[old abe]

So
I had posted on both of the other big CCI forums about using LED panels about a year ago.
I liked them when I installed, but have since found that the heat under the hood of my 220 (LEDS original home) must have been too hot because the LEDS are much dimmer than new.

So for this application (headlights) again another strike against them.

I did however put the other two new ones I had in the rear lights on the 444, and they are great.
Its better than daylight and lights up the 2-3 ft around the back powerfully.

So those searching for LED's, be warned they don't like the heat under the hood.

 

[grummy]

Were these the Chinese imports ?

It would be good to have had some operating outside the heat to see if it really is heat or just typical crap quality. I can't help but to think that JW Speaker would have a better handle on LED lamps for tractor applications (after all, this is the SAME company who used to make our glass headlight lenses).

I've got their #4200 halogens and Let me tell you, they are top notch quality. I have been planning on driving by their place next time I get down that way... maybe they have an outlet store (or preferably, a wonderfully stocked DUMPSTER out back <G>).

http://www.jwspeaker.com/products/work-lights/

 

[old abe]

Yeah, these are the Chinese ones. The rear ones stay cool, the front ones, the adhesive (which I didn't use/still had plastic on it) was all curled up, so I know they got hot.
I'll report back if the rears also begin to fail

 

[eBoyDog]

As for getting hot, I have worked with a few LED projects and with the cheaper LEDs they "burn out" quickly, a good quality LED doesn't produce heat or should be effected by high temps around it.

The problem is the lower quality LED will produce heat from the leads going into them and very slowly leak the inhert gas in them until they burn out. The dimming effect is the result of the inhert gas that is slowly leaking from them.

The expensive LED's use a more heat resistant plastic and stay brighter longer.

I guess the engine heat might quicken that process but the solution is add resistors to them to limit the flow of electricity to them but for primary lights, that decreases their brightness.

If one wanted to make their own homemade LED lights, might try http://www.goldmine-elec.com/ Once in while you can get the traffic light LED's which are about the size of 1/4 inch round but the problem there you can only get them in red green and yellow.

 

[Snotrocket]

I have 4 LED bulbs that I use in 2 sets of driving lights on my cab. I ran them all winter probably 20 hours or so and haven't had a problem with them.

I think I might have paid $5 total for all 4 of them.

 

[old abe]

The ones in the back lights work great, it's the front ones from my old 220 that are burning out and are dimmer.
It was a 78 220 so muffler was upfront. I think the exhaust prematurely aged them. The rears stayed cool and are like new