Adding LED lights to a lawn tractor

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Mar 24, 2007
Messages
10,007
Location
Upstate NY
It's getting to the time of year when the sun will set late but the grass is still growing. I had to finish up mowing a few times last year with the yard almost totally dark at 7:45 PM or so. The stock headlights on my Deere D105 stink. They're enough to get across the yard, not to cut effectively.

I'm thinking of adding two small 18 watt LED lights that would draw 3 amps in total when lit. According to the manual, the charging system has a capacity of 9 amps. The OEM 1156 bulbs are supposed to draw 2 amps each. I'd wire it so the LED lights would be the only light source. Seems like it would work fine to me.

Anybody else venture down this path?
 
Do it. The only thing I worry about is they might flicker. The so-called 12 volt system is a series of pulses as the flywheel magneto passes by. The battery will absorb some but not all of the pulsing. Maybe.

You'd have a dance-party mower that gives migraines.
 
I'd like to hear how it goes. Based on the fact that they would use LESS power, I think that it should be safe and probably much more effective. Good luck.
 
Yes. I added LED lights to my garden tractor which is equipped with a 4-foot-wide snow-blower attachment and a fully enclosed cab to keep me warm and dry when I'm clearing my 400-ft driveway. I mounted the LED lights on top of the cab and wired them into the existing lighting circuit. The LEDs deliver much better illumination. I disconnected the feeble incandescent lights that came with the tractor, and I've had no issues with the charging system or battery. I've been running this setup for about three years -- no complaints.

FWIW, these are the LED lights I'm using:

http://amzn.com/B00DLZSAAI
 
Last edited:
As long as the the amps are equal or less than what the the OEM lights, or what the electrical system is designed for, your good. Where I would concern myself is that the voltage is the same. That has to be the same as your electrical system, no more no less.
 
The lights I'm thinking of using say they are 12v compatible. Link: https://amzn.com/B01HT642WY

I was wondering about direct wiring vs. using a harness from the battery. Sounds like direct wiring isn't an issue unless the 12v system is really wonky. Seeing how it has a decent-sized battery, getting consistent current doesn't seem to be an issue. I've never noticed any flickering with the original headlights, even at lower engine speeds. Then again it might be flickering too fast to notice. Whatever, I'll direct-wire and see how it goes. If it doesn't work out, adding a relay harness from the battery is straightforward.

Ordering the lights now, I'll post pictures in a few days when I get to installing them!
 
The battery will be in the circuit so you should not need to worry about voltage regulation; the battery should take care of that for you.
 
Originally Posted By: Marco620
This I gotta see. Dont add rims or spinners though.


ROFL just put on some curb feelers and some fuzzy dice somewhere. Big pimpim'.
 
Originally Posted By: JC1
Originally Posted By: Marco620
This I gotta see. Dont add rims or spinners though.


ROFL just put on some curb feelers and some fuzzy dice somewhere. Big pimpim'.


LOL, given the landscaping and fence we added, the curb feelers aren't such a bad idea......Still getting used to mowing around the new obstacles.
 
AND after your done doing the lawn make sure you wash and rinse it down thereafter. Maybe apply some Turtle Wax,put some tire shine on too? Could add nitrogen to the tires
confused.gif
 
My concern with adding LED lights to my lawn mower is that my lights are mounted 18" above the muffler. They are the old style tractor kind(bug eyes that mount with one bolt) They do have heat dissipating fins, and the exhaust heat makes them warm more than normal. So far the plastic lenses have not melted, all LED's still working.
 
Originally Posted By: sciphi
It's getting to the time of year when the sun will set late but the grass is still growing. I had to finish up mowing a few times last year with the yard almost totally dark at 7:45 PM or so. The stock headlights on my Deere D105 stink. They're enough to get across the yard, not to cut effectively.

I'm thinking of adding two small 18 watt LED lights that would draw 3 amps in total when lit. According to the manual, the charging system has a capacity of 9 amps. The OEM 1156 bulbs are supposed to draw 2 amps each. I'd wire it so the LED lights would be the only light source. Seems like it would work fine to me.

Anybody else venture down this path?


You asked a legitimate question. What a bunch [censored] replies. I don't have the answer for your question but the the moronic replies are what keep me from posting on this site.
 
I am thinking of adding one to my snowblower that has only a power circuit for the current light (no battery) but I think an LED one would really light up my drive.
 
My JD GT235 garden tractor has halogen lights. But they are really not that good. I also want to upgrade to LED. I'd prefer to use the original headlight setup, so it might take a bit of effort. Thanks for the inspiration.
 
Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL
My concern with adding LED lights to my lawn mower is that my lights are mounted 18" above the muffler. They are the old style tractor kind(bug eyes that mount with one bolt) They do have heat dissipating fins, and the exhaust heat makes them warm more than normal. So far the plastic lenses have not melted, all LED's still working.


Good point about not mounting them too close to the exhaust in the front of the mower. The wiring length should dictate where mounting is possible, which is likely up higher, away from the exhaust. Opening the hood is also a priority, so that will also limit mounting locations. There's a spot in mind on the front grille, between the current lights. I'll have to see if it will work.
 
Do your lights stay on after the engine stops? If so you may be good as they are wired into the battery. But you have to trace the wires and make sure that is the case.

On some mowers (ours is one) the lights go off with the engine. There is a second system just for the lights and it's not tied into the charging system. On those the system is usually 12VAC. Incandescents don't care and it's the only thing on the circuit so it goes right from winding of the alternator to the lighting circuit. On those LED's won't work unless you use a diode and capacitor to smooth out the AC into somewhat DC.
 
the wiring can handle it, the alternator can handle it, and unless they are directly above the muffler, the electronics should be good with it. I'd mount them and go!
 
Originally Posted By: itguy08
Do your lights stay on after the engine stops? If so you may be good as they are wired into the battery. But you have to trace the wires and make sure that is the case.

On some mowers (ours is one) the lights go off with the engine. There is a second system just for the lights and it's not tied into the charging system. On those the system is usually 12VAC. Incandescents don't care and it's the only thing on the circuit so it goes right from winding of the alternator to the lighting circuit. On those LED's won't work unless you use a diode and capacitor to smooth out the AC into somewhat DC.


Yes, the lights stay on after the engine stops.

For an AC lighting system, I'd bypass it with a harness straight from the battery for these DC lights. They'd need to be treated as auxiliary lights.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top