2 Wire Basic Headlamp

EUG560 · May 15, 2021

Trying this again as I don't see my first post attempt showing up. I have a new 2 wire head lamp for my Ford tractor. I am trying to tap into the left side wiring in order to run good wiring to the right side of the tractor. I have tried tapping into the left side and the rear lights, but it won't light the new 2 wire lamp. I am trying to avoid stringing new wiring from the switch as it is extremely hard to get at under the dash.

Am I missing something here? I used a battery charger and the lamp itself lights fine.

Thanks for any help in advance.

old · May 15, 2021

Pretty simple one wire goes to the wire going to the switch and the other to ground

Jim.ME · May 15, 2021

(quoted from post at 20:30:20 05/15/21) Trying this again as I don't see my first post attempt showing up. I have a new 2 wire head lamp for my Ford tractor. I am trying to tap into the left side wiring in order to run good wiring to the right side of the tractor. I have tried tapping into the left side and the rear lights, but it won't light the new 2 wire lamp. I am trying to avoid stringing new wiring from the switch as it is extremely hard to get at under the dash.

Am I missing something here? I used a battery charger and the lamp itself lights fine.

Thanks for any help in advance.

Have you confirmed you have power on the left side where you are tapping the new light in? To be clear when you say lamp are you referring to a bulb with two contacts for the wires, or an assembly (housing with bulb with two wires coming out of the housing)? If it is just a bulb with two wires, where are you grounding one wire? If it is an assembly, is one wire a ground or is there a third wire grounded to the housing (three wires on the bulb)?

EUG560 · May 15, 2021

It's an assembly. Two wires. I want to run two wires from the good side of the tractor, back over to the right side and install the new light.

Jim.ME · May 15, 2021

Is it a single beam bulb so one wire is power and one is ground? Or is it a two beam head lamp with a third contact on the bulb grounded to the housing internally? Assuming a single beam bulb, did you confirm the wire you tapped into on the left has power when the switch is on? Where did you hook the ground wire? What tractor? What voltage is the tractor?

EUG560 · May 15, 2021

12 volt system. Ford 5600. 2 wires on new light. One red, one black. I am trying to splice into the red and green from the side that is good. That side works
fine. I have interchanged the black and red with the red and green multiple times. Maybe I need to tap into the hot wire and run a seperate ground?

EUG560 · May 15, 2021

Just double checked. The original lights are 3 wire, high and low beam

Jim.ME · May 15, 2021

When you hooked it to your charger how did you connect the wires? Red lamp to red (positive) charger and black lamp to black (negative) charger?

Do you know if the red or green wire on the left is the power, and that the other is a ground? Have you actually checked them with a test light or a voltmeter?

Is the left light one beam or a high and low beam lamp? Is the new lamp one or two beams?

Answers to all the questions would help.

Jim.ME · May 15, 2021

Based on you now saying your tractor has high and low beams, I will guess you have the wrong new lamp. You saying your new light has a red and black wire, I am guessing it is a single beam and by trying to hook it to the red and green wires (both supply power a beam), there is no ground for the new lamp. Hook red to red and ground the black wire of the new lamp and I expect it will light with one beam or the other.

The left light has a third wire to ground the bulb, like a car or truck headlight. The third wire may be inside the housing, between the bulb and housing which would ground through its base. You need a lamp assembly with a two beam bulb, like the original.

caterpillar guy · May 16, 2021

Sounds like what they are telling you is the red and green wires go to the high and low beam of the lights already on the tractor and you have a single beam light you want to hook up. So find which wire feeds the matching brightness of your new light and connect then ground the other wire on your new light. The other wire from your tractor left side will then just be there with an open end. You can tape it off or close however you want. Your new light will now work but only on one beam setting. So if it is connected to the high beam side it will not light on the low beam side you will only have one light up front till you switch to high beam then both will be on. Or vice versa

bc · May 16, 2021

Double check your left side low and high beams to see if the low stays lit when you switch to high beams. If so then connect your right side hot to the left side low beam wire. If it doesn't stay on then you have to decide which one (high or low) you use when you have the lights on. Probably not driving down the highway much so brights would be the most common one used if you need to have them on.

On the other hand if the left low goes off, then I don't see why you can't splice it into both wires. The worst that could happen is that both of your left beams would be on full time and forget the dimming switch.

2 Wire Basic Headlamp

EUG560

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old

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Jim.ME

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EUG560

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Jim.ME

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EUG560

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EUG560

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caterpillar guy

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bc

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