i operate a D11r on a rotating shift so sometimes i run at night. there are enough lights on it to light up a town.its got a couple of blue lights on the top of the dozer lift cylinders one on each side with a regular light next to it. and up on the sides of the cab towards the back facing out to your left and one on the right. the other two guys that run it want to change them out for the regular lights. the blue lights are so expensive 500buks a pair that once their gone i know ill never get them back,just wondering if anyone knows what im talking about,or if i should keep fighting to keep the blue lights,personally i like them.
It sounds like you have HID lights on youre dozer. I would definitly keep em
thats what i say too.i have have come to like them. but being the younger operator my opinion doesnt always get heard. i wish i had some pics of it at night,looks like a walking blue light special.
Welcome to Heavy Equipment Forums 637slayer! :drinkup Cat is starting to use the HID lighting packages as factory equipment. Much better light to operate under, in my opinion.
Yeah some of these old guys just dont get it, too stubborn.... "I hate that damn blue light... whatever happened to the good old days??" Whatever.
Not sure about why the lights would be blue but I heard that Xenon HID lighting is supposed to last 5 times longer than conventional halogen lighting and the current draw is lower. I'm not sure but I think this stuff is used extensively on military vehicles (so it must be good). Also the initial scary price can probably be written off in durability (cost per hour/reduced maintenance).
Some bulbs actually produce a blue light (see chart below). Most of the Cat equipment with the HID lighting comes with a mix of the HID and Halogen lights. For instance, the front of the 991K has 4 HID and 6 Halogen lights. With the HIDs next to the halogens, it makes the blue color even more apparent because of the color differences between the two. The light produced by the HID is actually alot closer to daylight than the Halogen, which produces a yellow light. The color of the light depends on the Color Temperature at which the bulb is intended to run. Lower temperature HID bulbs will be whiter than bulbs with a higher Color Temperature. Color Temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin. All HID light is brighter than Halogen, while using less power. HID lights are also more durable because they do not need a filament to produce light. Here's a chart showing Color Temperature of a light compared to the color of light that is produced.
thanx for the welcome countryboy, glad i finally found a place that talks about heavyequipment. i love reading the stories and seeing all the pics. ya i have come to really like the new lights too, i hope the senior operators dont get their way.