Add-On LED lights. Are Relays No Longer Needed On Tractors like the BX2380 ?

[TheKubotaKing]

Hi everyone,
I know that there is power at the rear of all new subcompact tractors these days, but my question is with the relays I see some using in YouTube videos... when they are doing a new LED light add-on. I've seen a few videos where it's a simple ( no relay ) but - I've seen some videos where somebody is using a relay, so it's really confusing..... ( for example, many of the kits I've seen don't include a relay, so something tells me this is just no longer needed anymore )

Thanks for any info, and your time too !

 

[SDT]

Hi everyone,
I know that there is power at the rear of all new subcompact tractors these days, but my question is with the relays I see some using in YouTube videos... when they are doing a new LED light add-on. I've seen a few videos where it's a simple ( no relay ) but - I've seen some videos where somebody is using a relay, so it's really confusing..... ( for example, many of the kits I've seen don't include a relay, so something tells me this is just no longer needed anymore )

Thanks for any info, and your time too !

LED lights consume little power and draw little current. I would think that most LED light packages could be supplied directly from the auxiliary wireing circuit.

FWIW, I operate a 22" HF light bar directly from the rear auxiliary wireing circuit on my B3350.

SDT

 

[85Hokie]

As SDT mentioned - the amp draw on LEDS is much less than typical aux lights.

However - some of us use more than one series of lights ( more than two at a time) and for this the relay becomes very important. I would say if your light are going to draw no more than 10 amps - I would use the rear hook up that are supplied and fused ( cannot remember standard fuse rating ) But if you are going to hook up say a light bar and another series of lights, it might be wise to separate those and use a relay.
A relay will bypass the stock fuses and be a separate system - if something were to go "wrong" this would able to be separated from the main electrical system. The relay will draw straight from the battery itself - all the while being fused separately.

I use a 32" LED light bar ....180 watts..... more or less 15 amps and 4 other 4 amp LED lights - each with a separate switch - but all running through relay.

 

[PaulR]

Installing 2 Harbor Freight Roadshock LED Floods on my BX 23S roll bar tonight. 15.1 watts each. The wiring kit does in fact have a relay. Nice kit, loomed and weather protected all around. We shall see if it lasts......Nothing says "skinflint" like $25 offroad lights on a $20,000 tractor.

 

[i7win7]

You may want to add motorized accessories or have an auxiliary plug for jumper cables, ect. I prefer to add my own electrical system and leave factory wiring intact.

Adding electrical devices to tractor

Purpose of post: to provide general ideas to fellow tractor owners wishing to add lights, electric sprayers, even some high current accessories for short term intermittent use (think winches, jump starts). I'll start with the high power preparations. #1 good heavy duty wire, at Walmart you...

www.tractorbynet.com

1 Cool ROPS accessory

Flex-a-Lite model 116 radiator fan 2,215 CFM and 11 amp draw. Stirs up quite a breeze. May help with bugs a night when running lights. Ground speed in reverse slightly faster? :unsure:

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Adding a $2 relay is PROTECTION compared to repalcing the $$$$$ ignition switch, let alone 'downtime' when it fries when an 'addon' shorts out !
Any ( all) addon lights should be separately fused, at the dash or battery, whrenever they get their power from.They should also have a proper ground wire going to the -ve of the batter as well.

 

[TheKubotaKing]

Adding a $2 relay is PROTECTION compared to repalcing the $$$$$ ignition switch, let alone 'downtime' when it fries when an 'addon' shorts out !
Any ( all) addon lights should be separately fused, at the dash or battery, whrenever they get their power from.They should also have a proper ground wire going to the -ve of the batter as well.

Thank you for that info. Thank you to all that replied. I opened up YouTube and am watching a video now on relays, and will watch a bunch of them this week. I am sure I am not alone with no education about relays. I really have no clue what they are / what they do but with the input here, am learning. A very good topic of conversation. I thought it was good enough to just hook up 2 LEDs to that back powered harness on the Kubota, and life is good. Never even thought of adding a fuse... as they are just low powered LEDS. I guess at the least a fuse should be added, but now want to learn about relays. From the little bit of watching a video this morning, this is something that takes time to sink in, and to really "get" the concept, it's good to watch many videos. It's amazing how just one person illustrating something slightly different from somebody else, and bingo it "clicks" in your head.

 

[TheKubotaKing]

You may want to add motorized accessories or have an auxiliary plug for jumper cables, ect. I prefer to add my own electrical system and leave factory wiring intact.

Adding electrical devices to tractor

Purpose of post: to provide general ideas to fellow tractor owners wishing to add lights, electric sprayers, even some high current accessories for short term intermittent use (think winches, jump starts). I'll start with the high power preparations. #1 good heavy duty wire, at Walmart you...

www.tractorbynet.com

1 Cool ROPS accessory

Flex-a-Lite model 116 radiator fan 2,215 CFM and 11 amp draw. Stirs up quite a breeze. May help with bugs a night when running lights. Ground speed in reverse slightly faster? :unsure:

www.tractorbynet.com

Hi there, thanks for the links, I will be looking at these today. I appreciate your input !

 

[TheKubotaKing]

As SDT mentioned - the amp draw on LEDS is much less than typical aux lights.

However - some of us use more than one series of lights ( more than two at a time) and for this the relay becomes very important. I would say if your light are going to draw no more than 10 amps - I would use the rear hook up that are supplied and fused ( cannot remember standard fuse rating ) But if you are going to hook up say a light bar and another series of lights, it might be wise to separate those and use a relay.
A relay will bypass the stock fuses and be a separate system - if something were to go "wrong" this would able to be separated from the main electrical system. The relay will draw straight from the battery itself - all the while being fused separately.

I use a 32" LED light bar ....180 watts..... more or less 15 amps and 4 other 4 amp LED lights - each with a separate switch - but all running through relay.

Hi 85Hokie, thanks for your input. With all the info / warnings on the channel, I won't be adding anything without protection ie a relay. Now to educate myself on exactly they do, how they work etc.... a subject to learn about !

 

[85Hokie]

All high amp systems in a truck or car use a relay - a relay is an electronic magnetic switch - when a current is placed through a coil of wire - the wire creates a magnetic field and that in turn pulls a metal "rod" into place and creates a contact of two larger "wires"

Here is a better understanding of the use of a relay:

another :

https://blog.delcity.net/how-do-automotive-relays-work/

 

[6feettogo]

When I installed front facing and rear facing LED lights on the ROPS, I put them on separate switches on their own fuse direct from the battery so that I could have them on without having to have the headlight switch on. By putting in a relay tied to a circuit that is controlled by the ignition switch, I know there is no juice going to the lights when the ignition switch is on the off position in case of my age I leave the light switches on.

 

[NHSleddog]

Adding a relay is easy and really only one additional step. I used a fused home run to the battery for the power and the rear acc circuit to switch it. This feeds my rops fan and lights.

 

[TheKubotaKing]

Hi NHSleddog, I've been watching quite a few videos today on YouTube and am learning lots.
None of them showed anything like the plug you have on that relay. That's really nice and tidy looking. I noticed you have something also there hooked up, it shows the voltage and also the outside temp ?
That's pretty cool.... is that available on Amazon ? .... not sure what it is, but very nice looking too.

Relays are indeed powerful, I never realized this before. So glad this forum exists !

View attachment 50444

Adding a relay is easy and really only one additional step. I used a fused home run to the battery for the power and the rear acc circuit to switch it. This feeds my rops fan and lights.

View attachment 50445

 

[SidecarFlip]

Installing 2 Harbor Freight Roadshock LED Floods on my BX 23S roll bar tonight. 15.1 watts each. The wiring kit does in fact have a relay. Nice kit, loomed and weather protected all around. We shall see if it lasts......Nothing says "skinflint" like $25 offroad lights on a $20,000 tractor.

Believe it or not but those cheap azzed Roadshock LED's that HF sells have CREE SMD's. I have 4 facing front and 2 facing back on my $54,000.00 (new) Kubota M9000. Of course it's a 2004 but I don't ever tell it it's almost an antique. I'm cheap too.

 

[PaulR]

Believe it or not but those cheap azzed Roadshock LED's that HF sells have CREE SMD's. I have 4 facing front and 2 facing back on my $54,000.00 (new) Kubota M9000. Of course it's a 2004 but I don't ever tell it it's almost an antique. I'm cheap too.

So three separate switches? Seems if you get their wiring kit you can run two to a switch? I was thinking of adding a third rear facing on the same switch. Sorry to digress, back to relays.

 

[NHSleddog]

Hi NHSleddog, I've been watching quite a few videos today on YouTube and am learning lots.
None of them showed anything like the plug you have on that relay. That's really nice and tidy looking. I noticed you have something also there hooked up, it shows the voltage and also the outside temp ?
That's pretty cool.... is that available on Amazon ? .... not sure what it is, but very nice looking too.

Relays are indeed powerful, I never realized this before. So glad this forum exists !

A good waterproof relay,

Amazon.com

The Time/Temp/Voltage gauge,

Amazon.com

 

[SidecarFlip]

So three separate switches? Seems if you get their wiring kit you can run two to a switch? I was thinking of adding a third rear facing on the same switch. Sorry to digress, back to relays.

Mine run through the existing relay under the roof. The OEM halogens came with a relay already installed so yes, on a relay. Actually the 2 forward facing ones pull less amperage than one of the OEM halogens. I mad a boo-boo. The 4 front facing LED's I bought from Superbright LED and they are very powerful, at least 2 times as much as the Roadshock units.

 

[6feettogo]

This is the relay and fuse box that I installed on my B2650 to feed power to my 3rd function and my LED lights on the ROPS. It sits behind the side cover to help protect it from the weather even though they are suppose to be water tight.

 

[Orange1forme]

Another thing to consider is the switch itself, they have a maximum amp draw right on them.

For the cost of a relay and switch, cheap insurance!!!

 

[OrangeKrush]

I hooked into the factory supplied wire from the battery that is in the rear of my BX2680. I used a brand new wire harness that came with a light bar, I already had an existing harness in place for that led light bar. It does have the relay and is fused.. is this a safe way to hook it up? I have two separate halogen spotlights running off of it and everything seems to work just fine but haven’t run them for any more than 5 minutes so I’m not sure. They are 55watt bulbs in each light, I plan on switching them to LEDs but I had these so for now they’ll do.