Another option if your machine has no lighting coil or the lighting coil is bad is to use a dewalt battery adapter (about $10) a dewalt battery and two 18W led lights. The battery will last just over an hour. If you need more time, just pop a fresh battery in. They have battery adapters for Dewalt, Milwaukee, Ryobi, etc. Just buy the correct adapter for the brand you use.
Why didn’t you keep the stock light with the LEDs? Do you have any information on how to wire this with the assed capacitor(s) you mentioned? I would appreciate any diagrams you could send or send a link to them. Thanks
I just didn't feel the need to keep the stock light as it isn't all that bright anyways. Though if I wanted to, I suppose I could wire it back into the system for some more light wash close to the machine. I do not know how you'd wire the capacitors in...I did this so long ago that I don't remember and I don't think I looked too deep into that since I hadn't planned to use them anyways. Sorry!
Thank you so much for this video. It was a very good walk through on how to add LED lights to my snow thrower. I did as you instructed and the setup came out perfectly!
My two 18W units are drawing the same as one 36W unit would be, and they work just fine. So, I see no validity to somebody saying there isn't enough juice for it. I believe the stator is rated for upwards of 60 watts, as it is designed to operate both the stock headlight as well as optional hand warmers (which my machine does not have). You'd be fine with one 36W unit.
I have an Ariens 1128 Pro. I was looking into replacing the stock headlight with two Nilight 18W pods. There are 2 of them and one for each side like you have but closer to the handlebars. How would I wire that into the existing headlight circuit? Or how would I be able to wire the led’s into the battery on the unit (and should I use a switch at that point)?
You could wire them up just as I did in this video. If you wish to keep your stock headlight instead of cutting it out as I did, you can use line tap connectors to draw power from the stock headlight harness. You could indeed hook them up to the battery itself. This would eliminate the need for the bridge rectifier, as the LEDs would be getting DC directly from the battery. But yes, you would need a switch at that point. I'm not super electrically savvy when it comes to wiring in switches, but I'm sure there's plenty of info out in Google Land about wiring in simple switches. Or, head to Amazon and pick up a fog light wiring kit which will already have a switch wired in. You will likely have to do some trimming as the leads are pretty long since they're intended for cars and such. They also typically use a relay switch, so you'll have a relay to hide as well if you go that route. That's how I wired a pair of these lights on my dirtbike, with a fog light harness, and am happy with it. Just be sure to get one with a waterproof switch (or swap the switch it comes with for a waterproof one as I did) and seal off all connections nicely with electrical tape.
Nice install. However, I would have installed the lights slightly higher than they are. Looking forward to seeing them outside when you get snow and how bright they are in snowy conditions.
Thanks! I hear ya, I had the same thought. I considered getting some longer mounting bolts and spacers to get them up a bit higher, but was more concerned about getting the initial install and wiring correct first. Haven't used the machine at night yet, but it won't be long. I like your use of an L-bracket to gain some height...that's a great idea.
I just didn't feel the need to keep the stock light in the equation and wanted to keep the power draw as low as possible. If I did want to maintain the stock light, then I would probably use a line tap connector to get power to the rectifier/LEDs. That way, your stock wiring to the stock bulb remains virtually untouched, no need for it to be hooked to the rectifier. The power draw with both the LEDs (18W+18W) and the stock 20W bulb shouldn't be an issue for the stator unless you also have hand warmers...not sure what the max recommended draw is.
I'm not sure, Chris. You'd need to find the stator on your machine if there is one. Otherwise you may have to retrofit a stator to your motor, and I'm not sure how to do that properly.
You can just wire it directly to a small 12 volt battery with a switch. Attach battery to snowblower in a suitable location and you are good to go. Recharge battery as may be required, led lights don’t draw much current.
I'm planning on buying a new Ariens Platinum 24 SHO do you know if the same Led setup would work on the Platinum 24 I know nothing about Electric but I am handy and can follow your directions does this motor support the LED wattage with no problem
As far as I know, it shouldn't be a problem! The stator is designed to handle the headlight as well as handwarmers, which exceed the wattage used by the 2x18W LED lights in my setup.
The original bulb? No, it shouldn't/won't flicker as it is a standard halogen filament style bulb and will be constantly lit with the stator's AC power. LEDs prefer DC power. AC power is essentially a very fast on/off switch, so at lower RPMs, the LEDs receiving AC power appear to flicker.
CD - thanks for sharing! very thorough job - I bought all the parts and am about to start, then came across your channel. Very helpful - I'll be adding a couple of caps so they don't flicker, and looking for a small waterproof enclosure to house the rectifier and caps. I'm just concerned about drilling holes and the eventual rust factor that is certain to occur. Maybe treat drilled holes with OSPHO - then paint prior to hardware installation? Thanks again - posts like these are the reason I youtube !
I have not had any water or rust issues yet, and I now have right around a hundred hours on the machine. And that includes transporting it in my truck around town to snowblow for others every time it snows. The location I put the rectifier seems to work well in keeping the electronics free from exposure. But I do understand your concerns about drilling holes...it was certainly nerve-wracking drilling holes in a brand new machine! I do have a garage to keep the machine when not in use, and keep it covered in the garage all summer in the off-season, so that helps to keep it clean and rust-free!
Hey all. I just added some lights to my blower using this as guidance. Still no water issues? I tucked the rectifier up under the operating “dash” but am still questioning the need for an enclosure.
Yeah, I mean, they'll get covered with snow once in a while while busting through plow piles, but they don't take the brunt of it as they're inset a little bit. Haven't had any issues with it, just have to brush them off once in a while!
@@mapex311 I ended up finding the liquid spray-on electrical tape. Didn't stick to some parts of the metal tabs too well, but I then dabbed on some dielectric grease. Confident now that there is no way its going to short-out even in a blizzard.
I have had zero issues with regards to weather resistance with the rectifier. And that includes moving the snowblower around town in my truck to snowblow for customers, and I even wash the thing once in a while (always before summer storage). I have about 100 hours on this setup and no issues with the rectifier. The rectifier itself is potted with silicone and weather resistant.
Finally a good clear video on this. Will be doing this soon but will add a switch
Another option if your machine has no lighting coil or the lighting coil is bad is to use a dewalt battery adapter (about $10) a dewalt battery and two 18W led lights. The battery will last just over an hour. If you need more time, just pop a fresh battery in. They have battery adapters for Dewalt, Milwaukee, Ryobi, etc. Just buy the correct adapter for the brand you use.
Especially if your machine has handwarmers hogging the watts available! 😊
Why didn’t you keep the stock light with the LEDs? Do you have any information on how to wire this with the assed capacitor(s) you mentioned? I would appreciate any diagrams you could send or send a link to them. Thanks
I just didn't feel the need to keep the stock light as it isn't all that bright anyways. Though if I wanted to, I suppose I could wire it back into the system for some more light wash close to the machine.
I do not know how you'd wire the capacitors in...I did this so long ago that I don't remember and I don't think I looked too deep into that since I hadn't planned to use them anyways. Sorry!
@@cdsmock4512 thanks again. If you choose to re-wire the machine’s light you can change the bulb, itself, to a LED projection bulb.
Thank you so much for this video. It was a very good walk through on how to add LED lights to my snow thrower. I did as you instructed and the setup came out perfectly!
Anon Citizen Glad it was helpful and that you had success!
That’s what I taking about looking for details, and finally got it thanks man👍🏿👏🏾.
I put a Switch on my snowblower. The switch has a light, that glows when the switch is on . I also put 2- capacitors into the wiring system
Where do you add the capacitor?
Instead of 2 18w units can i just install one 36w light bar? I'm reading some posts that there isn't enough juice for that
My two 18W units are drawing the same as one 36W unit would be, and they work just fine. So, I see no validity to somebody saying there isn't enough juice for it. I believe the stator is rated for upwards of 60 watts, as it is designed to operate both the stock headlight as well as optional hand warmers (which my machine does not have). You'd be fine with one 36W unit.
Thank you. I'm still scared to do it.
I have an Ariens 1128 Pro. I was looking into replacing the stock headlight with two Nilight 18W pods. There are 2 of them and one for each side like you have but closer to the handlebars. How would I wire that into the existing headlight circuit? Or how would I be able to wire the led’s into the battery on the unit (and should I use a switch at that point)?
You could wire them up just as I did in this video. If you wish to keep your stock headlight instead of cutting it out as I did, you can use line tap connectors to draw power from the stock headlight harness.
You could indeed hook them up to the battery itself. This would eliminate the need for the bridge rectifier, as the LEDs would be getting DC directly from the battery. But yes, you would need a switch at that point. I'm not super electrically savvy when it comes to wiring in switches, but I'm sure there's plenty of info out in Google Land about wiring in simple switches. Or, head to Amazon and pick up a fog light wiring kit which will already have a switch wired in. You will likely have to do some trimming as the leads are pretty long since they're intended for cars and such. They also typically use a relay switch, so you'll have a relay to hide as well if you go that route. That's how I wired a pair of these lights on my dirtbike, with a fog light harness, and am happy with it. Just be sure to get one with a waterproof switch (or swap the switch it comes with for a waterproof one as I did) and seal off all connections nicely with electrical tape.
Nice install. However, I would have installed the lights slightly higher than they are.
Looking forward to seeing them outside when you get snow and how bright they are in snowy conditions.
Thanks! I hear ya, I had the same thought. I considered getting some longer mounting bolts and spacers to get them up a bit higher, but was more concerned about getting the initial install and wiring correct first. Haven't used the machine at night yet, but it won't be long. I like your use of an L-bracket to gain some height...that's a great idea.
Looks great man, just a question why didn’t you hook the light back up that came with the blower? Could you put that on the same rectifier?
I just didn't feel the need to keep the stock light in the equation and wanted to keep the power draw as low as possible. If I did want to maintain the stock light, then I would probably use a line tap connector to get power to the rectifier/LEDs. That way, your stock wiring to the stock bulb remains virtually untouched, no need for it to be hooked to the rectifier. The power draw with both the LEDs (18W+18W) and the stock 20W bulb shouldn't be an issue for the stator unless you also have hand warmers...not sure what the max recommended draw is.
UP Detailing thanks for the info man! Clean work I liked it! Will be doing the same
Great install and video.
I’d like to add lights to my old John Deere snowblower. Where do I tap in for power? There is no existing light.
Thank you!
I'm not sure, Chris. You'd need to find the stator on your machine if there is one. Otherwise you may have to retrofit a stator to your motor, and I'm not sure how to do that properly.
You can just wire it directly to a small 12 volt battery with a switch. Attach battery to snowblower in a suitable location and you are good to go. Recharge battery as may be required, led lights don’t draw much current.
I'm planning on buying a new Ariens Platinum 24 SHO do you know if the same Led setup would work on the Platinum 24 I know nothing about Electric but I am handy and can follow your directions does this motor support the LED wattage with no problem
As far as I know, it shouldn't be a problem! The stator is designed to handle the headlight as well as handwarmers, which exceed the wattage used by the 2x18W LED lights in my setup.
does the original flicker at low rpms I got ariencs delux 30 never noticed
The original bulb? No, it shouldn't/won't flicker as it is a standard halogen filament style bulb and will be constantly lit with the stator's AC power. LEDs prefer DC power. AC power is essentially a very fast on/off switch, so at lower RPMs, the LEDs receiving AC power appear to flicker.
CD - thanks for sharing! very thorough job - I bought all the parts and am about to start, then came across your channel. Very helpful - I'll be adding a couple of caps so they don't flicker, and looking for a small waterproof enclosure to house the rectifier and caps. I'm just concerned about drilling holes and the eventual rust factor that is certain to occur. Maybe treat drilled holes with OSPHO - then paint prior to hardware installation? Thanks again - posts like these are the reason I youtube !
I have not had any water or rust issues yet, and I now have right around a hundred hours on the machine. And that includes transporting it in my truck around town to snowblow for others every time it snows. The location I put the rectifier seems to work well in keeping the electronics free from exposure. But I do understand your concerns about drilling holes...it was certainly nerve-wracking drilling holes in a brand new machine! I do have a garage to keep the machine when not in use, and keep it covered in the garage all summer in the off-season, so that helps to keep it clean and rust-free!
Hey all. I just added some lights to my blower using this as guidance. Still no water issues? I tucked the rectifier up under the operating “dash” but am still questioning the need for an enclosure.
@@mdecleene1 No issues at all.
Do you have any problems with the lights getting hit by snow/snow banks?
Yeah, I mean, they'll get covered with snow once in a while while busting through plow piles, but they don't take the brunt of it as they're inset a little bit. Haven't had any issues with it, just have to brush them off once in a while!
What gauge wire did you use?
I put a tractor voltage regulator rectifier a small battery on mine
Any thoughts on how to make the rectifier a bit more weather resistant?
liquid electrical tape
@@mapex311 I ended up finding the liquid spray-on electrical tape. Didn't stick to some parts of the metal tabs too well, but I then dabbed on some dielectric grease. Confident now that there is no way its going to short-out even in a blizzard.
I have had zero issues with regards to weather resistance with the rectifier. And that includes moving the snowblower around town in my truck to snowblow for customers, and I even wash the thing once in a while (always before summer storage). I have about 100 hours on this setup and no issues with the rectifier. The rectifier itself is potted with silicone and weather resistant.