try to put the female connector of any kind on the hot side (e.g. feed) and the male downstream of that. Doing this helps prevent cross connections.

 

[aczlan]

There is a short somewhere, although i have no clue where. its NOT in or around the lights themselves, so it must be under the tractor or in the dash. Can relays short out?

I would take a good look at your relay, when I installed lights on my FIL's L3830 I got the posts of the relay mixed up and blew 3-4 fuses before I figured what was wrong.

HTH

Aaron Z

 

[agford4x4]

i looked all over. Never could find it. They are all working now, with no problems. I have no clue what it was. They shorted out when i was adjusting them, so all i can figure is i pull the wires too tight and it shorted somewhere. The only other place that was questionable was under teh dash, where i had some extra wire and i just coiled them up and zip tied them....i cut those and made themt he right legnth.....who knows.