LED Driving Lights

**101RRS** · 13th February 2013, 02:20 PM

My Haflinger has a combined starter/generator that only puts out 240w (20amps) so electrical power is at a premium. I have a standard starter battery so somewhere about 500cca and my guess is about 40-50Ah so this covers up the low generating capacity in the short term.

However with things like lights, radio, CB, spots etc and later a diesel burning heater, so longer term demand on the electrical is going to be great.

So I am looking the demand of lights by changing to 35w HID headlights and led tail lights, parkers etc.

I need to look at driving lights/spotties - due to the slow speed of the vehicle they do not need to be as good as what you need for a larger vehicles. I could put in HID spotties but I am not keen on the the slow light up time so am thinking about LED lights.

I do not want a light bar and have been looking at some LEDS at ARB but they draw 90w each light which is far too much.

So does anyone have experience with smaller dia (about 5") LED driving lights/spot lights (not bars) that seem to do the job.

Thanks

Garry

**bee utey** · 13th February 2013, 02:52 PM

There are countles sellers of LED lamps on ebay now, they have become very cheap. e.g.:
2PCS ROUND 27W LED WORK SPOT PENCIL OFFROADS LAMP LIGHT TRUCK 12V 24V 4WD 4x4 | eBay
"Spot" beam is around 30 degrees for LED lights and should be excellent for 50-60 km/h driving.
Similar ones were organised on AULRO a couple of years ago at much higher prices. Check around on ebay and purchase at the price point you feel comfortable at. I use one as a yard light, it's brilliant. I have a single 10W LED lamp on my MTB, it's superb for fanging down my local hills at night.

Tombie · 13th February 2013, 03:10 PM

Wow.. Thats not a lot to play with Garry!

No opportunity to fit an aux alternator?

**101RRS** · 13th February 2013, 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by bee utey

There are countles sellers of LED lamps on ebay now, they have become very cheap. e.g.:
2PCS ROUND 27W LED WORK SPOT PENCIL OFFROADS LAMP LIGHT TRUCK 12V 24V 4WD 4x4 | eBay
"Spot" beam is around 30 degrees for LED lights and should be excellent for 50-60 km/h driving.

Thanks for that - I am just concerned that a lot of this sort of stuff on ebay is really just suitable for work lights so was after some personal experience. Do you have the one you linked too.

Originally Posted by Tombie

Wow.. Thats not a lot to play with Garry!

No opportunity to fit an aux alternator?

Well any thing is possible but when you only have a max of 27kw available on a good day you need every kw would need and a full on alternator would take a few of those. While modern requirements like heat and music are nice to have now - really were not needed when they were designed. However with the invention of LEDs/HIDs I can probably halve the night time load on the system.

Cheers

Garry

**bee utey** · 13th February 2013, 03:56 PM

I don't have the exact lights I listed, there are only so many lights you can justify buying, and not enough vehicles to put them on! I'm still looking for a guinea pig to try a couple out. At the price it won't be hard to justify.

**101 Ron** · 13th February 2013, 06:09 PM

Hi Garry.
I have been spot lighting/shooting in a Haflinger many times with the head lights on high beam and a handheld 100w spottie..........never had a battery starting problem.............only starting issuse was the belts getting loose on that dyna start.
PS
they crank start well too if need be.

redrovertdi · 13th February 2013, 06:45 PM

I have 4x the lights mentioned above on a light bar on my 110, they are wired to my 2nd battery and when all 4 are on the volt meter[for 2nd battery] drops 1 volt, mine are the spread beam and cost $110 from ebay, they are great for driving tracks and setting up camp in the dark, they throw a great light.
Richard

**101RRS** · 13th February 2013, 07:56 PM

Originally Posted by 101 Ron

Hi Garry.
I have been spot lighting/shooting in a Haflinger many times with the head lights on high beam and a handheld 100w spottie..........never had a battery starting problem.............only starting issuse was the belts getting loose on that dyna start.
PS
they crank start well too if need be.

Yes I agree - modern batteries are a lot larger than the generating capacity so tend to carry the vehicle in the shorter term and certainly for a long while - the standard charging system is more than enough for the standard systems but marginal for modern electronic requirements - certainly if I leave the headlights with halogen lights and have halogen driving lights then it will be marginal.

Garry

**101RRS** · 24th February 2013, 03:41 PM

Originally Posted by bee utey

2PCS ROUND 27W LED WORK SPOT PENCIL OFFROADS LAMP LIGHT TRUCK 12V 24V 4WD 4x4 | eBay
"Spot" beam is around 30 degrees for LED lights and should be excellent for 50-60 km/h driving.

Thanks to Bee Utey and everyone else for your comments. I have gone with the ones mentioned and will let you know how they go. If they are no good as driving lights I have other uses for them.

Cheers

Garry

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