LED light-bar question.

[mjbuck]

I use my Max II mostly for ice fishing. I spend a lot of time driving out on lakes in the dark. The original headlights are dim, so I want to add a small LED bar. Maybe one about 12 inches. I am wondering about the draw this light will cause on the battery. The temp many days that I fish is around zero farenheit, so the battery is already operating in harsh conditions. I got a great battery and keep it on a battery tender when at home and not in use. I don't know a lot about this stuff. Just worried a dead battery could leave me stranded.

[Canadian_Zuk]

I have a 12" 7200 Lumen LED bar on my Max IV, I think it is rated at 20 Amp draw or something like that but do have a small automotive alternator in my Max. I broke an axle Friday night back in the woods, we winched in -26 weather from tree to tree for 6.5 hours all the way out to the road without ever taking a break. I had the LED light bar on the entire time and I didn't give the winch a moments rest.

If I didn't have that LED bar on my machine that 6.5 hours would have easily doubled. Flicking that switch is like turning daylight on

[Canadian_Zuk]

Here are a few pics taken that night recovering the Max, this was Jan 7th, 2016 no moon. You can see how far the light reaches through the trees in one pic. I highly reccomend that anyone who likes to go out at night have a light bar, especially out on the lake after dark. The LED light bar will light up the shore line from more than a mile out.





This pic kinda shows how much light is cast ahead of the machine, I had it angled down a little further than normal as well to prevent it from blinding my cable puller With the light bar off it's nothing but a dull glow and shadows provided by the factory lights.



And a short vid (LED bar tilted down here as well)

[philipatmaxfour]

wow Zuk Have you got any ideas why you seem to eat so many axles? Nice light though. Could us guys who don't have an alternator hook the LED up seperatly and work with just it and no lights in a similar stuck?

[Canadian_Zuk]

wow Zuk Have you got any ideas why you seem to eat so many axles?

I "think" I may have gotten a large chunk of ice inside the track. That's the only physical cause I can think of, I had just come out of the downstream side of a beaver damn and broke through the ice. That side of my Max still does not have the bearing cages installed, so I was flirting with disaster before I left lol. It's all coming apart now to be beefed up everywhere. I also have a new red spring to install in my secondary but I think I'm going to just buy a new secondary as well, they are cheap enough and I would really hate to have to pull the T-20 for a 6th time.

Nice light though. Could us guys who don't have an alternator hook the LED up seperatly and work with just it and no lights in a similar stuck?

Thank you. I've had this one a while, It used to by on my Kawasaki Brute Force. Absolutely it could be wired in separately, mine is actually wired that way with a covered toggle switch. I can run just my headlights via the ignition key or I can flip the LED on to use both or I can just run the LED on it's own with the Max lights off. I wouldn't hesitate to install one on a machine with the factory charging system but I would want to have a quality spiral cell battery installed so I could use it for extended periods without worry.

Edit: Another peice of kit I now carry with me everywhere is a small lithium ion booster pack, it's a bit larger than a wallet but pack enough punch to start several dead vehicles per charge. These things are worth their weight in gold!