In praise of LED lighting for older tractors!

[J Wendt]

LED's are great for farm equipment, and motor vehicles if you are behind them, but I find them very blinding when you are meeting them on the two lane. But they are so much better for the drivers visibility I guess the law allows them, they are everywhere now, I believe new vehicles come with them a standard equipment now. For me at least it's like every vehicle that I meet doesn't bother dim their lights. Admittedly I'm likely more sensitive to light than most.

I agree, they bright to meet but great to drive. I do wonder if ones depth perception is different with them?

 

[Jeff NWOH]

I'm a still active farmer, doing 160 acres. I farm with a Farmall H and M, and an IH 1420 combine, and have replaced all the lighting (including the dash lights) with LEDs. And I just wanted to say how great the advent of LED lights for this older farm machinery has been. It has truly been a godsend.

I'm 69, and still remember the old incandescent filament bulbs. Yellowish light, light fixtures so hot you could barely touch them, and current draw that was at the limit of what the fuse in circuit could take.

Then along came LED retrofits for regular incandescent light bulbs. Probably twice the light, for 1/5 the current draw. It sure made things easier on these old tractor electrical systems! Last MUCH longer also.

I know---I suppose "traditionalists" will counter that LED's are more expensive than the old filament bulbs, and that they need a 12 volt system, but the advantages are truly phenomenal. Especially for somebody like me, who often has to do night work (because of a day job).

The only drawback is if you still have and want to keep a 6volt system. Do they make LED's for 6volt?

So---what do you guys think? I know our dads and grandads would have definitely approved of LEDs!

View attachment 102374

I've converted my skid steers to led. Night and day difference. I've also done 2 trucks with the old rectangular halogen lights. They were terrible to put it nicely. With the led conversions, I can actually see. In a truck that size, it's nice to actually be able to see some distance ahead.

 

[710ltd2002]

Can you tell me exactly where you bought the bulbs? I’d like to put them in my M and in my A, but I don’t want to do any legwork trying to locate them. I’m just a little lazy in this case. Thanks in advance.
Dave

 

[flying belgian]

I agree with you on the leds but when your driving across the field late at night working thinking about all the people who worked there hole life on that tractor in my opinion incandescent bulbs kind of transport you back in time to when those tractors were new but for any practical work leds are miles ahead

"leds are miles ahead" I get it.

 

[flying belgian]

I had a Cat 35 to run 400 acres. Luckey it was overkill so I could get everything done by daylight because that thing had the worst lights in the world.

 

[Duey C]

Opinion from a madman:
When meeting vehicles with very bright lights: That tall pickup is blaring its lights in your face, even if on dim.
A handy trick on your brain, IF you can do it...
Natural tendancy is to blink right? Mine is. Oww!
Don't blink.
Wait.
You're in need of a blink right? Did you wait until the tall pickup is fully passed and your eyes are readjusted?
Blink all you want, it won't hurt.
You may think this silly, that's OK but try it. Tough to do the first 10 times.

Shop lights? LED's are great! Don't look at 'em. Do you look at the sun? No.

On a tractor, LED's would be a blessing.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Worthington Ag parts has replacement LEDS for the rubber grommet light housing lights. Like on the combine. Yes these guys with the projector type light are just blinding and I remember when we drove with incandescent lights and thought they worked pretty good back then. Now they can't even be bothered to dim them. I like those lights in the Petercar they are those old cool blue lights have a bright white light to them and I don't usually have to flash them only once to get dims. I have got so unless I have to i don't drive on the road after dark. These new vehicles have more light on dim than when I started driving with brights. I do like them in the field for seeing though sure do light up a field like daylight.

 

[farmallsandcoops]

I have LEDs on all three of my Co-ops (E2, E3 and E5) and they are 6v pos. ground. The initial ones I bought were from Steiner. They worked great in the E5 and they had no warning that they were only for 12v. Then I bought another set from them that I am pretty sure were the same part number (this was a few years ago and sometimes CRS creeps in) and they warned on the site that they would not work with 6v systems, but I think those are the ones on the E3... or I found some on line that looked exactly like the ones from Steiner but were labeled 6v and they work fine. I searched on the internet for ones when I did the lights on the E2 and found ones off Amazon that were a slightly different style. I have also replaced dash lights on the 6v systems. I replaced all the lights except the red ones on the fender and the amber flasher/turn signal on the cab on my IH Hydro 3488. I have found LEDs to replace dash lights or smaller lights can be hit or miss. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't even when I very carefully purchase ones that say they are for 6v systems. But the common thread I have found? GROUND (yes I meant to yell)! You need to make sure the grounds are very good or erratic things happen. What is one poster always says... your results may vary!!

 

[Wheat47]

I have topped sugar beets for a guy, using a Deere 4440. He had replaced all the work lights with LED's.\
It was great!! It's flat DARK at 5:30 or 6:00AM when we started.

 

[Meangreen]

I believe Steiner has LEDs for 6V systems. I've converted both of my tractors (12V systems)

 

[Fawteen]

I 3D printed one for my diorama. Based, if I recall correctly, on pictures and information from Absent Minded Farmer.

Ooops. Wrong thread.

 

[flying belgian]

View attachment 102732

I 3D printed one for my diorama. Based, if I recall correctly, on pictures and information from Absent Minded Farmer.

Ooops. Wrong thread.

Not necessarily wrong thread. Is the chopper equipped with led lights?