Added some LED lights to my Raptor SD

[JDubya88]

So the last time I mowed, I finished just as the sun was going down so my last 5min or so was in low light. I decided that I wanted to look into adding some lights to the mower. I looked at Hustler's light kit, but for $200 I thought I could do much better for a lot cheaper. I knew I wanted to use LED's because I didn't want the lights to draw too much power from the mower's battery. I looked at a lot of options, but I chose to go with some low-profile strip LEDs that use double-sided 3M tape to mount. I also purchased a pre made wiring harness to ease the install. I think it turned out pretty good.

Lights Off:



Lights On:



Switch:


The pictures really don't do the lights justice. They are surprisingly bright for how small they are. I am going to try to get some pictures with them on outside on the lawn tonight to show how bright they really are. I'm happy with how it turned out and I've only got about $30 into the whole project right now. Let me know what you guys think.

 

[serelaw]

Pretty bright idea. lol
Looking forward to where you bought it all.

 

[JDubya88]

Pretty bright idea. lol
Looking forward to where you bought it all.

Sure thing. I picked the lights and wiring harness up off of Amazon.
Lights: Amazon.com: E-PRANCE New DRL Daytime Running Light Kit LED Fog Light Lamp,Black+yellow: Automotive
Wiring Harness: Amazon.com: Kawell® 2 Leg Wiring Harness Include Switch Kit 80W 40 Amp Relay Car Auto LED Work Lights Lamp Wire for Off Road LED Light Bars and LED Work Lamps/UTV/Truck/SUV: Automotive

I also picked up some zip tie bases that have double sided tape on them. I highly recommend these so you can place them on the frame and then zip tie the wiring to them.
Zip Tie Bases: Shop Gardner Bender 10-Pack Nylon Mounting Base Cable Ties at Lowes.com

I shut all the lights off in the garage and was able to take some better shots with the lights on. I will still try to get some pictures at night out on the lawn too.

 

[djdicetn]

Sure thing. I picked the lights and wiring harness up off of Amazon.
Lights: Amazon.com: E-PRANCE New DRL Daytime Running Light Kit LED Fog Light Lamp,Black+yellow: Automotive
Wiring Harness: Amazon.com: Kawellｮ 2 Leg Wiring Harness Include Switch Kit 80W 40 Amp Relay Car Auto LED Work Lights Lamp Wire for Off Road LED Light Bars and LED Work Lamps/UTV/Truck/SUV: Automotive

I also picked up some zip tie bases that have double sided tape on them. I highly recommend these so you can place them on the frame and then zip tie the wiring to them.
Zip Tie Bases: Shop Gardner Bender 10-Pack Nylon Mounting Base Cable Ties at Lowes.com

I shut all the lights off in the garage and was able to take some better shots with the lights on. I will still try to get some pictures at night out on the lawn too.

Yep, that turned out very well!!! I too came up with a inexpensive halogen solution(I checked into the amp load and have had absolutely no charging system/battery problems). Cost me about the same as you(approx. $36).One of the Mods turned my thread into a "Sticky" on the Build-it Yourself Forum. I hope you don't mind, but I pasted a link there to this thread so users searching for ZTR light options could see what you put together. I thought about mounting mine where you did, but opted for the easier wiring. Mine has a slight "shadow" of the footrest, but they still work very well for mowing after dark and I'm very pleased with them after using them 5 or 6 times since I installed them at the beginning of last season. Good job.....and you can check out my light kit version at the thread in the link below:

http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/build-yourself/18564-ztr-light-kit.html

 

[JDubya88]

So I was able to get some good night pics out on the lawn tonight. I think these are going to work out very good for my needs. I did not use any flash on my camera and did not touch up to photos at all so you could see how bright they really are. What do you guys think?

 

[djdicetn]

So I was able to get some good night pics out on the lawn tonight. I think these are going to work out very good for my needs. I did not use any flash on my camera and did not touch up to photos at all so you could see how bright they really are. What do you guys think?

That'll git er dun:0)

 

[MRCo.]

Good job, looks and works great!

 

[LazerZLandscaping]

You can now get the job done at anytime of the day!!

Maybe I should put some on my Lazer Z's.

 

[LeakyGasket]

2nd post -- I'll keep it short and SWEET (lights, that is)!

 

[Kremeneon]

Very slick! as non-obtrusive as those are I may look to get three of those light kits. One set for mounting on the front beam as you did, another set for forward /diagonal facing off the fenders, and another rear diagonal/facing on the fenders. Maybe separately switched. It would be great area lighting for maneuvering. The neighbors would certainly think aliens have landed if I were to be zipping around at 2am with everything on though.