JERSEYHAWG / Glenn 4,497 #1 Posted November 25, 2016 Ok ok, so I am an electric dope ,, Anyway, my new cab has no lights, reading the old cab Light threads already on doesn't help to much, because electric advancements happen quicker than our posts. While searching on Bomb Bay, you can find 10watt lights with almost a thousand lumens, you can get 12 watt and go higher, more watts more lumens. IMHO, I think 2 , 800 lumen front lights are plenty, and don't know what I want to do on the back of cab yet. Maybe one small light for backing up. Maybe a blinky light for safety??? I will disconnect the headlights cause they are useless, BUT want to keep the taillights for safety. Can one of you fine electrical wizards walk me through if I am on the right track. How to wire, amp draw, what kind of switch, more lumens, less lumens. The whole she bang from stem to stern. I would like to do this right, don't know how. I am sure others will get into this to. It is a hot topic every winter. My cab had lights, now I have holes, there is a toggle in the cab, some wires, but it's all got to go and start from scratch. I don't want to use that old crap, flip the switch and become the rolling fire ball........Please Help Me Do This Right.............thanks. Glenn 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Digger 66 3,478 #2 Posted November 25, 2016 (edited) I'm no pro , but the first thing I'd be looking at is The output of the charging system itself . LED's provide more lumen while being vibration resistant and draw far fewer amperes than standard incandescent "work" type lamps . A small magnet mounted LED light bar on the leading edge of the hood will provide at least some forward visibility at night and can be fitted with a simple plug for removal during the summer . Edited November 25, 2016 by Digger 66 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 54,391 #3 Posted November 25, 2016 Have you looked at these? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mmmmmdonuts 274 #4 Posted November 25, 2016 I agree with digger. We need to know what size your charging system is. I would without a doubt go with an LED setup. You only need a few amps to have even the biggest LED lights. Take a look here on this page, most of them should work: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=led+flood+light+12v&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aled+flood+light+12v To give you an idea if you had a 10A charging system the absolute most you could do is 120W of lights, but that doesn't give you enough headroom on the system itself to run all the other components, so I would try and keep all your lights under 100W or less total. Lately, because of LED's and how light the power draw is I have not been using relay's and have been just wiring to the switch. For higher current draws 10 amps plus I go to relays. I drew up a quick diagram of this as well. If you use spade terminals (fast on's) to connect the wiring you can disconnect at any point in the circuit when you remove the cab. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JERSEYHAWG / Glenn 4,497 #5 Posted November 25, 2016 See, I forgot to look up my charging system. I must find it. This is for my 2002 522xi. Have to go look in the manuals. So far some sound comments.....thanks. Glenn 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shallowwatersailor 3,213 #6 Posted November 25, 2016 Glenn, the 522xi has a 15 amp charging circuit. If you use two 27 watt LED work lights, that will be close to a 5 amp draw. It should be able to handle that load easily. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JERSEYHAWG / Glenn 4,497 #7 Posted November 25, 2016 10 minutes ago, shallowwatersailor said: Glenn, the 522xi has a 15 amp charging circuit. If you use two 27 watt LED work lights, that will be close to a 5 amp draw. It should be able to handle that load easily. John, just curious. why use two 27 watt draw lights IF your getting good / bright light with 10 / 12 / 14 watt lights? Curious on that, plus ,just looking in the manuals online, reading on the charging systems. Couldnt find that number. lol AND you just schooled me on it to. thanks, Glenn Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shallowwatersailor 3,213 #8 Posted November 25, 2016 (edited) 14 minutes ago, JERSEYHAWG / Glenn said: John, just curious. why use two 27 watt draw lights IF your getting good / bright light with 10 / 12 / 14 watt lights? Curious on that, plus ,just looking in the manuals online, reading on the charging systems. Couldnt find that number. lol AND you just schooled me on it to. thanks, Glenn A 27 watt light provides approximately 2,150 lumens. A 15 watt light is only 1,000 lumens. A lumen is an amount of light emitted each second. The higher the number, the brighter the light. A comparable incandescent light would be double the draw of a LED. Edited November 25, 2016 by shallowwatersailor 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
varosd 1,185 #9 Posted November 25, 2016 and remember to leave a couple amps for the "rear"! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slammer302 2,155 #10 Posted November 25, 2016 The main things I focused on when hooking up my cab lights were staying well below my charging limits and making sure I used fuses in case something grounds out. I also used heat shrinking tube at all my connections so they are well insulated and covered up. Also used plenty of zip ties to keep wires out of the way. Good luck! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JERSEYHAWG / Glenn 4,497 #11 Posted December 7, 2016 (edited) Ok, it's been some time since I posted here, I am in the garage now installing these on the cab, I figure should be plenty of light for the snowblower at night. I got this set on sheep's Bay. They weren't pricey and seem fairly well made. Honestly they cost me 17 bucks, and free shipping, HAHA. They also seem to be in the parameters of low end power consumption, not to bog my system down. Soon as I am done mounting I will post a few pics. I like the low profile. The important step (wiring) them up is nest, and put a fuse able link in on the hot leg, right Fellas? Mr. Frugal strikes again , Glenn Brand: autvivid Item Weight: 1.8 pounds Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 3.9 x 6.6 inches Item model number: C18-ET Manufacturer Part Number: C18-ET Folding: No Bulb Type: led Special Features: Waterproof Voltage: 12 volts Wattage: 18 watts Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds Date First Available: May 11, 2015 60 Degree 18W High Output LED Flood Lights.10-30V DC,1800 LM,6000K.Die-cast aluminum housing with Stainless steel to anti-rust.Adjustable bracket makes changing direction of light beam easily. Extremely bright even in day light,allows you see far way or through the dark. Sleek design aluminum heat sync housing. Can be installed on fromt/back bumper,Grille,roof,on motorcycle and bike.Can be used as DRL,fog light,Reversing light,Assist lamp. Waterproof, dust-proof, rust-proof, anti-corruption, flood beam for extreme conditions. Vehicle Service Type:offroad vehicle,atvs,truck, excavator,treedozer,road roller, forklift,trains,boat,bulldozer,crane mining truck, bus,tanks,SUV,ATV, police cars,rescue vehicle,communication vehicle. Size:flood | Color:black2 autvivid - Let Hi-tech Light up Your way. Specification: LED Power: 18W Operating Voltage: 10-30V DC Waterproof rate: IP 67 6pcs3w high intensity Epistar LEDs Optional Color: Black Color Temperature: 6000K Material:Diecast aluminum housing Lens material:PMMA Mounting Bracket: Stainless Steel Optional Beam: 60 degree flood beam 50000 hours above life time Size: 145mm45mm70mm Applications Edited December 7, 2016 by JERSEYHAWG / Glenn 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JERSEYHAWG / Glenn 4,497 #12 Posted December 7, 2016 ok, here they are mounted on the cab, nice, low profile, clean look. And for you guys worried about getting through the garage door and ripping them off, you can see the profile is lower than the cab roof. Now I need to wire them up. Just showing options, you dont need the big box, or round light assembly. Heres a few pics. Glenn 11 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACman 7,575 #13 Posted December 7, 2016 (edited) Glenn , those should light up your night . You'll have to wear shades . Edited December 7, 2016 by ACman 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 40,744 #14 Posted December 7, 2016 I thought you were going to put them inside the cab so you could see what you were doing! 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JERSEYHAWG / Glenn 4,497 #15 Posted December 8, 2016 On Friday, November 25, 2016 at 7:20 AM, mmmmmdonuts said: I agree with digger. We need to know what size your charging system is. I would without a doubt go with an LED setup. You only need a few amps to have even the biggest LED lights. Take a look here on this page, most of them should work: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=led+flood+light+12v&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aled+flood+light+12v To give you an idea if you had a 10A charging system the absolute most you could do is 120W of lights, but that doesn't give you enough headroom on the system itself to run all the other components, so I would try and keep all your lights under 100W or less total. Lately, because of LED's and how light the power draw is I have not been using relay's and have been just wiring to the switch. For higher current draws 10 amps plus I go to relays. I drew up a quick diagram of this as well. If you use spade terminals (fast on's) to connect the wiring you can disconnect at any point in the circuit when you remove the cab. Mr. Donuts, you can see the lights I bought. 18 watts, so a 7 amp fuse, and NO relay. I was just watching a bunch of led wiring videos and glad you made in your post about the use of a relay, now I feel confident not to use one. Just a thank you to all you guys on this wiring thread. Glenn Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mmmmmdonuts 274 #16 Posted December 8, 2016 Glad the lights worked out for you Glenn. They look fantastic on the cab. Did you leave quick connects (fast on/ spade terminals) for when you remove the cab? Where did you put the switch? On the dash or on the cab? More pictures would be great. Bob 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JC 1965 1,530 #17 Posted December 8, 2016 Lights look really good Glenn. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt-NEPA 755 #18 Posted December 8, 2016 (edited) Those lights look great Glenn. Well Done. Here is what I did. They work great. I disconnected the headlights in the hood and ran wire up to the LED bar. Kurt Edited December 8, 2016 by Kurt-NEPA 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fun Engineer 859 #19 Posted December 8, 2016 (edited) JERSEYHAWG/Glenn Are you a member of Mytractorforum? I've got a thread on there of my cab modifications and lighting system. Here's the link. New X530 customizing. https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mytractorforum.com%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D709065&share_tid=709065&share_fid=80748&share_type=t Dave Edited December 8, 2016 by Fun Engineer 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHX?? 48,083 #20 Posted December 8, 2016 I was looking at Glenn's lights on flea bay guys and ran across light bars galore like @Kurt-NEPA's. Got to be almost mind boggling with all the different styles, prices, wattage & what not. Now can't decide if I should go with two lights like Glens or some kind of bar?!?! I think we are gonna have to get some night pics of these things in action! Who knew lighting up a cab involved all this decision making!! I have (or PO did) two of the regular incandescent tractor styles pointing out the back which is a good idea so I don't back into the bird feeders but they really pull the old voltmeter down when switched on so thinking of going with two Hawg's styles out the back and a bar for the front. Looks like amber beacons are reasonable too so thinking about one of those as I do have to pull out in the road occasionally. How important is it to have adjustability from side to side that the bars or lights like Glenn's do not provide? I can only guess that they flood the light out pretty well? Yes Dave @Fun Engineer throw up that link if you have it handy. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fun Engineer 859 #21 Posted December 8, 2016 57 minutes ago, WHX9 said: Yes Dave @Fun Engineer throw up that link if you have it handy. See link in above post 😁 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt-NEPA 755 #22 Posted December 8, 2016 I had the same issue WHX9. I kept looking at individual lights and light bars. Finally my neighbor bought this light bar for his quad. Wow, did it work nice. This bar has the center lights pointed straight forward but the outboard lights are pointed to the side just a bit. So that gives a really nice and wide pattern. The price was right too. $30 on Amazon. At 126 watts, it is marginal on my 520H. It taxes the charging system. As long as I keep the revs up, it works fine, but I would not want anymore of a load. BTW, I mounted 2 red LED clearance lights on the top - rear of the cab. I disconnected the stock lights. Kurt 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHX?? 48,083 #23 Posted December 8, 2016 Bet this is the same one or close to as yours then Kurt....http://www.ebay.com/itm/181403736487?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT .... looks like the outboard ones turn out a bit. I suppose for that kind of money if one gets a couple of years out of it ya did ok. I would have guessed they wouldn't be too hard on the charging system??? Notice they don't give amp draw in the specs 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JERSEYHAWG / Glenn 4,497 #24 Posted December 8, 2016 8 hours ago, mmmmmdonuts said: Glad the lights worked out for you Glenn. They look fantastic on the cab. Did you leave quick connects (fast on/ spade terminals) for when you remove the cab? Where did you put the switch? On the dash or on the cab? More pictures would be great. Bob Bob, I didn't wire them up yet, all I did was mount them. Yes, I will use spade or bullet connections for taking the cab off. I went to wire them last night and didn't have half of what I needed, everything in the electric box got feet and walked again. I will post pictures when done. Glenn 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt-NEPA 755 #25 Posted December 8, 2016 Sure looks like the same one to me. Mine --- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WE47FVM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 You are so right on the price - for the couple of hours use it will get every year I'm not worried. Glenn, I just ran the wires long, disconnected the spade terminals from the head lights and plugged in the wires from the LED lights. Taped up other head light spade. Next spring I'll reverse the process. Kurt 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites