Kubota BX Series - Lighting Project

[Conductor562]

As some of you may remember, I bought a Kubota BX2370 late season last year. With the move and everything I really didn't get to use it much, but talk about a grass cutting son of a bitch! It'll thrash thick, foot high, grass and never grunt at 2300 rpm. It's a fine machine, perfect for a small acre property with grade.

It got plenty of use this winter though with all the snow. Last week my sister in law got here Camry stuck in the ditch just from my driveway so I figured I'd give the Kubota a little pulling test. She pulled it right out and with a little jolt I didn't even need low range.

It didn't take long for me to find the Achilles heel on this thing though, the lighting sucks. Ever laid on your back in 11" of snow trying to hook a logging chain under the front end of a Camry that has virtually nothing to hook to? Ever done it in the dark with no flashlight because the kids ran every one you have dead? If you answered yes then you can appreciate my frustration. If you answered no then take my word for it, it SUCKS!

We went the next morning or so and picked up a work light kit for the rear and a driving light kit to mount forward facing from the roll bar. Over the last 2 days I've worked on it little by little. I didn't snap as many pics as I'd have liked, but I did snap a few.

First I selected the location of the work light and drilled the mounting hole for it. I opted for an offset mount rather than center so as to not conflict with the stabilizer bar when in the up position. The metal is thick. I didn't measure it, but I'm guessing it's 5/16 or so, and while it provided an excellent mounting platform, it took a minute or 5 to drill. I used my M18 drill, Craftsman Pro Cobalt bits, on lots of cutting fluid. Low and slow the drill performed flawlessly as it always does, the bits....don't waste $100 on them like I did. You can get far superior Norseman Super Premiums for the same money.

I watched a few YouTube videos to see what others were doing with this. I found all manner of people mounting lights like me, but most just ran the wires down the roll bar, exposed on the outside, and some even put their switches in a box on the bar. Sure, that makes it easy, but it also looks like dog shit and tells me they're lazy. Conductor does shit right the first time so he doesn't have to do it again. I pulled the roll bar off and fished the wires down through the fender like everyone should. I don't like to half ass anything, especially not on a $16,000 machine.

The only way to fish the wires effectively was to break the ROPS completely down. A little more time consuming, but worth it IMO

There were a couple of things that made this project easier. If you notice in the first pic, it was pre-wired from the factory with a 20amp accessory hook up. That alone saved me at least an hours work running it to the battery and allowed me to bypass using an inline fuse that I'd have to dig out if it ever blew. 20 amps is plenty for 3 55W lights. The other blessing was the presence of the hole in the ROPS mounting plate. Drilling them would have been another 20 minutes or so.

Duct tape is the mark of true redneck workmanship. Another staple item in the redneck shop is MSHA approved electrical tape which you can easily identify by the white lettering on it. Besides being awesome, heavy duty, tape that was unknowingly provided free of charge by Peabody Coal, it makes identifying the auxiliary lighting wire jacket easy if the need to service should ever arise.

That's all I have for now, but I should have it finished up tonight and will provide more pics.

[NicholasShetley]

If you want to see bad lighting you should see our ford 8n. It is just like two cheap flashlights taped to the hood. It is pathetic but it is still 6 volt too. We also have a Massey ferguson 165 and the lights are great on it. What would you recommend for a good set of drill bits?

[DR99]

Looks great Conductor although I'm kind of surprised you have a stuffed beaver as your shop mascot/buddy It sucks they don't include better lighting from the factory did you used LED lights on this project? I'm a big fan on anything led lately for some reason if done right they seem to produce better light with out the high draw of incandescent bulbs plus they should last a long time I hate changing bulbs on cars and equipment its usually a pain in the ass. My friend has one of the Kubota BX tractors too and its an amazing tool to have around the property if you have any sort of acreage he's looking into getting a front mounted snow plow for the tractor, but put it off now that we are slowly changing from this crazy ass winter. I need to work on my snow blower and do a good tuneup and touch up some pain that got chipped I offered too help a neighbor with his snow and didn't know he had landscaping rocks on the side of his house everyone else has cement. I was kinda pissed off about it. I know it wasn't his fault, but now I have another project to deal with now.

[Harold Wray]

That Kubota was a great purchase. Funny about duct tape. Looking forward to seeing the finished project.

[Conductor562]

If you want to see bad lighting you should see our ford 8n. It is just like two cheap flashlights taped to the hood. It is pathetic but it is still 6 volt too. We also have a Massey ferguson 165 and the lights are great on it. What would you recommend for a good set of drill bits?

The Norseman Magnum Super Premiums are fantastic bits. If you shop around you can get a 29 piece set for around $90. They are excellent in metal. I keep a seperate set of bits for wood and metal. For wood/general purpose I use the 21 piece Milwaukee Thunderbolt set. I get 2 years out of a set for a mere $20. When they dull I throw the dull ones away, toss the good ones in a box, and get a new set.

For metal I have the C'Man Pro Cobalt set and I'm not very happy with it. I had one explode when it shouldn't have and the Cobalt coating wears off much faster than normal. I had a set of the Norseman SP's that walked away. They were 5X's the bits the C'Mans are. I should have bought another set of them, but I bought the C'Mans in a pinch.

[Conductor562]

Here is a good source for the Norseman's: http://www.emisupply.com/catalog/sp29-magnum-super-premium-jobber-length-black-gold-29pc-p-2202.html?utm_source=googprod&utm_medium=product_search&utm_campaign=google-product-search-us-en&utm_term=NDT-44150&gclid=CJfSjZn-gL0CFU4aOgod2z0AyQ

The SP-29 is the one I like as it comes in a box. The SP-29P is the same set, but comes in a round tube case. Doesn't matter I don't suppose, but it's easier to pick the sizes out of the metal fold up case.

[NicholasShetley]

Thanks conductor. I will order them on Monday.

[Conductor562]

Thanks conductor. I will order them on Monday.

You won't be disappointed. They are awesome bits for under $100. True professional quality at fraction of what an inferior set costs on the truck.

[Conductor562]

Oh, and I'm sure you know this, but when drilling metal be sure to use plenty of cutting fluid. I coat the end of the bit before I start, then stop after every 15-20 seconds of drilling to clear chips and re-apply cutting fluid to both the bit and in the hole. If you do this methodically, your bits will last a LOT longer.

Tap Magic is probably the best, but I usually buy Oatey Dark Cutting Fluid. It's designed for pipe threading machines, but it works great for drilling or taps/dies. It's like $8 for a big bottle at Lowe's and lasts forever.

I like to use a cap of some kind to fill up with cutting fluid and dip the bit in. Makes less mess, less waste, and coats the bit tip more uniformly.

[NicholasShetley]

I always use cutting oil on bits when drilling anything over 1/8 inch thick.

[Conductor562]

I always use cutting oil on bits when drilling anything over 1/8 inch thick.

That's a good practice to have Nick. I'll never understand people not taking care of their tools.

DR: That is actually a leash for the littlest one. When we go out we can only keep track of all the kids by tethering the younger ones, lol. I'm not sure how it came to rest where it is though.

[Conductor562]

Finished up my lighting project tonight. Most of it was wrapping all the wires.

Pretty hard to see from the pic, but I chose to solder and shrink wrap my connections. It makes for a stronger connection and I sure as hell don't want to have to redo the wiring that I fished through the ROPS.

I was very careful to wrap all the wires in the tubing and wrap them good in my "borrowed" MSHA tape. The lettering doesn't look the best, but it's damn good tape and easy to identify.

I wasn't crazy about the metal toggle switches. I was convinced black switches would have looked better, but after visiting 3 auto parts stores and a Radio Shack, I was afraid the plastic switches wouldn't hold up well.

Finally, the moment of truth. I flipped the switches and the lights came on.

I pulled it outside to line everything up and I was amazed at the difference.

Before:

After:

Total cost for the project was a hair over $100. I could have shaved that down, but I'm not the type to cut corners. I had about 8 hours invested in it, but a lot of that was due to pulling the ROPS apart by myself. I'm happy with how it turned out though.

[Conductor562]

Sideways pics......damnit!

[regopit]

Nice clean install Conductor.  I have to agree with your thoughts on how people install things.  I don’t know if they don’t know, don’t care or like you said just plane lazy. If they would take a little more time to think things through their job would turn out so much nicer. The proof of it shows right here in your work. Once again nice job. 

[Harold Wray]

Real attention to detail Conductor.  Looks perfect.  Those lights are so bright.

[ssilva420]

Hi Conductor - 

Very Clean Indeed......

- Could you elaborate on how you tapped into the factory harness?

- Meaning did you use a plug and play harness or did you spice and solder into the existing factory harness?

- Given your power source seems to be in the rear, did you feed line back to the switch on the dash?

- Any need to add a relay given the factory wiring power source?  

[roadhog96]

Conductor I'm with you, if your going to do something, take the time to do it right. In the long run it will last longer, look better and you will have less headaches. Solder and shrink wrap is the best way to go. You won't have to worry about corroded connections or shorted wires. Your effort really paid off, the added lighting really does a great job and there is no comparison.

[Conductor562]

Hi Conductor - 

Very Clean Indeed......

- Could you elaborate on how you tapped into the factory harness?

- Meaning did you use a plug and play harness or did you spice and solder into the existing factory harness?

- Given your power source seems to be in the rear, did you feed line back to the switch on the dash?

- Any need to add a relay given the factory wiring power source?  

 

1. The BX Series comes prewired with 2 hot accessory wires tucked into the factory wire cover just above where the stabilizer bar connects to the tractor (mine were slightly left of it, but that likely varies). One is red with a blue stripe and the other is red with a black stripe IIRC. One of them is perpetually hot meaning you can use that light with or without the ignition switch on while the other is wired throughout the ignition switch. I don't remember which was which, but circuit tester will easily identify it. I wired my accessory light to the perpetual hot so I could use it to hook/unhook implements or whatever in the dark with the tractor off. 

 

2. I did not use an inline fuse. Being factory wires, they are fused in the fuse box (20 amp Mini Buss) on the left hand side of the tractor (from sitting position) under the dash. No soldering necessary and super easy. 

 

3. Yes, both lights have a switch leg running to the switches I installed which are pictured above. I bought the wiring jacket to cover the wires and wrapped it in with the factory runs of wires that runs from the rear to under the dash. I used the distinctive MSHA tape to be able to easily distinguish them from factory wires in the future. 

 

4. No, see answer 2.

[Conductor562]

Conductor I'm with you, if your going to do something, take the time to do it right. In the long run it will last longer, look better and you will have less headaches. Solder and shrink wrap is the best way to go. You won't have to worry about corroded connections or shorted wires. Your effort really paid off, the added lighting really does a great job and there is no comparison.

 

Thanks man. Soldering is the only way to go IMO. Takes a little more time, but you know you're only going to do it once and you have a 0% chance of running your wire all nice and neat, then having to rip it out because of a bad crimp. 

[chadlanthier]

I want a kubota. I have to admit I was drilling a metal door for deadbolt and forgot the oil.it started smoldering.