Tractor area/work lighting?

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FlyFishn

Newly Enlightened
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Jan 15, 2020
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All,

I have a bit of a conundrum. We bought a new tractor and I need some area lighting. The dealer didn't really help us any on the lighting, I don't think they are all that up to speed on it and the other issue is the OEM options are very expensive.

Some background - on our old tractor I built a dummy ROPS bar and mounted 12x of the combo LED spot/flood housings linked below. I wired them to "front", "rear", and "sides" for switchable 360deg lighting.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/353715404541
20250106_193320.jpg
Though the lights "work", I want better lighting. The OEM headlights on the tractor work very well. However, they are blocked 80% of the time with the loader and what work I'm doing (plowing, moving materials, pallets, boxes, what have you). So I guess if I was to try to articulate what I am after - if I could get the quality of lighting I am getting in the OEM headlights to be up higher and give me 360deg coverage - over top loader loads and past rear implements like the brush hog and tillage, plus side coverage so I can see the trails and field - that is what I'm after. But I don't know how to specify that and search for light units that meet those unknown specs.

Thoughts? Help?
 
I'd be looking at "balloon lights" (the type you see on construction sites, not the kind you get at the party store). Won't project quite as far as the more typical floodlights, but will give you much better lighting in the area around the machine.
 
Another route might be to configure four or more of a decently higher-output vehicle light that's got some size to it.

While technically not "work" lighting, Valeo's Cibie Super Oscar lights put out an impressive amount of light. On a high and wide mounting point, I can't imagine 4-8 of these units wouldn't nicely cover the work area.

https://assets-valeo.keepeek.com/pm_8143_852_852850-o7e6sx6lix.pdf
Valeo Cibie Super OSCAR LED – Wide Beam -- (Ref.045318, 9.1"W, or Ref.045314, 9.1"W)
LED flux: 2,400 lumens
Output flux: 1,200 lumens
Luminous intensity: 125,000 candelas
Light colour: 6,000 kelvins
 
pnwoutdoors said:
Another route might be to configure four or more of a decently higher-output vehicle light that's got some size to it.

While technically not "work" lighting, Valeo's Cibie Super Oscar lights put out an impressive amount of light. On a high and wide mounting point, I can't imagine 4-8 of these units wouldn't nicely cover the work area.

https://assets-valeo.keepeek.com/pm_8143_852_852850-o7e6sx6lix.pdf
Valeo Cibie Super OSCAR LED – Wide Beam -- (Ref.045318, 9.1"W, or Ref.045314, 9.1"W)
LED flux: 2,400 lumens
Output flux: 1,200 lumens
Luminous intensity: 125,000 candelas
Light colour: 6,000 kelvins
Click to expand...
I am not opposed to the suggestion as far as end use/design/form factor.

However, those are some expensive lights.

Figure I need at least 8 of what ever I end up with - 2 fronts, 2 rears, 2 lefts, and 2 rights - minimum.

The way I have the 12 configured with the other set up is there are 4x in the front, 4x in the rear, and 2 on each side. The 4x sets front and rear have 2 aimed in the primary directions in the middle and the ones on the outside are aimed off to the sides a bit. That way the spread gets closer to being 360deg, with the primary directions being forward and backward so the intensity of the spread is more there, but still there is some side coverage.

If I went with 8 units then I think there will be a lot more dead space on the sides as the primary directions - front and rear - are going to have 2 lights focused there. That leaves only 2 lights on each side to catch that whole ~180deg range. Especially with more of a directive/spot light, as opposed to a flood light - I can see that limiting my side illumination quite a bit, even though the areas that are lit would be very well lit.

So back to the numbers - at several hundred dollars each multiplied by 8 that is cost prohibitive, unfortunately.
 
Adding that many lights can get pricey, fast.

I have really had a good experience with both the cibie super oscar LEDs that @pnwoutdoors mentioned, and now currently run a set of diode dynamics SS3's and SS5's and an older version of their light bar, the SS12.

The Cibies have a Very wide beam pattern for driving lights, two overlapping trapezoidal profiles that fade in intensity from the outer/upper/lower edges of the beam to the main hotspot of the center overlapping section. These might be a good choice for forward illumination if you can mount them high enough to remain useful when your front implements are raised. They'll give you a wide, far reaching beam, espcially when mounted high, and the gradual fade in intensity is much less blinding from sudden transition to illuminated/not illuminated.

Diode dynamics offers a mix of models. I do not have any experience with their newer lightbars or the "2.0" version of their smaller pods, but their spec sheets are reliable ime. You might consider mounting a single 10-12" lightbar on each side of the cab with a flood or "combo" beam pattern.
 
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