Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I have a 1992 8/24 snowblower passed on to me this year.It works excellent;although we`ve only had minimal snow this year.Can anyone tell me how to hookup a light to this machine. I`ve been examining them on new one a stores, but i don`t know where the connections are made ,or if i need any special parts,or even it can be done.Any,all help is welcome thanx.Reid.

no battery needed,  you have an ac alternator.  which means at idle the light will be on but very dim. at high speed it will shine bright.

mattr wrote:

This unit likely has the 1.5A unregulated DC alternator. From what you describe, it's likely you have a bulb that is a much higher wattage. Try to get a bulb that fits into your headlight housing that uses 18W to 22W or so.

    snowman   the unit would not have a dc alternator on it unless it is a 12 volt  starting system.  dc current charges the battery. 

I'm looking at buying a 4-5 year old Craftsman snowblower. Model # is 536.887990, made 11/2002.

It has electric start, but you have to plug it into a outlet to start it. Could I add a light to this??

Here it is

http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/grd/501752638.html

JasonnB wrote:
You'll need to check to see if there is an alternator lead on the engine near the starter. Yellow wire with a bullet connector.

And to clarify, the power lead on the Tecumseh is AC 18W, Briggs is DC 1.5A on the more basic models. Both Briggs and Tecumseh have an available dual circuit with a 5A AC/3A DC on higher end models (handwarmers, etc.). Briggs also has a regulated DC system available.

PK

Edit. Hey Snowman. I just picked it up. It's a Craftsman 536.887990, made 11/2002, with a Tecumseh engine.  I just went out and started it up, and tested that yellow wire with bullet connector with my Volt meter, and put it to AC volts. It read about 5 volts, but it was idling. I then put it to full throttle and it jumped to about 15 volts, hehe. So, it looks like that's the wire to use :)

1) Any recommendations on a light? Would love it nice bright light that doesn't cost a lot of $. :)

2) What's the highest watt I'd want to go with?

3) Also, where would you MOUNT it?

JasonnB wrote:
Although some models are sold with light(s) mounted on the crossbar between the handlebars I found that it's best to mount it somewhere on the engine cowl on the side opposite the chute, this to avoid having your vision hampered by light reflecting from the snow coming out of the chute and from the machine itself. Here is an example:




My previous snowblower had two lights mounted on the crossbar and when I bought this Honda I initially thought the light placement looked odd but this proved far superior, no reflections and it illuminates exactly where it matters: lower front. This is a factory installed light but it's mounted on a U-shaped bracket that should be easy to DIY. The lght can be tilted for adjustment.

Snowman, or anyone else. Where can I get a light for this thing that will be the right one? Do I have enough power for two?

For what it's worth:

If all else fails, a hands-free miner type light can be bought and strapped on your forehead.  They come with 10 LED lights and are very bright and lightweight.  I bought one and test wore it recently although my machine has a light.  It's especially useful when pre-starting, turning on the choke, etc. in the dark.  Before I start cleaning up the  EOD, I place the light on backwards and use it as a bright tail-light to alert street traffic.  It also has a flashing mode.  These lights can be bought at any discount store for less than ten bucks.

I also use it as a reading light when waiting for my wife in the dark at the train station.  Obviously it has several uses.  Purchased two of them at Ocean State Job Lot, a chain of discount stores in southern Mass. and Rhode Island, FYI.

for the light kit to connect to the Tecumseh Snow King motor model yrs1988 to 2004 go to Outdoordistributors.com, pick MTD as the brand, go to lighting and you need MTD-OEM-390-255 12V 18 watt, it looks like it comes with the mounting hardware and all for about $50.00