Does anybody know how many amps/watts I can safely draw from my backhoes light circuit? Are there any fuses on this machine that i could check? I wasn’t able to find anything in the manual. Thanks for your help!
All factory light circuits I have seen run through a fuse in the power system(fuse box/block). I would not go too much above what it says on your fuse box for that circuit. Depending on how many lights are being run on that circuit, most are 10-20 amp fuses. Anything higher than what is specified can overheat your circuit if left on for long periods of time.
I assume the fuse box is the block below the steering wheel where all the wires meet? It doesn't seem to have the "car style" fuse which have their amp rating printed on top. Any way I can tell what my circuit is rated for? Thanks!
The Case backhoes I am familiar with have two, or three big 30 to 50 amp fuses. I suggest leaving them alone, install another large fuse, and pick up power for your auxiliary load as near to the battery as is feasible. This might be at the battery, or at the other end of the positive cable. Consider LED lighting, it will reduce load on your alternator. Case installed a few different capacity alternators, try to not exceed alternator capacity.
30amps should be plenty. I was just a little concerned because the two 36w led's I have installed in the front went a bit Dimmer when I turned the rotating beacon and warning flashers came on. I will soon replace the stock rear lights with the same led's I have in the front. Maybe that’ll help. If not I might take a look at the flashing light bulbs.
When lights dim they likely have either a weak connection in the circuit, or too much load on a wire. Bad ground connection is another likely cause. Remember, a 100 watt bulb on household power is less than 1 amp. On a 12 volt system it is 8.333 amps. Four 100 watt bulbs would be 33+ amps. This will load a #12 wire, and overload any weak connection you might have. The effects of resistance are ten times worse on a 12 volt system than on household wiring. My 580K lives indoors, but gets used outdoors. It is notorious for bad lighting connections. Crimp on connectors are the worst fail point. Both inside the crimped barrel, and where they get connected by screw or plug. The original plugs where harnesses plug together are failure points. I can't bring myself to buy a new harness, so I run new wire along side the old harness when a circuit fails. Use caution to prevent chafing. I like 1/4" PEX air line as a protector.