Light Bar Question

[lancerplayer]

I picked up a 2013 Polaris Ranger 500 EFI recently. I will be plowing with it this winter and would like to add a LED light bar in the front and either a smaller one in the rear or pod/flood lights.

My question is: is there a wattage limit I need to be concerned about when looking at the cheap Amazon light bars? I just want to be sure I will not be causing any overloading issues to the battery or electrical system.

Per the manual:

Alternator Max Output
350 watts @ 3000 RPM

Battery / Model / Amp Hr
Yuasa Conventional 14 Amp Hr. / 12 Volt

 

[domer10]

Make sure the ancillaries you use are top notch, such as any resistors or anti flicker etc. also make sure to tape/shrink wrap the crap out of the connections, especially on a rec vehicle. Any issues I have had have always been due to the quality of the resistor or anti flicker module that went along with them. Also a few moisture related problems.

 

[earlyre]

if it's an LED light bar, i find it hard to believe it could draw anywhere near that much power... unless you're trying to signal aliens or something...
that being said, i'm not well read up on such bars...i could be talking right out of my backside...

 

[Chris142]

LED's use very few amps. I'm sure there is a way to determine exactly how many amps a bar uses. Most of them come with wire and a fuse. The fuse usually not more than 5a.

 

[EdwardC]

Looking at the owner's manual, I see that the fuse box has a 10A accessory socket fuse, 10A headlight fuse, 10A taillight fuse and 20A chassis fuse.

I think this is conservative, but unless you have 10A worth of accessories also plugged in, I would say that your alternator has at least 10A worth of spare ampacity. I would stay under 10A(120W), and probably target a max of 5A (60W)

 

[krismoriah72]

Originally Posted by lancerplayer
I picked up a 2013 Polaris Ranger 500 EFI recently. I will be plowing with it this winter and would like to add a LED light bar in the front and either a smaller one in the rear or pod/flood lights.

My question is: is there a wattage limit I need to be concerned about when looking at the cheap Amazon light bars? I just want to be sure I will not be causing any overloading issues to the battery or electrical system.

Per the manual:

Alternator Max Output
350 watts @ 3000 RPM

Battery / Model / Amp Hr
Yuasa Conventional 14 Amp Hr. / 12 Volt



No. I have a light bar, ditch lights, whips, 9 6X9 speakers overhead, 2 8 inch subs, 1 10 inch sub and 2 amps... no problem in my RZR.

The only weak spot i have found is the switches.. i have gone thru a bunch over the years..ebay amazon etc. Autozone just started carrying a switch..brand name Cambridge... its not on their website but they are in all the stores i have visited.

 

[lancerplayer]

Originally Posted by krismoriah72
No. I have a light bar, ditch lights, whips, 9 6X9 speakers overhead, 2 8 inch subs, 1 10 inch sub and 2 amps... no problem in my RZR.

The only weak spot i have found is the switches.. i have gone thru a bunch over the years..ebay amazon etc. Autozone just started carrying a switch..brand name Cambridge... its not on their website but they are in all the stores i have visited.



So in your experience, the Cambridge brand that Autozone carries is the best?

 

[Dave9]

They are not giving you the needed spec which is alternator output at lower RPM. You won't have it running at high RPM much of the time.

I'd go conservative and pick a bar that is 8A or lower current. While you can easily find switches rated for that DC current, it is generally longer lasting to use a relay that the switch triggers.

 

[krismoriah72]

Originally Posted by lancerplayer
Originally Posted by krismoriah72
No. I have a light bar, ditch lights, whips, 9 6X9 speakers overhead, 2 8 inch subs, 1 10 inch sub and 2 amps... no problem in my RZR.

The only weak spot i have found is the switches.. i have gone thru a bunch over the years..ebay amazon etc. Autozone just started carrying a switch..brand name Cambridge... its not on their website but they are in all the stores i have visited.



So in your experience, the Cambridge brand that Autozone carries is the best?



Im not saying they are the BEST.. but best of the cheapies. The BEST ones are probably Carling Conturas which are found on boats. I have bought several brands of the knockoff Carlings from Ebay and Amazon and after awhile you have to fiddle with them to get them to even work..just cheap chinese junk. The Cambridge ones i talked about seem better made..have a good 'click' to them and im happy. Time will tell.

Idk if you have a tractor supply but they have very good light bars. Here is a 30 inch that is bright as you can imagine. Single row.. all that you will ever need. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/traveller-30-in-led-light-bar

 

[lancerplayer]

OP here,

Electrical noob here......


Do I have everything I need to get this installed correctly?

Light Bar

Light bar harness

Rear pod lights

Rear pod lights wire harness

Light bar switch

Rear pod lights switch

 

[dafish]

Assuming the light bar connectors match the wiring harness, and the wiring harness has a relay, and the mounts that came with the lights match how you intend to mount them, then yes. If you also have solder, a gun, shrink tubing and tie wraps.

I used to run lights that overran my alternator output. When I noticed my stock lights staritng to go yellow and get dim I'd shut down my extra lights. That was before HID and LED, and I was running something like 300 watts of halogen off a 400 polaris scrambler. I had hours, but in a few hours I'd have run the battery down below.

Now I'd simply shut down my stock lights after an hour or so and run off the LED. Mind you you really do need to know your current draw. I suppose you could get close by using the light bar wattage specs.

In any event, I'd just plan on getting as much LED light bar as you can and using the stock halogens as little as possible. You could budget as much a 200 watts of LED pretty safely that way, and that's a lot of light. Just use the standard lights sparingly until you get to know your use (rpm) and how it affect your total current situation.