ROP Bar - Light Mounts

[Trimley]

Update to running the wires.

Once the ROP bases were removed and I got a look from the bottom, the fight was on. After about 1.5 hours, struggling, there was no way to get the wires through. I tried fish wires. Forget it.

I decided to try drilling through the baffles. I used 12" drill bits. The first was 1/4". After getting through the baffle, I swapped to a 1/2" drill bit and made the hole bigger. It was tedious, but it can be done. More to come

 

[The Evil Twin]

Oh no! Drilling the INSIDE of the ROPS?!?
Forget the ROPS Police, you'll be getting a visit from the ROPStapo! Worse than the Gestapo and still bitter about the war.

 

[Trimley]

I'm gaining. All wires followed factory (planning ahead), but not attached to the fuel pump line.

And I thought Japanese vehicles were a headache. The factory wire harness routing is strategically snaked. I followed them with my looms, and zip-tied along the way, clear of all moving parts.

Both my wire looms exited the back, directly below where the ROP bolts to the frame.

Feeding the wire loom UP from the bottom was pretty easy. Prior to setting the ROP Bar in position, extra loops of wire were stuffed inside below the pivot point. It may be useful at a later time.

I'm currently at the "plan the mounts-mounting stage.

All splices have been soldered, heat-shrinked, wrapped with elect tape.

 

[Trimley]

The upper section of the ROP Bar was painted today. *The Kubota Enamel spray paint is nice stuff*

Here's the lights and mounts.

 

[Trimley]

The lights are finally done. I need to pickup and add a couple wire clamps to each side to clean-up the excess wire. D-Rings on the outside of the ROP was an after thought.

 

[drygulch]

Nice clean work

 

[Trimley]

Nice clean work

Thanks. I've always been an OCD type. After my working as a finish carpenter in the yacht industry, the OCD-Ness grew in intensity. While in that trade, solutions and solving was gained by execution.

My no longer being among all the creativity, leaves me short changed in thought, mainly due to my not having all the special tools. Given that, my OCD wants to flow....but my not having the tooling really slows me down with the tools I have. Sometimes I drive myself nutty from thinking of solutions...lol.

 

[Bugzilla46310]

Finally installed my lights. While at it, installed a plug for my water tank trailer plug. The existing hole in the frame was a perfect fit. My OCD made me replace the original DOT tape on the back of the ROPS as the pieces on each side were not true with each other.

 

[Stuart_T]

Interesting thread. I've just acquired a used L2350DT with an LB400 loader and want to put a couple of 18W Nilights up high and one facing back. I had these on my old Yanmar 1702D and they worked very well when clearing snow when it's dark. (The rear-facing one was mounted behind the seat.) I made a custom mount from 1", 16ga square steel tube which bolted to existing holes in the loader, but this won't work on the Kubota, so I'm making a rectangular frame for a canopy. (Getting older, so a little added comfort in inclement weather wil be welcome.) It'll be fastened into the ROPS at the back and have 2 vertical legs fastened into brackets bolted into the steel cross bar ("side frame connector") of the FEL at the front. Using metal roofing for the actual canopy.

Question about wiring the lights: I might as well retain the existing (halogen?) headlights since they do work, even though they're not all that useful with a loader. Where is the best place to connect the wiring for the LEDs? Would the added 36W draw from the LEDs cause a problem if added to the existing headlight circuit?

 

[drygulch]

Where is the best place to connect the wiring for the LEDs? Would the added 36W draw from the LEDs cause a problem if added to the existing headlight circuit?

I used the accessory lighting connector under the left fender on my L3901. I run 2 of these 60W Nilights off it with no issue.

I mentioned earlier in the thread installing with nylon washers so I could reach up and pivot them around. Super handy. I end up doing that a lot.

Good luck.

Greg

 

[Bugzilla46310]

On my BX I ran a new line to the battery. Haven’t put a fuse in it. Have one but spaced it off when installing them. Also mounted mine on fiberglass washers and left enough slack in the wires so I can rotate them if needed.

 

[Stuart_T]

I used the accessory lighting connector under the left fender on my L3901. I run 2 of these 60W Nilights off it with no issue.
Greg

Unfortunately my machine doesn't have an accessory lighting connector, which would be really handy. I guess I could wire them into the headlight switch if I can get the panel off to access it. Mine theoretically has high and low beam but I can't see the difference. Presumably the "high" beam setting uses the full 12v (?) . If I'm going to do that I might as well replace the glow plug indicator at the same time as it doesn't light up, although the machine starts just fine.

 

[chim]

...................Question about wiring the lights: I might as well retain the existing (halogen?) headlights since they do work, even though they're not all that useful with a loader. Where is the best place to connect the wiring for the LEDs? Would the added 36W draw from the LEDs cause a problem if added to the existing headlight circuit?

As you've found, factory headlights are nearly useless. The LED's I use for mowing are mounted low in the grille guard. To power them I disconnected the high beam wires from the headlights and used them for the LED's. Simple twist of the stalk gives either factory low beams or low-mounted LED's (both with tail & marker lights). I do some road travel at night and use the factory low beams for that. Mowing is with the LED's in the grille and loader work is with the high cab-mounted LED's.

 

[Trimley]

As you've found, factory headlights are nearly useless. The LED's I use for mowing are mounted low in the grille guard. To power them I disconnected the high beam wires from the headlights and used them for the LED's. Simple twist of the stalk gives either factory low beams or low-mounted LED's (both with tail & marker lights). I do some road travel at night and use the factory low beams for that. Mowing is with the LED's in the grille and loader work is with the high cab-mounted LED's.

I think the best way to mount lights for forward light deflection (with FEL) would be on/at the point where the cross-member joins the arch. An arch attached to the frame (well above the hood) would be the best without a FEL.

I've come up with a design for mounting lights to the FEL that would be ideal. Making them will pose somewhat of a challenge, because the design would be based on the weight of the lights used.

 

[chim]

I think the best way to mount lights for forward light deflection (with FEL) would be on/at the point where the cross-member joins the arch. An arch attached to the frame (well above the hood) would be the best without a FEL.

I've come up with a design for mounting lights to the FEL that would be ideal. Making them will pose somewhat of a challenge, because the design would be based on the weight of the lights used.

If you go back up to Post #14 you'll see a spot that worked pretty well both with or without the FEL. It looks like a stupid place to mount the lights but it worked. Having them back away from the FEL made the "bucket eclipse" smaller so what was in the shadow was mostly what was blocked by the bucket itself.

Mounting them below the top of the hood kept the lights from creating a bright distracting hood at night.