Go Bottomwork lights
 | ThatGuy
Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 23 florida 
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2001-12-05 33669
Are the JD work lights worth the extra cost? I have seen work lights in TSC/walmart etc for a lot less than the $36 for light (plus $4 for the wiring harness, if you need it) my local JD dealer is asking for their work lights. I have a 790, so it has the wiring harness already in place somewhere near the seat...
Input on why the dealer lights are better than other stores is greatly appreciated.
thanks
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley 
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2001-12-06 33679
I got mine from my NH dealer, but they aren't a NH product--just an after-market make that the dealer identified as a pretty good product. I got them from the dealer because lights from automotive stores didn't have a swivel mount, flood width beams or built-in switches.
I wanted those features, and certainly would have bought lights at the local box store if they their lights had those features. However, those features bounce the lights out of the realm of mass-market items, so I expect to pay more for them. I really don't believe that anything that comes from a dealer is automatically better just because of typically higher prices. However, they do items with features often wanted by tractor owners, and I end up going with the dealer’s products often as not. The only reason I can see for paying a lot more for a light is if it has its own switch. Those switches are handy, because then only the work light that is needed has to be on.
I guess I could add a steel mounting stub to the list of features I wanted. A light on a tractor gets a lot of vibration compared to one on a truck. I’d wonder about the durability of plastic.
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| BradM
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 1 Madison, NC
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2001-12-06 33685
I wouldn't buy the lights at the dealer. Most of the dealers simply sell knock-off lights... one's like you would find at your local autoparts store. Only the dealers add in an extra 20-30% to make a profit. I bought some from advance auto and they work great. All you really need are the lights, a toggle switch, and some wire. It only took about a half hour to do. BTW, the lights I use have the rubberized back, and they seem to be very durable. ....
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2001-12-07 33694
Yes, a toggle switch might have even been more convenient for me except that I couldn’t figure out where to mount one unless I drilled a hole in the instrument panel. No problem really, but I just didn't want to. Maybe I figured I'd be mutilating the tractor or something. For people, like me, with two work lights, there are switches available where both lights can be controlled from one switch. Finding one would take a bit of checking around though, and the amperage ratings of the switch would have to be adequate.
A thing that is sometimes overlooked in doing this type of adapting is that the amperage rating of all components should be adequate. I've used some ordinary 110/220V AC components that, of course, I wouldn't recommend anybody else doing. There may be a tendency to think that any 110V switch is OK, because the lights are only 12V. However, it's the amps, not the voltage that's important. A switch that carries 15 amps generates the same heat and requires the same gauge contacts and wiring whether it's 220V or 12V. Basically, 12V lights are low resistance/high current components, and they take surprisingly large switches. I figure my two 55W lights draw just over 8 amps total, so I'd use a 10-amp toggle switch. I suppose technically, the switch should be at least as large as the fuse for the circuit. An extra switch I have for a set of automotive fog lights would work just fine if I wanted a single on/off, but some of the loose switches in hardware stores may not be adequate.
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2001-12-07 33695
I guess I should say that there are differences between residential and automotive standards, and residential standards are by far the more conservative. A hardware store switch rating may use a residential standard, and may be much heavier than a smaller amperage switch that uses an automotive standard. Gets complicated I guess, but it’s something to think about. ....
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