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

I have a 1995 John Deere 824D. It has one light located directly behind the chute, powered directly by the engine - i.e., no battery. Lighting technology has improved in the last 15 years - is there any practical way to replace the light with one (or, even better, two) brighter lights? I could work out using battery powered lights - my DeWalt 18V system has plenty of power to operate a couple of 9V bulbs (the 18V bulbs are VERY expensive), but it would be nicer to have the lighting  be an integral part of the machine.

Also, do heated grips help much? And if they do, is it practical to retrofit them to an older machine like mine?

Thanks. We're expecting 12" of snow tonight in the Boston area. My Deere is gassed and oiled and I just gave it a thorough service - he's raring to go!

The electrical system on your motor may not be able to support it. Not sure what motor you have but I looked into it last year for my "non-Max" B&S Snow series engine. It only has enough juice to power the light. The additional electrical capacity is one of the advantages of the Max series. If I wanted to go down this route I assume i would have to add a bigger dual circuit alternator to the motor.

There are some very bright, very efficient and light weight l.e.d. lights that can be worn on the head. There are several advantages to having the light on your head. That's the way I'd go.

I think the heated grips are #1. They work really great on my JD 1130. Just go and buy a new JD, they have a great light and heated grips!