headlights

[srjones]

Here's mine...

4 forward, 2 aft. 55 watt, harbor freight on sale, $8.99 a *pair*, mounted on a 1.5x1.5 square tube.

This thing lights up the night

 

[knute_m]

Here's mine...

4 forward, 2 aft. 55 watt, harbor freight on sale, $8.99 a *pair*, mounted on a 1.5x1.5 square tube.

This thing lights up the night

Wow! I bet it lights up the night.

I've just got two 55 watt halogens facing forward, and one 35 watt conventional facing backward. When I fire it up at night, I see many illuminated eyeballs glazing in the woodlands.

If I put four more of those halogens on my ROPS bar, the ASPCA would cite me for blinding the critters of the county -- but I think I could get by without a snow plow. That much light would melt 5-foot snow drifts in front of my tractor, and 3-foot drifts in the back.

Neat looking project though.

Happy tractorin'
Knute

 

[BTDT]

Here is the new Mahindra grill used on the 3215HST with headlights that look like they would produce more light.

Sharp looking grill

That picture is just too funny. Looks like a crab or something. Can't see the back wheels, looks like operator platform just sticking out in the air behind hood.

 

[Mahindra35]

That picture is just too funny. Looks like a crab or something. Can't see the back wheels, looks like operator platform just sticking out in the air behind hood.

Yea I guess it must be a two wheel drive ?

It does look like its smiling though

 

[k54frog]

srjones and Knute...
How do you go about wiring up the lights? (schematic)
Where do you plug them into the electrical system?

 

[Mahindra35]

srjones and Knute...
How do you go about wiring up the lights? (schematic)
Where do you plug them into the electrical system?

In a few days or week I will post the light bar .the wiring harness and wiring diagram .

I am out of town on business for an unspecified time but will post when I return

Briefly:

I tapped a new circuit direct from the battery with a installed fusible link to a set of relay contacts, and then to the rear of the tractor. From there it goes to an installed inline fuse to the lights. The relay is turned on by tapping into the Bright Headlight beam circuit.The lightbar turns on when I turn the bright lights on from the tractor headlight switch.

I installed a Blocking diode across the relay coil windings to prevent transcient
voltage kickback when the relay deactivates

 

[Mahindra35]

srjones and Knute...
How do you go about wiring up the lights? (schematic)
Where do you plug them into the electrical system?

In a few days or week I will post the light bar .the wiring harness and wiring diagram .

I am out of town on business for an unspecified time but will post when I return

Briefly:

I tapped a new circuit direct from the battery with a installed fusible link to a set of relay contacts, and then to the rear of the tractor. From there it goes to an installed inline fuse to the lights. The relay is turned on by tapping into the Bright Headlight beam circuit.The lightbar turns on when I turn the bright lights on from the tractor headlight switch.

I installed a Blocking diode across the relay coil windings to prevent transcient
voltage kickback when the relay deactivates

 

[knute_m]

K54FROG,

I did mine a little bit different than Mahindra55, but mine works similarly. Mine can be operated whenever the ignition key is ON. The headlights/tail lights do not need to be on.

My lightbar switch activates a relay, which applies power to the light bar. Although a switch could control the lights, the relay will take a heavier current load than a switch, and the switch line can be relatively light wire -- which is a lot easier to run through and under the tractor frame.

Walmart had a nice lightbar wiring kit for about $10 that included a lighted switch, a fuse holder, a relay, and a wiring harness.

The 2015 and 2615 tractors have an auxilary +12 volt line at the base of the ROPS bar. It comes from the fuse panel located in the engine compartment. It is activated whenever the ignition key is ON. In my experience, many newer tractors have an auxilary line similar to this. It now connects through the relay contacts to my new light bar.

I was originally going to connect a fused line, for the switch circuit, directly to the positive (+) side of the battery. But, I found it easier and more convenient to connect to the +12V stud on the alternator. On these tractors, it connects directly to the battery.

So, I connected a fuse holder to the alternator. The other end of the fuse holder wire was routed with the existing wire harness to the back of the tractor. I brought it up to the base of the ROPS bar on the right-side fender. It connects to one side of my light bar switch. The other side of the switch connects to the relay coil.

I did not add surge protection diodes across my relay like Mahindra55. It is a good engineering practice to do so, but the impedance is so low on that line, I didn't feel it was necessary.

I picked up frame ground (battery negative(-)) through bolts at the rear fender. I mounted the switch with 3M tape in a protected area, on the fender, near the base of the 3PH adjustment lever.

I've attached a quickly hand sketched diagram.

I was going to take more pictures of how I did mine, but it is dark, very windy, and uffda-cold at only about +10 degrees F. Don't be afraid to ask for more clarification if this doesn't do it. It will warm up one of these days.

Knute