LED lighting

[Duke]

How expensive is it to upgrade to them? I'll be kicking myself if it's cheap since I just put the new dump on my 4800 and they did standard lights.

I thought about doing it, but I had too many other things going on at work, home, etc.

 

[Truckie]

I was thinking about doing the same thing on my trailer but it will cost me somewhere in the vicinity of $250 to $300. And for the material I haul and the way some of the regular lights are burning out I don't think it will be worth it for me to do it. I know you have to change all the connectors that plug in to the light. Check out
Iowa 80 for some prices.
Hope this helps.


Mike

 

[NJKen]

If they are standard sealed trucklights you do not need to change the connectors. Prices can vary greatly depending on where you buy. the best thng yu can do is get all your quantities needed in mind ans check out a truck show somewhere. That is where you will get a good deal.
Ken

 

[nevrenufhp]

So that's your dump truck? It'll be burning off them tires in no time! I did LED's on my '94 4900, and wow it gets expensive! I put full LED treatment on 3 trucks and 2 trailers to the tune of $1400(not my money). Now that I have gotten the butt chewing for them(reverse lites were $108 ea.) I can say I would only do the tail lights if I had to do it again. Lots of options and they do look kool! The other well spent money was the Hella vision plus headlights! Great vision for a late night on a lonely country road.

 

[Duke]

WELCOME Neverenufhp!! Really glad you found this place. I know you'll make a lot of helpful contributions, and cost us a lot in back tires

More info on the Hella Vision plus headlights, please

 

[nevrenufhp]

I did a quick search and found this:
Hella Vision Plus Headlights use the latest European optics and lead crystal-focused lens to pump out up to 50% more low-beam light, and 25% more high-beam light, all with no increase in glare over the halogen sealed beams, plus 200% more light than unfocused tungsten-sealed beams. SAE- and DOT- approved in all 50 states. The inner bulbs are replaceable, eliminating the need to replace the entire reflector assembly. The increased light spread and light output is impressive: On low beam, 1,200 ft. (maximum) and on high beam, 5,400 ft. (maximum). However, the real advantage lies in the excellent light coverage and up to 50% higher output on low beam. This lets you see better all the time, without the fear of blinding oncoming drivers.

You can find them at many local parts houses, or online...just type it in a search

 

[Duke]

Nice!

So this headlight comes as a replacement for standard sealed beam (old style) lights, like the ones in our IH trucks?

 

[nevrenufhp]

That's it, they replace just like a regular sealed beam. Except the Hellas have a replaceable 9003 style bulb. So when the original(55w/65w) burns out you can put in the higher wattage ones if you want.

 

[PackRat]

We have both incandesent, and LED, in our fleet. As a general rule, we have very little trouble with LED's burning out, even if they replaced a problematic incandesent.

Normally, through my supplier, incandesent stop/tail/turns run about $1.99(cost) vs $6.99, for LED's.

Some of the VSM and Trucklite bulbs use the standard 3-pole connector. Some of the more expensive units run a weather-pak/metri-pak(whatever) plug, for which adapters are available, and pretty cheap(compared to hacking up a harness).

The only trouble we noticed, is that hte LED's don't created as much heat as incadesents, so in the winter, the taillights will become covered with snow. The incandesents seem to run warm enough to keep them melted off.

If you do convert the harness, invest in some good quality NON-insulated connectors, and the heat shrink tubing, with glue inside. Trust me on this one. It is worth the investment, in not having to repair the harness everytime it gets wet.

 

[Duke]

Thanks, Good info! Keep it coming!!!

I use the heat shrink tubing whenever I can......haven't seen the glue type, yet!