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Help for the Electricly Challenged

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Tyler

12-10-2001 18:37:13




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I don't know the first thing about wiring. Now that that's out of the way, I'll explain what I've done. Installed headlights on my TO30. Ran a wire from both headlights to a switch. Ran another wire from the switch to the neg. terminal(positive ground, six volt system). Flipped the switch and the lights worked fine. Then decided I need a light in the back. Mounted a different light (package said six volt) to the fender on the original bracket. Ran wire from light to same terminal on switch that the other lights are connected to. Flipped switch and rear light made a popping noise, must have blown. Front lights still work. Went to store, bought new light (six volt). Got home and realized new light has two wires coming out of it, others only had one. Will this work? Would I attatch ground wire on light to switch and ground positive wire to fender or do I need to do something else . Any ideas wy the first rear light blew? Help!

Tyler

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Mark Hendershot

12-11-2001 22:33:55




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 Re: Help for the Electricly Challenged in reply to Tyler, 12-10-2001 18:37:13  
Sorry Tyler I missed the post about it being a Head Light and not a tail light. Utility lights have both some times if two then one is ground if one then the body of the light is ground and if it has a high/low beam then one wire is for each filiment and the housing is ground. Mark H.



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Mark Hendershot

12-11-2001 22:24:55




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 Re: Help for the Electricly Challenged in reply to Tyler, 12-10-2001 18:37:13  
Tyler; What you have is a two filiment light socket. The two wires are for stop and clearance and the stud you mount it with is the ground. You need a dual filiment bulb, you probly put in a single pin (clearance only 1-filiment) bulb in and when you hooked the two wires up you shorted them out. The red wire is stop and the black wire is clearance like you find on a regular tail/light assembly. The only time there will be a ground wire is when the fixture is made of plastic and no metal for the mount. You can get a 6 volt stop/clearance bulb at the auto store. Forget about positve or negitive the bulb won't know the differance. Just run the power to one of the wires and the metal will ground it. One wire will make the brake fil. come on (brite) and the other will make the clearance (dimer) work take your pick. It is not as hard as it was to type all this. Mark H.

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Tyler

12-12-2001 04:55:51




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 Re: Re: Help for the Electricly Challenged in reply to Mark Hendershot, 12-11-2001 22:24:55  
Thanks for the response Mark ( and Sean and Bernie). I should have made it more clear that i was installing a headlight in the rear. If your typing skills are anything like mine, your responses represent a considerable amount of time.

Thanks again

Tyler



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Bernie

12-10-2001 18:51:30




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 Re: Help for the Electricly Challenged in reply to Tyler, 12-10-2001 18:37:13  
The two wires coming out of the rear light are correct. One is power to the light, the other is a ground for the light. Take light apart and look at where the wires go. Wire to the body of the light is ground, wire to the centre of bulb is power to bulb. When dealing with these old tractors that have positive ground its best to not think of which is the vehicle ground pos or neg. Just think of all electrical items as them needing a power and a ground. I find it much easier to work on the KISS principal! Keep It Simple S-----!

Take care...

Bernie

P.S. I just installed a new rear work lite to my TEA 20 and other than it being 12v there was no difference to what you're doing!

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Tyler

12-10-2001 20:07:28




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 Re: Re: Help for the Electricly Challenged in reply to Bernie, 12-10-2001 18:51:30  
O.K. Bernie, so do I hook up my wire comming from the light switch to the red wire on the light and use the black for a ground or the other way around? This is a regular headlight, not a tail or parking light. And I have to keep it simple!

Thanks Tyler



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Sean

12-11-2001 06:27:57




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 Re: Re: Re: Help for the Electricly Challenged in reply to Tyler, 12-10-2001 20:07:28  
Hey Tyler:

I think I can help with this one. I can not tell you why the first one blew. The new one with two wires should go black to the switch and the red to the frame (ground). It is getting it's power from the frame (positive ground) and the switch is interrupting the power which gives you on/off. Have you considered hooking all the lights up to your ignition switch? You should have three positions on you ignition. Off, on and a third where you could hook your headlights up to. "On with headlights". Hope this helps.

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Bernie

12-11-2001 06:01:36




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 Re: Re: Re: Help for the Electricly Challenged in reply to Tyler, 12-10-2001 20:07:28  
Tyler:

At a quick guess I'd say that the red is power and the black is ground. Is it not possible to take light apart? Is the light mounted in a metal case? If it is and if you have an ohm meter, just meter the case to either the black or the red wire and look for which wire has close to zero resistance with the metal case. Even easier take the light to a battery and place one wire on each terminal, ensure it works, and which ever wire you have on the neg battery post becomes the ground. Hope it works for you.

Bernie

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Tyler

12-11-2001 17:23:09




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 Re: Re: Re: Re: Help for the Electricly Challenged in reply to Bernie, 12-11-2001 06:01:36  
Bernie, you're right, one shouldn't think too much when working on these tractors. Just hook the wire from the switch to the pos. wire on the light then use the ground wire for a ground wire and everything will (and did) work just fine. I thank you very much.

Tyler



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Sean

12-13-2001 05:39:42




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 Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Help for the Electricly Challenged in reply to Tyler, 12-11-2001 17:23:09  
Hey Tyler:
I am glad you got your lights working correctly. I am a little confused as to the hook up and feel I may have told youn incorrectly. Is your battery in fact hooked up positive ground?It sounds like it may be neg ground. I do apologize for any incorrect info. I have just completely rewired my to20 and threw lights on all the way around. It is a positive ground,and I have the same two wire headlights and have them hooked as I told you. Either way you can now plow at night.
Sean

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Tyler

12-13-2001 16:55:23




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 Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Help for the Electricly Challenged in reply to Sean, 12-13-2001 05:39:42  
Hi Sean;

You know, I always stayed away from wiring anything for two reasons.1) I never learned even the basics.2) I'm colorblind, not color deficient in a few colors but 100% black and white. There's some big 5$ word that describes people like me and according to my eye doctor, I'm one in 16 million.

So, at age 42, this was my maiden voyage into the world of electronics. Also think it's going to be my last. Yes, my system is a positive ground and from what I've gathered I guess you can wire them either way but, since my headlights were already wired with the wire from the switch to the positive lead I figured I'd better do the same with the rear light. I think the guys are still arguing about it down at the parts store. Thanks agian for your help and hope you make out o.k. on your plow. Oh, that reminds me, somebody over on the 8n9n2n board has a picture of a plow frame that he can display, I think it's and original advertisement. Good luck

Tyler

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