Export thread

Is there a light kit I could purchase for my 21 in. Honda mower?? I sometimes need to mow in the evening and if I had lights I could mow a little longer. I would prefer battery operated. :biggrin:

I have never seen lights on a walk behind mower. You would need brackets of some sort to hold the lamps and maybe dry cell battery to operate the lights. Or how about a miners hat with a lamp on it? Just maybe you can start something new.

Look into small LED lights that you might mount on the front of the deck... Bicycle lights may suit your needs... I would keep the light down low to keep the bugs, that will be attracted, near the mower blades and away from you...
If you do this, Post some pictures.. it should make for an interesting look... :smile:KennyV

An excellent idea, IMO.
Use LEDs...if you had an electric start mower...or room for a battery...
Now.. why have not the mower-makers thought of this one ???
They do employ "engineers", do they not ??
They are so locked into their conservativeism....a lack of original ideas... a fear of thinking...
And how many more good ideas are there floating around ???
How about a combo mower and blower, using a special winter "blade" ??

Never heard of a light kit for a mower.

Have seen plenty of snowblowers with lights. Got to thinking why is that?

Well, I know in some areas, a property owner is required by law to keep snow cleared. Depending on when the snow falls, and how tight the enforcement, sometimes this means they must blow snow during low-light times, maybe just after or just before sunrise / sunset. I would guess if there was NOT a law requiring it, the demand for lights (or a light kit) for snowblower would otherwise be very low. Who would want to blow snow in the dark unless they HAD to do it?

While there may be laws or regulations (homeowner's associations, for example) that dictate how often a lawn must be mowed, I don' t think even the most strict would mean the property owner must mow at night.

But a commercial cutter might benefit; with the revised schedule for Daylight Saving's Time, I'll bet there are a few locations where having a bit of light for mowing is worth the expense. If nothing else, it might impress a client to see the dedication of a crew who stuck with the job even after the sun went down.

lawn mower fanatic said:

Is there a light kit I could purchase for my 21 in. Honda mower?? I sometimes need to mow in the evening and if I had lights I could mow a little longer. I would prefer battery operated. :biggrin:

Click to expand...

You could do it like this. Here is the Push mower headlights Link where someone purchased lights from Harbour Freight and installed them on his Toro. :laughing:

Yeah, I saw that....I might do that, or find a way to mount a bicycle light on to it.

I , for one , see the need.
Here it seems to rain every day, so between having to work 10 hours and the daily rain, there is precious little time for dry mowing during the light hours. And, if the mower manufacturers could trouble themselves to hire an engineer, mower lights could be a walk in the park..
LEDs, of course, the old incandescents the due for disposal.

Lights for a push mower is a great ideal. I would buy a kit. Only found what midnite rider already posted. Odd, that there is not a kit out there. Sounds like a good, low cost business project to me. Maybe take a survey on this forum and see if there is enough interest to develop a kit and launch it on this site? Just a thought.

I kinda put lights on my mowers. Well I DID put lights on them, but they are more so I don't get hit by cars when pushing my mower back from a house; not so much to see the lawn when it's dark out. I found some bike lights laying around the garage, and put them on. On my HRX I used an actual bike light that MOUNTS to something. The light has 3 modes: solid, flashing, and random (where it kind of jumps around). I like that light! On my HRR I just used a clip-on light where I just clip it to the blade-engagement lever. Here are some pics:

lawn mower fanatic said:

I kinda put lights on my mowers. Well I DID put lights on them, but they are more so I don't get hit by cars when pushing my mower back from a house; not so much to see the lawn when it's dark out. I found some bike lights laying around the garage, and put them on. On my HRX I used an actual bike light that MOUNTS to something. The light has 3 modes: solid, flashing, and random (where it kind of jumps around). I like that light! On my HRR I just used a clip-on light where I just clip it to the blade-engagement lever. Here are some pics:
View attachment 9591

View attachment 9592

View attachment 9593

View attachment 9594

Click to expand...

Neat good idea.

slammed said:

Neat good idea.

Click to expand...

Thanks...in the future I hope to put some brighter ones on (closer to the ground) so I can mow when it is a little dark, but I wanted to do the quick way first so I have some now that it is darker earlier.

Blade Runner said:

Lights for a push mower is a great ideal. I would buy a kit. Only found what midnite rider already posted. Odd, that there is not a kit out there. Sounds like a good, low cost business project to me. Maybe take a survey on this forum and see if there is enough interest to develop a kit and launch it on this site? Just a thought.

Click to expand...

You can bet your booties that Harbor Freight will have a kit...soon, I hope....its a good idea....
In the 00s, motor vehicles (cars) had zero lites.
In the 30s, only one tail-lite, no directionals
In the 60s, finally - back up lites
In the 90s, fog lites
Conservatism is a sickness.
The top of the line Toro 30" at $1100 should have head lites and a side lite....Is this too difficult ?

earthworm said:

You can bet your booties that Harbor Freight will have a kit...soon, I hope....its a good idea....
In the 00s, motor vehicles (cars) had zero lites.
In the 30s, only one tail-lite, no directionals
In the 60s, finally - back up lites
In the 90s, fog lites
Conservatism is a sickness.
The top of the line Toro 30" at $1100 should have head lites and a side lite....Is this too difficult ?

Click to expand...

I agree....for how far we have gotten and the price of some mowers, they should at least have a light!

lawn mower fanatic said:

I kinda put lights on my mowers. Well I DID put lights on them, but they are more so I don't get hit by cars when pushing my mower back from a house; not so much to see the lawn when it's dark out. I found some bike lights laying around the garage, and put them on. On my HRX I used an actual bike light that MOUNTS to something. The light has 3 modes: solid, flashing, and random (where it kind of jumps around). I like that light! On my HRR I just used a clip-on light where I just clip it to the blade-engagement lever. Here are some pics:

Click to expand...

I've been a cycling enthusiast for years and what you're looking for in lights would be something like this. The Cateye HL-EL530 bicycle headlight with Opti-Cube technology provides a massive 2200 candlepower output from a single LED. This light features a 90-hour run-time and Requires 4AA batteries. I use these on my Recumbent Trikes and they look like a set of car headlights coming down the road, they will give you all the light you need for mowing a lawn at night. Check the site below for lights and accessories.

Cateye HL-EL530 Headlight - Bike Headlights

Ric said:

I've been a cycling enthusiast for years and what you're looking for in lights would be something like this. The Cateye HL-EL530 bicycle headlight with Opti-Cube technology provides a massive 2200 candlepower output from a single LED. This light features a 90-hour run-time and Requires 4AA batteries. I use these on my Recumbent Trikes and they look like a set of car headlights coming down the road, they will give you all the light you need for mowing a lawn at night. Check the site below for lights and accessories.

Cateye HL-EL530 Headlight - Bike Headlights

Click to expand...

That would work.

Ric said:

I've been a cycling enthusiast for years and what you're looking for in lights would be something like this. The Cateye HL-EL530 bicycle headlight with Opti-Cube technology provides a massive 2200 candlepower output from a single LED. This light features a 90-hour run-time and Requires 4AA batteries. I use these on my Recumbent Trikes and they look like a set of car headlights coming down the road, they will give you all the light you need for mowing a lawn at night. Check the site below for lights and accessories.

Cateye HL-EL530 Headlight - Bike Headlights

Click to expand...

Ric,
Not only would that work for lmf's push mowers, i don't see any reason why those couldn't be mounted on the front wheel frames on my ZTR(they would be a LOT cheaper than a Gravely light kit for my mower:0)
Do you see any reason why you wouldn't recommend them to be used on a ZTR?

djdicetn said:

Ric,
Not only would that work for lmf's push mowers, i don't see any reason why those couldn't be mounted on the front wheel frames on my ZTR(they would be a LOT cheaper than a Gravely light kit for my mower:0)
Do you see any reason why you wouldn't recommend them to be used on a ZTR?

Click to expand...

No reason why it wouldn't work on anything that you needed light for, I use mine for flashlights around the house. For $30 you can't go wrong. I know they will take a jolt because I've taken some of those on my trikes. If you wanted something stronger and believe it or not I know a couple of guys that trail ride and they run these NiteRider Pro 3600 LED Headlight - Bike Headlights just make sure your setting down when you bring up the site.

Ric said:

I've been a cycling enthusiast for years and what you're looking for in lights would be something like this. The Cateye HL-EL530 bicycle headlight with Opti-Cube technology provides a massive 2200 candlepower output from a single LED. This light features a 90-hour run-time and Requires 4AA batteries. I use these on my Recumbent Trikes and they look like a set of car headlights coming down the road, they will give you all the light you need for mowing a lawn at night. Check the site below for lights and accessories.

Cateye HL-EL530 Headlight - Bike Headlights

Click to expand...

That is nice! Do you know if you can angle it because since it would be on the handle bar that is at like a 45 degree angle, the light needs to be angled so it looks ahead...not up.

lawn mower fanatic said:

That is nice! Do you know if you can angle it because since it would be on the handle bar that is at like a 45 degree angle, the light needs to be angled so it looks ahead...not up.

Click to expand...

Yes you can angle it anyway you like. Mounting on your mower bar would be no different than mounting it on a bicycle handle bar. Just adjust the mounting bracket. During the day you can just slide it off the mounting bracket and leave the light at home. It can be mounted over the bar or under or on the side of the bar. Keep in mind if you buy the EL530 your mounting bracket will be a little different but they both will do the same thing and it will come with rubber inserts for bar sizing to make it non-slip.

Ric said:

Yes you can angle it anyway you like. Mounting on your mower bar would be no different than mounting it on a bicycle handle bar. Just adjust the mounting bracket. During the day you can just slide it off the mounting bracket and leave the light at home. It can be mounted over the bar or under or on the side of the bar. Keep in mind if you buy the EL530 your mounting bracket will be a little different but they both will do the same thing and it will come with rubber inserts for bar sizing to make it non-slip.

View attachment 9622View attachment 9623

Click to expand...

That is pretty nice! I think I am going to get that!!! It is a pretty good price for a bright light like that....there are some lights I have that aren't nearly as bright as you say this one is that cost even more!

Ric said:

No reason why it wouldn't work on anything that you needed light for, I use mine for flashlights around the house. For $30 you can't go wrong. I know they will take a jolt because I've taken some of those on my trikes. If you wanted something stronger and believe it or not I know a couple of guys that trail ride and they run these NiteRider Pro 3600 LED Headlight - Bike Headlights just make sure your setting down when you bring up the site.

Click to expand...

Ric,
Yeah you're right...at > $600 those NiteRider's are more than the Gravely kit for sure. But the HL-EL530 you gave the first link for seems to have a little "larger" strap attachment than the ones you posted pics of(which seemed to be only able to clip on a round "bicycle-sized" bar). The HL-EL530 may be adaptable to my ZTR's front wheels' bracket or footrest frame(which has come holes the straps could be secured through. Have you ordered products from that nashbar.com website and do they have a liberal return policy? I'm willing to take a chance for $60 plus tax and S/H just to see if I can make them work. That's still less than half what Gravely wants for their light kit.

djdicetn said:

Ric,
Yeah you're right...at > $600 those NiteRider's are more than the Gravely kit for sure. But the HL-EL530 you gave the first link for seems to have a little "larger" strap attachment than the ones you posted pics of(which seemed to be only able to clip on a round "bicycle-sized" bar). The HL-EL530 may be adaptable to my ZTR's front wheels' bracket or footrest frame(which has come holes the straps could be secured through. Have you ordered products from that nashbar.com website and do they have a liberal return policy? I'm willing to take a chance for $60 plus tax and S/H just to see if I can make them work. That's still less than half what Gravely wants for their light kit.

Click to expand...

Yea the NiteRiders aren't cheap but they are excellent lights for MTB single track at night. The pictures of mine are the older models and mine are like 6 yrs old. The mounting brackets on the new models are larger and work well also and as I mentioned before you can remove the light without removing the bracket.
I have ordered from Nasbar and never had a problem returning anything, which only happened once because I ordered a helmet and had to return it because the size was wrong so I don't think you would have any problems.

one light of each, both older models.

Ric said:

Yea the NiteRiders aren't cheap but they are excellent lights for MTB single track at night. The pictures of mine are the older models and mine are like 6 yrs old. The mounting brackets on the new models are larger and work well also and as I mentioned before you can remove the light without removing the bracket.
I have ordered from Nasbar and never had a problem returning anything, which only happened once because I ordered a helmet and had to return it because the size was wrong so I don't think you would have any problems.

View attachment 9633 one light of each, both older models.

Click to expand...

Looks nice! So you think one of those lights I liked will light up the grass a little bit?

lawn mower fanatic said:

Looks nice! So you think one of those lights I liked will light up the grass a little bit?

Click to expand...

I'll tell you what, let me do some playing tonight. I'll rig up one of my mowers with with the two lights and take it out and see if I can get some pictures of what kinda of light coverage were talking about. I'll get some pictures of one light coverage then two light coverage and post them so you can see the differences.
At this point all I can tell you would be they really light things up when used on my trikes while night riding.

Ric said:

I'll tell you what, let me do some playing tonight. I'll rig up one of my mowers with with the two lights and take it out and see if I can get some pictures of what kinda of light coverage were talking about. I'll get some pictures of one light coverage then two light coverage and post them so you can see the differences.
At this point all I can tell you would be they really light things up when used on my trikes while night riding.

Click to expand...

Can't wait to see these pics.

lawn mower fanatic said:

Looks nice! So you think one of those lights I liked will light up the grass a little bit?

Click to expand...

OK, I don't know how this is for a comparison but I borrowed one of your pictures to do a garage comparison.



The last two pictures are the entrance to the house 23 feet away and if you look you can see a dish that's 5 feet in front of the mower and check the light on the floor around the mower. Tonight I'll take some in the yard and will see how they come out.

Now all this being said the thing to remember is this, as you look at the lights on the bar the right is 1100 candle power, the left is 1500 candle power, the ones you will be buying are 2200 candle power and, twice that of my right and 700 candlepower more than my left. If you should buy two that means you're looking at 4400CP in front of you VS my 2600, a BIG difference.

Ric said:

OK, I don't know how this is for a comparison but I borrowed one of your pictures to do a garage comparison.

View attachment 9642View attachment 9643View attachment 9641View attachment 9640View attachment 9644View attachment 9645

The last two pictures are the entrance to the house 23 feet away and if you look you can see a dish that's 5 feet in front of the mower and check the light on the floor around the mower. Tonight I'll take some in the yard and will see how they come out.

Now all this being said the thing to remember is this, as you look at the lights on the bar the right is 1100 candle power, the left is 1500 candle power, the ones you will be buying are 2200 candle power and, twice that of my right and 700 candlepower more than my left. If you should buy two that means you're looking at 4400CP in front of you VS my 2600, a BIG difference.

Click to expand...

Good so far. Tonight will be the test.

Ric said:

OK, I don't know how this is for a comparison but I borrowed one of your pictures to do a garage comparison.

View attachment 9642View attachment 9643View attachment 9641View attachment 9640View attachment 9644View attachment 9645

The last two pictures are the entrance to the house 23 feet away and if you look you can see a dish that's 5 feet in front of the mower and check the light on the floor around the mower. Tonight I'll take some in the yard and will see how they come out.

Now all this being said the thing to remember is this, as you look at the lights on the bar the right is 1100 candle power, the left is 1500 candle power, the ones you will be buying are 2200 candle power and, twice that of my right and 700 candlepower more than my left. If you should buy two that means you're looking at 4400CP in front of you VS my 2600, a BIG difference.

Click to expand...

WOW! That is bright! I will probably get 2, so I can use 2 on my mower or snowblower, or use one on my bike, since I won't be mowing in the winter. I can't wait to see the pics tonight...thanks for doing that!

lawn mower fanatic said:

WOW! That is bright! I will probably get 2, so I can use 2 on my mower or snowblower, or use one on my bike, since I won't be mowing in the winter. I can't wait to see the pics tonight...thanks for doing that!

Click to expand...

Well I took a few but I don't know, I don't think my camera or me are real great at taking night shots. The first shot is from the front from about 30 feet out, the second from behind. The last is the drive,each section is about a 10 foot section so it lights up the drive pretty well. I can tell you after having the taken the pictures that I would have NO problem mowing the yard with those lights and doing a good job of it. The one thing I realized is that the lights could be mounted in the wrong place to get the maximum light to the ground, I thought that maybe if they were mounted lower, say on the inside top of the caster wheels it may work better. I guess if it was something I was going to do all the time I'd have to play with light location.

Not bad but not to good either.

Ric said:

Well I took a few but I don't know, I don't think my camera or me are real great at taking night shots. The first shot is from the front from about 30 feet out, the second from behind. The last is the drive,each section is about a 10 foot section so it lights up the drive pretty well. I can tell you after having the taken the pictures that I would have NO problem mowing the yard with those lights and doing a good job of it. The one thing I realized is that the lights could be mounted in the wrong place to get the maximum light to the ground, I thought that maybe if they were mounted lower, say on the inside top of the caster wheels it may work better. I guess if it was something I was going to do all the time I'd have to play with light location.



View attachment 9661View attachment 9662View attachment 9663

Click to expand...

That looks good....I will have no problem seeing, since I won't need to see 30 feet in front.

I was just looking around on the Internet for snow removal stuff and I stumbled upon this....a light made especially for snowblowers AND mowers (it fits on the side of the handlebar (where I want it), but where others lights couldn't fit, since it can pivot)!!! I am so happy! :biggrin::biggrin::laughing: Check it out: http://www.sears.com/craftsman-snow...7133394000P?prdNo=12&blockNo=12&blockType=G12

lawn mower fanatic said:

I was just looking around on the Internet for snow removal stuff and I stumbled upon this....a light made especially for snowblowers AND mowers (it fits on the side of the handlebar (where I want it), but where others lights couldn't fit, since it can pivot)!!! I am so happy! :biggrin::biggrin::laughing: Check it out: Snow Thrower Light : Buy this highly innovative light from Sears

Click to expand...

Not a bad price either.

slammed said:

Not a bad price either.

Click to expand...

I know! I swear...this is the only light that is MADE for a "push mower". And it fits a snowblower, so it is a good deal! I will definitely get this.

And congrats on becoming a GOLD MEMBER, slammed!! You are a big help on this forum! :thumbsup:

lawn mower fanatic said:

And congrats on becoming a GOLD MEMBER, slammed!! You are a big help on this forum! :thumbsup:

Click to expand...

Thanks I try when I can.

The reason I need the Craftsman snowblower/mower light (Snow Thrower Light : Buy this highly innovative light from Sears) and can't use a regular bike light like the one I have is because of the angle. The bike light is meant to mount to a horizontal bar, so it can point ahead. But my mower bar is facing sideways AND at an angle, so the light faces up at a 45 degree angle (see picture). That is why the Craftsman light is good, it can pivot out and face foreward (see the picture in the above link of the light on the mower).

Light for Snowblower!

I rigged this light up to my SNOWBLOWER today. I found it in a drawer. It is a light where you put it on the spokes of your bike and when the tires spin the lights spell words or something like that--I have had it for a long time! Anyway, it has cool designs and is SUPER BRIGHT, so I put it on my snowblower. I put two reflectors on the horizontal bar so that when I taped the light around the bar, the sticky tape would stick to the mounts on the reflectors and not stick to the blower itself, thus ruining the paint on the blower. It is really good for cars to see me, but I will still get that mower/blower light so I can maybe see the ground/snow a little better. You can never have too many lights! :wink:

I have an energizer headlamp thing that i strap around my head and I can probably see about 7-10 feet in front of me. Its l.e.d by the way. It works great for mowing in the dusk/nighttime.

metz12 said:

I have an energizer headlamp thing that i strap around my head and I can probably see about 7-10 feet in front of me. Its l.e.d by the way. It works great for mowing in the dusk/nighttime.

Click to expand...

I would look good with that on....big neon-green headphones and a headlamp. :laughing: But that is a good idea. :smile:

lawn mower fanatic said:

I would look good with that on....big neon-green headphones and a headlamp. :laughing: But that is a good idea. :smile:

Click to expand...

You should see me I have a purple pair of stihl earmuffs (my buddys uncle that i did some work for in the past gave them to me and i have no idea where or how he got them) a headlamp, a lime green thayers landscaping shirt. I am pretty colorful. its even better when i ride and do a lawn on a red tractor!

metz12 said:

You should see me I have a purple pair of stihl earmuffs (my buddys uncle that i did some work for in the past gave them to me and i have no idea where or how he got them) a headlamp, a lime green thayers landscaping shirt. I am pretty colorful. its even better when i ride and do a lawn on a red tractor!

Click to expand...

Well, people will definitely see you when they go past. Maybe even when they are still a mile away! :laughing:

lawn mower fanatic said:

Well, people will definitely see you when they go past. Maybe even when they are still a mile away! :laughing:

Click to expand...

Better to be safe then sorry!:laughing::thumbsup:

metz12 said:

Better to be safe then sorry!:laughing::thumbsup:

Click to expand...

Very true....very true....:laughing:

To follow up with this thread, I got the mower/snowblower light! :biggrin: I will mount it this evening and post pictures of it on the snowblower. Here is a picture of what it came in.

Here are some pics of the light on my snowblower and also of the light at night. It works great! It can turn a little from side to side so the second picture is of it turned a little to the right. The camera flash is OFF in all of these pictures.

lawn mower fanatic said:

Yeah, I saw that....I might do that, or find a way to mount a bicycle light on to it.

Click to expand...

If you do,post a pic please thanks

K-Pro-Mowing said:

If you do,post a pic please thanks

Click to expand...

I just put a bike light on each mower (see post #10 for pictures). And then a few days ago I got the Craftsman mower/snowblower light. Right now it's on my snowblower, but next spring it will be on my mower (see post #47 for pictures).

There was talk years ago, about using the part of the high tension voltage from the field collapse of the magneto's coil: inductively coupled to a capacitor, or another transformer, or both, to use the same as the spark plug. This was before White Light Emitting Diodes appeared on the market. They figured there still wouldn't be enough current generated from the scheme, to illuminate a 20 W 12V incandescent bulb to a desirable enough candlepower, up to and including it's rated output.

But since WHITE LED devices are available to the engineers, and consumers, as well, It could very well be feasible to generate enough light, just by induction coming from the field collapse (fly-back) from the magneto, with the scheme mentioned above; It would mean: No batteries required, self contained, and reliable.
If interested, We might be able to experiment and with tech support from engineering websites, we may be able to come up with a working prototype.

Elias40 said:

There was talk years ago, about using the part of the high tension voltage from the field collapse of the magneto's coil: inductively coupled to a capacitor, or another transformer, or both, to use the same as the spark plug. This was before White Light Emitting Diodes appeared on the market. They figured there still wouldn't be enough current generated from the scheme, to illuminate a 20 W 12V incandescent bulb to a desirable enough candlepower, up to and including it's rated output.

But since WHITE LED devices are available to the engineers, and consumers, as well, It could very well be feasible to generate enough light, just by induction coming from the field collapse (fly-back) from the magneto, with the scheme mentioned above; It would mean: No batteries required, self contained, and reliable.
If interested, We might be able to experiment and with tech support from engineering websites, we may be able to come up with a working prototype.

Click to expand...

I forgot to mention, that there may be others working on this already. We don't know.

Ric said:

OK, I don't know how this is for a comparison but I borrowed one of your pictures to do a garage comparison.

View attachment 9642View attachment 9643View attachment 9641View attachment 9640View attachment 9644View attachment 9645

The last two pictures are the entrance to the house 23 feet away and if you look you can see a dish that's 5 feet in front of the mower and check the light on the floor around the mower. Tonight I'll take some in the yard and will see how they come out.

Now all this being said the thing to remember is this, as you look at the lights on the bar the right is 1100 candle power, the left is 1500 candle power, the ones you will be buying are 2200 candle power and, twice that of my right and 700 candlepower more than my left. If you should buy two that means you're looking at 4400CP in front of you VS my 2600, a BIG difference.

Click to expand...

Ric,

I've been away from the forums for a while, but I recently took a first-hand look at some of the bicycle lights at a couple of Nashville area bike dealerships. After looking at them(they weren't the brand you suggested and they were $75-$85 each and "awfully small"), I decided to check out light kits at a couple of the auto part stores for comparison. I found a set of driving lights with 55watt Halogen bulbs and the ones I found at Advance Auto Parts were real nice. I ended up getting that set of "Baja Tough" driving lights, an additional LED toggle switch that will mount through a small drilled hole(the kits had a switch but it required a large square cutout for mounting) and a real nice installation kit that includes a relay, in-line fuse and battery connector all for approx. $40 total. These light kits(designed for off-road vehicles) seemed to be much more appropriate for mounting on a Zero Turn mower(although the lights you recommended would still probably be the option of choice for a push mower). Gravely wanted $125 for a light kit and I thought that was a bit pricey for as much as I would be using it(I rarely mow late enough for it to get dark on me, but do on occaission). I'll let you know how the installation goes in case any other readers of this thread are interested in adding a light kit to their ZTR mower(as much as we paid for these Zero Turns you would think a light kit would be "included"....it is on even the cheapest lawn tractors:0)

djdicetn said:

Ric,

I've been away from the forums for a while, but I recently took a first-hand look at some of the bicycle lights at a couple of Nashville area bike dealerships. After looking at them(they weren't the brand you suggested and they were $75-$85 each and "awfully small"), I decided to check out light kits at a couple of the auto part stores for comparison. I found a set of driving lights with 55watt Halogen bulbs and the ones I found at Advance Auto Parts were real nice. I ended up getting that set of "Baja Tough" driving lights, an additional LED toggle switch that will mount through a small drilled hole(the kits had a switch but it required a large square cutout for mounting) and a real nice installation kit that includes a relay, in-line fuse and battery connector all for approx. $40 total. These light kits(designed for off-road vehicles) seemed to be much more appropriate for mounting on a Zero Turn mower(although the lights you recommended would still probably be the option of choice for a push mower). Gravely wanted $125 for a light kit and I thought that was a bit pricey for as much as I would be using it(I rarely mow late enough for it to get dark on me, but do on occaission). I'll let you know how the installation goes in case any other readers of this thread are interested in adding a light kit to their ZTR mower(as much as we paid for these Zero Turns you would think a light kit would be "included"....it is on even the cheapest lawn tractors:0)

Click to expand...

Please include pictures when you have the lights mounted on the ZTR! I agree, bike lights are very expensive! And yes, I always wondered why ZTR's don't have lights included, or even push mowers. Snowblowers do and as you said, so do lawn tractors. Yes, I know you are more likely to use your snowblower at night compared to a mower, but some people are unable to do it when it is light out.

djdicetn said:

Ric,

I've been away from the forums for a while, but I recently took a first-hand look at some of the bicycle lights at a couple of Nashville area bike dealerships. After looking at them(they weren't the brand you suggested and they were $75-$85 each and "awfully small"), I decided to check out light kits at a couple of the auto part stores for comparison. I found a set of driving lights with 55watt Halogen bulbs and the ones I found at Advance Auto Parts were real nice. I ended up getting that set of "Baja Tough" driving lights, an additional LED toggle switch that will mount through a small drilled hole(the kits had a switch but it required a large square cutout for mounting) and a real nice installation kit that includes a relay, in-line fuse and battery connector all for approx. $40 total. These light kits(designed for off-road vehicles) seemed to be much more appropriate for mounting on a Zero Turn mower(although the lights you recommended would still probably be the option of choice for a push mower). Gravely wanted $125 for a light kit and I thought that was a bit pricey for as much as I would be using it(I rarely mow late enough for it to get dark on me, but do on occaission). I'll let you know how the installation goes in case any other readers of this thread are interested in adding a light kit to their ZTR mower(as much as we paid for these Zero Turns you would think a light kit would be "included"....it is on even the cheapest lawn tractors:0)

Click to expand...

ric/lmf,


Well, I goterdun!!! Ended up costing me a total of $36.72 plus tax(I returned the additional "wiring kit" because the light kit had all the wiring I needed) and some misc materials for wire routing & securing(nylon wire clamps & screws and nylon cable ties). I'll post pictures of the light kit and rocker switch below and here are the details of the materials, including the installation materials:
1)Blazer "Baja Tough" Driving Light Kit(55watt Halogen) Part#DF1088B-$19.99 which includes the necessary wiring and hardware for installation.
2)AutoCraft 30amp Rocker Switch(Red LED) Part#84840-$8.49
Both of the above purchased at Advance Auto Parts
3)Scotch(3M) Outdoor Mounting Tape(Two-sided adhesive tape holds up to 5lbs)-$4.27
4)Liquid Nails Adhesive(Home Projects For Extreme Temperature And Conditions) Part#LN-201-$3.97
Both of the above purchased at WalMart. The light kit came with mounting screws, but the best place to mount these lights was on the front of the gas tanks on each side just above the rear tires. Even though the plastic gas tanks are pretty thick I didn't want to take any chances. I cut the Scotch Adhesive tape to fit the inside of the light bracket(two pieces and two layers) and applied a small amount of the Liquid Nails on the light bracket, mounted the first two tape pieces to the bracket, applied a small amount of the Liquid Nail to that and applied the second set of pieces to the first pieces. Then I applied a small amount of Liquid Nail to the second layer of tape and pressed/mounted to the mower. I know this may sound a little strange....but it looks GREAT and it would take a crowbar to get those lights off my Gravely!!!!! I will post pics below of the light kit & rocker switch(drilled a hole in the plate where all of the controls are at for the mower and it mounted easily).
Once I have a chance, I will take some pictures of the Gravely with the lights mounted and post them. I think you'll agree it looks like a professional installation!!

djdicetn said:

ric/lmf,


Well, I goterdun!!!........

Click to expand...

Sweet! Can't wait to see it on the mower! :thumbsup:

lawn mower fanatic said:

Sweet! Can't wait to see it on the mower! :thumbsup:

Click to expand...

lmf,
As you know(and for the benefit of any other posters subscribing to this particular thread), I posted some pics in the Gravely/Ariens forum of the finished product(the Advance Auto Parts Driving Light Kit I installed over the winter). Below is a link to that thread for anyone interested(be advised that you may have to scroll up several posts to see all of the pics, because I could not get the "Attachment Manager" to upload all of the jpegs in a single post:0)

http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/gravely-ariens-forum/879-gravely-ariens-owner-check-read-first-5.html

It was warm out this evening (generally speaking) so I took my mower out at night and took pictures of it with the light on. It is VERY bright! I will definitely be able to do some "night mowing"! :wink: Even though it is very bright I have to caution you about something: the picture on the package shows it on the side of the handle bar and it is pointing forward. I was unable to make it work right that way, even when I made the light fold out. So I just decided to put it on the "grip-part" of the handlebar, in between my hands. It works great there, but it was not where I was expecting to put it. But then again my mower is not a Craftsman like it is meant for. Enjoy the pics! :smile:

lawn mower fanatic said:

It was warm out this evening (generally speaking) so I took my mower out at night and took pictures of it with the light on. It is VERY bright! I will definitely be able to do some "night mowing"! :wink: Even though it is very bright I have to caution you about something: the picture on the package shows it on the side of the handle bar and it is pointing forward. I was unable to make it work right that way, even when I made the light fold out. So I just decided to put it on the "grip-part" of the handlebar, in between my hands. It works great there, but it was not where I was expecting to put it. But then again my mower is not a Craftsman like it is meant for. Enjoy the pics! :smile:
View attachment 13533 View attachment 13534 View attachment 13535 View attachment 13536 View attachment 13537

Click to expand...

lmf,
That worked out very well on your push mower!!!! You can see well on each side and at least 25 feet or so out front. Is that one of those bicycle lights that user Ric was talking about or did you say it's a Craftsman light made especially for a mower?

djdicetn said:

lmf,
That worked out very well on your push mower!!!! You can see well on each side and at least 25 feet or so out front. Is that one of those bicycle lights that user Ric was talking about or did you say it's a Craftsman light made especially for a mower?

Click to expand...

It's the Craftsman Mower/Snowblower Light: Snow Thrower Light : Buy this highly innovative light from Sears :smile:

lawn mower fanatic said:

It's the Craftsman Mower/Snowblower Light: Snow Thrower Light : Buy this highly innovative light from Sears :smile:

Click to expand...

lmf,
Hey, for $30 you dun good!!! That light is perfect for a push mower!!!!!