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Fritz Campbell
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2000-10-23          20785

I would like to install some extra lighting on my 1520 when plowing snow. I had one rear facing 12v light installed when I bought it new and later added one to the other side. The front headlights aren't that great and the loader sometimes blocks them out. Whats a good option for mounting extra lights, maybe on the ROPS, and the best way to connect to the main harness? I have thought that welding a bracket to each side of the ROPS to mount a light on each side would do the trick, until I knock them off when brush cutting, and putting an in-line fuse / switch so the lights didn't have to run all the time but would come on when turning on the headlights if the switch was on would be the way to go. Does the tractor have enough charging power to run the headlights / flashers along with possible four other 12v lights? Thanks for the advice.

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Norm
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2000-10-23          20788

I can't help you with the placement of the lights - something that I have casually thought about from time to time myself. What I can tell you is that if you weld them to the ROPS you are risking your life with a ROPS failure when you need it most. Welding or drilling a structural element like a ROPS can damage its integrity and you won't know it until the weight of the tractor is on it. Please consider using a clamp of some sort. ....

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TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2000-10-24          20828

A 55w light draws about 4.6A. Four would draw about 18.3A, which is getting close to the alternator output of some tractors. My tractor has a 35W output, but some have 25W. The issue is that if the light draw is close to the max output, then there is little capacity left to recharge the battery after starting when running all lights.

My aux lights have independent switches, so I can use one, or both, independent of the headlights and flashers. I connected them by running directly from the battery through an in-line switch. I mounted the lights on ordinary AC junction boxes screwed to my steel canopy. I grounded the lights to the grounding lugs on the junction boxes, and the canopy/tractor connection supplied the rest of the ground. If you're worried about running lighting current through the tractor chassis, a ground wire can be run back to the battery or an existing grounding lug.

I positioned my lights underneath the canopy, near the front and rear edges. The lights have swing mounts, so they would mostly fold under the canopy when not in use. However, you do have to take some care, and remember that you have less over-head clearance with the lights mounted above the canopy. Even with my lights mostly under the canopy, I tore the rear light off with the tilting carriage of my 3ph pallet forks. Fortunately, the light was not damaged. I also almost tore off the front light on a branch that was hanging lower than usual due to ice. I was used to just pushing such things out of the way with the canopy.
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Jack PA
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2000-10-25          20874

Fritz, I understand your pain. Lack of lighting on compacts has always been a major gripe. I don't believe the design teams have ever studied the lighting issue. They still give you those two little worthless lights up front behind the loader bucket. I designed clamping brackets to fit on the ROPS.I can place my lights above or below ROPS as needed. Welding is not a good idea.
Hopefully the ladies at Deere, Kubota or NH can come up with solution sometime this century. ....

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DanaT
Join Date: Jun 1999
Posts: 138 Clay Center,Ks
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2000-10-25          20876

I've had the same problem for rear work lights. I got two low watt flood lights, I attached them to the roll bar, I drilled 5/16 hole followed up with a 3/8" tap and put in a 3/8 x 1" bolt to attach the light bracket. Just below the bracket I drilled a small hole and put the wire through with a grommet and run the wire on the inside of the roll bar so it's consealed from sight and limbs. the tractor had a wire allready under the seat for rear lights so when the flashers with lights are on the rear lights are off, turn the swicth another notch and flashers are off and rear lights are on. Hope this will help.
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JerryGoucher
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 100 NW AR
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2000-10-26          20890

Dana,
Shame on you, I thought that I would beat everyone else at saying that. What were you thinking! You drilled holes in your ROPS. Actual, I have also drilled 4 small 1/8” holes in mine. They are there for the same reason. I a poll was taken, there’s probably a lot of ROPS that are drilled out there. I did put self-tapping screws in to mine. I thought that, that might help reinforce the holes.
JerryG
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Randy Eckard
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2000-10-26          20917

I saw a neat idea a while back where someone mounted a light on each boom of the loader just above where the bucket tilt cylinders are mounted. As I recall he just used the adhesive backed base type and did no drillingat all. Just a thought. ....

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Fritz Campbell
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2000-10-29          20981

Thank you gentlemen for your advice. I'm going to run a fused wire direct from the battery with an in-line switch somewhere near the steering wheel to a light on each side of the ROPS. I think I'll make the lights quick disconnect and remove them in the summer so I don't remove them by mistake when brush mowing. Its a little more work but I'd rather have them independent of any other lights / flashers and don't really need them on the whole time I'm plowing. I'll get started right away.

I'll weld light brackets to my ROPS for mounting them. My ROPS on my New Holland 1520 is standard, run of the mill, low carbon 2" square tubing. Mig welding a small piece of 1010 or 1040 low carbon flat steel with a hole in it shouldn't compromise its integrity in case of a rollover emergency. Now before someone writes back and gives me the old, "now I just wouldn't go and bet your life on it sonny", speech, I'm conscious of safety---period---and appreciate all the safety advice I receive but I don't care for people reminding me of it. I do agree however that the safety post reply was called for since this is a public board and others may not know all the details. I also agree that the unexperienced should not cut, weld or otherwise modify any ROPS on their tractors - period. ....

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