I wanted to put work lights on my 4 Lull telehandlers 85-92. Three have 2 900 CCA batteries and one has a 800 CCA battery. Not sure on output of alternator. How do I figure the load of the work lights in relationship to the electrical system? I wanted two in the rear to go on with backup alarm so I guess they won't be on much. Lights are in watts I guess? Thanks. something like below I have used before the rubber tractor lights and rectangular ones also. Could I do 4 front 55 watt lights and two in the rear? http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/...=mode+matchallpartial&Dx=mode+matchallpartial
First of all, the size of your batteries doesn't matter if you are going to have the lights on for any length of time. What matters is the current (amp) output of your alternator. A 12V system is going to produce a usable 14V if it is healthy. The formula you use is P=Vi, where P is power, v is voltage and i is current in amps. Therefore each 55W bulb will draw about 4 amps. 6 lamps will add about 24 amps load to your alternator. If 2 are only being used in reverse, the batteries will probably handle that load, leaving 16 amps additional draw on your alternator. You need to see what the size of your alternator is (in amps), add up the draw from all loads on it now, ie...fan, existing lights, radio etc... and see if the left over output is enough for the new lights. Usually, stock alternators are not significantly over-sized for large additional loads. One option is to add a second alternator for additional lighting. I have seen this done frequently in forestry applications where equipment is running 20+ lights. If you go this way, care has to be exercised when selecting the second alternator as they need to be well balanced or one may still try to do all the work and burn out while the other does nothing. Another option is to replace the existing alternator with a bigger unit. If you go this route you may have to go to a bigger belt and pulley sizes.
Each 55 watt lamp is going to pull about 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 amps. Four on the front seems like a lot of light, I would think 2 flood lamps up front would provide sufficient lighting. I don't think you'll have a charging problem on your Lull's. Your models don't have a lot of electrical stuff going on anyway, i.e., ecm's, solenoid controlled transmission controls, etc. Yes, we don't know what your alternator output is, but most put out at least 30 to 40 amps. Should be plenty enough for you to operate a few lights.
Thanks guys for the education, your time & knowledge.!:drinkup
And if anyone needs something with a LOT less draw and not near the expense of HID lighting (still pricey though), I absolutely love these. We have sold/used/installed a buch of these and have not had a single failure of any sort. At one time I figured that 4 of them drew close to what a single standard 55 watt light did. http://www.servicemate.com/catalog/partdetail.aspx?PartNo=1703501 Edit: Just saw the spec, it says 2 amps at 12 Volts. I always saw around 1.3 amps...
nice lights Randy but kids / vandals usually wack my lights sooner or later and I would be weak at those prices.
I have been switching most of my flood lights over to LED's as they go out. The light output is good and the power draw is alot less than a halogen. I have been using Peterson AND Grote floodlights from my local Truck supplier.
Stupid me I found a big box of lights I bought years ago. 55 watt floods. They were made in USA Figured I would google it and see they were gone also To my surprise they were not and have some nice stuff. http://www.jwspeaker.com/ neat stuff http://www.jwspeaker.com/catalog/forward_lighting/model_522-523-524.html