Beginner Guide to Wiring

[Clover13]

OK, so along with being a first time tractor owner, I have no experience wiring anything but I'm great at following instructions. At one time I used to solder and wire digital cameras to build home made trail cameras thanks to very helpful instructions from the board builders. So the ability is somewhere in me to do the work, trying to "figure it out" though is like looking in a deep dark box with no lights (no pun intended)!

What's the best way for me to go from knowing virtually nothing about wiring things to being able to effectively install my own ROPS lights, a block heater, and a battery tender with switches/ports back on the main console of the tractor? I understand the high level but am not sure how to wire it properly to the tractor. The general switch/port installations (cut/drill into the operator console) I guess I'll just have to figure out how to take apart the console and run the wires alongside other wires (figure they're on a safe heat/melting free path) to reach it and then drill/cut and mount where I want them.

I'll keep digging around on here, I've come across some great finished results from the DIYers here, but have NO idea how they actually did it.

 

[Creature Meadow]

What tractor do you plan to install these things on, from I have read here many models come with a "pigtail" near the back left fender you can tie lights in to. if I recall it is wrapped in electrical tape and tucked in around the fender.

I know that does not answer your question but maybe it helps. I specifically recall members saying the BX's have this, my L does not or at least I have not been able to find it.

 

[Clover13]

My tractor is a B2650, only about a month old now!

 

[beaterboss]

What tractor do you plan to install these things on, from I have read here many models come with a "pigtail" near the back left fender you can tie lights in to. if I recall it is wrapped in electrical tape and tucked in around the fender.

I know that does not answer your question but maybe it helps. I specifically recall members saying the BX's have this, my L does not or at least I have not been able to find it.

My L3901 has it. Under the left side fender right behind the tail light. But I wouldnt put much faith in it, as the wires are teeny. Power is supplied when the High Beam is activated. But, like I said, anything above a 15 watt light would be pushing the envelope.

 

[mrcarnage2]

What tractor do you plan to install these things on, from I have read here many models come with a "pigtail" near the back left fender you can tie lights in to. if I recall it is wrapped in electrical tape and tucked in around the fender.

I know that does not answer your question but maybe it helps. I specifically recall members saying the BX's have this, my L does not or at least I have not been able to find it.

I have a B3300SU. Mine was under the center piece of sheet metal that the Emergency placard bolts to.

 

[tiktock]

I just went through this so I hope I can help. I was fairly clueless, too.

Go to the back of your tractor and look for a taped up set of aux light wires. Mine were taped to the wiring to the left of the PTO shaft on the back. Here's a pic:

One is a ground (black) and the Red/Blue is hot only when keyed and the Red/black is hot all the time.

Unless you are mounting something really crazy, your tractor should have plenty of amps to power your lights. My little bx1880 has a 40 amp dyno I was told. Be a bit more careful depending on what switches you use, however. I used night lighted switches that I later saw were only rated for 10 amps while all my lights could pull upwards of 13 amps. Not an issue since I did two switches but easy to miss.

If you do a switch you'll need to put a relay in. The easiest way to do this but a bit more $$ is to just buy a wiring harness that already has the relay and swtich and wires. Tractor supply sells a hiring harness plus you can find them all over amazon/ebay since so many people put lights on ATVs. The lights I ordered on Amazon came with a wiring harness, relay, switch, both spotlite pods plus the main light bar for <$60:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XPHPMQ4/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Note that the wiring harness here has two outputs but the three lights. You'll have to modify/split one of the outputs or put one light on its own switch/relay. Thats what I did so that I could turn on and off the main bar separate from the spotlights. Heres a switches relay digaram, if it helps:

The wiring itself is fairly straightforward and all harnesses/kits come with instructions.

All this didnt require too much expertise. I used a volt meter just to check that my connections were good. Putting the switches up in the dash just required me to route some wires through/under the machine but this was easy since I just used all the existing wires as a guide and ziptied any new wires to them.

 

[Clover13]

I just went through this so I hope I can help. I was fairly clueless, too.

Go to the back of your tractor and look for a taped up set of aux light wires. Mine were taped to the wiring to the left of the PTO shaft on the back. Here's a pic:

One is a ground (black) and the Red/Blue is hot only when keyed and the Red/black is hot all the time.

Unless you are mounting something really crazy, your tractor should have plenty of amps to power your lights. My little bx1880 has a 40 amp dyno I was told. Be a bit more careful depending on what switches you use, however. I used night lighted switches that I later saw were only rated for 10 amps while all my lights could pull upwards of 13 amps. Not an issue since I did two switches but easy to miss.

If you do a switch you'll need to put a relay in. The easiest way to do this but a bit more $$ is to just buy a wiring harness that already has the relay and swtich and wires. Tractor supply sells a hiring harness plus you can find them all over amazon/ebay since so many people put lights on ATVs. The lights I ordered on Amazon came with a wiring harness, relay, switch, both spotlite pods plus the main light bar for <$60:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XPHPMQ4/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Note that the wiring harness here has two outputs but the three lights. You'll have to modify/split one of the outputs or put one light on its own switch/relay. Thats what I did so that I could turn on and off the main bar separate from the spotlights. Heres a switches relay digaram, if it helps:

The wiring itself is fairly straightforward and all harnesses/kits come with instructions.

All this didnt require too much expertise. I used a volt meter just to check that my connections were good. Putting the switches up in the dash just required me to route some wires through/under the machine but this was easy since I just used all the existing wires as a guide and ziptied any new wires to them.

Awesome, thanks tiktok!

Light switch wise, I really liked what Fordtech86 did in this topic:

http://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/showthread.php?p=304143#post304143

[img=http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181008/18f5396e0753fa83303c0887f0848788.jpg]

Why do you need a relay btw? I like the fuse idea in case you overload the line, but the relay from what I'm reading is usually a control power switch that's electronic and often less than the load power. The example I saw was a motion activation light which has a relay to close the switch and apply load power when motion is detected. Not sure how a relay applies to the lightbar. Sorry, I really have no knowledge of this...I just search/read as I go through topics and replies to try and understand how it all works together.

 

[tiktock]

Awesome, thanks tiktok!

Light switch wise, I really liked what Fordtech86 did in this topic:

http://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/showthread.php?p=304143#post304143

[img=http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181008/18f5396e0753fa83303c0887f0848788.jpg]

Why do you need a relay btw? I like the fuse idea in case you overload the line, but the relay from what I'm reading is usually a control power switch that's electronic and often less than the load power. The example I saw was a motion activation light which has a relay to close the switch and apply load power when motion is detected. Not sure how a relay applies to the lightbar. Sorry, I really have no knowledge of this...I just search/read as I go through topics and replies to try and understand how it all works together.

We are the blind leading the blind here. I have no idea! Everything I found about installing a switch used a relay and all the wiring harnesses I saw had them so I used it as I didnt know how else to wire it all up

 

[Clover13]

We are the blind leading the blind here. I have no idea! Everything I found about installing a switch used a relay and all the wiring harnesses I saw had them so I used it as I didnt know how else to wire it all up

Haha, well you figure it out, so that's great! I'll be YouTube-ing away some more to learn...like most things once you do it the first time, it suddenly becomes pretty easy (albeit sometimes a PITA).

 

[RCW]

Clover- some new tractors have a work light circuit ending near the PTO (BX), like tiktock has.
I think others have the ends under the left (?) rear fender.
If you look at your fuse box, you may see a fuse for work lights.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Clover13]

Clover- some new tractors have a work light circuit ending near the PTO (BX), like tiktock has.
I think others have the ends under the left (?) rear fender.
If you look at your fuse box, you may see a fuse for work lights.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I know there is a work light kit available for the B2650. So I'm guessing there is a fuse and circuit for it. Guess next step is weighing out if the amperage of my light combo exceeds that circuit and going from there. If not I'm not sure how you determine where to piggy back off of. Guess run whatever is hooked up to it and see how many amps it uses then see if you have enough left for your purpose?

 

[Fordtech86]

Clover, what kind of light set up are you planning on running? You want the relay setup to separate your load side (the lights) from your switched side. A switch is just a switch, just for controlling the electrical flow, they aren’t made for high current draws. Granted most led set ups don’t pull large amps but if your start stacking multiple lights on the same circuit it will add up. Make sure you get waterproof switches as well, most of the led light kits are made for truck use where the switch is mounted in the cab. If your tractor is a cab model that won’t be an issue

 

[torch]

Why do you need a relay btw?

Like Fordtech says, a relay is a way of switching a high powered load with a low power (cheaper, smaller) switch.

But perhaps more importantly, it is the means tap into an existing circuit (such as one controlled by the ignition switch) that has limited power available. The relay coil requires very little power to energize so it doesn't overload the existing circuit.

IE: tap into the output of the ignition switch. Use that to feed a control switch for your device. From the control switch, energize the relay coil. Connect the common contact of the relay to the battery over a fuse. Connect your load to the N.O. (Normally Open) contact of the relay. In this manner, your load will shut off when you turn off either the control switch or the ignition switch, preventing accidentally killing your battery by forgetting to turn off the control switch when shutting off the tractor.

 

[Clover13]

I want to rig up some LED light bars with a magnetic backing so I can remove them easily when they aren't needed (i.e. spring/summer/fall) and put them on when they are (winter)

I got the idea from this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7Ub-RNq90s


I'll need to figure out a part list and then I guess the cumulative amp draw of all lights in order to figure out where to tap into?

Does a relay regulate the amps? The way I'm reading it, the switch is just a wide open amp channel. If you're on a 30 amp circuit and hook up something that is 50 amp, with a switch ON it will draw 50 amp through that 30 amp circuit (fuse would blow). Does a relay somehow prevent that? I'll need to read more, as what I was reading before suggested a relay was more of a lower amp "trigger" to activate a higher amp draw (i.e. in the case of a motion activated light for example).

 

[Fordtech86]

The relay doesn’t regulate the amps, amps will be determined by your available voltage (which will fluctuate with your tractors charging system) and the wattage of the loads you put on that circuit. The relay will let you separate the higher current loads on the light circuit without running the high load through your switch. Most of the switches with these light kits aren’t designed to handle high current loads, can cause the switches to melt or burn the contacts in them faster, which will also add more resistance in your circuit at that point.

 

[torch]

Does a relay regulate the amps? The way I'm reading it, the switch is just a wide open amp channel. If you're on a 30 amp circuit and hook up something that is 50 amp, with a switch ON it will draw 50 amp through that 30 amp circuit (fuse would blow). Does a relay somehow prevent that? I'll need to read more, as what I was reading before suggested a relay was more of a lower amp "trigger" to activate a higher amp draw (i.e. in the case of a motion activated light for example).

A relay does not regulate anything. If you have a 50 amp load, then you need a 50 amp relay and a 50 amp fuse. A relay is nothing more than a switch, but instead of a toggle or knob, a relay is controlled by a small electric current. So you can draw that control current from another, lower powered, source.

The starter motor on your car is a good example. A starter draws hundreds of amps and needs really fat wires. Instead of running #1 copper wire from the battery up through the dash into the steering column to a really heavy-duty switch and back to the starter, a short run of #1 goes from the battery to the starter solenoid (a type of relay) and from there to the starter. The solenoid (or relay) coil forms an electromagnet to move the high-amperage contacts when a low-amperage current is applied to the coil.

So now we can get away with small diameter wire to the ignition switch because we only have to handle a few amps at most -- a few tenths of amps in the case of a lighting or horn relay.

Here's a primer on relays that I found on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvFvJiiDD7w

 

[Clover13]

Ah I see, it's to protect the switch. I was looking at things backwards, not understanding how the power was supplied to the component. I was thinking it went through the switch, then the relay, then the component. The relay sits in the middle to allow the switch to enable power via the relay to be delivered to the component. Low power switch signals relay to supply higher power to the component. I think that's how it works.

A relay is nothing more than a remote switch that uses an electromagnet to close a set of contact points. When the relay magnet is supplied with voltage, the points close and battery voltage is routed through the main circuit. Relays are often used in circuits to reduce the current that flows through the primary control switch. A relatively low amperage switch, timer, or sensor can be used to turn a much higher capacity relay on and off. Another primary use for relays is when upgrading to halogen headlights on an older car. The current draw for halogens is much more than the OEM headlight switches were designed to carry, thereby putting additional strain on the headlight switch. This can cause premature failure of the switch. Another required use for relays is when you***8217;re installing an electric cooling fan. If you wire direct, without a relay, all of the additional stress from the fan will be placed on the switch, leading again to early failure.

Watts = Volts x Amps

OK so for my LED light setup. I need to figure out the WATTS of each light/grid and add them ALL together (per whatever lights on I want on a given switch), then divide that by the VOLTAGE being supplied to determine the AMP requirement? Once I have the AMP requirement, then how do I determine what is suitable to tap into?

 

[tiktock]

Ah I see, it's to protect the switch. I was looking at things backwards, not understanding how the power was supplied to the component. I was thinking it went through the switch, then the relay, then the component. The relay sits in the middle to allow the switch to enable power via the relay to be delivered to the component. Low power switch signals relay to supply higher power to the component. I think that's how it works.



Watts = Volts x Amps

OK so for my LED light setup. I need to figure out the WATTS of each light/grid and add them ALL together (per whatever lights on I want on a given switch), then divide that by the VOLTAGE being supplied to determine the AMP requirement? Once I have the AMP requirement, then how do I determine what is suitable to tap into?

Thats what I did. My total wattage ended up being something like 153 watts. Divided by 12V thats about 13 Amps. The AUX lighting bundle on my BX was tied to a 20A fuse in the fuse box which meant I could run all my lights at once off it without any problem. The switch I had was only rated for 10 amps, however, so i ended up just installing two relays/switches vs putting all lights on one switch with a higher rating.

If you end up tapping into something thats already being used for another purpose, I think you'd need to see what that is using for power already when on, add your light amps and make sure it doesnt exceed what youre tapping into.

 

[torch]

OK so for my LED light setup. I need to figure out the WATTS of each light/grid and add them ALL together (per whatever lights on I want on a given switch), then divide that by the VOLTAGE being supplied to determine the AMP requirement? Once I have the AMP requirement, then how do I determine what is suitable to tap into?

Personally, I'd go back to the battery, using wire suitable to the total current requirements and a fuse. Connect that to the C terminal of the relay. Connect the load to the NO terminal. If you have a number of light circuits, consider adding an auxiliary fuse box between the relay and the loads. That's what I did when I built my cab -- I have separate fuses for work lights, windshield wipers, fan and chute rotation motors.

I would only tap the tractor's wiring harness to supply switched power to the relay coil. The few hundred milliamps required to power the relay can be drawn from virtually any circuit controlled by the ignition switch.

When planning your lighting purchases, bear in mind that it takes exponentially more wattage to noticeably increase the intensity. In other words, it might take 4x the wattage to double the light output. Given that a tractor is a slow moving vehicle, I never found the need for long distance lighting. And LED units draw far less power per lumen than traditional bulbs. A 6 LED bar on either end of my cab seems to be more than adequate, provides far more light than the original equipment and is far less draw on my little 10 amp dynamo!

 

[Clover13]

Thats what I did. My total wattage ended up being something like 153 watts. Divided by 12V thats about 13 Amps. The AUX lighting bundle on my BX was tied to a 20A fuse in the fuse box which meant I could run all my lights at once off it without any problem. The switch I had was only rated for 10 amps, however, so i ended up just installing two relays/switches vs putting all lights on one switch with a higher rating.

If you end up tapping into something thats already being used for another purpose, I think you'd need to see what that is using for power already when on, add your light amps and make sure it doesnt exceed what youre tapping into.

OK yes, that makes sense, pretty much what I had going on in my head.