Say Goodbye to Snow Blowing in the Dark with this DIY LED Light Bar!
Tired of snow blowing in the dark? Check out this DIY LED light bar project to make your snow blowing experience easier and safer! This battery-operated setup uses a power tool battery that you already own and can be easily added to any snowblower for better visibility in low-light conditions. Say goodbye to snow blowing in the dark with this simple and effective solution! And by the way, you’ll be absolutely shocked how long the battery lasts…but you’ll need to watch to video to find out.
The above video shows EXACTLY how to update your snowblower with a super bright LED bar powered by a power tool battery
and is a simple, inexpensive upgrade that can be completed in just a few hours. All of the materials used are posted below but let’s walk through the steps on how do this on your own snowblower.
First, we need to decide where we want the LED light located on the snowblower. I chose to put mine right in the center of the auger housing where nothing will block any of the light. The snowblowers that come with lights from the factory typically have them located up near the control panel which doesn’t make any sense to me because the snow chute and the auger housing block so much of the light. Once you know where you want the lights you’ll need to drill holes for the mounting screws but before fastening the light I used some metal primer and paint on the bare metal drill holes to keep the rust from joining in on the party.
Next you’ll need to decide where you want your battery adapter, power switch, and volt meter. I chose to put my adapter under the control panel to help keep snow and water from getting to the battery. The switch and the meter I have side by side right on top of the control area for easy viewing and access.
The meter is very very important because you don’t want to run these batteries too low because if you do, they will never charge up again and the battery is ruined. I the video I show you how to determine what the lowest voltage for your battery is and still be safe from ruining the battery.
Now the fun part, making the wiring harness. The video shows in detail how to actually make the connections, which connectors to use, how I wired everything and in what order. The most important advice I can give is make sure your in line fuse is the first component wired on the positive side of the harness. Reason being, if there is any type of short coming from the battery, the fuse will blow before any of your components or your LED light. My adaptor had an inline fuse already in line so I didn’t need to make any changes here. Next you’ll want your volt meter. I chose to put the meter before the switch because I wanted to see the most accurate voltage reading before going through any connections which may decrease the voltage shown on the meter. That means the volt meter is always on even if you have the switch off but I’m ok with that because I’m not going to leave a battery attached to the snowblower when it’s not being used. Finally comes the switch which is the last component before the wires go directly to the light. Overall, it’s a very easy harness to make and again, watch the video for details on connections, connectors, etc.
Something to keep in mind is possibly needing a voltage regulator in the wiring harness. Most DC switches, lights, volt meters are used in automobiles, boats, etc and those applications run on 12 volt systems. These days power tool batteries are getting more and more powerful where 18v, 20v, even 24v batteries are on the market. The components you choose will determine if you need a voltage regulator. All of my components were rated for over 24 volts and my Milwaukee battery is an 18v battery so I did not require a regulator in my setup. Pay attention to what you order to determine if a regulator is needed…my components are listed below so if you don’t want to add an additional regulator to your harness, pick up what I used and you’ll be good to go.
Tools and Products Used In This Project
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