6 Volt Headlight Bulbs

General help and support for your Lindeman through 2010 John Deere crawler
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Roger440IC
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6 Volt Headlight Bulbs

Post by Roger440IC » Thu Jan 10, 2013 12:08 am

I just read ratskinner's post below and have to agree that it would be great to have brighter headlights because I always end up plowing snow in the dark as well. Has anyone found any higher lumen 6 volt bulbs out there, maybe LED, that would work?
Roger
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btilghman
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Post by btilghman » Thu Jan 10, 2013 4:44 am

LED's are a great idea, but with one drawback; they don't generate much, if any, heat. I know this has caused problems with traffic lights in snow storms since the snow and ice tends to build up on the lenses.

There are aircraft landing lights available in LED, but they are 12 volt (or 24) and EXPENSIVE. $250.00. Over the long haul they are probably cheaper because of the extended life.

If they were available, though, I would get one. Less current draw. and not much snow around here.

Ben

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gregjo1948
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6 volt headlight bulbs

Post by gregjo1948 » Thu Jan 10, 2013 6:21 am

Would adding 6 volt fog lights help? gregjo1948
JD 350B diesel 6way blade, Case 580B Loader/backhoe, Farmall 504 high crop w/ flail boom mower, International 404 , International 284 diesel w/belly mower, 1972 Ford F600 dump truck, Galion 3-5 roller, Allis Chalmers D17, 1620 Ford

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Roger440IC
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Post by Roger440IC » Sat Jan 12, 2013 7:01 pm

I was dreaming that there was a 6 volt LED replacement bulb out there that I could just put into the standard automotive sockets in my headlamps. Thanks, Roger
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johnHD
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Post by johnHD » Sat Jan 12, 2013 8:13 pm

what type of bulb is it?

there are many antique motorcyle bulbs that may work. and they are built for rough service.

my old harleys use a bayonet base with a ring on them.

john

boler76
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6v led bulbs

Post by boler76 » Sun Jan 13, 2013 7:57 am


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Roger440IC
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Post by Roger440IC » Sun Jan 13, 2013 2:40 pm

Thanks Boler76, have you tried these? I was wondering if they are worth the $20. Roger
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Paul Buhler
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Post by Paul Buhler » Mon Jan 14, 2013 5:59 pm

I'm looking to put lights on my 6v dozer too.
I found this site which has some info. Now I'm wondering if I can find appropriate housings for the bulbs mentioned that will work on a dozer. Paul

http://kfclub.com/forum/index.php?topic=19.0
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hydrogeo
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Post by hydrogeo » Mon Jan 14, 2013 8:26 pm

I just wired up three 6v lights they had on the shelf at Tractor Supply on my crawler-2 front 1 rear. I think they were like $14 each. They work better than I expected, but I found that I had to run the positive ground back to the battery, otherwise they were kinda dim. Now that I did that they are not too bad, and it is very nice having lights.

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Paul Buhler
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Post by Paul Buhler » Tue Jan 15, 2013 8:16 am

I just wired up three 6v lights they had on the shelf at Tractor Supply on my crawler-2 front 1 rear. I think they were like $14 each. They work better than I expected, but I found that I had to run the positive ground back to the battery, otherwise they were kinda dim. Now that I did that they are not too bad, and it is very nice having lights.
Thanks for the info. I like easy and relatively inexpensive solutions. Paul
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Ray III
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Post by Ray III » Thu Jan 24, 2013 6:57 am

hydrogeo wrote:I just wired up three 6v lights they had on the shelf at Tractor Supply on my crawler-2 front 1 rear. I think they were like $14 each. They work better than I expected, but I found that I had to run the positive ground back to the battery, otherwise they were kinda dim. Now that I did that they are not too bad, and it is very nice having lights.
When installing one-wire lights, I like to grind all the contact surfaces down to bare metal and coat them with never-seez to keep the rust out, to make a good electrical path. This would also need to be done where the brush guard mounts to the frame.

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Re: 6 volt headlight bulbs

Post by Ray III » Thu Jan 24, 2013 7:15 am

gregjo1948 wrote:Would adding 6 volt fog lights help? gregjo1948
It depends on how much electrical power the machine generates. These only produce 15 amps at 6 volts. Each bulb draws about 3 amps, that's 9 if you have the rear light, plus 2 amps for ignition is 11, that only leaves a 4 amp reserve for charging the battery.

Adding more demand than you generate will cause a voltage drop and you will just have 4 half-assed headlights instead of 2 bright ones.

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Paul Buhler
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Post by Paul Buhler » Thu Jan 24, 2013 2:18 pm

Ray or others: Can you help me out? I understand the formula below, and I'm looking at installing a pair of 6 volt, 35 watt halogen utility lights. If I do the math, I expect that they will draw approx 6 amp each, for a total draw of 12 amps (I'm only using two lights on this circuit - the rear light will be switched separately, and used sporadically). Using Ray's information, this leaves 1 amp for charging when the two lights are on. Can I boost the generator output in some way, or will this system work ok? I only need the lights infrequently. Any other thoughts will be appreciated. Thanks, Paul


The power (Watts) generated or transmitted by a system is directly proportional to the current (Amperes), and can be expressed in the following equation:

P = IV

Where:
· P is power in Watts
· I is current in Amperes
· V is voltage in Volts
Paul Buhler
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Post by Lavoy » Thu Jan 24, 2013 2:27 pm

I think the generator on the 40-440 will do about 22 amps if I remember correctly. I have run 2 good sealed beam headlights, and a standard bulb type taillight on a 420 before. Onl time amp gauge would drop below positive is at lower RPM.
If you want more amps, I have a 10SI Delco 6V alternator I am not going to use sitting here.
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Parts and restoration for antique and late model John Deere crawlers.
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40 tracks
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6v headlights

Post by 40 tracks » Thu Jan 24, 2013 2:51 pm

Don't know what the sockets you have are like but try Mac's Antique Auto parts Model A Ford parts (they are online). They have higher candle power 6v bulbs and halogen bulbs that fit 6v sockets.

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