Auxiliary Lighting

Rust Addict

New member

Equipment
B6000E
Jan 2, 2010
83
0
0
Sidney, Maine, USA
I confessed my electrical problem :eek: err.. electrical confusions to the factory Guru where I work. He sent me to the web site that he had used as he had some electrical problems on a Suzuki motorcycle: "The GSResources". Spend sometime there and you can find the tech papers to determine how to do a proper test on a charging circuit, "Stator Papers IV, Fault Finding Page". Now sure this is for Suzuki bike and not a Kubota, but the principle of the system can not be too different. (maybe I'm wrong, so you need to decide for yourself)

I've found out a few other things about the B6000 electrical system.
The DYNAMO drives the fan, and appears to be the waterpump also, it would be about $500 to replace it. The R/R or voltage regulator / rectifier is a $175 part, if you can find one in stock somewhere on the web. Before any new parts are ordered they need to verify that they are dead.

Test conditions: 21F in the garage, then all doors opened for the testing.
Battery resting voltage, no charger used over the last week, 12.74V at the Batt.
After 5 tries and use of the decompression lever to finally start, 12.37V running
After 15min of warm up @ low idle, 12.67V
After 5min of full rpm, 13.54V

Hardwired (2) 55W light direct to "+" post of battery (one of my early notes in this thread is flat wrong, these are not 35W lamps, I located the paperwork that came with the lights, and it had directions... :p )
After 5min of full rpm, 12.54V

Turned on electric clutch for the 48" Snowcaster front snow blower,
(hard wired lights still powered)
After 5min of full rpm, 12.22V

Turned off the clutch and pulled the wire off on the lights
After 5min of full rpm, 13.50V
After 5 more minutes (10min total) @ full rpm, 13.64V at the battery

Returned engine to low idle, all power draws still switched off
After 5min of idle, 12.93V at the battery

Having now run the tractor 45 minutes, I'm satisfied the charging circuit is (generator, rectifier, battery) working fine. The fact that the voltage was between 13.5 and 14.8V after "recharge" time periods is the answer I was looking for. The fact that the lights, fuel pump, and PTO clutch can pull more than the 90W generator (Kubota service manual number) makes was also confirmed. Now this was not a test of the R/R or generator separately but a simple system load test. I may repeat this again once we have warmer temperatures to confirm the same results on a thawed battery above 32F.

If anyone can think how I missed something in the above testing, I'm all ears for it.....

So back the wiring diagram now that the charging has been proven functional.

System checks:
Low oil pressure lamp is on prior to engine start with the key on
Glow plugs indicator glows after 25-30 seconds of CCW on the starter knob
Tractor starts
NO horn
NO lights

It’s got to be the lighting circuit. So from the ignition switch to the light switch is a fuse holder. There is 15A fuse, and the holder is falling apart. Some more wiggly wiggly on the wire and I have no more fuse holder. How did I miss this on the first time through when I pulled the fuses? So a quick wire jumper around this "artifact" and the lights switch on and off again! Danged dry rotted darn fuse holder darn cheap terminals darned if it was ME that over loaded the little guy and burned up this 36 year old cheap plastic part so it failed. OK, now my feet are freezing to concrete floor and its 18F in the garage. Time to quit and head in to the wood stove and count the Budweiser’s!

When I can find a day that is above 32F I'll rewire each of the added lights with fuse off the battery and a separate switch for each of the added forward and the back up lights. The dead fuse holders will be replaced with new and the wire tap on the factory light circuit will be tossed out after repairing the wire insulation. Maybe this spring I'll go through the electric and clean up some of the contacts, and terminals and look for other signs of aging. I'd tear into it now if there was some heat to work by...

CONCLUSIONS:
Follow the manufactures directions on any lights you add, it would have landed me where I will end up and save you the running around. The diagram at the start of this thread is exactly what I'm looking at making myself. I suspected that the (2) 55w lamps would be a bit much for this little tractor, and had to prove it to myself the hard way, do your self a favor and check the service manual on the machine's power rating before adding to it. At this time I know I can use the aux lights for short stints, and that I should plan on hooking into the 120V AC charger once I'm back in the garage if I've been using the aux. lights for any extended period of time.

:)
Good luck with your lighting projects.
 
Last edited:

meanjean

Member

Equipment
Kubota MX4700
Aug 10, 2010
922
2
18
Hazelridge, Manitoba
Not sure who said it earlier but someone made mention of their alternator generating 12.4 volts.
That is not a working charging system.
A properly working alternator will generate somewhere between 13.7-14.2 volts under load.
A point lower or higher is fine.

Here's how I would decide how many additional lights a unit can effectivley maintain:
Attach a volt meter to your battery and add a load, one at a time.
Once the alternator drops below 13.7 you stop.
That's how many lights (or other power draws) you can run.

My 2 cents.
 

fj40dave

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
B2650, LA534, BH77, TPD35, RCF2060, BB1566, RGA1258
Sep 24, 2009
417
254
63
Yelm, WA
You could always fabricate a mount/bracket and add another alternator!
Heck....then a dual battery system and a 8k lb winch and electric air horns and on-board air and....er, ah....oops, wrong forum (4x4 forum :D)