LED lights on a 6V system?

General help and support for your Lindeman through 2010 John Deere crawler
Post Reply
hydrogeo
440 crawler
440 crawler
Posts: 204
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2011 3:48 pm
Location: New Hampshire

LED lights on a 6V system?

Post by hydrogeo » Sat Dec 05, 2015 8:50 am

I tend to run my 40C a fair bit after dark during the winter. Mainly to to give the kids sleigh rides (not sure this year, it is still down right balmy here). I probably have more hours on the machine doing that than anything else, lol. Photo is of my buddy pulling the kids around last year. We use an old pickup hood for a sled, my wife just shakes her head.

I have standard 6v lights front and rear but they are really no better than strapping a lit candle to the hood. I'd love to switch over to LEDs but haven't been able to find anything that looks like it would work. I'm not interested in converting to 12v. Other than the lights the 6V system seems to work just fine for my needs, I never have starting problems.

Anybody running LED lights on a 6V system?

Image

User avatar
Stan Disbrow
350 crawler
350 crawler
Posts: 2894
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 3:13 pm
Location: Raleigh, NC

Post by Stan Disbrow » Sat Dec 05, 2015 9:47 am

Hi,

I doubt it. All the commercially available LED lights are meant for 12v input. I doubt the thought about 6v has even been thought of by the makers. Way too small a market. The lights on my 420c have been used so seldom, they are likely the original bulbs still. At least I have never changed one, and don't recall my Dad changing one, either. And, we have had that machine since 1966. But, maybe the original owner changed one between 1958 and 1966. ;)

Not that you couldn't re-resistor 12v LED lights to work on 6v. The key thing right at the diodes themselves is current limiting, not input voltage, and that is set via a resistor in series with the diode or diode array.

Now, how to disassemble any particular unit to get at the resistors is an experiment waiting to be performed. Usually this means buying somethimg and trying to disassemble it and see what you break in an unrepairable manner and then moving onto the next make/model.

The final item is that whatever you buy will be negative ground, so you'd have to flip the diodes over in some manner to reverse their polarity.

So, something which can be done, but which I doubt anyone has.

I don't even know if there are 12v LED headlights in the form factor of round tractor lamps to begin with, but I presume there must be. I know there are for the emergency beacon spot lamps to replace incandescents, and they are the same size and shape. Now, just what would be involved with converting those to 6v I don't know, never having looked at how they were made.

Stan
There's No Such Thing As A Cheap Crawler!

Useta Have: '58 JD 420c 5-roller w/62 inside blade
Useta Have: '78 JD350C w/6310 outside blade
Useta Have: '68 JD350, '51 Terratrac GT-25
Have: 1950 M, 2005 x495, 2008 5103 (now known as 5045D)

User avatar
Stan Disbrow
350 crawler
350 crawler
Posts: 2894
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 3:13 pm
Location: Raleigh, NC

Post by Stan Disbrow » Sat Dec 05, 2015 9:49 am

Hi,

BTW, the 6v lamps were originally designed to produce the same illumination as the kerosene lamps they replaced. In other words, light of candle by design: :P

Stan
There's No Such Thing As A Cheap Crawler!

Useta Have: '58 JD 420c 5-roller w/62 inside blade
Useta Have: '78 JD350C w/6310 outside blade
Useta Have: '68 JD350, '51 Terratrac GT-25
Have: 1950 M, 2005 x495, 2008 5103 (now known as 5045D)

hydrogeo
440 crawler
440 crawler
Posts: 204
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2011 3:48 pm
Location: New Hampshire

Post by hydrogeo » Sat Dec 05, 2015 10:14 am

Thanks, Stan.

There are a huge array of 12V LED lights available for reasonable cost, including round lights that would fit.

Here's one to test your electrical knowledge - could I pull off the battery to a 6V - 12V converter and then put in a small 12V lawnmower battery to run the lights?

Found this on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Power-Inverter-6v ... B004P9NX9C


The LED lights draw pretty low current, so I don't think it would take much to run (ones I was looking at for one of my other toys drew ~2amps at 12V)

User avatar
Stan Disbrow
350 crawler
350 crawler
Posts: 2894
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 3:13 pm
Location: Raleigh, NC

Post by Stan Disbrow » Sat Dec 05, 2015 1:08 pm

Hi,

Not really efficient, but ought to work. Make sure the lights don't want to draw more current than the converter can supply. You may have to use more than one.

You have to isolate the light wiring from the machine. Those units have 6v Pos Gnd in, and 12v Neg Gnd out for running modern radios in old Volkswagons.

So that means running two wires into the light housings, one Pos and one Neg. Presumably the light units that fit have isolated power connections just like the old glass bulbs do. If they have a metal housing or otherwise pick up their 12v Neg connection, they'll have to be isolated from the machine and its' metal light shell.

Stan
There's No Such Thing As A Cheap Crawler!

Useta Have: '58 JD 420c 5-roller w/62 inside blade
Useta Have: '78 JD350C w/6310 outside blade
Useta Have: '68 JD350, '51 Terratrac GT-25
Have: 1950 M, 2005 x495, 2008 5103 (now known as 5045D)

boler76
430 crawler
430 crawler
Posts: 83
Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2006 5:57 am

6V LED

Post by boler76 » Sat Dec 05, 2015 8:03 pm

they are available for antique cars, just google 6v LED

User avatar
Stan Disbrow
350 crawler
350 crawler
Posts: 2894
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 3:13 pm
Location: Raleigh, NC

Post by Stan Disbrow » Sat Dec 05, 2015 8:47 pm

Hi,

Except, auto lights are a larger diameter than tractor lights. Won't fit.

Stan
There's No Such Thing As A Cheap Crawler!

Useta Have: '58 JD 420c 5-roller w/62 inside blade
Useta Have: '78 JD350C w/6310 outside blade
Useta Have: '68 JD350, '51 Terratrac GT-25
Have: 1950 M, 2005 x495, 2008 5103 (now known as 5045D)

User avatar
notmeu
1010 crawler
1010 crawler
Posts: 373
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2011 2:23 pm
Location: Western PA

Re: 6V LED

Post by notmeu » Sat Dec 05, 2015 8:56 pm

I am running 12 volt led lights on my 420, and they produce a very bright white light that is really nice in the dark. I use to use 100 watt halogen flood lights, but the led lights are no where near as bright, the 28 hour life span of the halogen bulbs got expensive real fast. I found mine on amazon for 12.00 a piece with free shipping. You will not go wrong putting led lights on your crawler, hopefully they are just as good for 6 volt. Just not having to replace a bulb anymore is well worth it.



Image



Image
1956 JD420, gearmatic 8a winch, custom 6 way blade and FOPS.

User avatar
Stan Disbrow
350 crawler
350 crawler
Posts: 2894
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 3:13 pm
Location: Raleigh, NC

Post by Stan Disbrow » Sun Dec 06, 2015 6:15 am

Hi,

28 hour lifespan?

I strongly suspect your 12v system wasn't delivering the required 13.8 volts to the bulbs. For Halogen bulbs to burn out in that very short time, you were not running the filaments hot enough for the recycle of filament material to occur.

This is a common issue when folks put halogen bulbs in older cars. Usually the result is due to the wiring is too small and has too much voltage drop. It can also be due to low voltage being generated, or a combination.

I have five halogen lamps on my 2008 5103 tractor and they have 250 hours or so on them from use during haying. I haven't replaced a bulb from new. Two lamps are Factory, three I added a few days after I received the tractor.

Stan
There's No Such Thing As A Cheap Crawler!

Useta Have: '58 JD 420c 5-roller w/62 inside blade
Useta Have: '78 JD350C w/6310 outside blade
Useta Have: '68 JD350, '51 Terratrac GT-25
Have: 1950 M, 2005 x495, 2008 5103 (now known as 5045D)

User avatar
notmeu
1010 crawler
1010 crawler
Posts: 373
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2011 2:23 pm
Location: Western PA

Post by notmeu » Sun Dec 06, 2015 9:08 am

Stan Disbrow wrote:Hi,

28 hour lifespan?

Stan, that was the life span rating on the replacement sealed beam bulb packaging. I'll take a picture of the box. I'm pretty sure I have one in the barn.
1956 JD420, gearmatic 8a winch, custom 6 way blade and FOPS.

User avatar
notmeu
1010 crawler
1010 crawler
Posts: 373
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2011 2:23 pm
Location: Western PA

Post by notmeu » Sun Dec 06, 2015 9:19 am

Stan, this is a similar Par 35 bulbs that I was using. 25 hour average rated lifespan, crazy isn't it! That's why I went to LEDs!

http://www.replacementlightbulbs.com/lamp4700.html
Last edited by notmeu on Sun Dec 06, 2015 9:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
1956 JD420, gearmatic 8a winch, custom 6 way blade and FOPS.

User avatar
notmeu
1010 crawler
1010 crawler
Posts: 373
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2011 2:23 pm
Location: Western PA

Post by notmeu » Sun Dec 06, 2015 9:21 am

Sorry double post! Actually triple post, that's a first!
1956 JD420, gearmatic 8a winch, custom 6 way blade and FOPS.

User avatar
Stan Disbrow
350 crawler
350 crawler
Posts: 2894
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 3:13 pm
Location: Raleigh, NC

Post by Stan Disbrow » Sun Dec 06, 2015 12:02 pm

Hi,

Ugh!

Stan
There's No Such Thing As A Cheap Crawler!

Useta Have: '58 JD 420c 5-roller w/62 inside blade
Useta Have: '78 JD350C w/6310 outside blade
Useta Have: '68 JD350, '51 Terratrac GT-25
Have: 1950 M, 2005 x495, 2008 5103 (now known as 5045D)

whiteclipse16
2010 crawler
2010 crawler
Posts: 622
Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2010 8:02 am
Location: Steubenville, OH

Post by whiteclipse16 » Mon Dec 07, 2015 11:49 am

I'd look at using a small 12V battery (ie. motorcycle) and trying to hide it in front of the dash. Power your light switch from it and use 12V LED lights.
Biggest issue is that you'd probably have to put a trickle charger on the 12V battery after using it since you wouldn't be charging that battery.
Ben

Great Grandpa's 1960 440ICD 602 blade
Between SN's: 455,633 - 456,801
Currently Rebuilding/Restoring

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 41 guests